Lake Claiborne, Louisiana

We have made our way out of Texas and into Louisiana.  We’re staying in Lake Claiborne State Park.  It’s a beautiful park with lots of things to do.

Our site backs up to Lake Claiborne.

The park is on 643 acres and was opened in 1974.  Lake Claiborne is 6,400 acres.  Besides the 6 miles of hiking trails, the main attraction of this park is two world class disc golf courses, ranked #1 and #2 in Louisiana.

Hole # 7.

Before the weather turned windy and rainy Mark was able to play both courses.  I went with him and felt like it was a real workout!  Both courses are 18 holes and very hilly.  He played one of the courses a second time.  By then I could barely walk up and down the hills anymore so I declined to go with him.

I had a little fun close-up practice with my camera.

Wisteria. An introduced species that is in full bloom right now.

Next time: We're heading into Arkansas.

Teri

2018 Panama Journal - Day 6 - Part 2

Thursday 2/15/18 Continued

After lunch we headed out to Lajas Blancas. 

Lajas Blancas is the closest Embera Indigenous community to the Canopy Camp, a large community with a population of over 1000 residents.

This bridge had just been completed enough that we were able to drive over the river.  During the “wet season” heavy rains wash away the bridge.  The bridge is re-built every year during the “dry season.”

We birded this area for a couple of hours before heading back to camp for dinner and some night owling.

We enjoyed watching this Collared Aracari pulling fruit from this tree. The pictures give a great look at the serrated bill. As always, click on the picture for a better look!!

We had been seeing Black-chested Jays throughout the trip, but they hadn't stayed still long enough for a picture. This one finally posed for us!

Black-chested Jay

This Rufous-tailed Jacamar looked metallic when the sun was just right. The males have a white throat, while the females throat is buffy.

Rufous-tailed Jacamar male

Rufous-tailed Jacamar female

Jacamars look like giant hummingbirds with their long pointed bills, but they are actually flycatchers. This Jacamar looked interested in a butterfly that was getting a little close.

Our woodpecker luck continued as we got looks at both of the big ones, the Lineated Woodpecker and the Crimson-crested Woodpecker.

Lineated Woodpecker male

Crimson-crested Woodpecker

We also enjoyed good looks at Red-rumped Woodpeckers.

Red-rumped Woodpecker female

Somewhat similar to woodpeckers, but not closely related, are woodcreepers. Cocoa Woodcreepers were common throughout Panama, and we got many good looks. 

Cocoa Woodcreeper

It started getting dark quickly after dinner.  Carlos led us around the camp looking for owls and night creatures.  We did not see any owls but we did come across an Olingo.  It was too dark for pictures.  

Next time:  Day 7 -  The last Kingfisher and a very memorial day.

Birds seen today:  Great Tinamou (H), Little Tinamou (H), Pale-vented Pigeon, Ruddy Ground-Dove, White-tipped Dove, Squirrel Cuckoo, Greater Ani, Smooth-billed Ani, White-necked Jacobin, Rufous-breasted Hermit, Pale-bellied Hermit, Black-throated Mango, White-vented Plumeleteer,  Sapphire-throated Hummingbird, Violet-bellied Hummingbird, Southern Lapwing, Wattled Jacana, Wood Stork, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture,  Roadside Hawk, White Hawk, Crested Owl (H), Central American Pygmy-Owl, Mottled Owl (H), Black-and-White Owl (H), Black-tailed Trogon, Whooping Motmot, White-necked Puffbird, White-fronted Nunbird, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Spot-crowned Barbet, Collared Aracari, Keel-billed Toucan, Yellow-throated Trogon (H), Olivaceous Piculet (H), Red-crowned Woodpecker, Striped-cheeked Woodpecker, Red-rumped Woodpecker, Cinnamon woodpecker, Lineated Woodpecker, Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Blue-headed Parrot,  Red-lored Parrot, Mealy Parrot, Great Antshrike (H), Black Antshrike, Black-crowned Antshrike, Moustached Antwren (H), White-flanked Antwren, Bare-crowned Antbird (H), White-bellied Antbird (H), Spotted Antbird, Black-crowned Antpitta (H), Cocoa Woodcreeper, Forest Elaenia, Yellow-bellied Elaenia (H), Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Olivaceous Flatbill, Yellow-olive Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, Royal Flycatcher, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Lesser Kiskadee, Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Streaked Flycatcher, Piratic Flycatcher (H), Tropical Kingbird, Speckled Mourner, Black-crowned Tityra, Cinnamon Becard, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Rufous Piha, Golden-collard Manakin, Golden-headed Manakin, Black-chested Jay, Scaly-breasted Wren (H), House Wren, White-headed Wren, Black-bellied Wren, Bay Wren, White-breasted Wood-Wren (H), Tropical Gnatcatcher, Clay-colored Thrush, Thick-billed Euphonia, Northern Waterthrush, Bay-breasted Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Blue-gray Tanager, Palm Tanager, Golden-hooded Tanager, White-eared Conebill, Blue-black Grassquit, Crimson-backed Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Bananaquit, Buff-throated Saltator, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Great-tailed Grackle, Orange-crowned Oriole, Crested Oropendola, Chestnut-headed Oropendola.

Geoffroy’s Tamarin, Panamanian Night Monkey, Mantled Howler (H), Red-tailed Squirrel, White-nosed Coati, Allen’s Olingo, Bat Species, House Gecko, Dobson Fly. 

2018 Panama Journal - Day 6 - Part 1

Thursday 2/15/18

After our long day yesterday we enjoyed a late breakfast - 6:30 a.m.  The Howler Monkeys were very close and vocal this morning.  We could also hear a Black-and-White Owl in the distance.

Before breakfast we had a chance to checkout the blacklight site. The Camp leaves a blacklight on over night to see what insects it attracts. We didn't find a lot, but the Dobsonflies were pretty interesting, and the male looks ferocious!

Dobsonfly male

Dobsonfly female

Breakfast is ready.

Our plans for today were not going to take us too far from Camp.  We would come back here for lunch before heading out again for our afternoon birding.

Waiting to get the group together 

to head out for morning birding.

We drove the short distance to the Quebrada Felix Trail.  Quebrada Felix is a newly discovered site that is at the base of the Filo del Tallo Hyrdological Reserve.  It was a short drive from Canopy Camp.

4-wheel drive was mandatory!

The first birds we saw were a pair of Spot-crowned Barbets excavating a nest cavity way up in a tree.

Spot-crowned Barbet female

Spot-crowned Barbet male

It must have been nesting season, as we also watched a White-headed Wren working on its bulky grass nest. 

White-headed Wren at Nest

We birded for a while then it was time for snacks and drinks.

These plantain chips are very good!

We walked a few trails.

Finally we came to this beautiful creek area where we stopped for quite a while to bird.

Beautiful areas in the jungle.

We got long looks at a Royal Flycatcher perched over the water. They have an amazing crest that is seldom displayed, but they are easily recognized by the "hammerhead" look when the crest is folded.

Royal Flycatcher

This large hummingbird is called a White-vented Plumeleteer. In the picture below you can see the puffy white feathers around the vent.

White-vented Plumeleteer

We also got outstanding looks at a couple of target birds for the trip. A Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker was (what else??) excavating a nesting hole.

Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker

Three different White-fronted Nunbirds perched over the stream as well. 

White-fronted Nunbird

White-fronted Nunbirds

We were back at Camp in time for lunch.

Lunch was ready when we returned.

Next time:  Day 6 - Part 2:  Afternoon birding, night owling and our bird list for the day.

East Texas Arboretum

We've started moving toward our summer volunteer gig in Maine, and spent a couple of nights in Athens, Texas. One attraction that we thought would be worth a visit was the East Texas Arboretum and Botanical Society.

This place had a little bit of everything, Formal gardens, food plots, old buildings, hiking trails, and more. And a Texas-sized set of wind chimes!  The chimes themselves are cut off welding bottles. The entire chime was about six feet tall.

The "Fairy" sculpture was made out of stainless steel wire and was human sized. 

A few historic buildings from the region have been relocated to the Arboretum, including a small church and a two-stall milking barn. 

Once we explored the exhibits we set out to walk the nature trails. We were a little early in the season for many birds, but we did see this beautiful Eastern Bluebird.

In a previous blog we posted pictures of a Panamanian butterfly called the Glossy Daggerwing that is well camouflaged when closed but very bright when open. We have a butterfly in Texas that is similar, called the Goatweed Leafwing. When closed it lives up to its name, blending in well with dead leaves.

But when open it shows a bright orange color. I was never able to get close enough for a great "open" picture, but this gives the idea:

We also saw a mated pair, actually flying though the air while attached abdomen-to-abdomen. Once they perched I was able to get their picture. You can see that the male completely envelopes the female while they mate. 

Another interesting find was a Six-spotted Tiger Beetle. These metallic beetles are small at about 1/2" long, but astonishing fast. In terms of body length they are considered among the fastest animals on earth, covering 125 body lengths per second. For a six-foot tall person that would be like running 500 miles per hour!

More Panama coming soon!

Mark

2018 Panama Journal - Day 5 - Part 3

Wednesday 2/14/18 - Continued.

  

Lunch was served by a beautiful clear river.  There was plenty to eat and drink thanks to these helpful guys.

I am a Harpy Fan.

Waiting for lunch.

Lunch by the river.

This Uranium Moth landed on someones shirt.

We started hiking back much more slowly.  At one point a Red-throated Caracara perched overhead and called over and over. 

Red-throated Caracara

On the tiny end of the scale, a Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher perched nearby.

Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher

There were many trails of leaf cutter ants.  They were very interesting to watch.

Leaf cutter ants at work.

Leaf cutter ants crossing the water.

We saw a large Mealy Parrot in a tree on the way back. They are almost the same color as the leaves and can be remarkably difficult to spot. 

Mealy Parrot

It turns out that huge black and red woodpeckers are much easier to spot!!

Crimson-crested Woodpecker female

When we arrived back at the trucks the local women had spread out hand-crafts for us to purchase.  I had fun picking out a couple of things to buy.  They were very well-made.

A few souvenirs.

We hopped back in the 4-wheel drive trucks for the trip back to the dug-out canoes.  We happened to get into a different truck this time and it was extremely uncomfortable.

Back over the river crossings.  

There are some very large trees in the jungle!

Very large seed pods too!

We got back in the canoes and took off for Yaviza. 

 Loading up.

Leaving the dock.

The river looked a lot different in the daylight!

The rest of our group.

After about an hour on the water we were back where we started.

Coming into Yaviza.

This time the area was bustling with activity.

Lots of boats filled with plantains being unloaded.

Unloading the boats.

The plantains were then loaded onto trucks for distribution throughout the country.

Loading the trucks for distribution.

We got back into our two vans for the hour drive back to Camp.  Since we arrived late, dinner was served at 7:30 p.m.

It had been a very long day.

Next time:  More birding in the Darien.

Birds seen 2/14/18:

Muscovy duck, Marbled Wood-Quail (H), Pale-vented Pigeon, Ruddy Pigeon (H), Ruddy Ground-Dove, Squirrel Cuckoo (H), Greater Ani, Smooth-billed Ani, Common Pauraque, Pale-bellied Hermit, Black-throated Mango, Blue-Chested Hummingbird, Southern Lapwing, Spotted Sandpiper, Neotropic Cormorant, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Cocoi Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Striated Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, King Vulture, Swallow-tailed Kite, Double-toothed Kite, Plumbeous Kite, Common Black Hawk, Savanna Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Harpy Eagle, Black-tailed Trogon (H), White-tailed Trogon (H), Gartered Trogon (H), Whooping Motmot (H), Ringed Kingfisher, Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Collared Aracari, Keel-billed Toucan (H), Cinnamon Woodpecker (H), Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Red-throated Caracara, Crested Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Blue-and-Yellow Macaw, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Blue-headed Parrot, Red-lored Parrot, Mealy Parrot, Moustached Antwren, Rufous-winged Antwren (H), Dot-winged Antwren, Chestnut-backed Antwren (H), Black-crowned Antpitta, Cocoa Woodcreeper, Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Plain Xenops, Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Golden-crowned Spadebill, Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher, Black-tailed Flycatcher, Bright-rumped Atttila (H), Choco Sirystes, Great Kiskadee, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Piratic Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Russet-winged Schiffornis, Masked Tityra, Cinnamon Becard, Purple-throated Fruitcrow (H), Rufous Piha, Golden-collared Manakin (H), Golden-headed Manakin, Lesser Greenlet (H), Black-chested Jay, Gray-breasted Martin, Mangrove Swallow, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Black-bellied Wren (H), Stripe-throated Wren, White-breasted Wood-Wren, Tropical Gnatcatcher, Yellow-crowned Euphonia (H), Bay-breated Warbler (H), Blue-gray Tanager, Palm Tanager, Plain-colored Tanager, Green Honeycreeper, Blue Dacnis, Variable Seedeater, Great-tailed Grackle, Crested Oropendola, Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Black Oropendola.

Hoffmann's two-toed Sloth, Panamanian Night Monkey, Yellow-headed Gecko, Tropical Squirrel, House Gecko, Uranium Moth.