Colorado 2017 - Arrival adventures and BIRDS! : Day 1 - Dec. 25th, 2017

     Exciting news! I have finally been able to get out of the state of Texas and experience a new place, and new birds! This holiday season my partner and I decided that rather than exchanging presents, we would take an adventurous trip together and split the cost. Memories last a lot longer than things.

We settled on a trip to Colorado because we found cheap non-stop flights to Denver on the days we could travel, he had never experienced real snow, and I was longing for some snowy, mountainous landscapes.

     Arriving at the airport at 5am on Christmas morning proved to be the best time to fly because we were the only ones at security. For once, TSA had to wait for us to be ready for them! Although, this was the first time I have had the TSA agent ask to feel under my ponytail. What did she think I was hiding under there?!?!?! The flight went off without a hitch, and two hours later, we found ourselves in Denver trying to choose a vehicle in the rental lot. 

Goodbye Texas

Hello Colorado!

     I am an Emerald Club member through National, so I get to go straight to the lot and choose any vehicle in the Emerald aisle. This usually works out pretty well because there are often premium vehicles in the aisle including trucks and SUVs, which I get to rent for a mid-sized rate. However, this Christmas morning all that were left were a handful of sporty cars such as Mustangs and Challengers, two small sedans (I can't drive most sedans because of a knee problem and the angle of the pedals in relation to the seat), and two Kia Souls. It had been decided before booking the trip that I would do all of the driving because of my extensive experience with driving on snow and ice from living in the mountainous part of Pennsylvania for 13 years. Now I was faced with the challenge of choosing the best of the worst for whatever winter road conditions lay ahead of me. The sporty vehicles were out due to rear-wheel drive and pedal angle, as were the small sedans. The Kia Soul it was! This is when I noticed that National had failed to completely clean off the vehicles from the previous day's snow, and the side-view mirrors were frozen, rendering them impossible to move. Oh well, without a blow torch there was little I could do about that. After doing a few quick tests in the rental car lot to see how the vehicle and tires handled in snow, off we went! 

   

The commercials aren't a joke...I really did feel like a hamster in one of these.

     Our first stop was at Barr Lake State Park just minutes from the airport ($7/car fee). This wonderful oasis was full of birds, including many Bald Eagles which was a top target bird for my partner. It was fun to see multiple subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco foraging together with White-crowned Sparrows, Song Sparrows, and American Tree Sparrows. This was also our first sighting of Black-billed Mapgies, Black-capped Chickadees, Canada Goose, and many other avian species we do not get in south-central Texas. In addition, we saw our first Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, which became an immediate favorite mammal of the trip! After spending about 2 hours at the park, and seeing 29 species, we were ready to dig into our snack bags and start heading to Estes Park before it started snowing.

Our first birding stop - Barr Lake SP

Song Sparrow

Western Meadowlarks keeping warm on a composting haybale

Western Meadowlark at max fluff

White-crowned Sparrow

American Tree Sparrow (foreground), White-crowned Sparrow (background)

Adorable Black-tailed Prairie Dog!!!

Some scenery from Barr Lake SP

     Our beautiful drive to Estes Park took a little under 2 hours with only a few snow flurries here and there. About halfway there the ice behind my side-view mirror finally melted so I didn't have to continue stretching in a weird way to use it. Once we got into town, our first stop was at the grocery store to get a few perishables/liquids before it closed for the day. Then we got settled into our lodging and grabbed the binoculars to go explore Estes Lake which is adjacent to the Visitor's Center in the downtown district. The wind was quite strong, and the flurries persisted, so the birds were staying pretty low and hidden, but stretching our legs after the flight and car ride felt great! 

View from our lodge

Estes Lake with snow flurries in the background

Downtown Estes Park

     As the sun went down we realized how hungry we were, but decided to make a slight detour on the way back to the car to find a micro geocache that was hanging in a thick Blue Spruce. Might as well get the Colorado badge on Geocaching.com while we are here! Little did we know, the next hour or so would be spent calling many restaurants in the area trying to find a place to have dinner on Christmas day. Of about 20 places called, 1 was serving a Christmas buffet for $36.99 per person (NOPE!) and all other places were closed or had just closed. The only place that seemed to be open in the whole town was the movie theater. We finally ended up driving around town, parked where we saw the most human activity, and walked around until we found the ONE restaurant open that night. It was a Nepalese place, and although the cuisines from this region of the world are my least favorite, at least we had nourishment.

Next up...our first full day exploring Rocky Mountain National Park!

     

Trinidad 2015 - Woodpecker Expeditions and Ag Fields (Oct. 21st, 2015)

      Today was a sad day. Just as we had become familiar with all the fantastic species around Asa Wright and had settled into a routine, it was time to leave. Thus, we decided to arrange a couple more side trips to make the most out of our last morning in Trinidad.

     Our first side trip wasn't leaving until 8:00 am so we had plenty of time to enjoy the veranda once more. To our surprise there was an Olive-sided Flycatcher waiting for us when we got there! This is a species that we were all familiar with since it breeds throughout Canada and western North America, but we normally only detect it during fall migration. It winters in northern South America and parts of Central America, so seeing it in Trinidad was perfectly normal, although not a species that we particularly expected to see!

     Although we had been in Trinidad for 4 days, we hadn't seen a single woodpecker, and one of my traveling companions was really hankering for a woodpecker siting. Thus, after talking with a few local guides we ended up requesting a last-minute 4 hour side trip up Blanchisseuse Rd. which would put us at a much higher elevation and in the territory of known woodpecker pairs. This trip turned out to be quite productive and provided us with 10 more species for our list...including two species of woodpeckers! The most striking of the woodpeckers was the pair of Chestnut Woodpeckers that flew back and forth over our heads for a bit before disappearing back into the jungle. Unfortunately I was only able to get one terrible, but identifiable photo of this magnificent species. The other woodpecker that we were able to check off our list was the Lineated Woodpecker; however, we were only lucky enough to get a fleeting glance and hear it call. 

Chestnut Woodpecker

     During the first few miles up the road we heard Little Tinamous calling, and spotted quite a few raptors! Raptors are always exciting, but even more so when you are in another country and there is a chance of seeing a new species. We had a pretty active kettle of mixed species, so we were glad to have a guide who could assist in sorting out the identifying marks.

Common Black Hawk

Ornate Hawk-Eagle

    Some other species that we saw and/or heard included Tropical Parula, Plumbeous Kite, Short-tailed Hawk, Gray-lined Hawk, Blue-black Grassquit, and Trinidad Euphonia. Once we got to the highest point on Blanchisseuse Rd. which sits at approximately 1900 ft in elevation, we were greeted by a beautiful view of the northern range with the Caribbean Sea in the background.

1900 ft in elevation. The aqua color in the background is the Caribbean Sea

      We returned to Asa Wright just in time for lunch, and then had about an hour to kill before our bus left for the airport. During this time we visited the veranda one more time and tracked down our guide/driver to arrange for a quick stop at one more place on the way to the airport. I was also able to have a 1 second glimpse of a Golden-Olive Woodpecker that came to visit the veranda!

White-bearded Manakin

Bay-headed Tanager

Female Purple Honeycreeper

      It was finally time to say goodbye to Asa Wright and head to the airport. However, we had one more chance to pick up a few species along the way. We had convinced our driver to make a stop at the Aripo Livestock Agriculture Research Station. Although we ended up birding through a passing thunderstorm we managed to see 12 additional species: Carib Grackle, Red-breasted Meadowlark, Grassland Yellow-Finch, White-winged Swallow, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Green-rumped Parrotlet, Rock Pigeon, Least Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, and Savannah Hawk. What a great use of 30 minutes! We also spotted a Ringed Kingfisher, Peregrine Falcon, and Greater Yellowlegs just before we got dropped off at the airport.

Savannah Hawk in a downpour

Savannah Hawk with his/her sassy pants on. 

Red-breasted Meadowlark in a downpour

Southern Lapwing being sassy

Southern Lapwing

A young Wattled Jacana

Red-breasted Meadowlark 

Red-breasted Meadowlark

Grassland Yellow-Finch

Yellow-bellied Elaenia

Green-rumped Parrotlet preening after the rain. 

Green-rumped Parrotlets

 Wow! What a trip! Definitely a place to revisit in the near future.
Below is our entire trip list in taxonomic order:

#	Species	Location	Date
1	Little Tinamou - Crypturellus soui	Blanchisseuse Road	10/21/2015
2	Anhinga - Anhinga anhinga	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
3	Great Egret - Ardea alba	Trincity Sewage Treatment Ponds	10/19/2015
4	Snowy Egret - Egretta thula	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
5	Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
6	Tricolored Heron - Egretta tricolor	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
7	Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis	Trincity Sewage Treatment Ponds	10/19/2015
8	Striated Heron - Butorides striata	Trincity Sewage Treatment Ponds	10/19/2015
9	Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - Nyctanassa violacea	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
10	Scarlet Ibis - Eudocimus ruber	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
11	Black Vulture - Coragyps atratus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
12	Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
13	Osprey - Pandion haliaetus	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
14	Black Hawk-Eagle - Spizaetus tyrannus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/19/2015
15	Ornate Hawk-Eagle - Spizaetus ornatus	Blanchisseuse Road	10/21/2015
16	Plumbeous Kite - Ictinia plumbea	Blanchisseuse Road	10/21/2015
17	Long-winged Harrier - Circus buffoni	Caroni Rice Fields	10/19/2015
18	Common Black Hawk - Buteogallus anthracinus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/19/2015
19	Savanna Hawk - Buteogallus meridionalis	Aripo Livestock (Agriculture Research) Station	10/21/2015
20	White Hawk - Pseudastur albicollis	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
21	Gray-lined Hawk - Buteo nitidus	Blanchisseuse Road	10/21/2015
22	Short-tailed Hawk - Buteo brachyurus	Blanchisseuse Road	10/21/2015
23	Purple Gallinule - Porphyrio martinicus	Trincity Sewage Treatment Ponds	10/19/2015
24	Southern Lapwing - Vanellus chilensis	Trincity Sewage Treatment Ponds	10/19/2015
25	Wattled Jacana - Jacana jacana	Trincity Sewage Treatment Ponds	10/19/2015
26	Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
27	Solitary Sandpiper - Tringa solitaria	Aripo Livestock (Agriculture Research) Station	10/21/2015
28	Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca	Piarco Airport and adjacent lakes	10/21/2015
29	Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla	Aripo Livestock (Agriculture Research) Station	10/21/2015
30	Yellow-billed Tern - Sternula superciliaris	Trincity Sewage Treatment Ponds	10/19/2015
31	Large-billed Tern - Phaetusa simplex	Trincity Sewage Treatment Ponds	10/19/2015
32	Rock Pigeon - Columba livia	Trinidad and Tobago	10/19/2015
33	Scaled Pigeon - Patagioenas speciosa	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
34	Ruddy Ground-Dove - Columbina talpacoti	Trinidad and Tobago	10/19/2015
35	White-tipped Dove - Leptotila verreauxi	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
36	Gray-fronted Dove - Leptotila rufaxilla	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
37	Smooth-billed Ani - Crotophaga ani	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
38	Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl - Glaucidium brasilianum	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
39	Oilbird - Steatornis caripensis	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/20/2015
40	Band-rumped Swift - Chaetura spinicaudus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
41	Gray-rumped Swift - Chaetura cinereiventris	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
42	White-necked Jacobin - Florisuga mellivora	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
43	Rufous-breasted Hermit - Glaucis hirsutus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/20/2015
44	Green Hermit - Phaethornis guy	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
45	Little Hermit - Phaethornis longuemareus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
46	Green-throated Mango - Anthracothorax viridigula	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
47	Tufted Coquette - Lophornis ornatus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
48	Long-billed Starthroat - Heliomaster longirostris	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
49	Blue-chinned Sapphire - Chlorestes notata	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
50	White-chested Emerald - Amazilia brevirostris	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
51	Copper-rumped Hummingbird - Amazilia tobaci	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
52	Green-backed Trogon - Trogon viridis	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
53	Guianan Trogon - Trogon violaceus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
54	Collared Trogon - Trogon collaris	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
55	Trinidad Motmot - Momotus bahamensis	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
56	Ringed Kingfisher - Megaceryle torquata	Trinidad and Tobago	10/21/2015
57	Channel-billed Toucan - Ramphastos vitellinus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
58	Chestnut Woodpecker - Celeus elegans	Blanchisseuse Road	10/21/2015
59	Lineated Woodpecker - Dryocopus lineatus	Blanchisseuse Road	10/21/2015
60	Yellow-headed Caracara - Milvago chimachima	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
61	Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus	Trinidad and Tobago	10/21/2015
62	Orange-winged Parrot - Amazona amazonica	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
63	Green-rumped Parrotlet - Forpus passerinus	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
64	Great Antshrike - Taraba major	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/19/2015
65	Black-crested Antshrike - Sakesphorus canadensis	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
66	Barred Antshrike - Thamnophilus doliatus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
67	Plain Antvireo - Dysithamnus mentalis	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
68	White-flanked Antwren - Myrmotherula axillaris	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
69	Cocoa Woodcreeper - Xiphorhynchus susurrans	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
70	Straight-billed Woodcreeper - Dendroplex picus	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
71	Yellow-chinned Spinetail - Certhiaxis cinnamomeus	Aripo Livestock (Agriculture Research) Station	10/21/2015
72	Yellow-bellied Elaenia - Elaenia flavogaster	Aripo Livestock (Agriculture Research) Station	10/21/2015
73	Ochre-bellied Flycatcher - Mionectes oleagineus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/20/2015
74	Olive-sided Flycatcher - Contopus cooperi	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/21/2015
75	Tropical Pewee - Contopus cinereus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/19/2015
76	Pied Water-Tyrant - Fluvicola pica	Trincity Sewage Treatment Ponds	10/19/2015
77	Great Kiskadee - Pitangus sulphuratus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
78	Boat-billed Flycatcher - Megarynchus pitangua	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/20/2015
79	Tropical Kingbird - Tyrannus melancholicus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
80	Bearded Bellbird - Procnias averano	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
81	White-bearded Manakin - Manacus manacus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
82	Golden-headed Manakin - Ceratopipra erythrocephala	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
83	Black-tailed Tityra - Tityra cayana	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
84	Golden-fronted Greenlet - Pachysylvia aurantiifrons	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
85	Rufous-browed Peppershrike - Cyclarhis gujanensis	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/20/2015
86	Southern Rough-winged Swallow - Stelgidopteryx ruficollis	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/20/2015
87	White-winged Swallow - Tachycineta albiventer	Aripo Livestock (Agriculture Research) Station	10/21/2015
88	House Wren - Troglodytes aedon	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
89	Rufous-breasted Wren - Pheugopedius rutilus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
90	Cocoa Thrush - Turdus fumigatus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/19/2015
91	Spectacled Thrush - Turdus nudigenis	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
92	White-necked Thrush - Turdus albicollis	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
93	Tropical Mockingbird - Mimus gilvus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
94	Northern Waterthrush - Parkesia noveboracensis	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
95	American Redstart - Setophaga ruticilla	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
96	Tropical Parula - Setophaga pitiayumi	Blanchisseuse Road	10/21/2015
97	Yellow Warbler - Setophaga petechia	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
98	Masked Cardinal - Paroaria nigrogenis	Caroni Swamp	10/19/2015
99	White-shouldered Tanager - Tachyphonus luctuosus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/19/2015
100	White-lined Tanager - Tachyphonus rufus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
101	Silver-beaked Tanager - Ramphocelus carbo	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
102	Blue-gray Tanager - Thraupis episcopus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
103	Palm Tanager - Thraupis palmarum	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
104	Turquoise Tanager - Tangara mexicana	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
105	Bay-headed Tanager - Tangara gyrola	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
106	Blue Dacnis - Dacnis cayana	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/20/2015
107	Purple Honeycreeper - Cyanerpes caeruleus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
108	Green Honeycreeper - Chlorophanes spiza	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/18/2015
109	Grassland Yellow-Finch - Sicalis luteola	Aripo Livestock (Agriculture Research) Station	10/21/2015
110	Blue-black Grassquit - Volatinia jacarina	Blanchisseuse Road	10/21/2015
111	Bananaquit - Coereba flaveola	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
112	Red-crowned Ant-Tanager - Habia rubica	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/19/2015
113	Red-breasted Meadowlark - Sturnella militaris	Aripo Livestock (Agriculture Research) Station	10/21/2015
114	Carib Grackle - Quiscalus lugubris	Aripo Livestock (Agriculture Research) Station	10/21/2015
115	Yellow Oriole - Icterus nigrogularis	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
116	Crested Oropendola - Psarocolius decumanus	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015
117	Trinidad Euphonia - Euphonia trinitatis	Blanchisseuse Road	10/21/2015
118	Violaceous Euphonia - Euphonia violacea	Asa Wright Nature Centre	10/17/2015

Trinidad 2015 - Oilbirds and Downpours (Oct. 20th, 2015)

     Once again, thanks to our House Wren alarm, we were out the door by 6am. Our morning was uneventful, and we took some time to enjoy the morning feeding frenzy from the veranda. After a hearty breakfast it was finally time to take the long-awaited Oilbird tour! The Oilbird is a unique species that is only found in South America. They are nocturnal, navigate using echolocation, eat only fruits, and live in caves where they roost and breed. Everything about these birds is amazingly unique, including the fact that the chicks can get to be 50% heavier than the adults due to their incredible fat storing abilities. In fact, their name comes from the fact that native peoples used to harvest the chicks for their huge fat reserves which they rendered down for oil. Since Oilbirds live in caves in remote forest locations, they are usually very difficult to access. However, the Asa Wright Nature Centre is host to the most easily accessible colony in the world!
     A few decades ago, the Oilbirds had completely disappeared from the cave at Asa Wright due to an excess of human disturbance. However, rules about how many people may visit the cave per week and how they may conduct themselves while at the cave were put in place, and the birds came back. This is why visitors are only allowed to visit the cave as part of an official tour led by an Asa Wright naturalist (complementary with a 3 night min. stay). Currently the population is somewhere around 150 individuals and holding steady. We were lucky to be visiting Asa Wright during their low season, so myself and my two traveling companions were the only people on our tour! The walk to the cave was a  little treacherous in places, and I nearly ended up sitting very suddenly on my camera right after the guide warned us about slippery rocks. Luckily both my bottom and my camera survived the ordeal. Since we had such a small group we were allowed to actually climb down into the cave and experience being in the middle of the colony. There is no flash photography allowed so I did the best I could with just a weak flashlight illuminating a few birds. However, the video I took of the birds flying around the cave and calling probably best depicts the experience.

Oilbird

Oilbird in nest

Entrance to the Oilbird cave

Panorama of the area around the cave entrance.

     After our experience with the Oilbirds we were so in awe that we didn't know what to do with ourselves until lunch. We ended up not being able to agree on a plan, so we split up, agreeing to meet for lunch. During our explorations the sky opened up and we all found ourselves in the middle of a very intense downpour. With only my baseball cap, arm, and body to cover my DSLR, I ended up running from palm patch to palm patch, catching my breath and wiping off any water on the camera with my shirt under the psuedo umbrellas. Somehow both my camera and lens made it through the storm thanks to my cap and nature-provided umbrellas, but we all ended up soaked.

Agnosia Clearwing (Ithomia agnosia) - found along the road to Asa Wright Nature Center

     After lunch the downpours continued, so we elected to stay on the veranda and watch the birds bathe happily in the rain. We all agreed that there is nothing cuter in this world than a hummingbird taking a shower!

White-chested Emerald taking a shower

Young male White-necked Jacobin taking a shower

 White-chested Emerald showering

Young male White-necked Jacobin showering

Young male White-necked Jacobin drying off in the sun after the downpour

Young male White-necked Jacobin sunning to dry off (photobombed by a Copper-rumped Hummingbird)

Yellow Oriole after the downpour

White-chested Emerald preening in the sun after the rain

Land crab prowling around after the rain. 

Bananaquits going bananas after the rain. 

     By the time we had finished dinner, the downpours had ceased, so we decided to join a guided night walk. We hoped that the rains had brought out a few more creatures, and we were correct! During this walk we saw both Chevron and Pink-toed Tarantulas, many crabs and whip scorpions, frogs the size of my fingernail, walking sticks, and a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. My favorite quote from the guide during this walk was: ""Land crabs are the true Trinidadians. They come out onto their front porch to get some air before going to bed".

Pink-toed Tarantula

     Before going to bed we went to sit on the veranda to take advantage of the internet access for a bit and ended up having a great conversation with the security guard about many aspects of life. We hit topics such as the taste of Agouti and other wildlife, getting kids outside, Trinidadian customs, and Indian festivals. Finally around 11:30pm we said goodbye to our new friend and went to bed exhausted, but happy and all the more knowledgeable.


Stay tuned for our last morning at Asa Wright and how we checked off quite a few species in the hours before our plane left.