Category Archives: Travel

Jacobins and Sabrewings

January 30, 2017Costa Rica, Songbirds, TravelKate St. John

White-necked jacobin, Costa Rica (photo from Wikimedia Commons) — White-necked jacobin, Costa Rica (photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren via Wikimedia Commons)

On a birding trip in Costa Rica:

Hummingbirds! Costa Rica has 50 species plus four extremely rare ones. All of them are year round residents except for one: our own ruby-throated hummingbird.

This makes it hard to pick two hummingbirds to highlight during my trip so I’ll go with two that have exotic names.

The white-necked jacobin (Florisuga mellivora) is a medium sized hummingbird that forages in wet lowlands and foothills to 3,300 feet. As with other hummers his name is based on his appearance. “White-necked” comes from his white neck patch. “Jacobin” refers to his hood, similar to that of Dominican friars. (Click here to see.)

Why isn’t he called a “white-necked Dominican?” Well, Jacobin was the French name for the Dominicans because their monastery was attached to the Church of Saint-Jacques in Paris. Unfortunately a political movement wiped out that innocent meaning. During the French Revolution a group of radicals met at the Dominican monastery to plan their Reign of Terror. The Jacobins terrorized France from 1792 to 1794.

At six inches long the violet sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus) is the largest hummingbird in Central America. Common from 3,300 to 7,900 feet, some descend to lower elevations at this time of year.

Violet sabrewing, Costa Rica (photo by Sonja Pauen via Wikimedia Commons)

Male violet sabrewings are very violet and though you can’t see his wings in this impressive photo, they’re the reason he’s called a “sabrewing.” Cornell’s Neotropical Birds site explains:

In the male, the outermost primaries are thickened and somewhat flattened and are curved at an angle; this combination of features resembles a sabre.

There’s one cool thing about this bird that I’ll miss, even if I see one. During the breeding season, which corresponds to the rainy season May to October, the males gather in leks of four to twelve birds to sing and attract the females. Wow!

(photos from Wikimedia Commons. Click on the images to see the originals)

Day 4: Hacienda Barú Wildlife Refuge

Monkeys And Macaws

January 29, 2017Costa Rica, Mammals, Travel, VocalizationsKate St. John

White-headed capuchin monkey, Costa Rica (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

On a birding trip in Costa Rica:

Today we’ll be birding at Carara National Park on the Pacific Coast where I expect to see monkeys and the park’s most famous bird, the scarlet macaw.

Encountering monkeys in the wild is a new experience for me. Because we humans are the only primates who live outside subtropical zones most of us only see primates in captivity.

At Carara we’re likely to see white-headed capuchins (Cebus capucinus), shown above. These diurnal monkeys are highly intelligent and very social, living in troops of about 16 individuals that are mostly female kin because the males move around. White-headed capuchins love to use tools and are so smart that they can be trained in captivity to assist paraplegics.

If we hear an otherworldly roar like a dinosaur, it’ll be a mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata). The howlers roar both day and night but can be hard to find.

Mantled howler monkey, howling in Costa Rica (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Click here to hear the howl while a woman searches for the source. Perhaps they “sound like dinosaurs” because the foley editors used howler voices in Jurassic Park.

Today’s highlight, though, will be the beautiful wild scarlet macaws (Ara macao).

Scarlet macaw in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

These huge members of the parrot family have a wide range — from Central to South America — but they need a lot of territory that’s remote from humans in order to survive. Carara provides that space.

I hope to see scarlet macaws flying, as in the photo below. I’ve seen green-winged macaws (Ara chloropterus) in free flight at the National Aviary but seeing scarlets — and in the wild — will be a real treat.

Scarlet macaws in flight, Costa Rica (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

And for those of you who love reptiles, there’s a bonus. Carara National Park has American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus). No, they are not alligators. Click here to see.

(photos from Wikimedia Commons. Click on the images to see the originals)

Day 3: Carara National Park

A Falcon That Eats Bats

January 28, 2017Birds of Prey, Costa Rica, TravelKate St. John

Bat falcon (photo by Joao Quental via Wikimedia Commons)

On a birding trip in Costa Rica:

There are more members of the Falcon family here in Costa Rica than in North America (*). Though some species are the same I expect to see at least three Life Bird Falconidae while I’m here: the yellow-headed caracara, the laughing falcon, and the bat falcon.

Like other members of the family, bat falcons (Falco rufigularis) capture birds and flying insects in mid air but they also capture bats. This earned them their name even though bats make up only 14% of their diet.

About the size of merlins, bat falcons live in open woodlands and tropical forests from Mexico to Brazil. Because they hunt for bats they’re often seen at dawn and dusk perching high on conspicuous snags and bobbing their heads as they look for prey. Their flight is so fast and direct that they focus on eating the fastest birds: swifts, swallows and hummingbirds (oh my!).

During the breeding season bat falcons are very vocal and sound almost like kestrels. Hear their calls in these videos at the Handbook of Birds of the World.

So in the days ahead I’ll be checking all the bare treetops for a charcoal gray falcon with a dark face, white neck, and strikingly reddish belly, legs and undertail coverts.

Bat falcon in Colombia (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

I’ll be extremely lucky if I see one catch a bat.

(*)
12 members of Falconidae in Costa Rica: 3 Forest-falcons (barred, slaty-backed, collared), 3 Caracaras (red-throated, crested, yellow-headed), 1 Laughing falcon, 5 Falcos (American kestrel, merlin, aplomado falcon, bat falcon, peregrine).

7 members of Falconidae in North America: 1 Caracara (crested), 6 Falcos (American kestrel, merlin, aplomado falcon, peregrine, prairie falcon, gryfalcon).

(photos from Wikimedia Commons; click on the images to see the originals)

Day 2: Tárcoles River birding

Gone Birding In Costa Rica

January 27, 2017Costa Rica, TravelKate St. John

Clay-colored thrush, the National Bird of Costa Rica, in Garita, Alajuela, Costa Rica (photo by Greg Gilbert via Wikimedia Commons) — Clay-colored thrush, the National Bird of Costa Rica (photo by Greg Gilbert via Wikimedia Commons)

27 January 2017

This morning I’m on my way to a 10-day Road Scholar birding trip in Costa Rica. I’m sure to see many Life Birds as well as the National Bird, the clay-colored thrush.

I’ve never been to Costa Rica but I’ve heard great things about it. Located in Central America directly south of Ohio, Costa Rica is about the size of West Virginia with a population of 4.8 million people. It’s an eco-tourism destination famous for friendly people, good food, and its many national parks and nature preserves.

Map of Central America (image from Wikimedia Commons) — Map of Central America with arrow highlighting Costa Rica (image from Wikimedia Commons)

Costa Rica has a lot of birds! My Costa Rican field guide lists 903 species including 54 hummingbirds and 79 flycatchers. Some are endemic to the tropics while others, like the ruby-throated hummingbird, only spend the winter there.

The large number of birds is directly related to the country’s diverse habitats. From the mountains to the sea, an elevation change of over 12,000 feet provides a wide range of climate zones. There are temperate dry uplands and tropical rainforests where the national flower, the Guaria Morada orchid (Guarianthe skinneri), grows.

Guaria morada, orchid, the National Flower of Costa Rica (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

If you’ve been to Costa Rica you’ll be curious about my route so I’ve drawn it in green on the map below. We’ll be traveling counterclockwise from San Jose to sea level at the Pacific, then over the mountains to the 7,000-ft home of the quetzal.

Road Scholar tour route in Costa Rica (image from Wikimedia Commons, altered to show route in green) — Road Scholar tour route in Costa Rica, Jan-Feb 2017 (image from Wikimedia Commons, altered to show route in green)

I know that Internet access will be unpredictable so I’ve written all 10 days of blog posts in advance. My husband Rick (who’s too near-sighted to go birding) is holding down the fort at home while my friend Donna Memon posts the blogs to Facebook and Twitter, moderates your comments, and responds to questions.

For now, I’m (mostly) off the grid. I’ll “see” you when I return to my computer on Tuesday morning, February 7.

(photo and maps from Wikimedia Commons. Click on the images to see the originals.)

Day 1: Fly to San José, transfer to Alajuela

Similar Sapsuckers

October 11, 2016Songbirds, TravelKate St. John

Yellow-bellied sapsucker (photo by Cris Hamilton)

Now that yellow-bellied sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus varius) are migrating through western Pennsylvania I’m reminded of three sapsucker species we’ll never see unless we travel west.

The red-naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) resembles a yellow-bellied except that his nape (the back of his head) is red. He lives among trees in the Mountain Time zone all the way to the Sierras and Cascades. Amazingly, his range only overlaps the much larger range of the yellow-bellied sapsucker at a few sites in Canada — so you can identify him by location in the U.S.

Red-naped sapsucker (photo by J. Maughn, Creative Commons license via Flickr)

The red-breasted sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber), native to far western North America, looks as if he’s been dipped in tomato juice. His range sometimes overlaps the western edges of yellow-bellied and red-naped sapsuckers with whom he sometimes interbreeds. The hybrids look like sapsuckers partially dipped in tomato juice. 😉

Red-breasted sapsucker (photo by Jacob McGinnis, Creative Commons license via Flickr)

And finally, male Williamson’s sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) can’t be mistaken for any other bird. Sporting a black head and chest and a bright yellow belly, these sapsuckers live in middle to high elevation western mountains. I’ve never seen one.

Williamson's sapsucker (photo by Ken Schneider, Creative Commons license via Flicker) — Williamson’s sapsucker (photo by Ken Schneider, Creative Commons license via Flicker)

Watch for yellow-bellied sapsuckers passing through western Pennsylvania on their way south. In eastern Pennsylvania, they stay all winter.

(photo credits: Yellow-bellied sapsucker by Cris Hamilton. Red-naped sapsucker by J. Maughn, Creative Commons license via Flickr. Red-breasted sapsucker by Jacob McGinnis, Creative Commons license via Flickr. Williamson’s sapsucker by Ken Schneider, Creative Commons license via Flicker)

A Visit to Elk Country

October 8, 2016Mammals, TravelKate St. John

Bull elk grazing in a front yard in Elk County, 4 Oct 2016 (photo by Kate St.John) — Bull elk grazing in a front yard in Elk County, Pennsylvania, 4 Oct 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)

Last Tuesday Geralyn Pundzak, Kathy Miller and I made a one day trip to see the elk near Benezette, PA. During the rut, September-October, the males pursue the ladies, spar with other males and “sing” a bugling love song.

Our first two stops came up empty and we began to worry that we’d miss them. Geralyn, who drove us there, said she wouldn’t leave until she saw an elk. The pressure was on!

At Woodring Farm we heard an elk bugling on the hill above us. He soon crossed the gravel road only 100 yards away, then stopped to bugle among the trees. I was so excited I forgot to take pictures.

On our way to Dents Run we saw an elk lying down, almost on a front porch. Was he a statue? No, his head moved! We returned to an elk traffic jam and took these photos.

Bull elk in Elk Country, 4 Oct 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)

Bull elk grazing in a front yard, 4 Oct 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)

Bull elk in Elk Country, Pennsylvania, 4Oct 2016 (photo by Kate St. John) — Bull elk in Elk Country, Pennsylvania, 4 Oct 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)

In addition to the elk we enjoyed birding, scenic overlooks, and the Field of Flowers at Woodring Farm.

A view of Elk County from Woodring Farm overlook (photo by Kate St. John) — Elk County view from Woodring Farm overlook (photo by Kate St. John)

At the Field of Flowers, Woodring Farm, Elk County, PA, 4 Oct 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)

Visit Elk Country now while the elk are bugling and the leaves are changing.

(photos by Kate St. John)

Scenes From Acadia

September 18, 2016TravelKate St. John

Jordan Pond, September 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)

Though my husband and I have visited Acadia National Park every September since 1983 (including this month) I see that I’ve never shared my photos at Outside My Window. Here’s a selection from the last two years showing the park’s stunning beauty.

Founded in 1916, Acadia National Park now includes land on several islands and one peninsula. These photos were taken during hikes and walks on Mount Desert Island, the largest land mass of the park.

The area was carved by glaciers and contains many lakes. Jordan Pond, above, is the size of a lake and extremely photogenic.

Eagle Lake from the south shore, September 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)

The Bubbles at Jordan Pond, September 2014 (photo by Kate St. John)

There are scenic views from the mountaintop hiking trails but humidity usually dampens my photos.

Somes Sound from Flying Mountain, September 2014 (photo by Kate St. John)

Looking southeast from Cadillac Mountain south trail, September 2014 (photo by Kate St. John)

Northeast Harbor (the town we stay in) is tucked between two mountains. It was named for its safe anchorage during Nor’easter storms.

Northeast Harbor, tucked in a nook of the mountains, September 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)

A short walk from this view is the Asticou Azalea Garden.

At Asticou Azalea Garden, September 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)

Asticou’s sand garden mimics islands and the sea. The large rocks are islands; the sand ripples are waves. It’s a very peaceful place.

The Sand Garden at Asticou Azalea Garden, September 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)

Much of Acadia’s Mount Desert acreage was donated by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Though he made his money in oil, he did not want cars on the island so he built scenic carriage paths, especially near his home in Seal Harbor. The bridges along these carriage paths are beautiful in their own right. This one crosses Jordan Stream on land recently donated by David Rockefeller that’s open to hiking and horses.

Cobblestone bridge carries a carriage path over Jordan Stream, September 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)

The underside of the cobblestone bridge -- even more cobblestones! (photo by Kate St.John) — The underside of the cobblestone bridge … even more cobblestones. Amazing workmanship! (photo by Kate St.John)

Acadia’s hiking trails are designed for scenic beauty. Strewn with pine needles, this trail passes between two rock outcrops.

The trail goes to the light, a gap in the rocks, September 2014 (photo by Kate St. John)

The Ship Harbor Trail treads pink granite at the coast.

Pink granite coast on the Ship Harbor Trail, September 2014 (photo by Kate St. John)

French explorer Champlain named the island of barren mountains “Isle des Monts Desert” (Mount Desert Island). Sargent and Cadillac shoulder above the rest, easily visible from the sea.

The deserted mountains of Mount Desert Island: Sargent and Cadillac as seen from Seawall, September 2014 (photo by Kate St. John)

Every year as we leave the island we say to the mountains, “See you next year.”

(photos by Kate St.John)

Unusual Trees

September 11, 2016Travel, TreesKate St. John

Tree trunk bowed and bare (photo by Kate St. John) — Tree trunk, bowed and bare (photo by Kate St. John)

Last week I found some odd trees in Acadia National Park.

Above, a dead tree is bowed over in a perfect C, probably knocked over in its youth by wind, ice or another tree.

Below, the swirls on this cedar look like drapery.

Pattern of growth on cedar trunk (photo by Kate St. John) — Swirled pattern of growth on cedar trunk (photo by Kate St. John)

Evergreens usually lose their lower branches as they grow but the branches on this tree grew stout and curled up. I can’t even imagine what caused this.

Odd branching on a pine, Mount Desert Island, Maine (photo by Kate St. John) — Odd branches, Mount Desert Island, Maine (photo by Kate St. John)

(photos by Kate St. John)

Montana Flowers And A Tree

July 9, 2016Plants & Fungi, TravelKate St. John

Beargrass in bloom, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John) — Beargrass in bloom, Glacier National Park, 29 June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)

In my final Montana installment, here are some plants seen at Glacier National Park, June 27-30, 2016.

Beargrass grows up to five feet tall with grass-like leaves and a knob of white flowers on top. As you can see in this poorly lit photo, the beargrass was hard to ignore on the Josephine Lake trail.

Hikers next to beargrass, showing the height of the flower, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St. John) — Hikers next to beargrass showing the height of the flower, Glacier National Park, 29 June 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)

At Logan Pass we saw Glacier Lilies that resemble our own Trout Lily.

Glacier lily at Logan Pass, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)

And at woodland edges, Pink Wintergreen (Thank you, Dianne Machesney, for identifying this for me) …

Pink Wintergreen, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)

… plus Sticky Geraniums …

Sticky Geranium, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)

… and Sego Lilies, the state flower of Utah.

Sego lily, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)

The meadows were full of wildflowers.

Paintbrush …

Larkspur …

Blanket flower (I think. Please correct me if I’m wrong!)

Blanket Flower Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St. John) — Blanket Flower, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)

and the remnants of Camas flowers that had bloomed in mid-June.

Camas flower, McGee Meadow, Glacier National Park, June 2016 (photo by Kate St.John)

And finally, I marveled at the huge Western Redcedars on the wet, western side of Glacier National Park. They are so much bigger than our cedars back home.

Western Redcedar, Glacier National Park, 30 June 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)

(photos by Kate St. John)

Best Birds in Montana

July 7, 2016Beyond Bounds, TravelKate St. John

Mountain bluebird (photo by Elaine R. Wilson via Wikimedia Commons)

When my friend Chuck Tague led an outing he’d ask us at the end, “What was your Best Bird?” Now that I’m back from Montana I’ve made a list. (The photos are from Wikimedia Commons.)

Best of the Best: Mountain bluebird. While standing next to a short spruce at Logan Pass, I saw a Life Bird(*) fly in and perch just above me. This bluest Bird of Happiness completes the trio of bluebird species in North America: eastern, western and mountain.

Two of my Best Birds were named for explorers, Lewis and Clark.

I’d seen a Lewis’s woodpecker fly by the Allegheny Front Hawk Watch on October 20, 2002 (very unusual!) but in Missoula I was hungry to see more. My friend Keith Kuhn asked a resident if we could walk across her property to the shore of the Bitterroot River where they’d been reported the day before. She was very accommodating when he said “Lewis’s woodpecker.” The birds come to her suet feeder. It was a thrill to see three pink-bellied woodpeckers fly-catching over the river.

Lewis's Woodpecker from Crossley ID Guide to Eastern Birds (illustration from Wikimedia Commons) — Lewis’s Woodpecker from Crossley ID Guide to Eastern Birds (illustration from Wikimedia Commons)

Clark’s nutcracker resembles a woodpecker but he’s actually a Corvid who stores and eats pine nuts. We saw a pair of them fly over Logan Pass, calling and chasing each other.

Clark's nutcracker (photo by Simon Wray, Oregon Department of FIsh and Wildlife via Wikimedia Commons) — Clark’s nutcracker (photo by Simon Wray, Oregon Department of FIsh and Wildlife via Wikimedia Commons)

I was afraid I wouldn’t see an American dipper but I shouldn’t have worried. Because they were nesting we saw adult dippers gathering food and a fledgling waiting for its next meal at St. Mary’s Falls. Very good looks! (Click here to see one swim.)

American dipper (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

In only eight days I saw 105 species and 11 Life Birds in western Montana. It was hard to pick just four of the Best!

(photos from Wikimedia Commons. Click on the images to see the originals)

(*) A “Life Bird” is a species you see for the first time in your life.