Tuesday, November 27, 2012

a cool Cricket

A cricket, always cool!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

New bird on the farm

While picking coffee... a nice Townsend's Warbler joined me, new on the farm.
It was the call that he made , to convince me that it was  a Townsend's, because they are so similar to the black throated green Warbler.
A lot of birds today on the farm, lot of American Redstarts, I noticed.
Lot of wind in the mountains and not in our valley, means that the birds are coming and hide, great!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

moth picture

Don't ask me which one... but he/she is beautiful
I took the picture in Palo Alto cloud forest ..Boquete.

According to Dan Wade, thanks Dan!

 This is a member of a large group of moths called 'wild silkworm moths'. I think the 'wild' is included because the famous domesticated silkworm moth that is used in the silk industry (Note: and has been used for silk production for SOOOOOOOOO LONG that it no longer exists in the wild!) is not in this same group.

Group is Saturnidae (Saturnids) and this is a Rothschild's Silk Moth.
Google it....lots of pics and info.
And......just as interesting.....google the Rothschild who it's named for.
He was one of the world's great collectors....back in the 'age of collecting'. A member of the Rothschild family that emigrated from France to England, becoming a big part of the Bank of England....rich, powerful, influential family members, thus part of English history.
And this Rothschild collector guy was, of course, very rich, and able to go himself ( but he was a huge man, and also hugely FAT, but did travel internationally, collecting specimens, back when this type of travel was not to be taken lightly). But most of his private collection of specimens from around the world was done by others, professional collectors working for him.
Much of the greatness of the British Museum of Nat History collections is because he donated his vast collection to the museum.

Anyway...........all the Rothschild Silk Moths have those 4 transparent 'window panes', thus are easy to ID. And all are huge.
Next time you see one, if able, put your hand or finger near the moth for 1-2 photos, as a way of showing how BIG these moths are!

Dan 

Waiting for my Husband and 2 other hikers...

that was not a punishment.
They hiked the Quetzal trail from Boquete and Cerro punta and so I drove to Cerro punta to pick them up at Respingo.
It was drizzeling a bit (Bajareque) but around me where some nice birds. Lot of Endemics.

band tailed Pigeon
Volcano Hummingbird (Endemic)

fiery throated Hummingbird (Endemic)
magnificent Hummingbird
streak headed Woodcreeper
black capped Flycatcher ( Endemic)


gray breasted Wood Wren
ruddy capped nightingale Thrush
Wilson's Warbler
flame throated Warbler (Endemic)
black cheeked Warbler (Endemic)
sooty capped bush Tanager (Endemic)

sooty faced Finch (Endemic)
large footed Finch (Endemic) (I had to zoom it in , he was shy)

yellow thighed Finch (Endemic)
And heard a Quetzal close by , could not find him.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

trip

Cloudy morning...2 spots

Bird list 21th of November 2012
cattle Egret
black Vulture
ruddy ground Dove
brown throated Parakeet
snowy bellied Hummingbird
rufous tailed Hummingbird
green violet Ear
white throated mountain Gem
stripe tailed Hummingbird
prong billed Barbet
red crowned Woodpecker
tropical Kingbird
gray capped Flycatcher
social Flycatcher
yellow bellied Elaenia
mountain Elaenia
common tody Flycatcher
yellowish Flycatcher(T)
paltry Tyrannulet
plain Wren
house Wren
black faced Solitair


clay colored Thrush
orange billed Flycatcher
yellow winged Vireo
Wilson's Warbler

LouisianaWaterthrush

black burnian Warbler
black throated green Warbler(T)
yellow throated Vireo
Tennessee Warbler
Philadelphia Vireo
Baltimore Oriole
rose breasted Grosbeak
red legged Honeycreeper
rufous capped Warbler(T)
slate throated Redstart
yellow crowned Euphonia
thick billed Euphonia
silver throated Tanager(T)
flame colored Tanager
blue gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
yellow thighed Finch
buff throated Saltator
chestnut capped brush Finch
bronzed Cowbird
yellow faced Grassquit


rufous collared Sparrow
variable Seedeater
lesser Goldfinch
slaty Flowerpiercer
American Dipper


torrent Tyrannulet
black Phoebe

Friday, November 16, 2012

Bird trip

Today I did go to two different places, was a good day without wind and with a lot of sun.
The bird list 16th of November 2012
black Vulture
gray headed Chachalaca
ruddy ground Dove
brown throated Parakeets
rufous tailed Humming bird
Snowy bellied Hummingbird
red crowned Woodpecker
streak headed Woodcreeper
Tropical Kingbird

boat billed Flycatcher
great Kiskadee(T)
social Flycatcher
gray capped Flycatcher
yellow bellied Elaenia
lesser Elaenia(T)
paltry Tyrannulet
common tody Flycatcher
plain Wren
house Wren
clay colored Thrush
orange billed nightingale Thrush
lesser Greenlet
yellow throated Vireo
Wilson's Warbler
chestnut sided Warbler
bay breasted Warbler
black and white Warbler
black throated green Warbler
Mourning Warbler(T) in flight
Tennessee Warbler
Philadelphia Vireo
Summer Tanager
rose breasted Grosbeak (male and Female ...female on Picture)


eastern Wood Pewee
Baltimore Oriole
indigo Bunting Female(T)
red legged Honeycreeper
rufous capped Warbler (immature on picture)


yellow crowned Euphonia
thick billed Euphonia

silver throated Tanager

palm Tanager
blue gray Tanager
Cherrie's Tanager
buff throated Saltator
black striped Sparrow
rufous collared Sparrow
yellow bellied Seedeater
yellow faced Grassquit
lesser Goldfinch
blue black Grassquit
great tailed Grackle
gray breasted Martins
black Phoebe

And this little Darling....sorry cannot resist to put it on this blog....






Thursday, November 15, 2012

new bird for me! uhhh an extra note.....

Today I was at the el Respingo ranger station nearby Cerro punta...did see a Purple throated mountain Gem.Female and male...
Darn he turned around when I took the picture, but it was clearly the purple throat!!
Just an extra note...I thought I saw this bird for the first time , but no I did see this bird before in 2006 in Boquete cloud forest...but still it was exciting to see them again. (never saw the female before...)

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

not a bird

It's not a bird , but a cool insect. I did ask my bird friend...who knows also a lot about insects, what it was...here is the picture and his comment...
Your photo is a cool bug.
This is a 'bush cricket'. Same insect order....Orthoptera....as grasshoppers. Orthoptera has 2 sub-orders.
One is the 'grasshoppers' (and a few other groups) They all share one trait........short antennae, w/ the antennae 'stiff' in appearance.
The other sub-order contains 'bush crickets, crickets' (and a few other groups). They all have long antennae.
Bush crickets are almost strictly tropical............almost none in temperate climes. They can have, like your bug, VERY LONG antennae.  Many of the bush crickets are cool because they are SO CRYPTIC. This guy is usually found on tree limbs that are covered w/ whitish or greyish or gray-greenish epiphytic growth, like moss or lichen. I've usually come across this guy when I was cutting down, or cutting back, citrus trees that are unhealthy and slowly dying. The trees are covered w/ these mosses and lichens. If you put this guy on a branch like that, he just about 'disappears'. Of course, on a green leaf, like your photo, he really stands out. Check out how long his antennae are!!
Dan Wade  wrote this

Saturday, November 3, 2012

just a picture, blurry but cosy

Busy times , picking coffee, do all kinds of small jobs to be ready for the season. I keep my eyes open of course , according the birds...the Hummingbirds are getting more alive, the hormones are active!
The monkeys(no birds , but I want to mention it) are eating the last fruit and are fighting more, because the young monkeys are getting bigger and they want to have a spot in the group. One immature male Monkey(white faced capuchin) was pushed out of the group, he sitting a kind of sad on a distance of the group.
Here a picture of the feeder this morning, bit blurry, but I thought it was so cosy.....