‘Step into my World – Entra a mi Mundo’
Parque las Vegas – We will meet near the Saman tree by the bridge: “Walk with me, starting between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m.”
Parque las Vegas – Portoviejo, Ecuador – May 14/2022 – 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon –
Continuing the theme from the show at Museo Portoviejo, ‘Step into my World’ invites interested birders to meet at Parque las Vegas at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday May 14th to observe the birds on Migratory and Global Big Day. (To see the official list of 101 birds at Parque las Vegas, go here: Hotspot Parque las Vegas )
Several friends expressed an interest in participating, and though my main focus will be the serious study at nearby Refugio la Tomatera, I also planned to visit Parque las Vegas and a few other sites. So, why not invite others to ‘Step into My World’ and walk with me?!
This urban park, the phoenix that emerged from literal rubble of the earthquake, offers a balm not only to the humans, but also for the feathered visitors as well.
A fellow birder (Jeff Caplan from California) sharing his love for birds with curious children!
The grasses along the rio sometimes get big enough to set seeds, and then lots of birds flock to the edge to eat the seeds. Unfortunately, the grounds crew and sometimes the public want it to be less wild.
Yay! They are allowing the trees to have their natural growth – and reach for the skies. The grasses along the bank are cut back, and maybe in time some areas will remain natural, while others are managed.
Yay! Yum yum for the birds – and the photographer gets an easy photo!
“Yum, Yum, Grass seeds, our favorite, and this driftwood makes a great dining perch!”
“Grass seeds are delicious!”
The taller grasses also allow the photographer to get closer without scaring the bird. What’s down there?
Ah! A Spotted Sandpiper!
Do you see the rare Eastern Kingbird?
Another easy photo of a rare bird – thanks to refuge/vegetation and food at ground level!
The landscaping crews now work with more respect, allowing more areas of protection for the birds along the river and by the little lagoon. The rare Scarlet Tanager, the Green Heron and the Eastern Kingbirds must use some type of travel handbook that suggests they visit Parque las Vegas on their winter vacations! Higher up will be Pacific Parrotlets, perhaps the endangered Gray-cheeked Parakeet, euphonias, kingbirds and flycatchers. It’s my hope that the administrators continue designing more bird-friendly spaces that connect the humans to nature.
What might we see on Saturday? Purple Gallinules, Common Gallinules, nesting Masked Water Tyrants and nesting Striated Herons, loud-mouthed Yellow-rumped Caciques and perhaps even the tiny Yellow Warbler that flits through the cattails.
Look up – what’s that?
A Yellow-crowned Night Heron!
Look Down! A Purple Gallinule.
Look there! (from the bridge) A Striated Heron – “Thanks PortoParques for more refuge!”
Walk to the back side of the pond, and an careful study will allow a glimpse of another nest:
Two Striated Herons are in the tiny islita in the pond. With luck the eggs will have hatched by Saturday…
April 16, 2022 – eggs!
A lovely ‘Espina Tierra’ tree along the pond has low branches – Yay!
The White-browed Gnatcathers were in the lower limbs of the Espina Tierra last week.
The Streak-headed Woodcreeper makes its rounds here…
The Yellow Warbler often peruses the food options here…
The Southern Beardless Tyrannulet stopped in recently…
As did the Blue-gray Tanager
Tropical Kingbird waiting for its next appetizer….
Tropical and Eastern Kingbirds earlier this year..
One Yellow Warbler claims one side of the pond as its own domain! Look for it in the cattails.
An easy walk along Rio Portoviejo might provide views of seedeaters, anis, Golden Grosbeak, and many of the same birds that are at the laguna. Looping back to the laguna, we will look for the resident Burrowing Owls, which are usually quite predictable.
Can you spot the Burrowing Owl in this image?
( Find out where the Burrowing Owl lurks in the shadows – or presides over the park from a roof-top perch!)
To find an event in your area, check the world map: WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY
In February, eBird moderator Daniel Arias hosted Cullen Hanks from eBird’s home base in Ithica. Cullen is not only a walking ambassador for eBird, but for the human race as well.
eBird’s Cullen Hanks visited the park, and we were discussing the Burrowing Owl’s reasons for choosing its (predictable) perch.
Pacific Parrotlets
Nothing listed in your area? Well, giddye-up – it’s not too late to organize an impromptu event! What’s most important is to go out and celebrate the birds of your area! You might get lucky and stumble upon a rare bird!
Happy Birding!
Love,
Lisa
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
Great nature shots!
Thank you, Jorge. Nature sometimes seems to conspire for great photo moments, which turn out being great soul-nourishing moments as well. I find myself wondering,’What’s next in the queue of surprises?’
As always, your insight and photos are wonderful, Lisa. I hope you will have some interested people show up Saturday and wish you a day filled with surprises.
Take care,
Tanja
Thank you, Tanja. The area around that little ‘lagoon’ hosts a lot of species, some predictable and some are surprise visitors. It offers a nice respite from the outside world and is a good ‘bridge’ for city people to get comfortable being closer to nature. I will check the herons and their nest tomorrow/Friday – wouldn’t it be great to get glimpses of the newest generation?!
I hope that your birding goes well on Saturday – and equally filled with surprises!
Thank you for the good wishes, Lisa. I hope you will find the next generation of herons!
Oh, they are there – two precious young ones were there last saturday, peering from their nest, and yesterday/tuesday they were about a meter from the nest. today they ventured about four meters in both directions from their nest.
How wonderful! It makes me happy to hear about them.
A third one appeared today! yay!
The photo of the Yellow-crowned night heron is my absolute favorite. I managed a similar photo of a Black-crowned night heron, and I still laugh when I look at it. Yours is just as amusing, and appealing. I always enjoy the collection as a whole, but that one’s a star.
Of course you would enjoy that image! It makes me smile too, and I think of Mississippi’s Jim Henson, who was surely inspired by encounters like those with the night herons. I am considering doing a really big painting/ study of that bird gawking straight forward, then I reconsider and imagine painting a very whimsical one.. the latter might be more appealing…. bright exaggerated colors, etc. If you were here, we could conspire on that one together!
Such an astounding variety of birds! There aren’t so many right in my yard, but about 15 miles west of me is the San Pedro River which is the largest migratory route in the United States. Birders come from all over the place to be along the river during migration.
Hi Emilie! Yes, we are lucky to have a diverse selection, but to also receive those on annual vacations. The live ‘radar’ maps showing the migration are fascinating…
https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/live-migration-maps/
I wonder what they will do/how they will react to Sunday night’s eclipse? I’ll bet you’ll be out that night to bask in the beauty of the eclipse!
What a paradise that park must be. I can only imagine the sound there. Thank you for sharing your time there with us, Lisa. And thank you for taking us closer to the world of birds. Through you, I see birds I have never seen before anywhere.
The nearby bosque is sooooo serene, and when there I think about the contrasts – what it must be like for those in the war-challenged countries – or in the mass shootings – people growing more and more untrusting of another. I remain grateful to have such a solace of peace where the outside world goes into ‘pause’ mode. If only all people had that option!
The beautiful landscape that surrounds you must be healing since it is pure original life, unchanged and pure. It enerzizes and centers. If those who bring pain and sadness over others lived there too… they would not do it. I am sure.
Oh that Yellow-crowned Night Heron! What a perfect shot!
yes, that was a great moment, and that young bird was probably thinking, ‘what in the world are those creatures called ‘humans’?’
In your post just now, I really appreciated your statement, ” We don’t need Russia. We are at war with each other. ” Of course all of this pain in the world of Ukraine would be quite overwhelming for you and your own family history… plus what continues to happen in the USA… through all of you, I am a bit buffered and don’t see much via television (almost never is a television in my life) so only short doses via computer… and filtered through what all of you share.
I bet it was a great day, thanks for the invitation, it’s delightful to see a few familiar faces among the very exotic ones. Oh, that heron photo! That’s a treasure, Lisa. Are Yellow warblers year-round residents? And Eastern kingbirds – rare for you? As far as I remember from years ago, they weren’t a bird I saw often but they were reliable. How cool to see the ebird folks in your neck of the woods, too. The Striated heron on the nest is wonderful too, as are so many of these photos. Our huge, local Great blue heron rookery is getting its cameras to go public. Here’s a link, I hope it works
There are 3 cameras (only one accessible to the public) and a citizen science project is underway to study nest productivity. I’ll probably be helping out with that later in the season – meanwhile, our Northern elephant seal (who was born on a neighboring island and gave birth herself here last Jan 31) has returned to her favorite place to molt, a beach near a marina here on Fidalgo Island. I’m helping “seal sit” to protect her from curious beach-goers and dog-walkers. Her pup had to be relocated to an uninhabited island because she chose to give birth at a busy state park, but he was doing well when last seen. It’s a new experience for all as a small number of these animals that normally molt and birth in CA have moved up here. Cheers!
Wow, I replied to your comment, but it’s absent now! Sorry- lo siento! The live cam is wonderful! It reminds me so much of watching the three new StriatedHerons at the nearby park, but wow, they grew up so very fast! I don’t have a view as good as the live cam’s, but it’s good there is a buffer of water around the little islita…
The Seal-sitting opportunity has to be very rewarding! Do you think some of the species has moved because of human population/ light pollution, water temp ??? inquiring minds are busy with possibilities!
You will surely present a beautiful portrait of that area from your watch when you’re finished.
Just in seventh heaven here Lisa….
Hopefully I turned on notifications after my long absence. time out and recent computer issues.. Doing everything from my little phone has been taxing lol.. But today I got my computer back from being repaired.. So fingers crossed I can keep in touch more with your beautiful offerings and amazing photos and artwork my friend.. ❤
Si, I was at the refuge yesterday until past dark – so very peaceful and a good tonic for the soul. It’s nice at times to be totally out of phone and internet range – just a quieter pace, one that every person deserves without feeling guilty.
Exactly Lisa, we are all too tied into our electronics, as useful as they are. It’s hood to be totally free of them for a while.
Sending hugs across the miles. 🤗🥰💕
Oh, my. Beautiful and Handsome Feathered Friends. The colors of their feathers just incredible and magnificent. Very exciting event indeed!
We are lucky here in Ecuador to be able to travel just a small distance and find amazing flora and fauna.. even in a city… but then there are areas of deforestation that make me feel physically ill. Helping others discover what’s near is a good option – little by little… The birding walk was fun…