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Posts Tagged ‘White-tailed Deer’

Ecuador 2021: Antisana (Part 6 of 6)

Posted in Travel for Birding, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 1, 2021| 1 Comment »

I got one more day of birding in Ecuador than we had originally planned because it didn’t take an entire day in Quito for a Covid test. Xavier had been able to find a doctor near San Isidro who was willing to do the test for us. We met him on the side of the road, I spit in a cup and gave him $65.00, and the next day I had my admission ticket for the plane home – an email with my negative Covid test.

We left San Isidro early on Monday, May 3. Xavier headed back to Quito to prepare for his next tour. Francisco and I also headed towards Quito, but we stopped at Antisana Ecological Reserve, about 60 miles from Quito, for my last day of birding. Antisana volcano is the fourth highest in Ecuador at 18,875 feet. It is surrounded by the ecological reserve which was created in 1993 to protect the unique and fragile flora and fauna. The habitats of the reserve range from mountain forests to grasslands. Below is a photo of Antisana that I took a couple of days earlier from San Isidro.

Officially, Francisco was our driver for the trip, but he was actually so much more. He had done countless things to make the trip easier for me from providing tech support for all my camera questions and problems to helping me get my rubber boots on and off. Francisco was warm, kind, smart, and a good birder, so I was happy to spend the day with him.

We got our first target, Red-crested Cotinga, right away (photo above). Next we went to Restaurante Tambo Condor for a cup of hot tea and hummingbirds. We would return a bit later for a delicious lunch. This is a wonderful place to see the hummingbird with the best name ever, Shining Sunbeam.

We continued on to higher elevations and found more new birds starting with a Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, a life bird for me.

A couple of pretty Black-winged Ground Doves gave me another bird for my life list.

There were quite a few small birds in some areas. Sometimes I got confused, but I just tried to take as many photos as possible. Weeks later, I had a delightful surprise when I was processing my photos and discovered the Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant below. It was not on my eBird checklist for that day’s birding, but, obviously I had seen the bird, so it was fair to add it to my life list.

Stout-billed Cinclodes (below) was a common bird at Antisana. My lifer had been on my earlier trip in 2013 at Papallacta Pass which has some similar habitat.

This is the bird that surprised me the most by how beautiful it is – Carunculated Caracara. We saw several individuals walking around in the grass close to the road. This raptor of the high Andes occurs only in Ecuador and southern Colombia. The individual in my photo below is an immature bird.

Our last bird of the day was Andean Gull. I really like gulls so I was happy to see several of these beautiful birds in the road ahead. They were shy, though, and we were not able to get very close. The photo below is highly cropped. We had wanted to continue on to the lagoon where several more potential life birds awaited, but the road was closed a few miles before the lagoon.

On our way back down the mountains, we saw this White-tailed Deer. Yep, Odocoileus virginianus, the same species that we have here in North Carolina. Its native range is throughout much of North America, through Central America, and south to Bolivia.

We arrived at Puembo Birding Garden (PBG) mid-afternoon just in time for me to watch a few more birds in Mercedes’ lovely garden and rest a bit for my trip home the following day.

During my 15 days in Ecuador, I saw a total of 246 species. I thought that was good considering that this was an easy trip with no hiking on strenuous mountain trails. This number includes 150 species that were new for Ecuador bringing my Ecuador total to 356. And, most importantly, I got 108 life birds.

Below is one of the last birds that I saw in Ecuador, a Scrub Tanager, which I did not see anywhere other than the PBG garden.

My trip was amazing and I can’t wait to go back. I’ve already told Xavier that I intend to return next year. I can’t think of anything that Xavier or Francisco could have done to make this experience more fun. I highly recommend Neblina Forest for Ecuador and other South American nature trips. You won’t be disappointed. Below, a pretty Blue-gray Tanager, a bird that I guarantee you will see in Ecuador.

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The Yard Squad Challenge: Fall Edition (Part 1 of 3)

Posted in Birding, Butterflies, Moths, North Carolina Birding, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 17, 2020| 1 Comment »

Fall is rapidly approaching, but sadly the Coronavirus is not retreating.  Many people are still social-distancing and staying near home.  So, what does that mean?  It means that the amazing Matt Smith has brought back the Yard Squad Challenge for a Fall Edition.  It’s similar to the spring competition in that we have teams of players from around the globe – seven teams of ten players each.  But instead of limiting each player to their neighborhood patch, each of us were allowed to define a circle with a radius up to five miles.  Instead of the snake draft, Matt queried eBird data and threw it all in the Magic Hat which created teams each having the same number of potential species (470).  Bonus points will be earned with iNaturalist observations of everything except birds.

Butterflies provided some easy iNat bonus points. Great Spangled Fritillary on Ironweed.

Butterflies provided some easy iNat bonus points. Great Spangled Fritillary on Ironweed.

I am on Joost Brandsma’s team again, Yardbirds Remastered.  We have two players in England, one in Alaska, and seven of us scattered around the lower 48 states.  I choose the smallest possible circle with only a one-mile radius, but it includes my two favorite birding hotspots in addition to my neighborhood.  I figured that a larger circle would simply increase my “par” list without significantly increasing my chances of finding additional birds.  My list of potential birds has 86 species, which seems achievable since I found 83 species in the spring competition without even leaving my neighborhood.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Even though my circle is rather small, it doesn’t have the patch feel of the spring competition.  As much fun as that was, I’m happy to have a little more variety.  We started on August 24 and this first stretch (of three total) ended on September 13.  I have birded every day, sometimes more than once.  I also created my brand new iNaturalist account a couple of days before the start of the Yard Squad Challenge.  I had been resisting the urge to “moth” again this year because of the time suck, but now I had to do it for the iNat bonus points.  I enjoyed it as much as ever and was pleasantly surprised that I found several new species of moths.  In my post Summer Nights a few years ago, I described the wonderful peaceful feeling of nighttime on my deck.

A lovely Showy Urola moth with wings that look like satin.

A lovely Showy Urola moth with wings that look like satin.

I haven’t seen a single rare or unexpected bird yet, but with close observation, I find that I am always learning something new.  I was pleased to get a clear image of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, but didn’t realize how patchy her feathers were until I looked at the photo.  I mistakenly assumed that it was either a juvenile or sick bird, so I posted the photo to my state birding group on Facebook to learn more.  An expert hummingbird bander told me that it was an adult female in molt and that most of the females they band at this time of year look like this!  I hope she grows new feathers quickly to be in peak condition for her migration south in a few weeks.

Adult female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Adult female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

I’d like to think that I always pay attention to flora and fauna, but iNat certainly heightened my alertness.  An interesting find was this lichen in the woods near my house.

How had I never noticed this before? Tentatively identified as Gray Reindeer Lichen.

How had I never noticed this before? Tentatively identified as Gray Reindeer Lichen.

And, just as in this post, my attention quickly shifted between plants, birds, butterflies, and other insects as interesting things constantly caught my eye during  my outings.  Birding has been a bit slower than usual this fall, but I never got bored and always came home with a new iNat observation even when I didn’t find a new avian species for the Yard Squad Challenge.  Here are a few of my sightings.

A beautiful Monarch is always nice to see.

A beautiful Monarch is always nice to see.

 

This Dun Skipper was a "lifer" for me.

This Dun Skipper was a “lifer” for me.

 

Eastern Towhees are common birds in my circle.  This female was accommodating and came to my pishing for a photo.

Eastern Towhees are common birds in my circle.  This female was accommodating and came to my pishing for a photo.

 

White-eyed Vireos have been more numerous than ever this year.  And, they are still singing which makes them easy to find them.

White-eyed Vireos have been more numerous than ever this year.  And, they are still singing which makes them easy to find them.

 

Widow Skimmers are a common dragonfly in my area.

Widow Skimmers are a common dragonfly in my area.

 

As a young girl, I played with grasshoppers and I still like them. This one is a Differential Grasshopper, identified by the black chevrons on its "thighs."

As a young girl, I played with grasshoppers and I still like them. This one is a Differential Grasshopper, identified by the black chevrons on its “thighs.”

 

Cicadas, however, are on the short list of insects that I do not like.  I’ve been told that they don’t bite or sting, but they still look evil and freak me out.  

Cicadas, however, are on the short list of insects that I do not like.  I’ve been told that they don’t bite or sting, but they still look evil and freak me out.

 

I'll end with this sweet little fawn that I saw on a misty gray day. White-tailed Deer.

I’ll end with this sweet little fawn that I saw on a misty gray day. White-tailed Deer.

I found 70 species of birds in the first three-week stretch of the Yard Squad Challenge.  The height of migration for my area will be the next three weeks, so I should find new species.  There are several large clumps of Devil’s Walking Stick berries in my backyard that are nearly ripe.  They are always a favorite of tanagers and warblers.  Who will make is easy by just appearing on my deck?

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