Muyil Part II: Rediscovering the Ivory-billed; Plus Red-throated Ant Tanager and Blue Bunting

[April 2016. Mayan Ruins at Muyil]

Located near the Sian Ka'an lagoon ("Where the Sky is Born" in Mayan), Muyil is one of the most ancient sites of the Mayan civilization dating to 350 BCE. And, while the Pyramids still stand, they are but a hollow reminder of what must have been a thriving outpost of human civilization 2000 years ago.

But, with the humans gone, the jungle has reasserted itself and this means that an amazing assortment of birdlife can now be found here; species such as:

• Blue Bunting
• Red-throated Ant-tanager
• Ivory-billed Woodcreeper
• Yellow-throated Euphonia
• Black-headed Trogon
• Great Kiskadee
• Rose-throated Becard

We start with the Bunting:

Living in the US, we are blessed with a wealth of Buntings (Varied Bunting, Snow Bunting, Painted Bunting, Indigo Bunting, and Lazuli Bunting) but the diversity continues south of the border as well.

This stunning species is a midnight blue with turquoise highlights on the crown, face and shoulders. Blue Bunting is a rare vagrant to Southern Texas so the best chances of observing one will require a trip to Mexico.

Ants are a phenomenon in the American tropics and a whole ecosystem of ant specialists have evolved around them -- including this Red-throated Ant tanager:

These birds will follow army ants and other insects. They are found by the forest edge (hence the low lighting in the photo's):

While the reader is unlikely to come across an Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a close namesake -- the Ivory-billed Woodcreeper is probably the next best thing:

This huge woodcreeper feeds on insects on tree trunks much like our Brown Treecreeper.

Yellow-throated Euphonia, like others in the family, is a bright songbird of the tropics:

Finally, Black-headed Trogon:

Great Kiskadee:

and the Becard:

Man overestimates his ability to mold Nature to his whims -- many ancient civilizations have come and gone yet each was convinced of their invincibility in their heyday. 

What remains after these countless ups and downs is something far more enduring -- the incredible diversity of Nature and the resilience of life in adapting to the changing environment. A fact that is so well underscored by iconic species such as the Ivory-billed Woodcreeer and the Red-throated Ant-tanager profiled here.

Avian Joy from Jaipur: Greater Painted Snipe, Oriental White-eye and Greater Flamingo

[Hotpspots in the Jaipur Area. June 2016]

Rajasthan is the Arizona of India -- an arid state in the Western part of the country that, like Arizona, has some remarkable birdlife. In this post, we explore some of the species that can be seen within the vicinity of the state capital of Rajasthan -- namely, the city of Jaipur (named for Maharaja Jaisingh).

While none of the species presented here are either uncommon or unusual, they nevertheless represent an eclectic mix of passerines, shorebirds and waterfowl that can be found in a suburban (in Jaipur) or countryside setting (in Chandlai; about 45 minutes from Jaipur):

• Oriental White-eye
• Purple Sunbird
• Common Tailorbird
• Ashy Prinia
• Rose-ringed Parakeet
• Bank Myna
• Crested Lark
• Greater Painted Snipe
• Black-winged Stilt
• Common Sandpiper
• Little Ringed Plover
• Greater Flamingo
• Little Grebe
• Spot-billed Duck
• Lesser Whistling Duck

We start with the White-eye that was observed in Jaipur:

"The eyes have it!" -- one look at this striking songbird and it is clear that this species deserves no other name.

This tiny, beautiful bird has one of the most distinctive eyerings of any bird on this planet and ranges from South to Southeast Asia. We would be hard pressed to think of any species in the US that has as bold a look. Note that our White-eye is the White-eyed Vireo -- named for the color of its iris not its eyering.

Sunbirds are the Old World equivalents of Hummingbirds. They are tiny, iridescent, and subsist on nectar and insects. Unlike hummers, they can be vocal and accomplished songsters. The Purple Sunbird is a common sight in Northern India:

The female is, predictably, duller:

The Sunbird was observed in both Jaipur and Chandlai.

Over to warblers -- two Cisticola warblers were observed: Common Tailorbird and Ashy Prinia:

Like our Ovenbird, the Tailorbird is named on account of its nest -- in this case, how it is put (or "sewn") together vs. what it resembles (an "oven").  

While the Ashy Prinia is not as colorful, it is an equally loud songster:

Rose-ringed Parakeet are an introduced species in the US and other parts of the world -- they are, however, native to Asia and Africa:

Bank Myna, like Ashy Prinia, is endemic to the subcontinent:

It is named for the "banks" in which it digs nesting cavities for breeding -- in addition to river banks, they will also use holes in brick walls for nesting.
 
Crested Lark:

Befitting  a species that ranges in Europe, Africa and Asia, the Crested Lark is known to consist of 37 subspecies. It is a ground nester and was seen in Chandlai.

Over to shorebirds (all observed at Chandlai), the star species here was Greater Painted Snipe:

Despite its name, Greater Painted Snipe is not a true snipe. Looking at the pair above, the observer would not be faulted for assuming the male is the bird on the right given the brighter colors and bolder patterns. But the Greater Painted Snipe is full of surprises -- the sex roles are reversed in this species (like Phalaropes) -- the female is larger, more colorful and mates with many males.

The female will court males and the latter are responsible for incubation and raising the young. A resounding (yet rare) example of female dominance in the Avian world.

Resembling our Black-necked Stilt is the Black-winged Stilt:

And, Common Sandpiper is a bit larger but otherwise doesn't seem to be too different from Spotted Sandpiper:

They smallest shorebird, however, was Little Ringed Plover:

This tiny shorebird is less than 6inches -- a veritable dwarf compared to Greater Flamingo:

We conclude with a few waterfowl:
Little Grebe:

Spot-billed Duck:

and, Lesser Whistling Duck:

The Old World opens up new avian vistas for the intrepid birder -- from striking White-eyes to shiny Sunbirds and the unique Greater Painted Snipe. And in Rajasthan, India's Arizona, a wealth of species is on-hand and easily accessible from in and around the capital city of Jaipur.

Resources: https://www.facebook.com/BirdsOfChandlaiLake/

Warbling Vireo, Swainson's Thrush and Tree Swallow at Lake St. Clair

[Lake St. Clair Metropark. May 2016]

Warble Me Your Song Sublime

Warble loud and warble long

Warble me your unending song 

Warble sweet notes that ward off sorrow 

Warble sublime like there is no tomorrow!

This poem may appear, at first, to be a North American Wood Warbler's credo but it is equally, if not more, applicable to a very special Vireo -- specifically, the Warbling Vireo. 

With melodic indefatigability that would put any tenor's operatic stamina to shame, the Warbling Vireo belts out long, complex musical notes with such energy and gusto that no other songbird perhaps quite possesses more warbling decibels per ounce!

A Spring visit to the fabled hotspot that is Lake St. Clair offered unprecedented views of Warbling Vireo as well as other species such as:

• Red-winged Blackbird
• Tree Swallow
• Swainson's Thrush
• American Redstart
• Sora
• Great Blue Heron
• Song Sparrow

We start with the vireo:

Vireo's generally display some green but Warbling Vireo is fairly subdued when it comes to color; eking out at most some yellow and buffy smudges on a mostly pale and grey body. 
 

However, this drab vireo is an extremely accomplished songster and is capable of transfixing the observer with its spell-binding musical cascades.

Red-winged Blackbird, in comparison, is not as vocally gifted -- and, it would be cruel but not dishonest to label its "song" as nothing short of a series of cacophonous croaks.

Tree Swallow is probably the only species of swallow that this blogger has managed to regularly capture whilst perched:

The only other perched swallow in this blog is probably Violet-Green Swallow seen in Oregon.

Swainson's Thrush can be distinguished from Hermit Thrush by its buffy spectacles and lack of rusty tail:

While not comparable to the legendary Magee Marsh migration hotspot, nevertheless, Lake St. Clair is a respectable migrant trap as this American Redstart proved:

Other species observed included Sora:

Great Blue Heron:

And, Song Sparrow:

"Bird Watching" is a term that is both inaccurate and anachronistic -- it is a multi-sensory activity that involves hearing as much as seeing -- i.e., involving both aural and visual observation. And, when it comes to visual observation, more and more birders are replacing or complementing their binoculars with digital cameras for photo-documentation and for post-observance id confirmation.

Thus, "Birding" as a pursuit, rewards the participant at many levels with the gifts of avian observation -- and, the species profiled here, especially the Warbling Vireo, are a testament to this truth.