Thanks for all the kind words folks. I've been wanting to add more but the internet has been down for the past week... well that's just how things roll here, I feel lucky that there is internet at all in such a remote place!
To my relief the hot and dry streak finally came to and end last weekend, most days since then it's rained, whether for a few minutes or a few hours. Afternoons have been partly to totally cloudy, and therefore much cooler.
I've been busy tracking my wedge-billeds for the past week, I have about 7-10 days left before the transmitter batteries start dying. I did take a day off just a few days ago, partly to let my ankle rest (it's much better but the 10+ hours of daily hiking were taking their toll) and to make a dawn visit to the canopy tower with a few other visitors.
Things at the tower started off slowly. Well, the dawn chorus was amazing as usual but it wasn't until about 7:00 that things started coming into view. Our first visitors was a pair of White-lored Euphonias, the males lacking the shining purple back of most of the other species. Soon also came Orange-bellied and Rufous-bellied Euphonias. A Bare-necked Fruitcrow was hanging around the area and occasionally landed in the tree that holds the tower platform, offering nice views. We had some nice close fly-bys of Blue-and-yellow Macaws, and later a group of four Scarlet Macaws. After a while some tanagers started trickling into our tree, including Paradise, Opal-crowned, Swallow, and Yellow-bellied Tanagers, and Purple Honeycreeper. The Paradise Tanager is one of my favorites, unbelievably gaudy and looking like something a kid would draw! In the distance we could occasionally see White-throated Toucans and Many-banded Aracaris. I scored a lifer when a group of 3 White-browed Purpletufts materialized in a nearby tree, sallying out for insects and giving weak little calls, and then they flew into our tree! I tried to get a photo but they left just as I got the camera focused. I had a bit more luck getting a photo of a Cream-colored Woodpecker though, easily one of my favorite woodpeckers. I'll post a couple photos later.
