Tuesday, June 27, 2017

27th of June 2017 Three wattled Bellbirds on the move and a lot of immature birds on the farm

Good afternoon...

This morning while sipping a coffee on the balcony, songs of two male three wattled Bell birds were echoing on the farm. They are already ready to go back to the Caribbean slope?. as a matter of fact, I did read a report on E bird that some were already spotted on a island in  Bocas del Toro a week ago.
That is pretty early.. this year I think the fruit on the trees were ripe early (different weather) and so they migrate down earlier then normal to get some more fruit. Hope they will have enough food and that they did raised some new Bell birds....
This year in some areas they were for a very short time or even did not show up there.

The only place were they were spotted in the normal time,  was on the sendero los Quetzales (Volcan Baru national Park, Boquete side). I did heard them there still a week ago. Then I talk about the Boquete area....

Well about new immature birds...on the farm we are surrounded by a lot of nests and baby birds. Even there are still birds building nests.No problem with the big amount of rain that we had the past weeks.
The Thrushes are now done with building nests, still a lot of immatures. Still some songs of Thrushes. The orange billed Nightingale Thrushes are still having nests and making nests, which is normal for the time of the year.

Of course the Wrens are very busy still with making nests and breeding . This rufous and white Wren did found a nice ...scary ... spot on the side of our spiny Palm Tree in front of our balcony.

I did see one going in with food, but I think after 4 days in nest , they have  eggs inside, so the food is probably for the partner. This is a picture of one of the birds with nest material, took this picture on the 22th of June.

Next to the balcony,bay headed Tanager sitting on eggs, this morning she was very restless, so I think there will be immatures soon.This is a small video I took 17th of June:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHK_8CQFc9g


This picture of this morning:

And so exciting times again, I did some birding from the balcony this morning,  was not planning to be there  for more the an hour, could not help it. I was planning to paint a wall of one of the cottages... those birds they did it again.... the brush is still clean and the paint..I did not do anything with it....
Greetings Terry
http://coffeeadventures.net/tinamou.html
Tinamou Cottage Boquete, Chiriquí, PA
Jun 27, 2017 9:10 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments:     sun
44 species

Little Tinamou  1     HO
Gray-headed Chachalaca  2
Black Vulture  1
Gray-cowled Wood-Rail  1
White-tipped Dove  1
Long-billed Starthroat  1
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird  3
Gartered Trogon  1     + song
Lesson's Motmot  1
Red-crowned Woodpecker  2
Golden-olive Woodpecker  1     HO song
Yellow-headed Caracara  1
Cocoa Woodcreeper  1     + song
Streak-headed Woodcreeper  2
Yellow-olive Flycatcher  2
Panama Flycatcher  2
Boat-billed Flycatcher  2
Tropical Kingbird  1
Three-wattled Bellbird  2     + song
Lance-tailed Manakin  1
Yellow-green Vireo  1     + song
House Wren  1
Rufous-breasted Wren  1     HO
Rufous-and-white Wren  1
Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush  2     + song
Clay-colored Thrush  2     + song
White-throated Thrush  1
Rufous-capped Warbler  2
Blue-gray Tanager  2
Palm Tanager  2
Bay-headed Tanager  1
Silver-throated Tanager  2
Scarlet-thighed Dacnis  3
Red-legged Honeycreeper  3
Yellow-faced Grassquit  2
Rosy Thrush-Tanager  2     1 seen 1 heard  + song
Buff-throated Saltator  2
Streaked Saltator  1     HO
Black-striped Sparrow  3     family
White-naped Brushfinch  2
Flame-colored Tanager  1
Yellow-crowned Euphonia  1     HO song
Thick-billed Euphonia  5
Lesser Goldfinch  2

Spring feeling Tinamou cottage

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

24th of May to 14th of June 2017 back home.. Baby Quetzal story and more immature birds

Hello all!
I cannot believe that we are already back in Boquete, home for almost a month! Time flies!
The first days that we were home was right away working in and around the house and cottages.
May was wetter then the last years and so the plants and weed in the garden did grow a lot. The trails in the forest needed to be cleaned a bit (some fallen trees), not too much, because  a lot of birds were and still are having nests.
As we speak, the Thrushes and other birds are still starting to sing at around 5.50am.Most do have immatures. A lot of birds are very active with food.
We had some great birders as guests in our cottages and with them  I did go out birding.
Also I had the pleasure to guide two somewhat bigger groups of Students , one group from the States and the other group from David city , 25 minutes from Boquete.
Very nice kids and wow!, some great birders and nature lovers...the future!

Fortunately I could follow a pair of Quetzales feeding their immature in a nest. I can be a little bit more open now about that(the immature flew out), also on my E bird report, because I was afraid that it would be to busy  around the nest. Fortunately other guides and visitors were very respectful and kept distance.
The nest was along a normally busier trail and I think that the immature flew out around last Monday( 12th of June).
Last Friday I did see the one immature sticking the head out of the nest after get some fruit and Caterpillar.. he or she dove back quick, but I did took a picture , little bit blurry. (zoomed in)
Sooo cute!
Friday it was tiny, I was surprised that she/he flew out already when I did check the nest out yesterday (13th of June)
Could not see damage (like another Quetzal nest, probably destroyed by a Coati), hope she /he will make it! So many predators...
Some pictures...of the parents and the baby....
                                          Above female Quetzal with Caterpillar
                                          male Quetzal sticking head out of nest
                                           male Quetzal with fruit
                                          and the baby....


Like in Holland, there are still birds who start building a nest. I did see yesterday a  violet Sabrewing (Hummingbird) building a nest.( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26yMTWDpElw )  Probably not the first nest this season. And next to our balcony of our house a pair of bay headed Tanagers are building a nest, so that story will come back in my next post! A third nest in our hanging basket of thick billed Euphonia's, in front of the little Tinamou cottage and in the pooring rain two immatures clay colored Thrushes flew out their nest in the palm tree, this late  afternoon.

I was standing in the meadow this morning and everywhere I did hear and see birds flying around with food and did hear immatures calling for food.
Such a nice time of the year!!!
                                                         
With this picture of a female Sabrewing  on the nest I stop with this post. Down below I will put 2 bird lists, one of today on the farm and 1 of yesterday in cloud forest. Other lists you can find on E bird.
Greetings from Terry
http://coffeeadventures.net/tinamou.html

Jun 13, 2017 8:15 AM - 12:20 PM
4.0 kilometer(s)
Comments:     clouds and dark, last hour sun
52 species

Spotted Wood-Quail  1     HO
Turkey Vulture  1
Green Hermit  1     + song
Lesser Violetear  2
Magnificent Hummingbird  1
Violet Sabrewing  5     https://youtu.be/NVo3li-0D2A  female nest building
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird  1
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird  1
Resplendent Quetzal  4     no immature in the nest anymore, prob flew out after Sunday 11th of June(Sunday morning somebody observed.... still fed by both parents with caterpillars in the morning), was very tiny on Friday 9th of June 2017...see Picture and see also my list of Friday 9th of June 2017
Prong-billed Barbet  1
Acorn Woodpecker  1
Red-crowned Woodpecker  1
Hairy Woodpecker  1     HO
Sulphur-winged Parakeet  4
Slaty Antwren  2
Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner  1
Streak-breasted Treehunter  2
Red-faced Spinetail  5
Mountain Elaenia  3
Eye-ringed Flatbill  1
White-throated Flycatcher  1     first sighting on Pipeline trail for me, prob Juvenile, was somewhat streaked on breast, brownish wing bars. After long observation ..I took a picture, was far away so I had to zoom in a bit , 1600m.
Yellowish Flycatcher  1
Boat-billed Flycatcher  3     feeding young
Barred Becard  1
Brown-capped Vireo  4
House Wren  3
Ochraceous Wren  2
Isthmian Wren  2
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren  2
Black-faced Solitaire  7
Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush  1
Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush  2     + song
Clay-colored Thrush  1     + song
White-throated Thrush  3
Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher  3
Black-cheeked Warbler  3
Golden-crowned Warbler  5
Slate-throated Redstart  3
Cherrie's Tanager  4
Blue-gray Tanager  2
Silver-throated Tanager  2
Blue-black Grassquit  2     + song
Yellow-faced Grassquit  3
Common Chlorospingus  3
Chestnut-capped Brushfinch  2     heard more songs
Rufous-collared Sparrow  2
White-naped Brushfinch  1
White-winged Tanager  2
Blue Seedeater  2
Bronzed Cowbird  1
Elegant Euphonia  2
Lesser Goldfinch  1

Tinamou Cottage Boquete, Chiriquí, PA
Jun 14, 2017 8:10 AM - 9:20 AM
Comments:     hike in forest crossing meadow, sun
38 species

Little Tinamou  1
Ruddy Ground-Dove  1
White-tipped Dove  1     + song
Common Pauraque  1
Stripe-throated Hermit  1
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird  2
Lesson's Motmot  1
Red-crowned Woodpecker  1
Cocoa Woodcreeper  1
Mountain Elaenia  2
Ochre-bellied Flycatcher  1
Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant  1
Yellow-olive Flycatcher  1
Boat-billed Flycatcher  1
Tropical Kingbird  2
Lance-tailed Manakin  1
Yellow-green Vireo  1     heard more
Rufous-breasted Wren  1
Rufous-and-white Wren  2
Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush  2
Clay-colored Thrush  2
White-throated Thrush  1
Tropical Parula  1     + song
Rufous-capped Warbler  2
Blue-gray Tanager  2
Bay-headed Tanager  4
Silver-throated Tanager  2
Scarlet-thighed Dacnis  1
Rosy Thrush-Tanager  4     + song
Buff-throated Saltator  2
Streaked Saltator  1     + song
Black-striped Sparrow  1
White-naped Brushfinch  3     recently fledged young
Flame-colored Tanager  1
White-winged Tanager  2
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager  3
Thick-billed Euphonia  5
Lesser Goldfinch  3     + song

http://coffeeadventures.net/tinamou.html

Monday, June 5, 2017

Dutch birds! 7th of May to 21th of May 2017

Hello all!
Yes we did go to Holland, May is such a great time to be there. Of course to visit some friends and family and we decided to book a small house for 4 nights during the second week in the north of Holland , the province Groningen and we did stay around Lauwersmeer on the edge of the national park  http://www.np-lauwersmeer.nl/documents/home.xml?lang=en

The first week we did stay in a house on the North Sea, nearby the "Waterleiding duinen" in the town Noordwijk. In the nature ...of course:
                                            Rabbit:
                                           2 x Fox:

A lot of birds...singing and nesting, I did go out  every day .. early. So nice also that it is until 10.30 pm in that time... day light. That is the part that I miss of not living in the Netherlands.

Did visit the Spoonbills along the highway in Haarlem city: Last year in April, they were so small, but now a totally different experience:

On our way on the 10th of May to visit friends more in the south of Holland, we did give a visit to the Posbank in Rheden... a very nice protected area at the Veluwe zoom. Nice birds we did spot and what a beautiful area. We were happy that we did not go in the weekend , because it can be pretty crowdy there. A lot of hikers and bikers. I think it will be more magic on a very early morning. Well.. who knows, we will stay there in the area next time. There are some pretty cool birds to find there!

And so the highlight..bird wise... was our stay in Groningen province. Paradise for this girl!!!
My highlight was to hear and see since 32 years... the Eurasian Golden Oriole.(Wielewaal) Did see them and heard them in the area in front of our nice house. Did see display and did see a female on a nest.(see E-bird) The nest is pretty hidden up in the trees. Zoomed in , but I have a picture...:
Unfortunately no pics from the birds. I did not want to miss anything !
And then yes from a boat... the white tailed Sea Eagle (Zeearend) a pair! 
A lifer!  First the were soaring together and then one was landing in a tree and one in the lake ( NP Lauwersmeer) Zoomed in :
It does go well with the Sea Eagle in Holland... :)
I did found a success story about them... https://dutchreview.com/news/dutch-news/sea-eagles-in-the-netherlands-soaring-back-in-the-country/

We also did visit the "punt van Reide" in Groningen. That was 45 minutes drive from where we stayed. SOOO much different mixed groups of (shore)birds!!!
We did stay there for a super long time! 
                   

It is not a beautiful, romantic place because there is a lot of industry over there, but the birds they don't mind. Although I did/do have fear for the wind turbines over there, maybe the birds will get handy with them... they have to, more will come... this one will not have problems with them....

Also there is a nice observation hut where we did spend some time. (Vogelkijkhut buitenplaats Reidehoeve)
Smart Barn swallows were nesting there, nice out of the wind and dry:


Also down below the roof of the visitor center was it very active with Barn swallows making love and nests:

Another highlight of our trip was also 45 minutes away from our area where we did stay ... de Onlanden.
Me in heaven:

I did have advise from 3 different Dutch birdwatchers to go there... they were so right...what a great area in the province of Drenthe. So close to the city of Groningen and so much different birds. Finally Hans did hear (not see) the Bittern, I did talk about the Bittern a lot, but he never did hear this bird. So beautiful! Was not a lifer, but it was at least 16 years ago that I did see and hear this bird.
I did love also to hear and see this little bird ..it sounds like a Grasshopper. Yes his name is Grasshopper Warbler (Sprinkhaanzanger)Here he just give the call.
I took a video,  will download (in the next couple of days) , many video's from other birds too on my You tube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ZYxy5vwWpJFVR27qQGPvw
Did see also here a mysterious Duck, did ask several birders which Duck that was...most think..like me a hybride Chilene Duck with a Mallard: (Chileense Eend met wilde Eend)

And so I did see (we did see, sweet Hubby Hans) a lot of birds...but to write them all down is a lot of work. My sweet Dutch friend did give me a booklet
and I did use that a lot to write down my lists.
This is my bird list of Holland. I did download a few on my E-bird. But I was on vacation and did not have time to sit every evening  a long time behind my computer. Because all the bird names I have to translate in English.. In Holland of course..I don't have the English names in my head of the Dutch birds...
So easy way....you can click to enlarge on the pictures:



 And so in the meantime we are already 2 weeks back in another birding paradise...I did have already quite a bit of bird adventures... well that will come in a next post!
Greetings from  Terry