Bulletin 386 - Colombia 2021 #3 - Water Birds

 I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

Much of the trip was on or near the water - in the Orinoco basin, Caribbean coast and some mountain lakes and streams. We did see a lot of herons, egrets and ducks that we have in the USA, so I did not bother to photograph them. So here are the more interesting ones. The first 3 were in the Orinoco part of the trip.

The 17" Large-billed Tern (Phaetusa simplex) was the only gull or tern we saw in the Orinoco region which was very surprising to me.

 Large-billed Tern

The beautiful 21" Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus) with his long plumes and blue face, he is an easy ID.

Capped Heron

Lastly is the peculiar 24" Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin). This prehistoric looking bird is endemic to Amazonia. It is the only bird in its family.

Hoatzin

The 2 interesting ducks were in the Andes. The  18" Andean Teal (Anas andium) is a gray brown bird on paramo lakes

Andean Teal

The exciting duck was a close encounter with the 16" Torrent Duck (Merganetta armata). We stopped on a bridge across a 30' stream where the guide had seen the ducks before. Well as luck would have it, the pair was about 30 yards upstream from the bridge. As we watched, they swam and drifted down until they were right below us.

Torrent Duck

The last 3 birds were on the Caribbean coast in northeastern Colombia. There is a flamingo preserve, but at the time of year we were there, we were lucky to find a half dozen birds. Here is an adult 47 " American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber).

American Flamingo

and a juvenile.

American Flamingo - juvenile

The 24" Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is white as a juvenile and then gets his color as he matures. There is some question if the White Ibis and this species are a single species. Time will tell as details are worked out.

Scarlet Ibis

The last was the 39" Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens). This is an immature with all the white. It is always a treat to see these pelagic birds.

Magnificent Frigatebird - juvenile

We also saw a Parasitic Jaeger but I did not get a photo. It seems so far south for that species.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 385 - Colombia 2021 #2 - Icterids

 I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

First a correction on the ID of Scaled Piculet on the previous bulletin. It is actually the Golden-spangled Piculet. Thanks to Pablo Florez for the correct ID. 

Icterids are the New World blackbirds such as orioles, grackles and meadowlarks. Orioles are obviously the most colorful and we had 2 lifers for me - both on the Caribbean coast in extreme northeast Colombia.

The 8" Yellow Oriole (Icterus nigrogularis) was admiring his reflection in our vehicle window. He looks more orange than yellow to me but I am not the person who named the bird.

Yellow Oriole

The other was the shy 8" Orange-crowned Oriole (Icterus auricapillus). He has more black than the first one - but the orange/yellow looks the same??

Orange-crowned Oriole

I also had 2 lifer grackles. The first was the peculiarly named 7" Velvet-fronted Grackle (Lampropsar tanagrinus). Here is where the name comes from. The feathers at the front of the crown are very short and dense, giving a velvet-like appearance at close quarters.

Velvet-fronted Grackle

The other is the 10.5" Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris). It is similar to the Great-tailed Grackle but considerably smaller.

Carib Grackle

Caciques are larger then orioles. Both the species we saw were not new for me. The 11" Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela) is black with a yellow bill, rump and undertail.

Yellow-rumped Cacique

The Solitary Cacique (Cacicus solitarius) is all black with a yellow bill.

Solitary Cacique

Oropendolas are larger still. I photographed 2 species and 1 was a lifer. The 21" Olive Oropendola (Psarocolius bifasciatus) was the lifer. He has an olive green body, ruflos wings, yellow tail and red tip on the bill. But the easiest ID mark is the pink cheeks.

Olive Oropendola

The other was the 18" Crested Oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus). It is black with an ivory bill and yellow tail.

Crested Oropendola

The last was a surprise for me to find the 9.5" Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) as a resident bird in mountains around Bogota. I had no idea that they had such an extensive range.

Eastern Meadowlark

So you may be wondering why I photograph the birds that I already have seen and photographed before. Well there are several reasons.

First is I always want to upgrade the photos. The Solitary Cacique here was much better than the other photo I had.

Second, is the possibility of the bird being split by subspecies in 2 or more species. If I have several photos from different locations, if a split occurs, I may already have the photos of both. The Eastern Meadowlark has 16 subspecies from eastern Canada to Brazil and Cuba.

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 50 of the 109 species of icterids

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 384 - Colombia 2021 #1 - Woodpeckers

I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

The woodpeckers were amazing and I photographed more new species than on any previous trip. I was most surprised to find 3 species of piculets - the tiniest woodpeckers. The 3.5" Orinoco Piculet (Picumnus pumilus) is a brown bird with a speckled cap.

Orinoco Piculet

Next is the 3.5" Golden-spangled Piculet (Picumnus exilis). He has a brown back and yellow and black breast. This is a male with the red on his crown

Golden-spangled Piculet - male

The last is the 3.5" Chestnut Piculet (Picumnus cinnamomeus). He has an all brown body with a black crown and pale forehead.

Chestnut Piculet

The Celeus genus of woodpeckers are mostly brown and some have yellow heads. They usually have a crest also. The 8.5" Scaly-breasted Woodpecker (Celeus grammicus) is all brown with barring on the back and underside. He has a pale bill

Scaly-breasted Woodpecker

The 11" Chestnut Woodpecker (Celeus elegans) is plain rich brown and he has a golden rump. This is a male with the red malar stripe.

Chestnut Woodpecker - male

The 10.5" Cream-colored Woodpecker (Celeus flavus) is a spectacular ochre color with brown wings.

Cream-colored Woodpecker

The last of this genus is the 11" Ringed Woodpecker (Celeus torquatus). He is brown with an ochre head. He is named for a black ring around his neck which is not seen in this photo.

Ringed Woodpecker

The 7.5" Yellow-throated Woodpecker (Piculus flavigula) has a plain brown back, yellow face and scaled underparts. The male here has an all red crown.

Yellow-throated Woodpecker - male

The previous species were all new for me. The next 3 I had photographed previously. The 8" Spot-breasted Woodpecker (Colaptes punctigula) has a black and white patterned head, spotted breast and barred back.

Spot-breasted Woodpecker - female

Next is the 7" Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapiilus) . He is very similar to out Red-bellied Woodpecker.

The last is the 7.5" Yellow-tufted Woodpecker (Melanerpes cruentatus). He is mostly black but with a yellow ring around his head and a yellow eye.

Yellow-tufted Woodpecker

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 67 of the 237 species of woodpeckers

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 383 - Colorado

 I went to the Denver area on July 4th weekend to pick up some birds, I had not yet photographed. I contacted guide Carl Bendorf in Longmont and with my list, we did one day in the Pawnee Grasslands and a second day in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The bird of the trip was definitely a male White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucurus). This 12.5" grouse lives on the tundra above the visitors center. He was a lifer for me.

White-tailed Ptarmigan - male

And a close-up shows the red wattle above the eye.

White-tailed Ptarmigan - male

The second new bird to photograph was the 12" Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana). This member of the jay family is usually easy to see up close - but they all stayed away. It is gray with black wings.

Clark's Nutcracker

The next bird was a lifer, the 6" Thick-billed Longspur (Rhyncophanes mccownii). The breeding male looks like a sparrow with black and white patterned face and a red shoulder patch.

Thick-billed Longspur - male

The other longspur in the area was the beautiful 6" male Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus). He is all black underneath with the beautiful collar.

Chestnut-collared Longspur - breeding male

The 7" male Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys) is a large black sparrow with a white wing patch. It was my first time to photograph him in breeding plumage. It is the state bird of Colorado.

Lark Bunting - breeding male

We also saw the 9.5" Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia). This owl often nests in abandoned prairie dog holes.

Burrowing Owl

I also photographed several mammal species. The first was the Elk. Here is a group of 3 males on the tundra.

Elk - male

Another member of the deer family was this mother and baby Moose.

Moose

The beautiful Pronghorn resembles a deer with the horns, but is more closely related to the giraffe. The male has the pronghorn, but the female just has a small straight horn and unlike deer with antlers that are shed every year, the pronghorn does not lose his horn. Also different is the Pronghorn does not jump over fences, but crawls under them. Consequently, many farmers leave the bottom strand of barbed wire off the fences to enable these animals to cross more easily.

Pronghorn - male

The cute  8" American Pika is a relative of rabbits. They live at or above the tree line in rock piles. They harvest grass during the summer to store in their burrow for the winter.

American Pika

I also photographed several rodents is the squirrel family. The largest is the Yellow-bellied Marmot.

Yellow-bellied Marmot

And the one is was most hoping to see was the Black-tailed Prairie Dog. Just the tip of his tail is black. This was my first time to see a prairie dog.

Black-tailed Prairie Dog

There were several more squirrel species and if you would like to see them, just click the link.

Least Chipmunk

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

Wyoming Ground Squirrel

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 382 - Uganda # 26 - Miscellaneous Birds and Mountain Gorilla

 After the week in the Capetown area, the guide Casper Badenhorst, and I flew to Uganda and met a local guide. We started at Entebbe Airport on the southeast corner of Uganda and made a diagonal trip to Murchison Falls NP in the northwest corner. From there, we proceeded south through a chain of nature preserves and parks to the southwest corner at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We finished along the southern border back to the airport.

Well, we are finally at the end of the photos of this amazing 2 weeks in Uganda.

The 8" Black-billed Wood Dove (Turtur abyssinicus) is brown with a gray head, black bill and dark blue wing spots.

Black-billed Wood Dove

The 8" Blue-spotted Wood Dove (Turtur afer) is similar be he has a red bill with a yellow tip.

Blue-spotted Wood Dove

The 21" Crested Guineafowl (Guttera pucherani) is black with blue spots on the body, a blue head, red throat and a curly crest

Crested Guineafowl 

The 5.5" Common Button-quail (Turnix sylvatica) is a small plump brown bird with spotting on the  flanks and an orange breast. This was a life bird and also a new family for me to see.

Common Button-quail

The 9" African Crake (Crex egregia) was a great bird to find as rails and crakes are usually shy and stay hidden in tall grass. He has a brown back with black spots, black and white striped flanks, a red eye and red base of the bill.

African Crake

The 16" Grey-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus) is a white bodied gull with a pale grey head and wings. He has a red bill and legs.

Grey-headed Gull

His cousin is the 15" Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus). He is similar but with a black head. In this photo, he is in the middle of a group of skimmers.

Black-headed Gull

The 9" White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) in breeding plumage is all black except for white wings. In winter as this bird, he mostly white with some black on the back of his head. He is the smaller bird in the center foreground.

White-winged Tern - non-breeding

We are now at the end of the photos from the Uganda trip, I saved the best for last. This hike to see the Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla beringei) in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was the highlight of the trip and the most amazing wildlife encounter of my life.

If you have seen the movie "Gorillas in the Mist" about Dian Fossey and her work with the gorillas in Rwanda, then you know that the gorilla families can be acclimatized to people and then the people can get close to them. This process takes 2 -3 years before tourists can visit that group. The population remaining of the animals is just over 1000, in family groups of 10 20.They are spread across the mountainous region where Uganda, Rwanda and Congo meet. About 50% of the gorillas are in Uganda.

Before the trip I assumed that we would be kept 30 - 50 meters away from the animals, but at the lodge meeting before the hike, they said 10 meters and actually when we were there we were so close we could shake hands with the gorillas and they watched us - but paid no attention.

The silverback is the dominant male in the group

Mountain Gorilla - Silverback

After eating their fill of plants and leaves in the morning, they take a siesta.

Mountain Gorilla

And we had the pleasure to watch a 4 month old baby!

Mountain Gorilla - baby

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 39 of the 331 species of pigeons and doves

I have photos of 2 of the 6 species of guineafowl

I have photos of 19 of the 132 species of  rails, coots etc

I have photos of 44 of the 102 species of gulls and terns

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.