World Wetlands Day – 02/02/2022

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manabi province ecuador, parque las vegas, portoviejo ecuador, world wetlands day

Parque las Vegas/Portoviejo/Manabi Province/Ecuador

Feb. 2, 2022   02/02/2022 – a lovely number!

New Moon.  New Month.  New Chinese Year of the Tiger.

Bravery.  Wisdom.  Strength.

All of these traits are important to moving forward, being stronger, having the courage to believe in yourself – and your own unique destiny.  Trying to stay neutral and centered – being on the offensive so that you’re not in the defensive.

This drab little bird appeared in mid December. Migratory? Juvenile – ? – small yellowish bird. Where are its travel mates? More on this lone bird later…

The year of the Tiger; here’s a small tigress in search of birds

Sometimes we can be brave, wise and strong –  and still be caught off guard. Like a tiger pouncing from a concealed location, our planet continues to express distress.  Maybe it’s not premeditated – our earth’s wrath, but an involuntary reaction to its own pain.   The headlines from Quito illustrate that point:

The month started with disasters that stretched around the world.

With so much misery, and two years with a virus that seems to stay one step ahead of mankind, it’s sometimes hard to share sunny stories – yet without hope for positive, we would all wither.

The Vermillion Flycatcher has returned! Yay! What must it be like to be blessed with colors like this?!

Parque las Vegas celebrates its four year anniversary.  A token phoenix that emerged from 2016’s 7.8 earthquake, the park now offers a solace for healing and reflection.

Today it also gives us an extra bonus for observing World Wetlands Day.  The area along Rio Portoviejo and the little pond give the visitors an easy glimpse into natural wetland habitats – and the birds are thriving!

Male Green Kingfisher

There’s that little bird again! It almost always shows up after 5 and loves what must seem like a jungle of cattails.  It is slowly evolving-changing colors – note the subtle streaks on its chest below:

Thanks to Daniel Arias (eBird/Urban Ornis) for pointing out those streaks!

One or two Striated Herons lurk in the shadows most every day.

Many birders ask me to please let them know if this rare Green Heron ever returns to the park. (Photo from Jan 10/2021)  I continue to watch, but there are plenty of ‘common’ species providing nice eye candy.

A large Saman tree anchors the ‘far’ side of the footbridge. Someone is building a new nest… Can you guess who/what it is?

Two loud raucous Yellow-rumped Caciques will be raising a family – in easy view from the bridge!

They have their own watcher or three:

Yes, we should take a moment to appreciate our wetlands, even little postage-stamped sized ponds can provide easy refuge to many species.

Recently another symbol of hope stepped into the scene while I admired the species from the bridge.  Arturo, a student of ambiente at the nearby university sidled up to me and asked, “Is it bad to feed rice to the birds?”

His question led to a rewarding conversation, and he told me that he’d seen me from the family’s upstairs window, which overlooked the park.  Then he described a bird that visits, which we concluded was that stunning yellow and black cacique pictured above.   I think that they plan to put a banana feeder outside their window – a great upgrade from giving rice to the finches and gallinules!   They might even ‘draw’ the nearby Whooping Motmot that lives in the neighborhood, but is not often seen.  This image from Poza Honda inspired him:

What would we do without a connection with nature?  We’d probably destroy the entire planet!  Emotions can be passed along a current of invisible energy that flows from person to person through subtle and sometimes obvious ways.

A greeting like this will always enhance the quality of one’s day.

In honor of World Wetlands Day – and in honor of PortoParque’s compassion for the wildlife that shares this park, I share some photos from my many visits to the park – a salvation for this child of nature.

What stunning eyes you have, Neotropic Cormorant!

Previous lumped under ‘Tropical Gnatcatcher,’ this adorable species now claims its own name, “White-browed Gnatcatcher.”

(The male White-browed Gnatcatcher has a darker crown.) They love th fruits of the ‘Frutilla’ tree.

There’s that yellow bird again!

The Eastern Kingbirds are back – and this one was swooping with the look-alike Blue and White Swallows!

To the joy of many, we watched the wetland areas recover from last year’s makeover, and there is abundant habitat for many species.   The petite Yellow Warbler, a new species for the park, appears each day around 5 in the afternoon and flits between the grass, lower limbs and the cattails.  How did this one lone bird find the park?  Did it get lost from its group?  Are others nearby, just not an extrovert like this one which stays in perpetual motion?

Six weeks after it first appeared, it’s yellow colors are emerging, and the streaks in its breast are more easily seen. Keb’s ‘City Boy’ continues to resonate while my base remains here in the city and close to the museum.  Parque las Vegas provides an easy access to nature and almost total removal from the caustic sounds of the city.  Without the park and its wetlands, this would be a more challenging chapter of my life.

I’ll leave you with a peek along the river, where one lone Sora appeared in January.  With so much cover, it’s hard to locate that VIP visitor from the northern hemisphere.

Across from this shady setting is a little grassy island where the Masked Water Tyrants have raised the newest generation

Oh, but beware of the predators that swim strong currents to reach the occupants of that nest.

Beware! Beware!

Pacific Parrotlets add sweet music and lovely colors – they are happy to have seeds at ground level – and near easy cover – what a photo op for anyone with a camera!

The trees are reclaiming their natural shape – and the birds are loving the new nesting options! Thank you PortoParques!

Groove-billed Anis – another easy photo op.

Pale-legged (Pacific) Hornero – always prowling for worms and insects.

Rains and high water destroyed their nest, but the Masked Water Tyrants relocated to a thick area of protection near the water.

One lone ‘Frijol de Palo’ provides food for many species. Yay – another easy photo op!

The Golden Grosbeak also loves those frijoles!

Wetlands add variety to our landscape – and at times we find poses that make us smile!

Sending you all my love – of course there is a lot to share – hopefully more soon!  I’d best get over to the park and show my appreciation for World Wetlands Day!

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“…But Balsa is like a weed…”

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balsa, balsa industry, deforestation, kinkajou, ochroma, wind turbines

Healthy young balsa soaring to the skies.

Balsa’s fluffy ‘kapok’

Male becard with Balsa fluff for nest.

Female becard with Balsa fluff for nest.

Pale-legged Hornero (Pacific) nest in balsa tree.

How valuable is the balsa tree to nature?  Should I allow the continued felling of these trees (for the wind-turbine industry) to bother me?  Many people shrug and say, “Balsa is like a weed, it grows back fast.”

Yes, but —

Today I will smile and delegate the defense of balsas to National Geographic:

I will always treasure the first time I saw a kinkajou raiding a balsa of its nectar – a memory that will last ‘a lifetime.’

This kinkajou was raiding a Jackfruit tree at Poza Honda during October Big Weekend 2021.

What is the threshold?  How much is too much before the flora and fauna struggle to survive?

National Geographic’s story about the Balsa research in Panama can be found here:  Open all Night.

Sometimes photos become a much-needed spokesperson for the balsas.

Squirrel Cuckoo in Balsa

Golden Olive Woodpecker in Balsa

Buff-throated Saltator in Balsa

Squirrel Cuckoo in Balsa

Gray-lined Hawk in Balsa

Black Vultures, Cissus Vine and Balsa

Bananaquit in Balsa

“Lisa’s Friend the Balsa”  -I always wondered, “What made that hole?

“Lisa’s Friendship Tree, the Balsa” with Cissus (Grape family) vine.

“Lisa’s Friendship Tree, the Balsa,” felled then discarded.

“Lisa’s Friendship Tree, the Balsa”

The tree became the poster child for the show in 2019, and the present exposition (Step into my World) at Museo Portoviejo.

“The Muir Tree” and the balsa fragments.

“The Friendship Tree of Life” (Acrylic)

The Groove-billed Anis (below) inspected the felled balsas in the not-so-protected protected forest of Poza Honda.

Poza Honda Ecuador

Comrades of the Friendship Tree of Life.

Do trees bleed?  This one did.

How healthy is ‘Green Energy’ if it desecrates a vanishing ecosystem?

How healthy is all of that smoke?

Piece by piece, more fragmentation, like whittling away patches of skin.

My friend the balsa.

Poza Honda Ecuador

Internet search:  “How many balsa trees are used to make one wind turbine?”

I did not expect to get instant answers.

A few minutes before that search began, an article mentioned Green Energy, which raised my hackles when I read, “…Earth’s electricity needs could be met 11 times over if we filled our oceans with wind turbines…”

“Fill our oceans with wind turbines?”                                                                  At the cost of deforesting Ecuador and other areas of the Neotropics?

(Lisa’s eyes have never been so wide!)

Between Tosagua and Bahia de Caraquez/Ecuador

My search for data about wind turbine construction sailed me straight to recently published articles about this ‘green energy’ affecting Ecuador.

A new site to me – ‘Open Democracy’ – asked in a story published today, “What has the destruction of balsa trees in the Amazon rainforest got to do with the wind power industry in Europe?

Sadly, more than you think.“

That story is here:  A green paradox: Deforesting the Amazon for wind energy in the Global North

I sometimes refer to an expanding group of concerned people as the ‘Davids’ who are building strength against the Goliaths of the planet.

Giovanni Ruiz doesn’t wait for an event, he picks up trash when he sees it.

Another recent story in Spanish from el Pais:

https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2021-11-24/los-molinos-de-viento-deforestan-el-amazonas.html?ssm=TW_CC

And one more story of interest from January 2021 breaks down the details.  Wind-watch.org shares the story from the Economist.  A worrying windfall – The wind-power boom set off a scramble for balsa wood in Ecuador 

The open Democracy video, is well worth the time to learn more about the dilemma:

As the midnight hour approaches, I hold you all in my heart.  Thank you for caring and for your empathy.  The earth thanks you.  The balsas thank you. The kinkajous thank you as well.

Lets all be quiet now so that the Kinkajous can dine in peace!

Goodnight, Kinkajou!  Goodnight, World.

A Second Birding Apprentice – and A Village of Hope!

Tags

Backyard Bird Count 2020, Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Manabi Ecuador Birds, poza honda ecuador

“A man needs a little madness, or else… he never dares cut the rope and be free.” ― Nikos Kazantzakis

(Poza Honda Ecuador)  “…As I write while noting the sweet and varied sounds and calls of nature, a not-so-soothing instrument asserts its caustic voice. Incongruent with the morning’s rhythms, a chainsaw slices through the natural harmonies. Compared to the never-ending sounds of the city, the distant chainsaw seems minor and insignificant, yet it grates on my psyche much deeper than the urban distractions…” from: Many Birds at a Time – Sept 2019 – Brunetti

Manabi Province, Ecuador – Approaching quietly on his motorcycle, the guard for the dam (reservoir Poza Honda) stopped and turned off the engine. I expected Antonio to politely ask me to park elsewhere, which I usually do – but had not on that late afternoon. On my way back to the city, I stopped to video the 40 or 50 Chestnut-collared Swallows careening in and out of nests beneath the spillway bridge. Turning off the camera, I stood and smiled. His words took me by surprise and touched me greatly.

Antonio proudly posed yesterday at Poza Honda.

With sensitivity and respect, Antonio asked, “Why did you leave? Where did you move?” (I’d been basically absent for four months after living there for two years.)

With equal respect, I asked if he had time for a ten-minute answer, and if he was serious as to ‘why.‘

“Si,” the clear-eyed Antonio replied.

I said that two years ago the sound of the chain saws was rare, but for the past year it seemed to be almost daily – and most days the sound came from two or three different locations. He nodded and agreed. The rate of deforestation had increased. I mentioned the cutting and run-away fire way too close to my residence (2018) – and he distinctly remembered that fire.

Foto taken from the steps of the house.

I said that some days the sound of the saws made me angry; other days it made me profoundly sad and sometimes it was like a blow to the stomach, and at those times I cried. “It’s a protected forest, yet no one speaks up – and the authorities don’t enforce the law. It’s as if the logging is invisible, including when the loaded trucks drive past the guards, though the gates and out of the protected forest.” I mentioned the times when logs were stacked near the road, yet it wasn’t until dark when the trucks arrived to transport the material out of the area. I asked if it was legal to cut near the water, and we discussed a clear-cut area that increases each year. Higher toward the southern ridge, a new visual wound brands an area near the dam.

Three weeks later a new scar:

This past weekend delivered a new visual blow – a new chunk cleared on the neighbor’s forest.

Antonio, as with all of the locals, observes the ongoing clearing; it’s part of a lifestyle the farming and ranching community has always known.    Does having more knowledge of current events, of climate change, of pesticide dangers, of vanishing species, of the melting glaciers — does it make it more simple or more complicated when trying to live in harmony with these beautiful people?   Our conversation resumed at an easy pace, and we discussed the burning that often follows, leaving strips of parallel scars along the barren hillsides.

“Our planet is sick, and it needs more trees, more canopy – we have to respect the planet. The monkeys need tree bridges – when the area is cleared, the monkeys are forced to leave.” I said that I loved the area, and that I missed everyone – but I also did not want to end up like another Chico Mendes.

Changing the topic, I told him about the just-finished bird census, where ‘Don Jorge,’ Luis and I documented 87 species in one day, and our hopes to share our birding enthusiasm with others in the area.  I squinted toward the water’s edge and stated, “Limpkin?” He asked about the cluster of black and white birds near the Limpkin. “Those are stilts,” I said, “ but look -” and I turned on the camera, which pulled in the image of the brown Limpkin. He laughed and said he would never have seen that bird.

We then checked the field guide index and flipped to the correct page. He quickly grasped the map index for each species, and he repeated the word, “Limpkin” with clear enunciation. We turned to the stilts, and he repeated, “Black-necked Stilt” several times. We discussed the Brown Wood Rail and located its range map in the book, and we discussed extinctions and the endangered Gray-backed Hawk photographed a short distance from the dam. He learned that the Osprey prefers fish over chickens and that Laughing Falcon devours snakes.

Antonio, our second Bird Specialist in training, quickly recalled the names of the birds he had just seen. He enjoyed pronouncing the new words, and I easily imagined a small group of locals – all repeating the names – or answering the question ‘Que Ave?” then seeing which person answered first – and giving little prizes to the person who remembered the most names.

Instead of Bingo gatherings, would the locals embrace Birding gatherings? The creative mind finds many ideas for rewarding the participants: the person who asks the most questions, a new ‘star student’ who reports seeing the most birds – or interesting bird behavior — or acknowledge the person who told the most-encouraging story re: “I placed the papaya scraps on a feeder and the Orange-fronted Barbets were there almost instantly! Those birds have never been so close to our house!’

It’s doubtful they would embrace my invented method of detecting hard-to-find birds:

“…Noting the continued absence of many species (birds, butterflies and the oh-so-important bees) I slowed my pace and wondered how to increase my awareness of what might be lurking nearby. Remembering posture lessons from long ago, I imagined – not a book balanced on my head – but a bowl of clear water. ‘Let the water’s surface mirror the sky and the treetops,’ I silently coached myself. Seeing my mischievous smirk, a voyeur might think that I was tripping on experimental drugs. No drugs are needed when one fine-tunes with nature…

…Every so often my mind wandered, but a quick mental glance to the imaginary bowl on my head steered me back on course. A duet of weak chirpings meandered from deep shadows of the nearby under-story. Rufous-headed Chachalacas chanted from the distance. Careful not to swish the water on top of my head, I fine-tuned my attention to the chirpings. Silhouetted against a sunlit spot on the far side of the thicket, one petite bird flitted from ground level to low branches to 8 or so feet high then back again. The camera focused on tangled vines in the foreground, on the sunlit patch in the background, but repeatedly failed to capture the small bird. The baby birds’ grumblings halted; the adult became equally still.
Perhaps they were practicing the same bowl-balancing exercise?
This species has mastered the art of adaptation. What happens, however, when man removes their home of ‘undesirable’ undergrowth?” – Lisa Brunetti – from “MANY Birds at a Time”

………………..(Warning – this is a long post!)

SHHHH! Bird Specialists in Training!

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Birding |Manabi Province, Ecuador Christmas Bird Count Manabi, poza honda ecuador

SHHHH! Bird Specialists in Training! (Part One)

(Poza Honda Reservoir – Manabi Province, Ecuador)    Just past ten in the morning, our birding party of three peered beyond the rustic bamboo corral in hopes of identifying the raucous oropendolas that had been playing hide and seek with us for the past two hours.  Luis Saltos – bird guide from Chone and Mindo – and I were guests of “Don Jorge” Arnet, owner of a lovingly-tended tract of land at Poza Honda.  (Jorge also owns the house that I rented for the past two years before I moved to Portoviejo.)  The three of us were conducting an all-day census of bird species in the area with hopes of the area being approved for Audubon’s 2020 Christmas Count.  We had been birding since 6 A.M. in intermittent drizzle.

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A few hours earlier that morning, two birds buzzed us, and we exclaimed, “What was THAT?” as I snapped two out-of-focus images of the rapidly-vanishing birds. “Oropendola?” I looked at Luis for confirmation. “That whooshing sound?”

Left: “Jorge” Arnet, owner of Casa Poza Honda and coffee/cacao farm; Right: Luis Saltos, bird guide from Mindo and Chone.

We consulted several books and hoped to see those birds again.   The (McMullan/Navarrete) Fieldbook for the Birds of Ecuador places all species of oropendolas in other areas of the country. This particular elusive group of birds must have taken a holiday vacation to Poza Honda, and we were trying to decide, “Russet-backed or Chestnut-headed.”  Two years ago my friend Xiomara and I saw and photographed one Chestnut headed Oropendola, so my bets were on that species. Photos are oh so important in documenting out-of-range species, even if the photo is a bad one.

I waited at the next curve and watched Oropendolas fly towards my friends. “Did you see them?” I exclaimed later, “Yes!” they replied, “Lots!”

There were fleeting glimpses of ‘a lot’ half an hour later – then another viewing half an hour later near the bamboo corral. The Oropendolas were out of sight, but my drizzle-baptized camera managed to document one Rufous-headed Chachalaca in the distance, one Tropical Gnatcatcher way up high, and a Long-billed Hermit inspecting flowers along the living fence.

‘Don’t forget about me,’ says the Golden-olive Woodpecker!

States the mule: “A year ago there was one lone human staring at the birds. Now there are four!”

The last thing I expected to see was another human on the seldom-traveled road and staring at the three of us. A tall, lean and well-scrubbed young man, he wore an expression of curiosity as if observing Santa Clause placing last-minute gifts beneath a tree – or gnomes and fairies in another realm.

The ElusiveBrown Wood Rail

Tags

brown wood rail, Scarlet Rumped Cacique

“An artist’s eyes ever rest.” Lisa Brunetti

The Scarlet-rumped Caciques’ nest dangles almost-eye level from the corner windows where I sit.

Poza Honda – Manabi Province – Ecuador —-

After ten days in Portoviejo, I returned to discover a new addition to the natural sountrack – Chirpings of ravenous hatchlings! The parent birds seemed to glare at me with disgust, that ‘Just when we needed you, you vanished, as did the banana buffet. Could there be a connection?”
“Rangewriter Linda” commented on last-week’s post: “Ah Lisa, it is clear. Your purpose for being present in this Garden of Eden is to document the beauty you see around you. Your brilliant illustrations are so much better than Master Audubon’s because no creatures are harmed in your captures.
Those Caciques have captivated me. They are simply stunning with that bright blue eye set against the dramatic black background. Do tell about the scarlet bottom, though…I see only black. 😉 ”   

For Linda!

      
I retrieved almost-ripe platanos from the refrigerator, warmed them slightly in a pan of water, then presented the anemic fruits with token apologies. For the next 24 hours, the pair provided easy entertainment for my daylight hours. Working in synchronized harmony, the pair darted in an out of the nest as they foraged for caterpillars between trips to the banana feeder. They also flashed their scarlet feathers – not easy to capture with the camera without blurred results!  Enjoy the slideshow!

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The Scarlet-rumped Cacique ranges from to Honduras in Central America to southern Ecuador.  “ Within the Scarlet-rumped Cacique there is a clear division between populations in the Andes and those in Central America and the Pacific Lowlands of South America. “ (Neotropical Birds Online)

There is also a Yellow Rumped Cacique which is more bashful/elusive than its red-rumped cousin.

How about ‘Christmas Yellow’ for those with red/green color deficiency?!!!

“Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the prettiest of us all?”

 

As lovely and entertaining as they are, these chatty and handsome birds were not the top act for the day. A quieter show awaited at ground level. This artist’s eyes are forever scanning the visual fields, and at times a new glitch taps at my subconscious. “Pay attention —“

Look near the dragonfruit trellis!

The rails stay close to cover

Here’s one hiding place

At the edge of the yard, they can often be spotted – but one must be quick to see them!

From Neotropical Birds Online:  “The Brown Wood-Rail is a very poorly known species, which is reportedly rare over much of its range, with just one record from Peru, and at least in Ecuador it has apparently declined significantly in response to extensive habitat modification throughout the western lowlands in recent decades. “

Ah! It’s a joy to see the Brown Wood Rails‘ return to the comfort of the back yard. I would like to say that they are comfortable with my presence, but no, their reasons for loitering at ground level are obvious.  Their addiction – ripe bananas – lures them in the same way that their presence glues me to the viewing stage. I too am addicted to observing the Brown Wood Rails and all other inhabitants of the natural world!

Before the bananas ripened, a lone bird circled the perimeters of the back yard. Clinging near draping heliconias and other dense areas, the birds move between predictable hiding places.   An attentive observer will soon learn to predict the birds’ most-used routes, and with camera ready, I glean more images!

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The attentive observer might also be rewarded with other sightings, like another not-easy-to see Little Tinamou!  Sneaking under the Porterweed and Brugmansia, the Tinamou passed just beneath the windows, and I dashed to the kitchen window and waited for a second viewing.   Yay!   It emerged beyond a 5-foot tall boulder then ambled to the dense growth beyond the yard.

When the bananas approach maturity, the Brown Wood Rails check the supply more often. Pumping its tail, one will strut across the close-cropped areas, pass near the bananas, then dart back to safer areas. Once the bananas ripen, the birds provide an all-day performance. I marvel at my luck, at my good fortune and realize how blessed I am to witness and document the behavior and quirks of this elusive species.

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These banana-feeding photos were taken on July 29 and 30. I will return on August 2 and look forward to the next ‘fix’ of immersion in nature!
If you’re interested in photographing these birds, this next week all but guarantees an opportunity to observe this bird in its natural habitat – with extra-easy photo sessions. There is one requirement, however, one has to be ultra quiet, as the birds dart away at the slightest movement or sound! (But you probably knew that already!) Contact the owner, Jorge via jurgarnet@icloud.com, as I will be off line and watching the birds, starting on Friday through Wednesday of next week.

The museo is about to close, and the laptop battery is almost dead.  Tomorrow I will be on line again and look forward to your feedback on both posts.   Thank you all for your support!   Love, Lisa

Can Birds have Addictions?

Tags

brown wood rail, Orange-fronted Barbet, poza honda ecuador

Last month – on our way for Melissa’s checkup…

Forward to post:  One hour’s drive separates Poza Honda and Portoviejo,  the latter also known locally as ‘Rock City.’   I am now dividing my time between the two locations.   My neighbor Melissa lacks one more month before her baby’s delivery date – but the baby is impatient, and Melissa was admitted to the hospital on Saturday night.  (Perhaps ‘Bebe’ wanted to be born under the water sign of Cancer and not the fiery Leo?)  Melissa is doing well, and we all hope that the baby will be patient!

The above statement was written yesterday morning, and in the afternoon ‘little bebe’ was again impatient to be under the zodiac sign of Cancer!  Welcome, Little One, who might need to spend the next two weeks under the hospital’s care.  I will update when possible!

Now for the ‘Addiction’ story, which was written this past weekend  at Poza Honda – when I should have been packing.  There have been many detours and interruptions, so all mistakes are definitely mine!    Enjoy!

 

Poza Honda – July 20/2019

Barely breathing, I watched as the sleek brown bird hurried from one side of the yard to the other. Elusive, this chicken-like visitor has mastered the art of stealth foraging, and I admired its ability to blend with its surroundings.  Without a watchful eye, one could totally miss a rare and fleeting glimpse of the Brown Wood Rail.

Perhaps eons ago its ancestors imprinted the importance of dodging predators. Perhaps its skittish nature is a recent adaptation, triggered by the humans’ intrusion into its habitat. Whatever the reason for their skittish behavior, the birds manage to elude many avian photographers; some of those photographers have stated that my photos are some of the best ever taken. I remain humbled that these sly birds have allowed hundreds of photo ops, and I am equally humbled to have watched their behavior over the past two years.

Brown Wood Rail

There are special times when the neighborhood Brown Wood Rails are easier to observe than other times. These birds have a weakness, and their fondness for ripe bananas clouds their instincts. When the ‘Geneau Platanos’ (a shorter variety of bananas) ripen in the back yard, those Brown Wood Rails seem to lose most of their survival instincts; with addictive nearsighted vision, they see only the bananas and make repeated raids throughout the day.

 

As I type, one Brown Wood Rail circles the back-yard area. Every half hour or so it leaves the unkempt wilder area under the citrus trees and crosses the recently-manicured (almost bare*) area near the house. Other times it emerges from dense natural areas that border the yard – and sometimes it emerges beneath ‘my nose’ from the plantings near the house!

 

A Scarlet-rumped Casique lands at the banana feeder, positioned only a meter or so from the 2nd-floor window, and beyond the feeder its recently-constructed nest dangles from an arching branch of bamboo.  I admire the squawking blue-eyed cacique as it complains about the not-so-ripe plantain I presented for its breakfast.

I whisper, “Well Good Morning to you, lovely Cacique!” – and instantly it darts to the far side of the macadamia tree which cradles the feeder.

Scanning the area below, I note the Brown Wood Rail making an equally-quick departure from the not-quite ripe bananas growing at ground level. An exceptionally-happy Superciliated Wren chirps with top-of-its-lungs volume while another answers from a faraway distance.

I ponder what a small-but-significant role every single living organism plays in this delicate fragile planet we call ‘Earth.’ As if to confirm, the blue-eyed beauty named ‘Scarlet-rumped Cacique’ flies from its nest and lands six feet from my own perch. Exchanging intense eye-to-eye contact, we acknowledge one another before it inspects the just-replaced plantain. Between samples, it peers at me then peers left and then right before it pecks at the not-much-better replacement. I admire its crisp blue eyes and the slight fluff in its crown of feathers.

A year earlier while struggling with grief over the felling of trees – some of them favorites of mine, I concluded that God gave us stewardship of the planet, and our species has done a poor job.  Perhaps we did not deserve this responsibility. We weren’t ready to grasp the importance – and instead of being guardians, we became the most-destructive predator to walk this planet. Perhaps its time we acknowledge that being in charge does not always mean that we have all rights to domineer.

Living in harmony with nature

Presently, I remain all but frozen as I witness the movements of today’s cast of inhabitants. Almost cocooned in this magnificent slice of the Garden of Eden, I too am a part – but what exactly is my reason – my honor – my duty for being here? Perhaps by sharing these experiences, I am a biographer for this GPS point of the planet?

A Southern House Wren chirps from a far corner of the house. In the distance the repeated call of the Gray Hawk overpowers the chattering big-footed water-loving Jacanas as well as the reverberations of the Great Antshrike. Serene doves coo at ground level and illustrate that they appreciate the easy-to-forage areas of a cropped yard.  Even a small plot can become a refuge for nature’s residents, and those spaces also give us peace.

In another week three clumps of bananas will be ripe enough to lure the Brown Wood Rails within easy viewing.  I will return, with camera in hand to document this year’s census of Wood Rails – presently only two, in contrast to seven a year ago. Perhaps the others remain secluded? If so, their cravings for ripe bananas will bring them into easy view. I will be there to witness and be their official biographer and photographer. 

Orange-crowned Barbet

An extremely-handsome member of the feathered population lands in the Nispero tree and vanishes into the dark depths of its branches. The Orange-crowned Barbets recently presented their most-grand performances. Six or seven have foraged, frolicked, hissed and darted from Carambola trees to the Nispero to tall Tamarind, exchanging fruits for caterpillars as they probed and communicated. Seeing them after a too-long absence (four or more months?) I delight in witnessing their return.

Scarlet-rumped Cacique inspecting heliconias for caterpillars. Poza Honda – Manabi Province- Ecuador

As if to retort, ‘What about us?’ the cacique returns, chirps several times then darts away. The handsome pair works in harmony while taking numerous banana breaks. (It will be fun to witness the incubation and feeding of the next generation!)

April 2019 – Limpkin forages in water hyacinths below house.

Not wanting to be overlooked in today’s census, a Limpkin barks from the cove of water below the house. After half a year of quite-high levels, the reservoir now lowers rapidly. I ponder the volume of water and wonder what source drains it so rapidly?  Human’s need for electricity? The need for irrigation of crops of citrus and papaya –  or routing water to cities that also tap this source for human survival?  How many months of an extended drought would lower this reservoir to critical levels?  How often do the masses of men consider the source of their water when turning on the faucets?  Is the original source of water being tainted by trickle-down effects of man’s presence?  How pure is our air? The fragile balance affects us all, one day at a time.

Whooping Motmot on water hydrant

It is no longer ‘enough’ to strictly witness and admire this slice of heaven on earth. Today the area remains quiet – void of sounds of human’s encroachment, yet I know that all too soon the sounds of chain saws will return.  Aroma of fires will announce another area successfully cleared, wiped clean of original vegetation so that man can again state, “This is mine – with tiny respect to what once thrived here.’

Late May 2019 – 2 weeks of felling Balsas near the house. Do you see the one tree that had just fallen?

It is time to find ways to better protect these rightful heirs to this environment – to be stewards and guardians – making sure there are enough bananas not only for man, but also the birds.  Our future depends on acknowledging that the old ways are not always the best, and it’s time to find new ways – if we intend to be worthy guardians of this planet.

Like the Brown Wood Rails, I also have an addiction; my weakness is for nature, and I hope to find ways to help save what’s left of the Brown Wood Rail’s habitat.  A new file folder on my computer is named, ‘I have a Dream‘ – and it contains images of the neighboring pasture and forest that continues to be altered by chain saws and pesticides.

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In my mind’s eye, it has been replanted and designed with life-giving plantings – short term ICU options intermingled with long-term slower-growing selections.  It would be filled with poetic trails, places to sit, reflect and observe nature.   Of course the low-growing bananas would be planted in many areas so that the Brown Wood Rails were never denied their favorite food!

This slice of Eden deserves to be preserved so that the rails and the barbets and the chachalacas thrive in a protected forest that nurtures them.  Perhaps other land owners around the reservoir would notice that one can live in harmony with nature.  The dream is pending, and I can continue visiting and checking the status of this slice of Eden.

If anyone wants to observe and photograph the Brown Wood Rail, the odds are in favor of success in the next two weeks.  You’ll arrive with expectations of seeing the Brown Wood Rail, but will most likely leave with warm memories of many other bird sightings!   Contact Jurg Arnet for overnight accommodations: Casa Swiss – Poza Honda Ecuador  jurgarnet@icloud.com

https://casa-poza-honda-honorato-vasquez.hotelmix.fr

* The owner ‘Jorge’ respects the citizens of the natural world; however, there are times when one must make an attempt to reclaim what has returned to its natural state, which in this area, occurs once or twice during the rainy season.

When the Big Creek Rises…

September 2018 – The Swollen Mississippi River at Memphis Tennessee

“On the morning of Good Friday, April 15, 1927, Seguine Allen, the chief engineer of the Mississippi Levee Board in Greenville, Mississippi, woke up to the sound of running water. Rain was lashing the tall windows of his home near the great river with such intensity that the gutters were overflowing and a small waterfall poured past his bedroom. It worried him. He was hosting a party that day, but his concern was not that the weather might keep guests away. Indeed, he knew that the heavy rain, far from decreasing attendance, would bring out all of the community’s men of consequence, all as anxious as he for the latest word on the river.”
Prologue/Rising Tide – The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 & How It Changed America – by John M. Barry
…………

2018 View of Mississippi River oxbow lake from my friends’ home near Clarksdale Mississippi…

In January of this year, a friend wrote from Clarksdale, Mississippi and said that they had temporarily moved out of their home ‘behind the levee’ because the Mississippi River was over the road. I immediately thought of John Barry’s book, The Rising Tide, and the weather history that led to that great flood. Last September the river was exceptionally high for ‘the end of summer,’ and news of high water in January made me instantly concerned.

Rising Tide and Lanterns on the Levee – Both books give a glimpse into the history – not only of the river but also of the culture – and we are still struggling to reconcile the differences and live in harmony.

It was time to read  Rising Tide for a third time and refresh my memory. After finishing the 426-page book, I then switched to William Alexander Percy’s Lanterns on the Levee, his personal memoir that includes recollections of that Great Flood of 1927. His book opens with this often-quoted paragraph:

” My country is the Mississippi Delta, the river country. It lies flat, like a badly drawn half oval, with Memphis at its northern and Vicksburg at its southern tip. Its western boundary is the Mississippi River, which coils and returns on itself in great loops and crescents, though from the map you would think it ran in a straight line north and south. Every few years it rises like a monster from its bed and pushes over its banks to vex and sweeten the land it has made. For our soil, very dark brown, creamy and sweet-smelling, without substrata of rock or shale, was built up slowly, century after century, but the sediment gathered by the river in its solemn task of cleansing the continent and deposited in annual layers of silt on what must once have been the vast depression between itself and the hills. This ancient depression, now filled in and level, is what we call the Delta. Some say it was the floor of the sea itself. Now it seems to still be a floor, being smooth from one end to the other, without rise or dip or hill, unless the mysterious scattered monuments of the mound-builders may be called hills. The land does not drain into the river as most riparian lands do, but tilts back from it towards the hills of the south and east. Across this wide flat alluvial stretch – north and south it measures one hundred and ninety-six miles, east and west at the widest point ffty miles- run slowly and circuitously other rivers and creeks, also high-banked with names pleasant to remember – Rattlesnake Bayou, Quiver River, the Bogue Phalia, the Tallahatchie, the Sunflower – pouring their tawny waters finally into the Yazoo, which in turn loses itself just above Vicksburg in the river. With us when you speak of ‘the river,’ though there are many, you mean always the same one, the great river, the shifting unappeasable god of the country, feared and loved, the Mississippi.” Lanterns on the Levee –‘The Delta’- William Alexander Percy

Now several days before June 2019, my Clarksdale friends have not returned – except by boat – to their home, still untouched by floodwaters, gracias a-Dios.  For the river to have been above flood stage for over four months in many areas – that is sobering and spooky news. After all, I am a self-confessed ‘River Rat’ and proud that I grew up a child of nature along the Mississippi River.

Mississippi River at Memphis 2018

Anyone who has lived along the Mississippi river has witnessed its many moods. How well I recall a summer of drought when stranded towboats and their barges anchored in various bends and deeper waters and waited for rains – and for the river to rise. I also remember the “Flood of 1973” when I witnessed the impressive power of the river well above flood stage.

Endangered Species Day – May 17

Tags

Ecuador, Endangered species day, Grey-backed Hawk

Where is the VIP bird?

Poza Honda Ecuador – I will forever treasure the moment I saw this bird.   Minding its own business, it perched on a branch of Cecropria in a small switch-back area between the reservoir and a small waterfall.   My eyes were on the gravel road, the downhill route and the upcoming curve.  Beside me and in the back of the truck were paintings to be delivered to Museo Portoviejo.  I was an hour late, yet when I saw that raptor, I braked to a stop, fumbled for my camera and took several faraway photos.  The bird had presence.  A strong presence.  Perhaps I ‘felt’ the bird more than I first saw it?

I drove a little closer, took more photos and wondered what magnificent raptor was peering back at me.    Satisfied with the photos, I resumed my journey and forgot about the bird.

A day later in another area of the country, I remembered the hawk and searched for its identification.   Grey-backed Hawk.  Endangered Species.    Range:  Western Ecuador and Northern Peru.  Reading the stats brought tears to my eyes.  From the IUCN RED LIST:   250-999 Mature Individuals.

Coming Soon – Another Global BIG Day

Tags

bird decline, global bid day 2019, poza honda ecuador birds

Global Big Day 2019:  May 04 —-   Nature enthusiasts look forward to the annual Global Big Day, where birders around the world document the bird species in their area.  Cornel Lab/Ebird hosts this event, and the bird-sighting information helps scientists track changes in the birds’ habits and numbers.

The elusive Brown Wood Rail – 2018 – Parent (with yellow bill) teaches the juvenile how to select the perfect banana!

I’ve noted a great change in the most-common birds near my house since last year’s bird census.   The  carambolas, plantains and oranges – favorite fruits for the Barbets, Motmots and Caciques – often go untouched until they eventually drop to the ground.

2018 – Scarlet-rumped Caciques. Oranges, Starfruit or Bananas? (They prefer the oranges!)

Where oh where have the caciques gone?

July 2 2018 – Whooping Motmot

October 2018 – Lovely Garden Ornaments

The Black-cheeked Woodpecker continues to drop in for banana feasts.

At times the fruit feeder remains untouched, and the ripe plantains rot.   After last year’s abundance of birds at the feeder, this year brings a sobering concern about the changes.

2018 – Orange-fronted Barbet

The butterflies, however, enjoy their now-private fruit feasts.

..

While marveling at the beauty in front of our eyes, we often forget the ones that are absent.  This happened when I was searching for Seedeaters and Grassquits, but I overlooked the absence of the Scarlet-rumped Caciques, the Orange-fronted Barbets and the Whooping Motmots.  The Snail Kites no longer dotted the treetops.   Are their numbers dwindling, or have they moved – and if so, why?  Devoting one day to study the local birds might help decipher these mysteries, especially when scientists compare data from around the globe.

Below are a few birds that have recently dropped in for a photo op:

Scarlet-backed Woodpecker

Rufous-browed Peppershrike

Yay-yay-yay!!!!  Orange-fronted Barbet

Great Antshrike (Male)

Yellow-tailed Oriole

 

Peruvian Pygmy Owl – Between Rains

Take a timeout on Saturday May 4 and spend time with your feathered neighbors.  If possible, share your sightings with eBird.

An Appreciation for Nature

Tags

climate change, Earth Day, extinctions

“The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
― Jane Goodall

Male Variable Seedeater

“Nature doesn’t need people – people need nature; nature would survive the extinction of the human being and go on just fine, but human culture, human beings, cannot survive without nature.”  Harrison Ford

‘Seeds! Yum, yum!” – Female Variable Seedeater

“Hundreds of species are facing extinction due to human impacts on the environment.” – Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

“Yum Yum!

“If we pollute the air, water and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no amount of money will save us.” –David Suzuki

2018 – Variable Seedeaters

“Humans regard animals as worthy of protection only when they are on the verge of extinction.” – Paul Craig Roberts

“This seedeater is a common to abundant bird in lowlands and foothills up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) altitude in semi-open areas such as forest edges, roadsides, low scrub and gardens. It also flocks with other species of seedeaters in pasture, weedy fields and other grassland…This species feeds mainly on grass seeds but also takes other seeds, berries and some insects.”  Wilkipedia

Poza Honda Ecuador – Last year while participating in the bird census for Global Big Day, friends and I noted the strong aroma of 2,4-D pesticide that had recently been sprayed on the pasture by the road.  The aroma lingered for months, and sensitive broad-leaved plants continued to die or curl for several more months.  The young balsa trees showed lingering effects half a year later.

I’m not sure when I noted the Variable Seedeaters’ absence, but their numbers declined rapidly – and have been almost absent until recently.   It’s been sobering to note the perfect seed heads on the pasture grasses, and to listen for the birds’ sweet songs but find there were none.

Yay! A March 2019 sighting of a Grassquit!

I rationalized: “Perhaps they are nesting.  Perhaps they went elsewhere for seeds.  Or they are molting.”

Month after month, I rarely spotted a seedeater or grassquit.

The cutting of trees, bamboo, the fire that morphed into a larger one – surely all played into the disappearance of those precious little birds.    I wondered if the hotter climate pushed them to cooler areas.  We’ve not had as many cool days/nights as the year before.

I began actively searching for the missing birds, but no. They remained MIA.  Month after month after month I hoped for their return; I was thrilled to spot one or two.

Sometimes it takes a while to notice what’s absent from the normal scene.  Another species was often missing: the Ecuadorian Ground Doves. (featured below and in the header image.)