Boquete Panama Mar 2 2016

    Four or five years ago Dian and I saw a program on TV about a small town called Boquete in the highlands of Panama at the base of Panama's highest mountain, Volcan Baru.  It described an idyllic place where Americans, Canadians and Europeans went to retire.  Because it was at an elevation 4000 feet the climate was much more tolerable than the hot and humid coast.  Best of all it was reported to be teeming with birds.  We were telling all our skeptical friends that one day we were going to visit Bouquete.  Finally in July of 2015 we decided we had better put our money where our mouths were and reserved a cabin through Airbnb. Copy and paste the link to see our accommodation.  
  https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/903497?eluid=3&euid=4e5adcfa-75c0-ea08-ddbe-fc118e75465a
  On February 29, 2016 we took the leap (get it?) and boarded a plane in Vancouver for a month long adventure.  These pictures were taken our first day-Mar 2 2016

Blue-gray Tanager

Clay-colored Thrush

Black-striped Sparrow

Our cottage.  Very clean, small, perfect for 2 people and it has great hosts.

Today we ate, rested and watched birds from the balcony.  Still getting over jet lag.  Most of the pictures were taken here.

Epiphytes plants (that grow on trees) 

Masked Yellowthroat

Red-crowned Woodpecker female

Red-crowned Woodpecker male

Red-legged Honeycreeper immature male or female?

Red-legged Honeycreeper  male

Ruddy Ground Doves

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Streaked Flycatcher

Thick-billed Euphonia

Tropical Mockingbird

Yellow-bellied Elaenia

Tennessee Warbler and Red-legged Honeycreeper

Yellow-green Vireo

Yellow-green Vireo

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February 6 2016 Reifel Sanctuary- Black-crowned Night Heron bait fishing - Heron Baiting. Heron fishing with bait

  I was watching the Night Herons at our local bird sanctuary, Reifel, when one flew down from the partially concealed roost.  Finally an opportunity to photograph one in the open.  These birds are mostly nocturnal and it was 2 o'clock in the afternoon.   What was prompting this deviation from "normal" behaviour?

Heron dropping down from its day roost.

It decided it needed to relieve an itch.  

Then it started hunting. 

I couldn't tell through the viewfinder what it grabbed but it spit it out.

Here is another catch which appears to be a stick. 

Yes, obviously a stick.  

Another stick. 

Here it nabs a catkin.

Yet another stick. 

It never caught anything to eat during the observation.

People saw me photographing the bird and before long a crowd had formed to watch this "unusual" behaviour.  We couldn't quite make out what it was catching.  Some suggestions were leeches, sticklebacks and Caddis Fly larvae.

Obviously a bird that can hunt at night must have excellent eyesight so why was it just grabbing bits of flotsam?  Perhaps we were observing a form of baiting.  Herons use behavior that classifies as tool use. Herons place bait, either natural or artificial, in the water to lure prey. The behavior is called baiting. They can use real food, such as bread,  as a lure or something that floats, such as stick. Fish are attracted to the lure, coming within striking range of the Heron.
 It continued this behaviour for about 15 minutes and then flew back up into the trees to continue its roost.  Credit to “The Terminology of Courtship, Nesting, Feeding, and Maintenance in Herons”, James A. Kushan, for the information on Heron Baiting.

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January 2016. Redwing, Siberian Accentor, Yellow-breasted Chat, Saw Whet, American Kestrel, Pacific vs Winter Wren

Things were going along as usual and then January came.  First a Redwing showed up in Victoria and then a Siberian Accentor in Surrey.   It was mega rarity time. 

It took two ferry trips for the Redwing but we found it on January 1.  

This may be the second record for BC.   It was found by Nathan Hentze on the Christmas bird count.

There are multiple records of vagrants from the north-east coast of North America, as well as three recent previous sightings on the north-west coast (one in Washington in 2005, and one in Seward, Alaska in November 2011, and ironically, one from almost the exact same location in Victoria in December 2013.  This may be the same bird). Information contained here is what I have  gleaned from the internet and may or may not be accurate.

Redwing Location

A Yellow-breasted Chat was an added bonus on our Redwing trip.  Usually seen in the Okanagan in summer it is a rare visitor anywhere in winter in Canada, preferring Central America.

This Coyote was encountered on our Christmas bird count on Matsqui Prairie.   A bare spot on the rump may be mange.

American Kestrel on our Christmas Bird Count.

The next mega rarity was a Siberian Accentor.  This bird was closer to home in Surrey.  The first photo was a little disappointing as the aesthetics were something to be desired.

A later visit provided a better shot but through a chain link fence.

Finally after 7 visits the Accentor posed in a more favourable location. This bird was found by George Clulow on the Christmas Bird Count.  Since found, it has been seen by birders from many states and provinces.

The Accentor summers in Northern Siberia and winters in Southeast Asia.  A few records have it in Alaska but very few in the rest of North America.  

According to Biodiversity Centre for Wildlife Studies, the Siberian Accentor has been reported in British Columbia five times in 21 years between 1991 and 2011. 

My last view of the Accentor Jan. 20 2016

Accentor location

A small section of birders anxiously awaiting the appearance of the Accentor.  One lady I met in Victoria while searching for the Redwing was from Ohio.  I met her again here.  That is two plane trips. It took two ferry trips for me to see the Redwing so I am not sure who spent more. (Tongue in cheek)

I presented a picture of a Eurasian Widgeon in my previous blog.  I stated it looked like hybrid.  Here is a picture of a Eurasian Widgeon which appears to be a much purer strain or perhaps just in full breeding plumage.  No evidence of these birds breeding in North America has yet been found although it is thought that some probably do.

Last month we had a report of a Winter Wren.  Winter Wrens are rare here as they are usually found east of the Rockies.  That got me wondering what does a Winter Wren look like and how would it compare to our Pacific Wren pictured above.  In 2010 the Winter Wren was split into 3 species-west of the Rockies, Pacific Wren-east of the Rockies, Winter Wren-and in the old world, Eurasian Wren.  So I googled Winter Wren and found lots of pictures but not knowing if the pictures were taken before or after 2010 I wasn't sure what I was looking at.

So I contacted excellent birder and photographer Gerald Romanchuk of Edmonton and he sent me some pictures of Winter Wrens from Alberta that I could use here.  This picture of a Winter Wren, being a lot paler and brighter,  appears to have enough differences to distinguish it from the above darker Pacific Wren.

But then if I compare it to this Pacific Wren taken in Chilliwack the differences are not as obvious.

Finally, Gerald's picture of this Winter Wren appears to be darker than the above Pacific Wren.  Different lighting can change the appearance but I think one thing I can ascertain from this little informal experiment is that the field guides are right-it is difficult to identify Winter and Pacific Wrens by sight.   If anything, the Winter Wren appears to be more finely speckled, has a paler flank and the Pacific Wren may have a more defined supercilium.  Apparently the only way to be sure of an identification is by their song and for someone with a tin ear, I will have to rely on species location.  If anyone knows of a specific field mark to separate these two species please add it to the comments below.  Many thanks to Gerald for your assistance.

This Dark-eyed Junco with some leucistic traits entertained some of the birders while they waited for the Accentor to make an appearance.

Finally a Northern Saw Whet Owl at Reifel.  

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