A few little things

Still at the Canopy Tower.

Wednesday, July 29th, Domi took us to Pipeline Road in the morning, and as always, the Road produced. Our biggest highlights there were Great Tinamou
(ambled through our field of view as we were watching the leaftosser), Little Tinamou (two, foraging next to the road as we drove back for lunch - Les was shooting the video through the window of the van),

Greater Ani, Streak-chested Antpitta, Spotted Antbird, White-bellied Antbird, Chestnut-backed Antbird, Black-faced Antthrush, Buff-throated Foliage-Gleaner, Scaly-throated Leaftosser.

And in the afternoon, we went with our guide Alexis to the Ammo Ponds. His first feat was pulling in not one, but two White-necked Crakes. Anyone who has ever tried to see this species can tell you how difficult it almost always is. We all enjoyed a nice view of at least one of them.

For many years, one of my most-wanted species has been the Olivaceous Piculet. (I'm a sucker for the teeny, tiny ones, a predilection I share with my good friend Debra - think Rifleman in New Zealand, or Puerto Rican Tody.) Another guest at the Tower this week said he saw the piculet at the Ammo Ponds a day or two before we arrived, so we knew that at least one was in the neighborhood. Alexis heard one calling, and after much perusing of the treetops, he spotted one chipping bark off a small branch high overhead. It moved out of sight after a few seconds, but then it and another flew to a tree across the road, where we all saw it through the scope. Hooray! Also new for us at the Ammo Ponds were Ruddy-breasted Seedeaters.

We saw many other exciting and wonderful birds that day - below is an incomplete list to supplement the highlights mentioned above (in case anyone wants to read more bird names.)

Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Striated Heron, Snail Kite, Purple Gallinule, Wattled Jacana, Smooth-billed Ani, Squirrel Cuckoo, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Black-tailed Trogon, Violaceous Trogon, White-tailed Trogon, Cocoa Woodcreeper, Plain Brown Woodcreeper, Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet, Greenish Elaenia, Southern Bentbill, Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Lesser Kiskadee, Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Social Flycatcher, Streaked Flycatcher, Piratic Flycatcher, White-winged Becard, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Golden-collared Manakin, Lesser Greenlet, Scrub Greenlet, Green Shrike-Vireo, Black-chested Jay, Black-bellied Wren, Rufous-breasted Wren, Plain Wren, White-breasted Wood-Wren, Song Wren (amazing little fellows who manage to produce beautiful, musical songs while simultaneously muttering a series of varied call notes), Gray-headed Tanager, White-shouldered Tanager, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Crimson-backed Tanager, Blue-gray Tanager, Palm Tanager, Thick-billed Euphonia, Plain-colored Tanager, Golden-hooded Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Green Honeycreeper, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Yellow backed Oriole, Yellow-tailed Oriole, Scarlet-rumped Cacique.