David McDonald Photography

Monday, March 14, 2016

Bulletin 254 - Guatemala #5 - thrushes and other songbirds

There were 3 new thrush species for me to photo on this trip. The first was the prettiest and the first bird of the trip. It was the 9" Rufous-collared Thrush (Turdus rufitorques). The male is dark with a rusty collar and yellow bill.

Rufous-collared Thrush - male

In the same genus is the 9" White-throated Thrush (Turdus assimilis). This thrush is a rare visitor to south Texas, but so uncommon that it isn't in the Sibley guide. It is brown with a white throat with brown streaks.

White-throated Thrush

The last is a 8" Brown-backed Solitaire (Myadestes occidentalis). It is plain with a brown back and wings and the rest gray. But like all thrushes, it is a beautiful singer.

Brown-backed Solitaire

A couple of flycatchers are always going to be found. The Yellow-bellied Elaenia (Elaenia flavogaster) has this cool double crest that is usually kept raised.

Yellow-bellied Elaenia

The Tropical Pewee (Contopus cinereus) is a typical gray flycatcher best IDed by voice.

Tropical Pewee

The Gray Silky-Flycatcher (Ptilogonys cinereus) is one of only 4 species in the family. It is found from Mexico to Guatemala. It is gray with a crest, yellow undertail and a long tail with white at the base.

Gray Silky-Flycatcher

The 9.5" Ivory-billed Woodcreeper (Xiphoryhnchus flavigaster) is mostly brown and has spots and streaks on the head, back and underparts. It is one of the larger woodcreepes and has a white bill.

Ivory-billed Woodcreeper

I logged another new wren which is always a treat as they tend to be secretive. A pair of 7" Rufous-backed Wrens (Campylorhynchus capistratus) came to the banana feeder to feast.

Rufous-backed Wren

Lastly is a familiar bird to North Americans. This is the local resident Plumbeous Vireo (Vireo plumbeous). This subspecies is greener than birds in most of Mexico and resembles a Cassin's Vireo. This is a potential split as the populations are separate geographically.

Plumbeous Vireo

This is the last of the series on my Guatemala trip. Thanks again to my wonderful guide Knut Eisermann. I would highly recommend him to anyone contemplating a trip to Guatemala. His web site for contact is Cayaya Birding

Here is a heart-warming story about man and bird from last week LINK.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2016 David McDonald

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Monday, March 7, 2016

Bulletin 253 - Guatemala #4 - Finches, Jays and others

I got photos of 4 finches. The male 4.5" Black-headed Siskin (Carduelis notata) looks like our American Goldfinch except the head is all black. It is endemic from Mexico to Nicaragua

Black-headed Siskin - male

The Lesser Goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria) occurs here in the USA as well. Here is a male taking a bath. he is all black above and yellow below.

Lesser Goldfinch - male

The fruit eating euphonias are beautiful. The 4.25" male Yellow-throated Euphonia (Euphonia hirundinacea) is navy blue above and all yellow below.

Yellow-throated Euphonia - male

Chlorophonias are similar but green. The 5" Blue-crowned Chlorophonia (Chlorophonia occipitalis) is bright green on head and back, with yellow underparts and a blue patch on top of his head. He also has a dark bar across the chest separating the green from the yellow. I have now seen several species of chlorophonias and I am always amazed at their beauty.

Blue-crowned Chlorophonia - male

I got photos of 3 neat jays. The first is call the 13" Bushy-crested Jay (Cyanocorax melanocyaneus). The crest is usually held flat so it doesn't show. The adults have black heads and throats and the rest is bright blue. The yellow eye is prominent.

Bushy-crested Jay

The 12" Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) is well known to North American birders as it is widespread in the mountains of the west. It has a huge bushy crest. Its range extends through Mexico into Guatemala, but the local birds really don't resemble the NA birds, as it has a much shorter crest that is usually kept flat.

Steller's Jay

The last is the amazing 20" White-throated Magpie-Jay (Callocitta formasa) This bird is blue above, white on head and below with a black collar. His crest feathers arch forward.

White-throated Magpie-Jay

I had a photo of the 9" Spot-breasted Oriole (Icterus pectoralis) before, but it was in Miami where there are a number of escaped cage birds. This is the first from the normal range. The male is an orange and black oriole with spots on the breast.

Spot-breasted Oriole

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Bulletin 252 - Guatemala #3 - motmots, night birds and other non-passerines

I actually managed to photo 4 motmot species which is more than 25% of all the species. The 16" Blue-diademed Motmot (Momotus lessonii) has a blue edge to the crown. The pair here show the typical raquet tail. Motmots swing their tails side to side like a metronome. The left bird has his tail way to the left.

Blue-diademed Motmot

The 14" Turquoise-browed Motmot (Eumomota superciliosa) has the longest bare shaft on the tail of any of the motmots.

Turquiose-browed Motmot

The 2 smallest motmots lack the raquet tails. The 10" Blue-throated Motmot (Aspatha gularis) is greenish with a blue throat and long tail.

Blue-throated Motmot

The 7" Tody Motmot (Hylomanes momotula) is brownish with a rufous cap and black mask.

Tody Motmot

I got 2 owls on the trip. The 14" Mottled Owl (Strix virgata) has dark eyes, and dark brown streaking.

Mottled Owl

His cousin, the 16" Fulvous Owl (Strix fulvescens) is lighter with a pale facial disk and rufous streaking.

Fulvous Owl

I also got a photo of a 9" Mexican Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus arizonae). This typical nightjar is brown with a pale collar. This is probably a female as males have white corners on the tail.

Mexican Whip-poor-will

The only new diurnal raptor was a favorite, the 20" Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans). As its name suggests this bird feeds on snakes. It has brown back, wings and tail with the rest of the body cream except for a backwards brown mask on the head.

Laughing Falcon

The local cracid is the 21" White-bellied Chachalaca (Ortalis leucogastra). It is brown with a white belly.

White-bellied Chachalaca

We also found several parrots. The 9" Pacific Parakeet (Psittacara strenua) is all green but may have a few red spots on the neck.

Pacific Parakeet

The 9" Orange-fronted Parakeet (Eupsittula canicularis) is green with an orange forehead. He also has a prominent yellow eye ring

Orange-fronted Parakeet

The last parrot is the 13" Yellow-naped Parrot (Amazona auropalliata). This green parrot has yellow across the back of the neck and red patches in the wings.

Yellow-naped Parrot

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Bulletin 251 - Guatemala #2 - warblers and tanagers; 2 Houston Owls

First I have to apologize to my guide Knut Eisermann, as I called him Kurt in last weeks newsletter.

I photographed 4 new warblers, 2 of which are vagrants to the USA. The Pink-headed Warbler (Cardellina versicolor) has a red body and pinkish head. It is found at high elevations. It was one of my target birds for the trip. It just so happened that the sunrise pink sky was behind the bird and I didn't notice that until looking at my photos in the evening.

Pink-headed Warbler

The Crescent-chested Warbler (Oreothlypis superciliosa) was a tough bird to photograph as he stayed in the canopy almost directly overhead. The gray back, yellow breast and brown crescent on the yellow are the ID marks.

Crescent-chested Warbler

The Golden-crowned Warbler (Basileuterus culicivorus) is a vagrant to south Texas. It is gray above and yellow below with a striped head with a central gold stripe.

Golden-crowned Warbler

Lastly is the other vagrant to south Texas, the Gray-crowned Yellowthroat (Geothlypis poliocephala). It is olive above, bright yellow below, with a gray head and small black mask.

Gray-crowned Yellowthroat

I also got a nice photo of a Slate-throated Redstart (Myioborus miniatus). This bird is gray above with a red crown and red below. Of interest is the color variation in different parts of the range. The northern birds in Mexico and Guatemala have a red belly, while further south in Costa Rica the birds have a yellow belly. Click this link to see the difference.

Slate-throated Redstart

I also got a few new tanagers. The 4.25" White-collared Seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) is a vagrant to Texas as well. The male is black and white and the female brownish.

White-collared Seedeater - male

We have met flowerpiercers before. Theses tanagers have a hooked beak to tear open the base of flowers to get the nectar directly. The Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer (Diglossa baritula) is found in Mexico and northern Central America and is the most northerly species of flowerpiercers. The male is gray with cinnamon below. the female is brownish. This is a juvenile male who has not quite molted to full adult plumage.

Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer - juvenile male

The 7" Yellow-winged Tanager (Thraupis abbas) is bluish purple with a bright yellow patch on black wings.

Yellow-winged Tanager

The last is the 6" Azure-rumped Tanager (Tangara cabanisi). This bird is endangered as it is only found in Chiapas Mexico and the Pacific slope in Guatemala. Much of its habitat has been converted to coffee plantations.

Azure-rumped Tanager

Lastly of local interest to Texas, there is a Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) at Anahuac NWR that is readily seen. This is only the third of this species I have seen here in 25 years. He is 30 feet away from the road and thus easy to see. Here are the directions in case the Visitor's Center isn't open.

Proceed down the main road towards Frozen Point. Once you come to the
bay, there are several pullouts for parking for fishing. At the third
one, park by the handicapped marked spot. Just across the road beyond
the fence is a 3x5 slab of concrete with the right front corner
broken. He is roosting under the slab and can be seen at that corner.

Here are 2 photos of this neat little (9.5") owl.

Burrowing Owl
Anahuac NWR

And here he is standing up.

Burrowing Owl
Anahuac NWR

I also got photos of a Barred Owl (Strix varia) in my back yard last night.

Barred Owl

Monday, February 8, 2016

Bulletin 250 - Guatemala #1 - hummers

I took a quick 1 week trip to Guatemala in November. I again went to the Birdingpal web site to find a guide. Knut Eisermann was fantastic. In addition to being an expert birder, he and his wife were able to get my lost luggage delivered to our hotel the second night. Kudos to your wife Claudia for pestering American Airlines!

Why did I pick Guatemala? Well there are a lot of birds in Mexico and northern Central America that don't make it as far south as Costa Rica, and Guatemala appeared to be safer than going to Mexico. However, it is not without excitement as we had to have police escorts on 2 days as we traveled between birding hot spots. Also we drove close by the Fuego volcano that was pumping ash into the air consistently. Shortly after I returned home, it went full eruption with lava flowing down the mountain.

As this is number 250 of my trip reports, which is sort a a milestone for me (25% of 1000), I will start with one of my favorite families of birds, the hummers.

There are 30 species of the amazilia genus. We saw several of them in Ecuador. They are medium sized hummingbirds about 4" in length and the sexes are pretty similar. The is the male Azure-crowned Hummingbird (Amazilia cyanocephala). He has the red beak characteristic of this genus.

Azure-crowned Hummingbird

The Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila) is another amazilia. It is all brown below with a green back.

Cinnamon Hummingbird

And a third one is the Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia cyanura).

Blue-tailed Hummingbird

The large, 4.5",Green-throated Mountain-Gem (Lampornis viridpallens) is green backed with white underparts. The male has green spots on throat. The white stripe behind the eye is a characteristic of this genus.

Green-throated Mountain-Gem - male

The 4.75" Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris) is green with pinkish throat and turquoise crown.

Long-billed Starthroat

The small (3.5") Blue-throated Sapphire (Hylochlaris eliciae) has a blue throat, golden tail and red bill.

Blue-throated Sapphire

The large (5.25") Rufous Sabrewing (Campylopterus rufus) is green above and rufous below.

Rufous Sabrewing

Next is the unusual Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird (Philodice dupontii). The male is 3.75 inches long and has a long tail that is black and white striped. the smaller female lacks the long tail.

Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird - male

The last hummer is an old friend, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilocus colubris). This is the only North American hummer that migrates as far south as Guatemala and it was the first time I had seen it outside the USA or Canada.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - male