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.

Mating season is here...

Looks like the Grey Squirrel mating season is well upon us. I have seen several squirrels following females around for at least 3-4 weeks. They have an interesting courting ritual that is not too dissimilar from what some humans do :-)  When the male approaches the female she will hop away just out of his reach and continue with this little game for several hours to several days. Sometimes she will challenge him, climbing higher and higher in a tree, going out further and further onto ever smaller limbs. Once he has proven himself to her satisfaction, she will finally allow him to mate with her. I was lucky enough to be out and about taking photos when some of this hilarity was happening.

Two male squirrels approach a female. The more dominant male squirrel whacks his competition on the head with a forepaw which startles the female who jumps straight up in the air!

The female (far right) has finally had enough of the two males and scampers off with the two of them in hot pursuit.

Redpolls and Other Excitement!

Yesterday was one of the first sunny days we have had in central Pennsylvania in about a week. I had kept hearing reports of at least two Hoary Redpolls and a flock of 160 Common Redpolls visiting someone's feeder, so a friend and I decided to take a ride and investigate. Common Redpolls breed in arctic tundra and boreal forest habitats found all around the arctic circle, but do occasionally migrate every few years (at least in the U.S.) as far south as the central US. These occasional migrations are called "irruptions" and happen in the winter. One very interesting fact about these birds is that they have little pouches in their throats to quickly stash food temporarily allowing them to eat it in a more sheltered location at their leisure.
On the other hand, Hoary Redpolls are much rarer in this area as they breed in the high arctic and typically only come as far south as the northern US during their winter wanderings. Your best chance of finding them is to look very carefully through flocks of Common Redpolls and have an experienced birder help you with the id since it is an extremely difficult bird to pick out of a flock. I was lucky enough to see about 50-60 Common Redpolls, and one female Hoary Redpoll on my excursion, but my only decent photo was of a Common. Taking photos through glass is quite the challenge.

Common Redpoll - male

While waiting almost 3 hours to see the Hoary, I also got to see a beautiful Pileated Woodpecker that came down to the suet feeders and one of those strange yellow/orange House Finches. These strange looking House Finches are just like the normal ones, but their diet was lacking some elements while they were molting and growing new feathers, so the red coloration is lacking. If you want to read more about this I found an interesting article about it here: House Finch Color Variants

Pileated Woodpecker

Center of frame - yellow variant House Finch

On the way home I decided to swing by the little "duck pond" where the Double-crested Cormorant was found a few days ago and follow up on some reports of a male Common Goldeneye that had shown up. The Cormorant was gone, but the Common Goldeneye was there. This was the first time I had gotten good, close looks at this species as they breed in Canada and plop down in the first open water they come to when migrating south for the winter. Of course they seem to prefer large bodies of water where they can get as far away from birders as possible.

Common Goldeneye - male

I'm back!

After not posting here in over 2 years, I have decided to start this blog up again. If you were following me before, you may have noticed that I decided to change the name from "Church's Artistry" to "Bird, bird, bird...Squirrel!" I thought that with a fresh start a new name was appropriate, and it more closely matches the direction and purpose of this blog. There are some exciting things coming up in the near future, so be sure to check back occasionally!
For now, however, I do have two photos to share. After running some errands today I decided to stop at a small "duck pond" that stays unfrozen during the winter in Centre County, Pennsylvania. I had heard that an immature Double-crested Cormorant had landed there a few days ago which is very rare for this particular location. Double-crested Cormorants (DCCO) can occasionally be found in large lakes in the area during the winter, but this little pond is definitely not typical DCCO habitat. Of course I didn't have my long lens camera with me, so I had to use my point-and-shoot camera through my binoculars (called digi-binning) to get these photos. I was able to get two photos that aren't great, but will do for identification and documentation purposes. Oh, and while I was photographing this DCCO, I heard some chewing behind me in a tree and just had to take a photo of a Red Squirrel gnawing on a Black Walnut.

Double-crested Cormorant - these birds dive underwater to catch their food which consists of nearly all fish. Insects, crustaceans, or amphibians may be eaten if available. 

Double-crested Cormorant drying it's wings. These birds do not have as much oil on their feathers as other water birds (such as a duck), so they often are seen standing on a rock or other elevated surface with their wings spread. Their lack of water repellency is thought to help them dive and hunt underwater. 

Red Squirrel gnawing on a Black Walnut. These squirrels enjoy a variety of fruits, nuts, seeds, and mushrooms, but they prefer the seeds of cone-producing trees.

It's Summertime!

So far it has been a busy summer between trying to finish my thesis and working full-time. However, this past weekend I was able to finally get out and try the new lens I recently obtained.