Nature Galleries

Costa Rica 11 08 : Costa Rica has long been a mecca for traveling birders- as a small, "up and down" country the variety of easily accessible habitat is mind-bogling. CR has almost 900 species crammed into a area the size of Colorado! The close proximity of all this diversity to the main airport in San Jose is what sets this country apart from say, Panama, where visiting the high country from Panama City requires a long car ride or additional time in the air. One can convieniently motor from chilly mountain cloud forest to pristine Pacific coastlines in a few hours. Add to an expeditited travel schedule a robust transportation system, both public and for hire, a well developed tourist infrastructure, numerous ecolodges scattered about and a high level of special or range restricted species and the lure becomes irresistable. CR really is a unique and altogether satisfying birding experience. In November of 2008 four excited birders from Southeast Texas made the trek to this fabulous Central American country, and below are the results of one of the participants meager attempts to document our finds. Be sure and visit Don Jeane's Smugmug page also for some really spectacular shots from this birdtrek. Note that the recent earthquake In Jan '09 centered in and around the La Paz/Chincona area has basically destroyed much of the region's birding and nature hotspots, or at least made them inaccessible for awhile. For those planning this sort of trip down south, our group can heartily recommend the services of Costa Rica Gateway, whose assistance in arranging van transportation, lodge reservations and guide service was reasonable, professional, economical and indespensible. By acting as our own "general contractor" in this manner, we saved a bundle of dough!

Costa Rica 11 08

Costa Rica has long been a mecca for traveling birders- as a small, "u ...

Updated: Jan 23, 2009 7:46am PST

El Cielo Birding and Butterfly Festival, February 2008 : A scant 5 hours or so south of Brownsville, Texas lies the "tip of the Neotropical avifaunal iceberg". Here in the Sierra Madre mountains of Tamiliapas, Mexico is found the northernmost cloudforest habitat in the Americas. Here the icy tentacles of winter never reach, and the trees are festooned with bromeliads. Here the birdlife has a distinctly tropical flavor, and numerous species widespread in the tropics find their nothernmost outposts. Each year for the past four or five, an easy, turn-key tour organized out of McAllen, Texas has been held to promote birding and butterflying tourism in the area. Billed as the "2008 El Cielo Bird and Butterfly Festival", 48 participants boarded two busses at the Texas border for a long weekend of field trips. Headquaters were at the Hotel Mante, in Mante, Tamiliapas, Mexico. Field trips were centered around the premier nature destination in these parts, the "El Cielo biosphere reserve". This gallery summarizes some of the birds, butterflies and other activities the visitors experienced. Additional details, along with a complete bird and butterfly list of species encountered can be found on the festival's website. Just search for "El Cielo Nature festival". The event participants were divided into two groups; one seeking out birds and butterflies, and one focused solely on birds. Included here also a a few shots from a couple of South Texas stops made enroute to the festival. The vast majority of these shots are decidedly marginal in quality, but will serve to illustrate what species can be found, and hopefully bring back some pleasant memories for the participants!

El Cielo Birding and Butterfly Festival, February 2008

A scant 5 hours or so south of Brownsville, Texas lies the "tip of the ...

Updated: Mar 19, 2008 12:42pm PST

Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Sabine Pass, Texas, March 16, 2008 : This Fork-tailed Flycatcher was discovered by Jana Whittle of Nederland, Texas on Saturday, March 15, at Sabine Pass, Texas, along what is locally known as "Pilot Station Road". A tropical resident of middle- and south- America, the closest population to our area occurs in Southern Veracruz. The bird is known to wander, widely, it seems, and representatives of Southern American races have made their way into the States.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Sabine Pass, Texas, March 16, 2008

This Fork-tailed Flycatcher was discovered by Jana Whittle of Nederlan ...

Updated: Mar 16, 2008 4:46pm PST

Ecuador June 2005 : These shots were from an 8-day trip to Ecuador's West Slope in mid June of 2005. June is the start of the dry season on Ecuador's west slope, so planning a trip from say the 15th, one would be more likely to encounter less rain and clouds. The trip was organized by San Jorge lodge (SJL), which in itself is a nice place to spend a day or two. This is especially true for travelers who are arriving late, as the old hacienda is only about 30 minutes drive from the airport. An excellent place for Black-tailed Trainbearer, but the birding overall can be a bit slow. Other accomodations were in Mindo or Los Bancos, traditional stops on the West Slope birding circuit. Most of these photos are marginal in quality, as they were shot by a Panasonic DM-20Z, a fair step below a DSLR, but quite portable and overall not a bad choice for those who do not wish to burden themselves with a lot of heavy equipment. The newer models probably produce snappier results. Additional comments will be found as captions along with the individual photos.

Ecuador June 2005

These shots were from an 8-day trip to Ecuador's West Slope in mid Jun ...

Updated: Feb 22, 2008 6:38pm PST

Yucatan Birdtrek 12 07 : A week long avication, based out of Playa del Carmen. Results birdwise was certainly a mixed bag. Lots of old friends, N. American migrants for example, in abundance with about 15 species or so of warblers, many clustering around the landscaped gardens of various resorts. However, many hoped-for specialties, like trogons and motmots, were making themselves scarce. Overall best area was the road to Boca del Puma along the "Rutas del Cenotes", which runs out along a nice paved surface from Puerto Morales.

Yucatan Birdtrek 12 07

A week long avication, based out of Playa del Carmen. Results birdwis ...

Updated: Jan 25, 2008 5:41pm PST

Ecuador birds 7 06 : Ecuador, the Western Hemisphere's coolest up and down country! Tundra to tropics in 3 hours. A definite ornithological overload event. 8 days on Ecuador's West Slope, then one day up and over Pappalacta pass to sample Eastern slope goodies. Over 300 species, including 45+ hummers and 50+ tanagers. Custom Trip arranged by Tropical birding.

Ecuador birds 7 06

Ecuador, the Western Hemisphere's coolest up and down country! Tundra ...

Updated: Jan 25, 2008 7:56am PST

Panama 2005 : Panama means easy access, Tropical lowland birding at it's best! Some of these world-famous locales are just an hour or so drive from the airport. The long, thin country also harbors Central America's most cosmopolitan urban center, Panama City. The city itself has an excellent place to begin one's exploration for endemics, Metropolitan Park. An avication here can be combined with other unique tourist diversions, like the Canal, old Panama city, and the option of visting both of Earth's largest oceans in one day! Panama is a popular birding destination, with several upscale eco-digs, like Canopy Tower hotel. Other lodges though, catering to birders and naturalists, are springing up and provide a option for budget-minded travelers. One of these is "Sierra Llorona", or "Crying Mountain" lodge, near Colon. The owners can custom design a circuit to include any number of the country's renowned birding destinations, providing transportation and competant local guides. Spots like Pipeline and Anchiote Roads, and the Gamboa/Gatun areas were within reach, so we opted to work these areas, as well as the hotel's grounds and the rural lane out front. These shots were again taken with a Panasonic rig, sort of a glorified point and shoot, and certainly don't compare to what's possible with a digital SLR.

Panama 2005

Panama means easy access, Tropical lowland birding at it's best! Some ...

Updated: May 07, 2008 1:45pm PST