Birding for Life

Flamingos, Friends & Cuckoos (Part 1 of 3)

May 15, 2015 by Shelley Rutkin

It was crazy to do this trip. I am going to Alaska in June and I had promised Myrna that I would visit her in California. I really didn’t need to cram in another spring trip. It all started when Kitty Jensen was telling me about her Everglades trip with the National Park Conservation Association. “I’ll just fly Allegiant to Punta Gorda,” she began. I interrupted with “No, you won’t. Allegiant no longer flies there from Greensboro. It would be easier for me to just drive you down.” As usual, I blurted this out without first engaging my brain. But, it would give me a chance to look for Mangrove Cuckoo and other South Florida specialties while Kitty was doing her Everglades trip. The cuckoo was a bird that I really wanted. I had been waiting for a chance to go to Florida in April since Jeff and I missed the cuckoo in 2011. So, when Myrna asked me to visit the first week in April, everything fell into place.

Wood Storks, Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge

Kitty and I decided to slowly drive down and back, with lots of stops along the way. We left late on the morning of April 9 and got to South Carolina in time for a quick spin through Savannah National Wildlife Refuge’s Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive before dark. The next morning we enjoyed the wildlife drive at Harris Neck NWR and then drove through the Osceola National Forest on our way to Gainesville, Florida, where we spent the night.

American Kestrel

On Saturday morning, we went to one of my favorite birding spots in Florida, Lake Panasoffkee Wildlife Management Area. On our way there, I listed all the birds that we could see – Loggerhead Shrike, American Kestrel, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-headed Woodpecker. For the first time that I visited the site, other birders were there. As we left, the group was assembled under the Kestrel nest box where a Florida Fish & Wildlife officer was speaking. We were sure that he was talking about the Southeastern subspecies of American Kestrel, which is threatened in Florida. Just before we exited onto the main road, we saw a Kestrel perched in a tree on the other side of an open field. We had seen every single species that I’d mentioned, plus a Northern Bobwhite for a bonus!

We finished the day by driving to Naples, where I dropped Kitty off for her Everglades trip.

I continued on to Florida City, where I met a friend who lives in Florida. We had a great day on Sunday driving through the Florida Keys. We didn’t have time for normal birding, so we enjoyed this very tame Eurasian Collared-Dove who pecked at bread crumbs right at our feet while we had lunch in Key West.

We made time to look for Key Deer on our way back. Feeding the deer is legally prohibited, but people must do it anyway as the deer are very tame.

Key Deer on No Name Key

We spent the next day in the Everglades, slowly driving from Florida City to Flamingo. We started just outside the park entrance and found five Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. I think of the flycatcher as a Texas bird, but they frequently winter in Florida.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

We always enjoy watching common birds and that day the Black Vultures held our attention. At Paurotis Pond, we watched this “couple” preen each other, or do what would have been preening if there had been any feather on their heads. They allowed us very close, but we backed off to give them some privacy. Before anything really exciting could happen with the vultures, a couple from Sweden pulled in. It was their first trip to Florida and they were looking for Roseate Spoonbills. We pointed out where the birds were and enjoyed chatting with them for a while. I’m sure that they would have found the birds without us, but they were very grateful for our help. Before they left, the man said, “I’ve got to give you something” and ran over to his car. He came back with a pen from the company that he works for and gave it to me.

Black Vultures, Everglades National Park

We continued our drive towards Flamingo enjoying the typical Everglades sights – Red-shouldered Hawks, Swallow-tailed Kites, Woodstorks. At Eco Pond, we found a flock of 26 Black-necked Stilts. Near the amphitheater at the Flamingo Visitor Center, we found an Osprey nest with three large juveniles who looked like they were ready to fledge at any moment.

Osprey, Everglades National Park

We returned to Florida City just before dark and easily found a Common Myna in its natural Florida City habitat – the drive-thru at Long John Silver’s!

Common Myna

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Posted in Travel for Birding | Tagged American Kestrel, Birding, Birds, Black Vulture, Common Myna, Everglades National Park, Florida, Florida Keys, Key Deer, Lake Panasoffkee Wildlife Management Area, Osprey, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Wood Stork | Leave a Comment »

Southern California Spring

May 12, 2015 by Shelley Rutkin

California Patch

When my friend Myrna asked me to visit her in her new California home, of course I said “yes”. I had birded Southern California in April a couple of years ago, so I didn’t expect many new birds. It would be fun just to see Myrna and explore her new part of the country together. I flew to Palm Springs on March 31 and we checked out her Sun City Palm Desert neighborhood that afternoon. The lakes were still covered with ducks and coots. The ducks included American Wigeon, Ring-necked and Ruddy Ducks, Mallard, and a single male Red-breasted Merganser. Evidently, the merganser was a bit unusual for this location as it required quite a few emails messages with the eBird reviewer to convince him of our sighting.

Myrna and I found the Black-crowned Night-Herons more interesting. First, we found this cooperative juvenile.

Black-crowned Night-Heron (juvenile)

A couple of days later, we found the first summer bird and the adult in the photos below. It’s a very common bird, but it was fun to compare the three different plumages.

Black-crowned Night-Heron (first summer)

Black-crowned Night-Heron (adult plumage)

On our first full day, we went to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park . Myrna had been there two weeks before my visit and witnessed the spectacle of wildflowers, White-lined Sphinx Moth caterpillars, and hundreds of migrating Swainson’s Hawks feeding on the caterpillars. But, in the California desert, all life depends upon the unpredictable seasonal rains. Alas, there had not been recent rain when I arrived, so we saw no caterpillars nor Swainson’s Hawks and few wildflowers. Regardless, we had a wonderful day exploring the gorgeous desert.

White-lined Sphinx Moth caterpillar

Our favorite birds that day were Rock Wrens. We’re pretty sure that they were building a nest in the crevice in these rocks. I had a very difficult time taking photographs in the bright desert sun, but if you look closely, you can see a wren on top of the left rock. In the same very dry desert area with the wrens, we also found a Black-throated Gray Warbler, Brewer’s Sparrows, and the ever-present White-crowned Sparrows.

We walked the trail to Pena Spring, also dry desert, and found a Phainopepla, Cactus Wren, more Brewer’s Sparrows, and the most orange House Finch that either of us had ever seen.

Myrna at the Pena Spring trailhead

The Anza-Borrego Visitor Center is a little oasis where we were pleased to get great looks at Nashville, Orange-crowned, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

We took it easy the next day and stayed close to Myrna’s home. On Friday, we had another big day at San Jacinto Wildlife Area, a 19,000 acre site with 9,000 acres of restored wetlands. As expected, the water brings in the birds and this was the birdiest place that we visited. Most were common western birds, with Eared Grebe in breeding plumage a highlight.

Eared Grebe

We also enjoyed close looks at a very cooperative American Pipit.

American Pipit

Myrna saved the best for last and on Saturday we visited Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and Covington Park. These parks consist of both desert and woods, but most of the birds that we saw were in the wooded areas. A pair of Vermillion Flycatchers thrilled all the birders in the park that day. We were just as happy to see a pair of Phainopeplas cavorting in the trees. Lesser and Lawrence’s Goldfinches presented themselves for comparison as well as Hooded and Bullock’s Orioles. Three species of hummingbirds charmed us – Costa’s, Anna’s, and Black-chinned. These parks are also home to both Ladder-backed and Nuttall’s Woodpeckers and we were told that many of the birds there were hybrids. And, here, we finally got our Swainson’s Hawk.

Phainopepla pair. Photo by Larry Noelker.

Back at Myrna’s, most of the ducks and coots had left, but the Verdins and White-crowned Sparrows in Myrna’s yard were a constant delight. These White-crowned Sparrows are the Gambel’s subspecies, different from the birds that we normally see in the east. Note the pale lores on Myrna’s bird.

White-crowned Sparrow (Gambell's subspecies) on Myrna's feeder

White-crowned Sparrow (Gambell’s) on Myrna’s feeder

In four and a half days, we had seen 85 species of birds and Southern California habitat ranging from desert to oasis to mountain forest to wetlands. Myrna and I had a wonderful visit and fun exploring this beautiful part of the country that she now calls home.

Desert Cottontail in Myrna’s neighborhood

Posted in Travel for Birding | Tagged American Pipit, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, Birding, Birds, Black-crowned Night-Heron, California, California Patch, Covington Park, Desert Cottontail, Eared Grebe, Phainopepla, San Jacinto Wildlife Area, White-crowned Sparrow | 1 Comment »

Northern India 2014 (Part 1 of 2)

December 29, 2014 by Shelley Rutkin

Indian Peafowl (male)

My birding guide for the day, Lokesh Kumar, met me at 10:00 AM after my arrival at the New Delhi hotel just four and a half hours earlier. I had arrived a day early for the birding tour organized by Partnership for International Birding which would start on October 30 and this was my day to “rest.”

That first day we birded at Sultanpur National Park and the surrounding area, where I was introduced to the Red-wattled Lapwing, a bird we would see everywhere during the next two weeks.

Red-wattled Lapwing

We also saw the first of many owls of the trip, adorable Spotted Owlets.

Spotted Owlet

And, I couldn’t let the cute Five-striped Palm Squirrels get away without a photo for my granddaughter, Melody, who loves rodents.

Five-stripped Palm Squirrel

The day ended with this lovely Orange-headed Thrush, one of my favorites and the only species seen that day that we did not observe again on the main trip.

Orange-headed Thrush

The next morning brought the start of the birding tour led by Leio De Souza, owner of India Nature Tours. Our group of seven birders would be lucky to have both Leio and Lokesh as our guides for the next two weeks.

We headed towards Agra and the Taj Mahal. The palace was breathtakingly beautiful, but the experience of seeing it was quite unpleasant. Our tour coincided with major Indian holidays resulting in crowds everywhere. The Taj Mahal was packed so tightly that day that our group had no chance of staying together as other visitors pushed in between us. The palace guards constantly said “Keep moving.” Regardless, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss seeing this incredible wonder of the world.

Taj Mahal

We continued our drive to Jarar Village and Chambal Safari Lodge, where we spent the night after a little late afternoon birding near the lodge.

The focus of our second day was the Chambal River, where we hoped to find Indian Skimmer. Sadly, we missed the skimmers, one of the few big misses of the trip. However, we had great looks at two of India’s crocodilian species, the widespread Mugger and the rarest Indian crocodile, Gharial. We also saw wonderful birds including River Lapwing and Small Pratincole.

River Lapwing

Small Pratincole

A drive to Keoladeo National Park, formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, completed our day. We spent the night near the park entrance at Hotel Sunbird. The entire next day was spent in the park where we had a wonderful time exploring on foot and in the park’s unique cycle-rickshaws. Here we saw one of the most beautiful raptors of the trip, Oriental Honey-buzzard.

Oriental Honey-Buzzard

Our mammal list continued to grow with Sambar Deer, Spotted Deer, Rhesus Macaque, Golden Jackal, Wild Boar, and Nilgai.

Sambar Deer

Butterflies at Bharatpur included the gorgeous Common Rose.

Common Rose

After a little birding near the hotel the next morning, we drove to Ranthambhore. We made a stop along the way to look for Greater Painted-snipe, a species that fascinated me when I saw them in Hong Kong in 2009. The typical sexual roles are reversed in this species with the larger and more brightly colored females courting the males. After mating and laying her eggs, the female leaves the male to incubate the eggs and raise the young. She then repeats this process, sometimes mating with as many as four males in a season. In India, I had even better looks than I’d had previously and was able to get a photo of this good-looking female.

Greater Painted-Snipe

Diwali or “Festival of Lights,” the most important Hindu holiday of the year, had been celebrated shortly before the start of our tour. Celebrations during the five-day festival include gift giving, prayer offerings to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and fireworks displays. Homes are cleaned, painted, and decorated and even livestock and farm equipment are decorated. We enjoyed seeing cows still sporting garlands and bells from the holiday and tractors all jazzed up like this one.

Tractor decorated for Diwali. Photo by Tom Walker.

We went to Ranthambhore National Park to look for birds, but it’s also the easiest location in India to observe Bengal Tigers. We started the morning looking at birds, but as soon as the park guides detected tigers close by, we were off on a wild chase in our open lorry-bus over the very bumpy roads. There were no walkie-talkies, but the guides seemed to have a sixth sense of where the tigers were and they communicated directions to the other groups in the same zone of the park.

Mama tiger and three cubs were first observed playing in a shallow lake, but they were out of the water by the time I saw them. I didn’t need to worry about getting a good view, though, as they slowly same closer to our vehicle and walked 30-40 feet from us as they crossed the road. There was nothing preventing the tigers from jumping into our open vehicle and having a couple of birders for breakfast except the generous supply of spotted deer and other easier prey in the park. I felt no fear, only awe at being so close to these magnificent animals. These tigers really were wild animals, but it was obvious that they were habituated to humans.

One of the three 7-month-old tiger cubs seen with their mother.

Back home, I learned that tigers really are “king of the jungle” with no natural predators. The human activities of poaching and habitat destruction are the major factors that have pushed them to an endangered conservation status. According to Wikipedia, “Over the past 100 years, they have lost 93% of their historic range, and have been extirpated from southwest and central Asia, from the islands of Java and Bali, and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia.” In an attempt to halt the slide to extinction, the Indian government created Project Tiger in 1973 to preserve its national animal. Due to these efforts, tiger numbers have increased in recent years with a total of 1706 individuals in India estimated for 2010. India’s wild tigers represent over half of the global population, estimated at 3200, down from 100,000 a century ago. Our park guide told us that there were sixty tigers in Ranthambhore.

Male tiger observed on second day in Ranthambhore.

As promised, we saw wonderful birds in the park, too. White-throated Kingfishers were common throughout the trip, and we were surprised to see them in many areas that were not near water. They do not require fish, but also eat a wide range of food items such as grasshoppers, lizards, and insects. For the story of a nesting cycle of one pair with phenomenal photographs, see “White-throated Kingfishers nesting behavior.”

White-throated Kingfisher

This gorgeous Indian Scops Owl was one of several owl species seen on the trip.

Indian Scops Owl

A less spectacular, but interesting, sighting was this Spotted Dove. I have seen this species many times in China, as well as in California. This bird in India surprised me by having numerous distinct spots on the wings; the others I’ve seen were much plainer. A little research revealed that there are three main subspecies groups of Spotted Dove and considerable plumage variations across populations within its wide range. The Spotted Doves that we saw in India were a different subspecies, suratensis, than the nominate subspecies, chinensis, that I had seen in China. The photos below show the differences in plumage of these two subspecies.

Spotted Dove (India) Streptopelia chinensis suratensis

Spotted Dove (China) Streptopelia chinensis chinensis

My favorite bird at Ranthambhore might have been Rufous Treepie. On our first day there, a treepie sat on the edge of our vehicle and Lokesh told me that I would see the bird eat from his hand. The next day a treepie did eat from his hand as promised and from mine as well.

Rufous Treepie on my hand.

During our two days at Ranthambhore, we saw quite a few mammals in addition to tigers, including many lovely Spotted Deer.

Spotted Deer

Our first week in India went by quickly and it was now time to take the train back to Delhi where we would spend the night before driving north towards the Himalayan foothills for the second part of our trip. Stay tuned for more!

Posted in Travel for Birding | Tagged Bengal Tiger, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Birding, Birds, Chambal River, Common Rose, Diwali, Five-striped Palm Squirrel, Greater Painted-snipe, India, India Nature Tours, Indian Peafowl, Indian Scops Owl, Keoladeo National Park, Leio De Souza, Lokesh Kumar, Orange-headed Thrush, Oriental Honey-buzzard, Partnership for International Birding, Ranthambhore National Park, Red-wattled Lapwing, River Lapwing, Rufous Treepie, Sambar Deer, Small Pratincole, Spotted Deer, Spotted Dove, Spotted Owlet, Sultanpur National Park, Taj Mahal, White-throated Kingfisher | 2 Comments »

The Summer of the Lepidoptera (Part 2 of 2)

September 16, 2014 by Shelley Rutkin

In July I made a quick trip to Florida to see my step-daughters in Gainesville with the usual stops at Savannah NWR and Harris Neck NWR. I enjoyed seeing dragonflies, bugs, toads, and wildflowers in addition to birds and butterflies. I especially liked the beautiful Gulf Fritillaries.

Gulf Fritillary at Harris Neck NWR

In Gainesville, the animal highlight was Debbie’s new horse, Charlie, who is just as sweet as she said.

Liz watches Casey and Debbie take Charlie for a walk

After a few days with the girls and their families, it was time to head back home. At Savannah NWR, I was able to snap a shot of this Purple Gallinule as it was running away from me. This is one of the birds that I remember from the early 1980’s in South Florida and it’s still one of my favorites.

Purple Gallinule at Savannah NWR

Back home, it was time to leave the deck light on at night again. I was quickly rewarded with The Hebrew (moth). I love the simple, elegant black and white pattern.

The Hebrew

A week later, I saw my first Monarch of the year – in my own yard. I don’t have milkweed as a host plant (too much shade), so I felt bad that I didn’t have a place for her to lay eggs. I don’t have many flowers for nectaring either, so I was surprised and very happy to see this butterfly, especially during a year in which they have been rather scarce.

Monarch (female) on Summersweet, Clethra alnifolia

All things lepidoptera heated up in August. I photographed this Common Buckeye (which really is common) in a friend’s yard.

Common Buckeye in the Schepker/Schneider yard

My favorite photo of the summer is probably this Little Glassywing. Gene tries to get me to photograph skippers from the side to get all the field marks, but I love the face shots.

Little Glassywing

August 15 was a very exciting day for moths. First, I discovered this gorgeous Imperial Moth outside my front door. You can see how big he was – almost as “tall” as a brick and he appeared to be in perfect condition.

Imperial Moth (male)

Later that same day, my friend Cynthia called to say that she was watching a Luna in the weeds at one of our local birding spots. Of course, I ran right over to get my “lifer” Luna Moth. He was missing an entire hindwing, but he was still beautiful to me.

Luna Moth

The next day, August 16, I participated in the Iredell County NABA count in Statesville, NC, led by Gene Schepker. We were at Allison Woods when Gene spotted a Harvester. Before anyone else could see the butterfly, a truck came driving up the gravel road. Gene’s immediate response was, “I’m going to stop those guys.” I have no idea what Gene said, but the truck stopped and three men got out, two of them in National Guard uniforms. In the meantime, the rest of us had lost track of the butterfly. One of the men pointed to a branch on a nearby tree and there it was! They patiently waited 10-15 minutes while we admired and photographed the butterfly.

Harvester at Allison Woods

The Harvester flew to the road and began puddling. Gene explained that he was collecting nutrients to include with his sperm in a special package (a spermatophore) that he would deliver to the female when they mated. The nutrients in this special “gift” enable the female to produce and lay eggs. Gene also shared the fascinating fact that Harvesters are America’s only carnivorous butterfly (in the caterpillar stage). The only food source for Harvester caterpillars is wooly aphids. Thus, they grow quickly and have only four instar stages instead of the typical five stages for most butterflies. The men from the truck listened attentively as did the rest of us. This was more education that one usually gets on a butterfly count and it added to the fun of the day.

Harvester

Later in August, Gene joined Cynthia and me to look for butterflies at the little wetland where Cynthia had found the Luna Moth. Gene found Least Skippers, a new species for me, in grasses by the water’s edge. They were tiny and liked to hide, so I didn’t get a very good look at them. The next day I went back to try for a photograph, but I couldn’t even find the skippers. Fortunately for me, Cynthia stopped to help when she drove by and saw me. She found the skippers and I was able to get this photo, one of the most challenging of the summer.

Least Skipper

Summer isn’t officially over yet and neither is moth or butterfly season, but it’s fall migration, so birds have priority now. In addition to watching birds near home, a trip to India is coming up soon and a trip to Alaska is in the works for summer 2015.

More of my moth photos can be seen on Flickr in the Moths of Forsyth County, NC album. My butterfly photos are in the Butterflies album.

Posted in Butterflies, Moths | Tagged Common Buckeye, Gulf Fritillary, Harvester, Imperial Moth, Least Skipper, Little Glassywing, Luna Moth, Monarch butterfly, Purple Gallinule, The Hebrew | Leave a Comment »

The Summer of the Lepidoptera (Part 1 of 2)

September 11, 2014 by Shelley Rutkin

Birding slows down during summer and I always hope to use that time to catch up with chores around the house. It never works out that way, though. Last summer I had major surgery and got hooked on moths during my recovery. This summer I continued watching moths, but, amazingly, I was able to keep it from becoming a full-blown obsession. My interest in butterflies picked up, however, so between birds, butterflies, and moths, I still managed to neglect my house and chores.

Rosy Maple Moth, Dryocampa rubicunda, a favorite from this summer.

Getting an earlier start with moths this year meant that I saw a lot of species that I missed last year when I started in August. I’ve been fascinated with green moths ever since I found a list of them on BugGuide. In May I saw a nice one, this Green Leuconycta. If you click on a photo in any of my posts, it will display the full-size image in a new tab or window.

Green Leuconycta Moth, Leuconycta diphteroides

Butterflies started getting my attention when my friend Lois and I surveyed Bethania’s Black Walnut Bottoms for the official NABA (North American Butterfly Association) count on May 31. My favorite from that day was this gorgeous gravid female Southern Broken-Dash butterfly.

Southern Broken-Dash (female)

Moths started getting really interesting in June. Below is a male Tulip-tree Silkmoth, another of my favorites from this summer.

Tulip-tree Silkmoth, Callosamia angulifera

This Catalpa Sphinx may have to have been seen to be appreciated. It was huge with a wingspan of nearly four inches. He sure got my attention when he came zooming in to the deck light while I was standing there.

Catalpa Sphinx Moth, Ceratomia catalpae

I saw my first Great Leopard Moth on my kitchen window in 2010. I wasn’t even “moth-ing” then, but it caught my attention as something special. I was thrilled to see one again this summer. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Great Leopard Moth, Hypercompe scribonia

Moths in the genus Catocala are sometimes referred to as “underwing moths” or just “underwings.” The name Catacala is of Greek origin and roughly translates as “beautiful hindwings.” These moths have dull cryptic forewings for camouflage during the day. When disturbed, they flash their brightly colored underwings which may resemble eyes and act as a defense. Many moths in this group have common names with a female or marriage theme, so we have The Darling, The Girlfriend, The Bride, The Newlywed, The Widow, and others with similar names. I saw the underwings of only one Catocala this summer, the simply-named Ultronia Underwing.

Ultronia Underwing, Catocala ultronia

I also found a few moths during bird or butterfly outings. Peter Keller went to Pilot Mountain on the evening of June 15 with hopes of capturing and attaching a geolocator to the last Wood Thrush for the Audubon project and I tagged along. Unfortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful. While waiting alone in the woods while the others went to take down the mist nets as darkness fell, I attracted this little moth with only the light from my flashlight.

Blepharomastix ranalis

A week later, I was back at Pilot Mountain, this time with Gene Schepker on a butterfly walk. The surprise for the day was this lovely little Rare Spring Moth.

Rare Spring Moth, Heliomata infulata

And here’s a butterfly that we found on that Pilot Mountain butterfly walk, a Hoary Edge (skipper).

Hoary Edge

I photographed this Sachem (another skipper) on the last day of June and inadvertently caught it with its proboscis all neatly rolled up, which I found fascinating. But, you already know that it doesn’t take much to entertain me.

Sachem

So, that’s a very brief summary of my moth and butterfly adventures through June. Even after severe culling, I couldn’t limit the photos enough for only one post. Stay tuned for part 2 of The Summer of the Lepidoptera.

Posted in Butterflies, Moths | Tagged Blepharomastix ranalis, Catalpa Sphinx Moth, Great Leopard Moth, Green Leuconycta Moth, Hoary Edge, Rare Spring Moth, Rosy Maple Moth, Sachem, Southern Broken-Dash, Tulip-tree Silkmoth, Ultronia Underwing | Leave a Comment »

Golden-winged Wonders

June 8, 2014 by Shelley Rutkin

Cynthia Donaldson and I spent a day with Golden-winged Warblers near Boone, North Carolina, in May. Here is Cynthia’s story.

The vista from the Audubon NC research site at 4000’ is breathtaking! The air is clear and clean. Pale purple hills below roll to the horizon a hundred miles away. The cool, crisp breeze carries the spring songs of the resident birds as well as the newly arrived migrants. Shelley and I had the privilege of visiting this beautiful place and observing the intrepid researchers who give their time and talents to a steadily declining jewel of the eastern forest: the Golden-winged Warbler.

View from the Sunalei Preserve clubhouse

Our day began very early on May 13, 2014. We met in the New Market parking lot in Boone NC at 5:30 AM. Four young people in their early 20’s greeted us with sleepy cheerfulness: Anna Tisdale (Audubon NC’s Graduate Research Assistant at Appalachian State University and field crew leader), Alex Dawson (returning for his second year of working with the warblers), Lee Williams (coordinator of the Forsyth Audubon Brown-headed Nuthatch nest box project and new addition to the NC Audubon team) and Jennifer Tucker (on day two of her internship).

Our first stop was a country market for coffee. The second stop was at a NC game land. Anna played the Golden-winged Warbler tape at a possible habitat, but no one answered. She did not get a response at a second site either, but as soon as we got out of the car at Sunalei Preserve, near the summit of Snake Mountain, we could hear the Golden-winged Warbler bee-buzz-buzz-buzz coming from three different directions!

The vision of Sunalei Preserve is to develop a community of homes, each on several acres, within a nature preserve. It’s 1,000 acres straddle the North Carolina and Tennessee border near Boone, NC. Because of the recession, most of the land is undeveloped and prime Golden-winged Warbler habitat. The owners of the preserve have graciously given Audubon access to this area for research.

“Andy,” a male second-year Golden-winged Warbler

On this beautiful May morning, Anna told us about the three Sunalei males who were busy defending their newly defined territories. Anna is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently a graduate student at Appalachian State University. The important data that she is gathering will be used for her own master’s project as well as North Carolina’s Golden-winged Warbler work in a regional study with other members of the Golden-winged Warbler Working Group. The work involves gathering data about the demographics, genetics, behavior, productivity, and wintering distribution of the species. Curtis Smalling, Director of Land Bird Conservation for Audubon North Carolina, directs North Carolina’s Golden-winged Warbler work. Beginning her second year on this site, Anna is an expert on anything golden-winged. Her passion for her work was apparent as she explained each step of the sometimes tedious, usually grueling, but always rewarding job.

Shelley and I wanted a taste of field work, so Anna gave us some assignments and then led us to the field of Golden-winged Warbler #2. Pink tape and Sharpie in hand, we followed her to the territory of this second-year male. He was new to Sunalei meaning he had never been banded. Our job was to spot map his territory (define the boundary) with a goal of making 10 marks or points. Our intrepid leader then left Shelley and me to our assignment. Shelley recorded perch time data from the upper slope near one of the Golden-winged Warblers’s favorite tulip poplar perches. I followed him around, recording song type and perch time info on the pink tape, and then tying the tape to each tree that he visited. The hill was covered with horrendous briars, so I stuck to deer trails as much as I could! When I first met Anna, I wondered why her arms were completely covered with scratches…..

Recording the song type was easy because he sang his typical song for the hour or so that we studied him. Anna returned around 9:00 AM from her census of the other territories to check our work. Content with our points, she began setting up the mist net. She shared her future hopes and plans for the project as she pounded the poles into the ground (with a rock) and then stretched the net. The net was carefully assembled on a flat area in the shade of the favored tulip polar. Hopefully, the grays of the shadow would disguise the folds of the net gently rippling in the breeze.

“Andy” sporting his silver US Geologic Survey band and the light blue color band selected by Cynthia. Hot pink and purple bands adorn his other leg.

Her plan worked beautifully. In less than a minute of playing the recording of a Golden-winged Warbler song, our male flew right in. Anna was quick to untangle him and put him in a drawstring bag for a little rest. After laying out all of her banding equipment, she took him out of the bag and we got our first up-close look at this tiny creation! This .28 ounce male tried to wiggle free every chance he could, but he did not have a chance in Anna’s trained hands. She expertly measured his beak, wings, and tail. His silver band bears a 10 digit number that I wish I had written down. Shelley and I got to choose colors for two of his marker bands: Shelley chose purple and I chose light blue. All of Anna’s birds have a hot pink band. The combination of colors on the legs will identify this male for the rest of his life. The retrieving of a few feathers and some blood for scientific analysis was (I like to think) more painful for Shelley and me than for him! When the process was over, I got to hold him and put him in the plastic cylinder for weighing.

Cynthia and “Andy,” a second-year male Golden-winged Warbler

As soon as Anna tipped the cylinder, he flew out, landed for a millisecond and then dove into a thicket. We tried to find him to assess how he had fared in his ordeal, but he was nowhere to be found. Lightly concerned, we had no choice but to pack up and return to our cars. By then, the sun was high on this unusually warm day and we were ready for some refreshment.

After lunch, I went with Anna to a site on the opposite side of the hill to see if we could find a Golden-winged Warbler nest. The project goal is to find 50 nests! The male of this territory had a mate, so it was possible that they could have a nest. Through binoculars, we could see the band color pattern that identified him. We observed the pair for about an hour as they foraged on the Cherry trees. Anna marked each tree as we followed them around their territory. A “new” male flew in for a look-around. Anna went after him into a lower field and returned excited that this un-banded male might be a new “neighbor.” She considered catching him, but decided to save him for another day. Since we did not observe any nesting behavior, like nest material gathering, Anna called it a day.

Shelley and I were allowed to give our bird a name. As we followed Anna in our car to our next destination, which was the gorgeous club house for the property, Shelley and I came up with the name Andy. “An” was for Anna and for me, Cynthia “Anne,” and “dy” was for Shelley “Dee.” Perfect.

Just then, Anna jumped out of her car, doing a dance of joy! We stopped our car and hurried to find out what she was so happy about. We were passing the north edge of Andy’s territory, and he was singing! Just to be sure it was him, Anna played the Golden-winged Warbler song. He flew in for a moment, singing his warning song, and then flew back down the hill to one of his favorite perches. As he flew, we had a great look at his pink, purple and light-blue bands! He was going to be fine.

Perched atop a tulip poplar near the summit of Snake Mountain, Andy, “our” Golden-winged Warbler, scans his briar-covered slope and the smoky-hazed North Carolina and Tennessee mountains below. Hopefully he will find a female, raise a brood and then leave to fly to warm South America in the fall. Will he return next spring? Time will tell. Anna promised to let us know. For now, this golden-winged wonder will spend the summer here, in the idyllic setting of Sunalei Preserve.

“Andy,” a male second-year Golden-winged Warbler

Many thanks to Cynthia for writing the above story and allowing me to publish it. Golden-winged Warblers populations have declined sharply (estimated at over 75%) since the 1960’s and it has been petitioned for placement on the Endangered Species List. The Golden-winged Warbler Working Group is the umbrella organization for conservation efforts. Cornell provides some interesting facts about this bird. And, read about the Audubon NC work that Curtis Smalling is heading up here and here.

Posted in North Carolina Birding | Tagged Birds, Golden-winged Warbler, North Carolina, Sunalei Preserve | 3 Comments »

Shawnee State Forest – Beautiful Birds & Landscape

May 10, 2014 by Shelley Rutkin

The Kentucky Warbler was about 20 feet from us, eye level, in perfect light. He had to have known that we were watching him, but he appeared unconcerned about our presence and sat there singing. Birding does not get any better than this. It was one of those magic moments that Diane and I both treasure. We were alone on a forest service road in Ohio’s Shawnee State Forest and it was quiet except for the birds. This spot was perfect breeding habitat for Kentucky Warblers – low ground with lots of brushy cover by a little creek.

I was too lost in the moment watching the Kentucky Warbler to even try for a photo, but I was able to get this shot of an American Redstart the previous day.

American Redstart (male)

Diane and her husband planned to visit their daughter in Indianapolis and Diane wanted to meet for a few days of birding. We decided on Shawnee State Forest and I was pleased that Diane liked it as much as I had on my first trip. We arrived on Monday afternoon, April 28, and were able to bird for a couple of hours in relatively dry weather before dinner. Unfortunately, we had awful weather for the rest of the trip. The next day it rained until noon and was uncomfortably hot all afternoon after the sun came out. The following day it rained non-stop. And, then it was time to leave. But, still, we found quite a few birds including Hooded, Prairie, Black-and-white and Blue-winged Warblers, Yellow-breasted Chats, Scarlet Tanagers, and unusually cooperative vireos, all allowing us quality views.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male)

We found this gorgeous male Rose-breasted Grosbeak one afternoon and he was still working the same tree when we came back a few hours later.

Trillium grandiflorum

There were fewer wildflowers than last year when I was two weeks later. But, the forest was still lovely with Trillium grandflorum dominating the roadsides. Little patches of bluets were everywhere. Wild geraniums were beginning to pop up here and there. There were a few irises. Ferns were just starting to unfurl.

On our one hot afternoon, the birds were quiet, but there was an abundance of butterflies. My favorites were the Zebra Swallowtails, a life butterfly for me.

Zebra Swallowtails

Our pet-friendly cabin in the state park was a perfect base for our stay. The state park is inside the state forest. The screened porch in the back was great for watching birds when we were tired of driving in the rain. Jack and Diane’s two dogs found the cabin as comfortable as we did.

A cabin in the woods also let me find a few spring moths. I was too tired to stay up late, but saw these pretty little moths just before bedtime.

Other birders reported Cerulean Warblers in the cabin area. We did not see them, although we thought that we heard them a few times. It was our only real miss, not too bad considering the weather. We enjoyed the forest and the birds so much that we talked of going back next year. I hope that we are able to return to my new favorite spring birding location, Ohio’s Shawnee State Forest.

Our cabin in Shawnee State Park

Posted in Travel for Birding | Tagged American Redstart, Birding, Birds, Kentucky Warbler, Ohio, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Shawnee State Forest, Shawnee State Park, Zebra Swallowtail | Leave a Comment »

China 2014 – Cranes, Storks, and a Baby (Part 2 of 2)

April 7, 2014 by Shelley Rutkin

Dave & Amber

After my birding trip to Poyang Lake and Wuyuan, I spent two weeks with my son Dave, his girlfriend Trissie, and their eighteen-month-old daughter.

Amber making friends

Amber is a beautiful little girl and she attracted compliments everywhere we went. She likes Mommy or Daddy in sight, but is otherwise quite bold and unafraid. She makes friends easily, both human and canine. She loves climbing and enjoys playgrounds, trees, and stairs. She liked the slide at Evergreen Resort, too, and could have played on it all day. She is adventurous with food and will eat anything, even peppers that were too hot for me. Amber is like her Daddy in many ways. I remembered Dave as a baby when I tried to get Amber to sit still for a story. I had no more luck reading to her than I’d had with Dave 45 years ago.

Amber and Trissie playing with bubbles while waiting for the rain to stop.

We quickly settled into a routine in which I went birding alone on weekday mornings. I feel totally safe in China and had ventured out a little on my own on previous trips. I knew that the biggest challenge would be communication. Very few Chinese speak English (including taxi drivers), so Trissie wrote the names of the parks that I wanted to visit in Mandarin as well as directions for getting home. The first day that I got a taxi by myself things went smoothly and I was thrilled to find a life bird, Scaly Thrush, at Da Sha He Park.

Scaly Thrush. A life bird that I found by myself in Shenzhen.

One day, I decided to take a taxi to a park close to the apartment and then walk home. I naively got in a taxi and the driver started down the road. I showed him my directions and could see that something was wrong. I called Trissie and she talked to the driver. And, then I talked to Trissie. She said “He doesn’t know where the park is. Get out.” I needed her help to even get the driver to stop. Soon I was standing on a very busy street, not knowing where I was, or how to get to the park or back home. I quickly learned to never get in a taxi without first showing the little piece of paper with my destination to the driver and getting a nod “yes”. The next two taxis that stopped that morning both shook their heads “no.” Finally, a bike taxi stopped. I showed him the piece of paper with the park address, he shook his head “yes” and motioned for me to get on the bike. After yet another call to Trissie, I cautiously got on the bike, which was just like a regular bicycle, but with a bigger seat on the back for passengers. The park turned out to be very close and the bike taxi got me there quickly and safely.

At the park, I got a little confused about which path to take when I got to the top of the mountain. A very friendly woman called me over and I said “Nǐ hǎo,” the Chinese greeting for “Hello.” That started a long one-sided conversation in Mandarin. I am certain that the man who was with her told the woman that “Nǐ hǎo” was the only Chinese phrase I could understand, but the woman kept talking. She tried to give me a glossy flyer with photos of apartments and prices and her name and phone number. All I wanted was help getting off the mountain! After calling Trissie for help once again, the woman took me by the arm and led me down the mountain path. I could not make her understand that I wanted to go slowly and look for birds on the way. Finally, she let me go when we neared the park entrance and I sneaked back to search for birds.

Oriental Magpie-Robin. A common bird in South China.

My taxi experiences were inconsistent, but it was usually easier to get to a park than to get back home. Getting home from the park farthest away was easy one day and took four taxis the next day before a driver shook his head “yes” when I showed him my directions.

The phone calls to Trissie were made using a phone that she and Dave had loaned to me. I did not check into using my own phone as I assumed that it would be prohibitively expensive and/or just plain not work. So, I could communicate within China, but not with friends at home. I could receive email, but could not send messages. Facebook is banned in China, so that was not an option either. Finally, I figured out that instant message programs that work over Wi-Fi were easy and reliable, but I had not planned for their use in advance. Next time I’ll be better prepared.

Asian Koel (female)

All the challenges of getting around by myself were worth it, though. I enjoyed the morning birding and found one more life bird on my own, Asian Koel. It’s a rather common bird and I found two males and two females before the trip was over. Many birds I had seen only once before, like this Common Tailorbird. I had to work hard to identify them, but even poor photos helped. I couldn’t get both ends of the Tailorbird in the same photo, but these two together nailed the ID.

Common Tailorbird tail

Common Tailorbird front end

I also had to work very hard to get a photo of this Little Ringed Plover. I never could see the bird in the viewfinder, but had to just point the camera in the right direction and snap a photo.

Little Ringed Plover

The water birds at Shenzhen Mangrove Coastal Ecological Park were easier to identify and photograph. I saw dozens of my ABA nemesis bird, Eurasian Wigeon, along with Northern Shoveler, Great Crested Grebe, Little Egret, Tufted Duck, and many others.

Great Crested Grebe

Little Egret

The last bird that I saw in Shenzhen was this lovely female Red-flanked Bluetail. I was disappointed in the park I visited that day, but when I saw this bird as I was leaving, she made the morning worthwhile!

Red-flanked Bluetail at Zhongshan Park in Shenzhen

Birding alone in a foreign country is a great way to learn birds. I was able to identify 51 species in two weeks. I noticed details (and will remember them) much better than when I had a guide. I would not want to do all of my birding alone, but it’s a great complement to a few days with a guide and I look forward to doing it again.

Red-whiskered Bulbul – a common bird, but one of my favorites.

I enjoyed the experience of living in China for nearly three weeks rather than visiting as a tourist. I thank Dave and Trissie for doing so much to make it easy and comfortable for me. The dates for this part of the trip were February 24 to March 10, 2014. More photos of Amber can be seen in my Flickr set Amber – Feb/March 2014. Photos of the birds that I saw in China (including the first part of the trip) are in my Flickr set China – Feb/March 2014 (Birds).

Posted in Family, Travel for Birding | Tagged Asian Koel, Birding, Birds, China, Common Tailorbird, Great Crested Grebe, Little Egret, Little Ringed Plover, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Red-flanked Bluetail, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Scaly Thrush, Shenzhen | 3 Comments »

China 2014 – Cranes, Storks, and a Baby (Part 1 of 2)

March 22, 2014 by Shelley Rutkin

Oriental Storks at Poyang Lake

Dave and Trissie were expecting Amber when I visited China in 2012, so I was long over-due to see my youngest grandchild. I wanted to visit in winter when I could also see wintering birds at Poyang Lake. So, my targets for this trip were Siberian, Hooded, and White-naped Cranes; Oriental Storks; and 18-month old Amber. Well, I wanted to see Scaly-sided Mergansers, too, but I couldn’t figure out how to fit that into the title of this post.

My original plans were to leave home on February 14, spend a few days with my family and rest, and then fly to Nanchang for four days of birding. However, winter storms delayed my departure and I was not able to leave until February 17. I arrived in Hong Kong at 10:30 PM on the 18th and left the next morning for Nanchang. The Nanchang flight was delayed, too, due to weather, but we didn’t know that until we arrived at the Shenzhen airport. I sent Dave home and sat there alone waiting for my flight. The airport was so cold that I was shivering even with a thick Sherpa fleece, I was exhausted, I had a headache, and my shoulder and tummy hurt.

Crested Mynas were common everywhere in China

Menxiu Tong of China Wild Tour had been our local guide for the 2012 Zoothera trip and I was looking forward to birding with him again. Menxiu met me in Nanchang as planned and we had dinner and a good night’s rest. The next morning, Thursday, February 20, we headed to Poyang Lake. Our birding got off to a slow start due to cold and fog, but we found quite a few birds as the day warmed up, including two of our targets – Oriental Stork and Hooded Crane. We did not get as close to the birds as I had hoped, but we had satisfying scope views.

Hooded Crane family

On Friday, we found the other three crane species that regularly winter at Poyang Lake – Siberian, Common, and White-naped. The White-naped Cranes were quite far out, but unmistakable. Another species that I particularly enjoyed was Swan Goose. We had long, close looks at a flock near the road.

Swan Geese

After lunch on Friday, we headed to Wuyuan, where our target was Scaly-sided Merganser. Wuyuan had been one of my favorite locations in 2012 and we returned to some of the same birding spots on Saturday. First was the jungle path with rice paddies on one side and the river on the other. We had hoped to find the mergansers on the river there, but we did not see them, so we enjoyed the birds that we did find. It was especially nice to have great looks at a Collared Owlet.

Collared Owlet

Pied Falconet

On Saturday afternoon, we visited the little island where the Courtois’s Laughingthrushes breed, which was lovely in winter, too, and the only location in my entire three plus weeks in China where I saw woodpeckers. We saw one of Wuyuan’s avian stars, Pied Falconet, and watched it go after (unsuccessfully) an Orange-bellied Leafbird that was larger than the Falconet. A lovely female Plumbeous Redstart entertained me for quite a while as she sallied up for insects and then repeatedly landed on the same rock in the river. Eurasian Jays were as gorgeous as I remembered from my first visit.

Female Plumbeous Redstart

We completed Saturday’s birding with a drive along the river, again hoping for Scaly-sided Mergansers, but not finding them. At dinner that night, we talked about our options. Menxiu’s plan was to return to the same spot we had birded in the morning and walk the nearly impenetrable jungle path by the river. This “path” through thick bamboo was the only birding that I had opted out of on our 2012 trip. I had simply said that I could not do it and waited under a lovely tree by the river while the others continued pushing through the jungle. This time I whined and complained, but Menxiu was confident that we would see the mergansers in the river along that trail, so I agreed to his plan.

Eurasian Jay

That Saturday night dinner was our third or fourth meal at the same restaurant in Wuyuan. Menxiu liked it because it was on a side street where the locals ate. What I remember is the toilet. In China, they do not have “restrooms” or “bathrooms,” but simply “toilets.” This one featured the usual squat toilet, but it had a bonus – a tub of water right next to the toilet with four fish swimming in it. While it seemed odd to me, later Trissie told me that Chinese would never buy dead fish as we do. They want their fish fresh so will only buy them live. At that restaurant, you could visit the toilet and pick out the fish for your meal at the same time! I have to say, though, that I generally enjoy the food in China and have never been sick there with anything other than a cold.

Another Wuyuan specialty is green dumplings. I had fallen in love with them in 2012 and enjoyed having these wonderful dumplings for breakfast both mornings in Wuyuan. I scrutinized them a little closer this time and it appeared that the filling was tofu and vegetables. They are perfectly seasoned and great with hot sauce.

Black Eagle

Menxiu surprised me on Sunday morning with a drive to the river in our van rather than a return to the dreaded jungle path. We found a pair of Scaly-sided Mergansers right away and got good looks at them. We enjoyed the rest of the morning walking a road alongside the river. While I had missed a lot of birds earlier in the trip due to my poor vision, I saw nearly everything that morning. And, what wonderful birds we saw! A flock of Gray-headed Parrotbills were right over our heads in a little rice paddy. Several Gray-sided Scimitar-Babblers allowed us quality views, including one bird just a few feet away foraging on the ground and oblivious to our presence. Other sightings that morning included Mandarin and Spot-billed Duck, Black Eagle, Brown Crake, a male Fork-tailed Sunbird glistening in the sun, and my life Red-flanked Bluetail. It was a magical morning that I will always remember.

Gray-headed Parrotbill

After lunch, we returned one more time to the Laughingthrush island, and then headed to Nanchang and the airport. We had found all of our target birds and enjoyed some wonderful winter birding. Thanks to Menxiu Tong of China Wild Tour for leading this private trip for me. Menxiu’s photos of the trip can be found on Facebook in his album Poyang Lake and Wuyuan Birding Tour, February 2014.

Posted in Travel for Birding | Tagged Birding, Birds, Black Eagle, China, China Wild Tour, Collared Owlet, Crested Myna, Eurasian Jay, Gray-headed Parrotbill, Hooded Crane, Menxiu Tong, Oriental Stork, Pied Falconet, Plumbeous Redstart, Poyang Lake, Swan Goose, Wuyuan | 2 Comments »

The Belize “Extension” (Part 2 of 2)

March 15, 2014 by Shelley Rutkin

La Milpa Ecolodge and Research Center entrance

La Milpa Ecolodge and Research Center is about 70 miles north of duPlooy’s Jungle Lodge. Maps show a road going directly between the two locations. However, locals warned us to not even think about it as the road was impossible to drive, especially after all the recent rain. So, we headed east and slightly north on the Western Highway, north a short distance on the Burrell Boom cut-off, north-northwest on the Northern Highway to Orange Walk town, and finally southwest to La Milpa. Yes, we pretty much drove in a circle to get just a little north of where we started out. Thus, the 70-miles distance became much more and took most of a day to travel. However, Jeremy and I enjoyed the drive and found some interesting birds on the way.

Tricolored Munia

The first life bird on the day’s journey was mine, a Northern Jacana. Next, it was Jeremy’s turn with a very cooperative female Snail Kite. The kite flew around a little pond, actively foraging for snails. What a treat to see a bird demonstrating the trait for which it is named. The next new bird was a real puzzler. We both knew that we had never seen it before and neither of us had any idea what it was. And, it just was not in our book, Birds of Belize. There was a flock of about a dozen of them in the tall weeds on the edge of a ditch by a rice field. Jeremy and I both got photos and later someone was able to identify the birds as Tricolored Munia. Have you guessed the rest of the story? It is a non-native introduced species, probably established from escaped caged birds, and it is spreading rapidly in Central America and Mexico. Like many exotic species, it is feared that they may become troublesome, especially as agricultural pests.

Oscellated Turkey

We arrived at La Milpa at 3:30 PM and immediately liked the research station which is operated by the Programme for Belize, a non-profit organization focused on conservation. This was different from any other place we had stayed in Belize. Security had been obvious at all the resorts. At Jungle Jeanie, they even had dogs to accompany the security guards on their rounds. Everyone had said that Belize is very safe and they just want to keep it that way. However, at La Milpa there were no guards and not even keys to the rooms! One guest who had apparently stayed there many times said, “I’ve never seen a key here.” The atmosphere was very casual and academic. A group of botany professors and students from the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, Scotland, filled most of the rooms. Meals added to the feeling of being back in school with buffet style serving, shared tables, and returning our own dishes to the kitchen. If you wanted a beer or soda, you just helped yourself by taking one from the refrigerator and writing your name in a log book.

La Milpa Maya site

The guide who had been recommended to us was not available, so Jeremy and I were really on our own with birding at La Milpa, but I still added nine birds to my life list. The first afternoon I was thrilled to see two Great Currasows at the edge of the woods and an Ocellated Turkey up close (both lifers) as well as a Keel-billed Toucan and both Red-capped and White-collared Manakins. On Wednesday, we explored the nearby La Milpa Maya site, the third largest in Belize. La Milpa has not been uncovered or reconstructed and I found it difficult to imagine what it was like 1200 years ago. The most interesting description of the site that I have found is by a young man who was a volunteer in 2010 with the Field School program administered by the University of Texas, Field Notes From a Maya Ruin. It was not as birdy as we had expected, but we enjoyed walking the jungle trails and seeing a gorgeous Black-throated Shrike-Tanager, a life bird for both Jeremy and me.

Red-capped Manakin

Owl Butterfly

Back at the field station, jungle life right on the grounds delighted us. Red-capped Manakins seemed to be everywhere, a huge owl butterfly flew into a building and was later rescued, Red Foxes cried on the walkways. And, there was the “magic tree,” perhaps a type of fig. You could watch this small tree for hours and keep seeing new birds as they came to feast on the small fruits. The weedy areas around the edges attracted birds, too, including one of our new favorites, the brilliant Blue Bunting. There were very few artificial feeders at La Milpa, but careful planting of native fruit-bearing trees and shrubs brought the birds in close to the buildings and walkways.

Blue Bunting

All too soon, it was our last morning in Belize. We had breakfast at La Milpa, birded for an hour, and then started towards the airport. We saw one more trip bird and a lifer for Jeremy, a Bronzed Cowbird, on our leisurely drive to Belize City. The entire 12-day trip (January 11-23, 2014) was wonderful and I look forward to my next visit to Belize.