Happy Halloween!

It's once more that most ghoulish day of the year!No, not election day or tax day, my pretties! It's Halloween!In the spirit (gasp!) of the moment, here are a few images from trick-or-treat night last Saturday (when folks 'round here celebrate Halloween, I guess to get it out of the way so they can start decorating for Thanksgiving).The kids and I went to the elementary school Halloween party, then into town for trick-or-treating. It's pretty cool......

Read more »

Thinking About Palms

Dusk falling rosyBedtime for parrots, monkeyswind rattles palm fron......

Read more »

Fiery-throated Hummingbird

The male fiery-throated hummingbird on his favorite perch.I've focused the last few BOTB posts on the first days of my recent Panama trip. During those initial field trips in Panama (a new entry on my Countries I've Birded In list) the best bird we saw (for me anyway) was the fiery-throated hummingbird. There was a very cooperative male fiery-throated coming to the feeders at the upper cabin owned by Los Quetzales Lodge and Spa in Volcán Barú National......

Read more »

More Panama Cloud Forest Birding

There's a reason they call this the cloud forest.On the morning of Day 2 in Panama we headed back up the mountain to the distant, off-the-grid cabins operated by Los Quetzales lodge. These cabins are inside the Volcan Baru National Park and are reached via a very rugged and rocky road, winding upward, crossing several streams. Our group loaded into two Range Rovers for the drive to the cabins. I am not sure I've ever been on a less vehicle-friendly......

Read more »

Chiriqui Cloud Forest

Gardens at Los Quetzales in Guadalupe, Panama.After an early morning flight to the David airport in the western highlands of Panama, our group had breakfast at Los Quetzales lodge and spa in Guadalupe. This hotel, well-known to tropical birding tour companies, is located in a small village near the cloud forest of Volcan Baru National Park. It being the "green" (or rainy) season in Panama, it felt like we were already IN the cloud forest. The temperature......

Read more »

Panama Birding Day 1

My most recent trip was to the isthmus of land that connects Central and South America: the country of Panama. I was the guest, along with seven other birders, of an organization called Panama La Verde Birding Circuits. The Panama La Verde group is trying to develop ecotourism (especially birding) routes connecting (mostly) rural hotels and lodges in places that have not been traditional stops for most tourists visiting Panama. Our familiarization......

Read more »

Dawn, Cerro Azul

From the overlook, dawn breaking like soft rainthe humid, warming earth heaves skyward its misty breath.Smaller hills like sleeping bodies peek above the blanketing white.Squeak-buzz of hummingbirds, tinamou whistles, toucan croaksand this forest of rain—this jewel-filled jungle—launches itself unquietly into another day.—from the garden at Birder's View, Cerro Azul, Pan......

Read more »

For the OOS

Here's a shout-out to my homeys in the Ohio Ornithological Society. I'm wearing my OOS hat during several days birding in the cloud forests of Panama. This mural was in a small cafe in the western highlands.Below, a friendly resplendent quetzal tries on my blue OOS h......

Read more »

Bird of the Trip Thus Far

We spotted a white hawk on a distant forest mountainside while birding in the El Valle region. I took this digiscoped image of it through the rain and mist. Quite a beautiful bird.More soon, when time and access allows. Right now we're getting on a bus bound for Cerro Az......

Read more »

Giant Things of Panama City

Wherever you go in the world, it's comforting to know that there are Giant Things to see and admire. This guy lives in front of the Shrine Building in the Albrook region of Panama City. I really dig his fez and his white shoes.This was on my first morning in Panama. There was a tropical screech-owl calling near......

Read more »

Far Gone, But Where?

Sorry for the gap in the posts here at BOTB. I have been traveling.After the enjoyable but taxing 24 hours of The Big Sit I was quite tired. So I'm not really sure where I am.One thing I DO know is the birds are weird here. We're not in Whipple anymore, Toto!Here's a "chickadee" I saw today in the hedge near a feeder.Dude, where am......

Read more »

Big Sit 2008: Final Report

The view from the tower on Big Sit day 2008.Well we ended up the 2008 Big Sit at Indigo Hill at 69 species. That's a new record by four species (the old record was 65).It was a fine fall day: cool early and late, but pretty warm in the middle. As always we missed a few birds that showed up the day before and the day after: house sparrow and killdeer to name two. But we didn't really have any major misses, which was nice.Late in the day on the Big......

Read more »