In January my wife and I were in Liberia for a short visit and stopped by the old home place (not much more than a clearing surrounded by secondary rain forest) where my family once lived and where I grew up. Today the house is gone, having been completely destroyed during the recent civil war, but this White-throated Bee-Eater [which I posted to BF a few days ago] was resting on a leafless branch of the familiar old rubber tree in the front yard. Periodically this watchful bird would fly out to snatch an unwary insect from the air, then return to its perch to consume its snack and wait for another tidbit to come by. I decided I had time to set up my camera!
Despite its lush tropical environment, the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is deciduous, dropping all its leaves for a brief week or two during the dry season. This picture was taken in early January during Liberia's dry season (which runs from December through March). With only a few red leaves still clinging to the tree here and there, taking a picture of the bee-eater was easy!
Natural rubber is a major export from Liberia, with several companies operating very large plantations of this tree.
