Snowy-bellied Nest

Early this morning (December 14, 2009) Les spotted another yard bird: Snowy-bellied Hummingbird. Later in the day, I spotted her on a nest. We determined that she is in the process of building the nest, and Les got some good video of it and her through my scope. (See below.)

Hummers have been in short supply in this yard so far. During our previous stays (a week in late September and 2 weeks from late October through November 11), we had only sporadic sightings of a female Crowned Woodnymph and a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird. In November, Les even hung a feeder out, but nobody cared.

The Rufous-tailed is still around this month, as is the female Crowned Woodnymph. Les put up a feeder up again this time, a couple feet above some orange Impatiens flowers that both species favor. They both ignored it. Then he tied a long rope to the feeder so it could hang right amidst the flowers. It worked - the Rufous-tailed took to it immediately. About a day later, we saw a first-for-the-yard Stripe-throated Hermit fly directly in and start sipping from the feeder. Les took the rope off the feeder the next morning and both the Stripe-throated Hermit and the Rufous-tailed are now regulars at the feeder.

Why Having Your Washer & Dryer Outdoors Can Be A Good Thing

On Friday, December 11th, we were expecting a plumber and a cable guy to call on us, so we stayed home all day to wait. Neither of them could (or would) commit to a 2-hour or 4-hour time frame, as is common in the U.S.A. Here in Panama, we feel lucky if the person shows up on the scheduled day. The plumber showed up late in the afternoon. He brought 3 sizes of the part he knew he would need, but none of them would fit. So he had to return the following morning with the correct size.

The cable guy, who we hoped would be restoring our internet service (we had none since our return on the afternoon of December 9th), had not arrived by 3 PM, so Les gave him a call to see if he was still planning to come that day. Yes, he confirmed that he would be here. Five o'clock rolled around and Les and I began to have serious doubts. Six o'clock arrived but the cable guy did not. We gave up all hope for that day, and also figured he would probably not be there on Saturday, so we would go another few days without internet. About 8:15 PM, a truck drove up out front - the cable guy! After a quick check of cables and connectors inside the house, he roared off to locate the amplifier, and within 15 minutes he was back and our internet service had been restored.

So anyway, we were working around the house all day, and for me, that included several loads of laundry. Our washer and dryer are located outside, next to the house near the kitchen door and the laundry sinks, a common arrangement in Panama. While heading out to move a load from the washer to the dryer, I saw a large black woodpecker with a bright red head fly in to a nearby pine. It landed out of sight, but within a few seconds, another of the same type flew in and landed in plain view - a male Lineated Woodpecker! It was a yard bird, and I was able to run inside and interrupt Les from his vacuuming, so he got to see it too. Lineated Woodpecker is a common species in Panama, but we were excited to see a pair in our yard.

A few hours later, Les was watching the birds at the feeder, and he spotted a primo male Red-legged Honeycreeper going for the bananas. Another common and wide-spread species in Panama, but a fun new yard/feeder bird for us.

Pipeline +

Today, November 8th, we ventured again to Pipeline Road. We were caught in a lengthy downpour around 9:30 AM, but our umbrellas kept us dry from the knees up.

We enjoyed more fine views of Chestnut-backed Antbird and many other regulars. Les got excellent video of some Scarlet-rumped Caciques on the road to the Discovery Center.

On our way down from Pipeline Road, I spotted an owl on a telephone wire near the Soberania National Park headquarters. At first, I thought it was a plastic owl (in the U.S.A., people sometimes place plastic owls on rooftops in an unsuccessful effort to deter pigeons or starlings), but then I noticed that a couple of feathers were blowing in the breeze, and then I saw the owl turn its head. Les screeched to a halt at the side of the road, but the owl flew off the wire toward a tree. At my insistence, we pulled into the parking lot of the headquarters, and after a short search, I relocated the owl in a tree near the car. Les's video of the Striped Owl shows how cute it is, with the black outline to the facial disk and the prominent "ears". I have a new favorite owl.

Rehab in Panama

WORK -

Finding good, qualified workers here in Cerro Azul can be difficult, apparently. It is some distance from Panama City. The workmanship doesn't compare with U.S. standards and neither does the work ethic. Don't try encouragement with money, I've been told; it doesn't work. With information from other residents I went in search of a couple who just went through a major construction project and who who might have some good contacts for workmen.

At the end of a long downhill drive on the edge of the Chagras National Park there is a formidable stone wall and iron gate. Answering the intercom was Conchita Mueller. She and her husband, Bernd, have transformed an existing home and lots into an animal rehab center...and soon to be birders' retreat. Bernd gave me a tour of both.

They were not encouraging about local workman. Even when something is agreed upon, something else will be the ultimate reality. One should be onsite continually to supervise the work. It can't be done remotely to achieve your expected results. But the Muellers, in only a year, have transformed their property into a warm, welcoming place. This gives us encouragement to make a few small changes to our Casa Naranja.

REHABILITATION -

Working with ANAM (Panama National Environmental Authority) they have taken in and cared for animals that have been abused or abandoned. We saw a young tamarin, coatis, night monkeys, and a spider monkey named Suzie Q.

BIRDERS -

Along with this helpful work, the Muellers are building a birders' retreat bordering the park and a flowing stream.

The two beautiful houses looking onto the park which promise to be a favored spot for birds and birders. When the grounds are open for rental we will post another notice.

Pipeline Road Again

To celebrate Panama's November 5th Independence Day (from Spain), we went to Pipeline Road. November 4th was mostly rainy and cool in Cerro Azul, so we were happy to be in the warmer lowlands, and it did not rain all morning on the 5th, although it was very cloudy until almost noon.

We had a slow start, but as the morning wore on, we racked up a lot of great birds and left wishing we had more time and expertise to discover what else was there.

Below is Les's video of some of our highlights.

Some other great birds, who managed to avoid the gaze of the camera lens, included Slaty-tailed Trogon, Broad-billed Motmot, Collared Aracari, Keel-billed Toucan, Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Plain Xenops, Western Slaty Antshrike, Checker-throated Antwren, White-flanked Antwren, Chestnut-backed Antbird, Spotted Antbird, Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Blue-crowned Manakin, White-breasted Wood-Wren, Canada Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Fulvous-vented Euphonia, Scarlet-rumped Cacique, Yellow-rumped Cacique, Chestnut-headed Oropendula.

They Found Us

The Geoffroy's Tamarins (Saguinus geoffroyi) discovered the bananas in our yard this morning. We heard from the gardener that the former tenants fed them, and we actually saw several of them during our first tour of the house back in August. But the house was vacant during all of August and until the end of September, so the tamarins stopped making this a regular stop.

Les got some great video of them. After they devoured the 2 banana halves on the table, they sat around (in the pines) waiting for more, but we offered no further servings. We don't think our budget can't support a tamarin feeder.

Trouble Has Arrived

Trouble, in the fuzzy form of a Snookum Bear, has arrived in our Cerro Azul yard. He made his first appearance (to us) a little before 7:00 AM on November 2nd. We feel he's been here before, during the nighttime, since any banana chunks left by the birds at the end of the day do disappear by morning. It was foggy and not at all bright this morning, so maybe it was his last stop before retiring for the day.

He was undisturbed by our presence, casual, curious, and probably would have walked into the house if we hadn't been blocking the doorway. He patrolled the southeast side of the yard for about 15 or 20 minutes, often down the slope a bit, where his body was out of sight but we could still see his tail waving merrily along. Les finally banished him (temporarily, no doubt) by banging a shovel against a tree.

We like Coatis fine, but really do want the bananas to go to the birds (and maybe some to the Geoffrey's Tamarins, if they find us.)

Les got some video of the little bandit before chasing him off.

Note the coati's highly developed sense of smell. They can move their snouts around very expressively. This is a large, healthy-looking male. He's solitary, so at least two years old, since the females in the troop shoo them away outside of the breeding season. He holds his non-prehensile tail high showing his rights to the territory. But, that may not work for us in the house.