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!
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
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.
We birded for a while
then it was time for snacks and drinks.
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
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.
We were back at Camp
in time for lunch.
Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker
Three different White-fronted Nunbirds perched over the stream as well.
White-fronted Nunbird
White-fronted Nunbirds
Lunch was ready when we returned.
Next time: Day 6 - Part 2: Afternoon birding, night owling and our bird list for the day.
It must be a lot of work to make a new nest in the trunk of a tree. Do you know how long it takes to hollow out a new nest in one of those trees?
ReplyDeleteHmmm. The White-fronted Nunbirds didn't have a very white front.
I would think it would take a long time to get the nest "just right". It probably helps if the tree is pretty hollow to begin with. The "White-fronted" refers to the area above the bill. You do wonder about the people that name birds, don't you!
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