Saturday, July 29, 2017

Male stripe throated Hermit in lek, a nice birding morning on finca Potoo



This male stripe throated Hermit is singing with at least 6 other males in a group...Lek is the name. The more males present to give off the pheromone, the stronger the attraction for the females
Since we bought 19 years ago this farm, 10 car minutes  from the farm we live, the stripe throated Hermits are there, big lek!

The farm is on a level of 1275m, is 25 hectares  and in another microclimate then the farm where we live.
When we bought the farm, it was mainly meadows with in between clusters with forest, also really virgin forest with huge trees. Mainly different Oak trees.

At least I try to hike and see birds there once or twice in a month. Depends how busy we are.
19 years ago it was meadows....now a very nice mixed forest with Oak trees... nature wins....always.
Of course ..more and more birds are coming there...nice surprises. Today I did see a group of Smooth billed Ani's in a tree and a masked Titrya... first time I did see them there!

I was standing in a great huge Ant Swarm..I should know that, because I did hear and see the ruddy Woodcreepers...and gray headed Tanagers around me..and more. Love to see all the big Grasshoppers and spiders high up in grass and plants... ...I bet they were praying not to get caught by the Ants!

And like last week, I did see now 2 x a pair of white naped Brush Finch..working hard to give and find food for their "baby" bronzed Cowbird. A female Cowbird does not make a nest, but instead lays her eggs in the nest of other bird species..I notice that here in the highlands, the nest of white naped Brush Finches are very popular..


 And so it was again an exciting morning. The bird list you can find down below.
Greetings from Terry
http://coffeeadventures.net/tinamou.html
finca Potoo, Chiriquí, PA
Jul 29, 2017 7:35 AM - 10:50 AM
Protocol: Traveling
more or less 3.0 kilometer(s)
Comments:     first sun, last half hour clouds came in
77 species

Little Tinamou  1     heard more
Black Vulture  15     approx
Turkey Vulture  2
Black Hawk-Eagle  1     + song
Roadside Hawk  3     2 seen 1 heard
Ruddy Quail-Dove  1
White-tipped Dove  2
Smooth-billed Ani  4
Squirrel Cuckoo  1
Stripe-throated Hermit  2     2 seen, heard at least 6 more 
Garden Emerald  1
Violet Sabrewing  1
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird  2
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird  3
Red-crowned Woodpecker  1
Golden-olive Woodpecker  1
Lineated Woodpecker  1
Blue-headed Parrot  5
Brown-throated Parakeet  2
Barred Antshrike  1     + song and regular seen in this area
Olivaceous Woodcreeper  1
Ruddy Woodcreeper  2     Ant Swarm
Cocoa Woodcreeper  1     + call and song  regular seen in that area
Streak-headed Woodcreeper  2
Yellow-bellied Elaenia  1
Lesser Elaenia  1
Ochre-bellied Flycatcher  1
Slaty-capped Flycatcher  1
Paltry Tyrannulet  2
Common Tody-Flycatcher  2
Yellow-olive Flycatcher  1
Dusky-capped Flycatcher  2
Panama Flycatcher  1
Boat-billed Flycatcher  2
Piratic Flycatcher  1
Tropical Kingbird  1
Lance-tailed Manakin  2
Masked Tityra  1
Black-and-white Becard  6     all with song
Rufous-browed Peppershrike  1
Lesser Greenlet  4
Yellow-green Vireo  3
House Wren  3
Rufous-breasted Wren  2     + song
Rufous-and-white Wren  3
Isthmian Wren  1     HO
Tropical Gnatcatcher  5
Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush  3     heard all over songs
Clay-colored Thrush  1
White-throated Thrush  1
Tropical Parula  4
Rufous-capped Warbler  5
Costa Rican Warbler  2
Gray-headed Tanager  4     1 pair  calls, prob nest or young close by, the other two following a big Ant swarm
Crimson-backed Tanager  3
Blue-gray Tanager  2
Bay-headed Tanager  3
Red-legged Honeycreeper  3
Blue-black Grassquit  1     HO
Variable Seedeater  4
Yellow-faced Grassquit  3     female in nest
Rosy Thrush-Tanager  1     heard more
Buff-throated Saltator  5
Streaked Saltator  2
Black-striped Sparrow  2
Orange-billed Sparrow  3     + song, 1 seen 2 heard
Chestnut-capped Brushfinch  1     HO
Rufous-collared Sparrow  1     HO
White-naped Brushfinch  4     2 pairs with immature bronzed Cowbird
Flame-colored Tanager  1
White-winged Tanager  1
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager  3
Bronzed Cowbird  2     fed by white naped  Brush Finch
Thick-billed Euphonia  2
Lesser Goldfinch  3
I forgot...2 more... buff rumped Warbler + song seen 1 heard 1
striped Cuckoo heard Only (HO)
http://coffeeadventures.net/tinamou.html 

Friday, July 28, 2017

recycling nestmaterial rufous and white Wren at Tinamou cottage

This rufous and white Wren is taking nest material for his new or other nest 3 meters next door. The old nest was succes full, 2 immatures flew out a week before. Greetings Terry

http://coffeeadventures.net/tinamou.html

song thick billed Euphonia

When you hear the thick billed Euphonia singing, you will know what kind of birds are living in that area. He is a great imitator.

Greetings from Terry

http://coffeeadventures.net/tinamou.html

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

the story of family Bay headed Tanager....it started all on June 9th 2017

It started all next to our balcony... 9th of June 2017, suddenly a lot of action ... a pair of bay headed Tanagers started to build a nest.They were both building the nest. These birds are very energetic and so in no time there was a nest and also 1 egg only.
We were looking forward to the time that was ahead for us. We could just sipping coffee and follow the whole happening.
Around 13th of June the nest was ready and  the female was breeding.
The male was always watching and once in a while they took off together,making nice cute sounds.But this is what we did see a lot, the male on guard....
Then we did notice the 2th of July that both were more restless. The female was more moving in the nest and checking the egg or was  there something happening?
On the morning of the 3th of July 2017... yes we did see movement, a small beak... 
The female was all the time on the nest, only away for dinner. And the male was feeding the immature.  See also a video https://youtu.be/4jWYpOH8zV4
4th of July.... more appetite...both parents were feeding and the Mum was also often on the nest.
I am always amazed how fast those little birds grow..this was already(zoomed in) 7th of July!
Look at the beak!
9th of July...the green feathers are coming!!! (click to enlarge)
the 10th of July...my gosh...suddenly the chick is sitting on his nest...both parents are making soft calls all day:
This picture was taken in the afternoon, he decided to spend the night in his nest, was cleaning his feathers all day and his little wings were going like Hummingbird wings.
And then in the early morning of the 11th of July 6.30ish am, he was still in his nest and an hour later he did leave the nest. https://youtu.be/WFc_BcU0UKs   and  https://youtu.be/Y02mBj0RBd4
Both parents pretty upset, looking all over the place. (Hans and I too 😉😊 )But not even a meter to the left of the nest... he (or she) was sitting in the dense tree on a branch, cleaning his feathers.He was doing that the whole day and the parents were busy with the little one.

11th of July 2017 in the afternoon.. a healthy chick with an attitude...he or she will make it!

And so this morning 12th of July 2017... 6.30ish am, I was on the balcony...checked the brush..the trees.... he/she was gone... flew away into the wide world! I felt a kind of sad and happy...mixed feelings.
I looked up and there was the male bay headed Tanager...staring at me...was he thanking me for the support? 

Greetings from Terry van Niekerk