Trinidad & Tobago, here we come!

For the last few weeks, Pamela and I have been working on trying to figure out what our next vacation will be. Ever since I picked up my first birding magazine I have been entranced (obsessed) with the idea of going to the Asa Wright Nature Center and Lodge in Trinidad. I regularly go to the website for Caligo Ventures and read about the different tours and the associated costs.
Now that dream is going to become a reality. Yesterday we scheduled our flight and mailed out the registration materials for a "Birding Venture for Independent Travelers." This particular choice of trip from Caligo is a bit shorter than some of the other options, and doesn't involve as many guided tours to different parts of the islands, but it is a good deal less expensive (which is a necessity in the current economy), and I think we'll be able to buy into an additional guided tour or two from the lodge if we feel like we are going to miss anything that we really want to see. Frankly, I think I am going to be overwhelmed as it is. I've already started dreaming about Bearded Bellbirds, Channel-billed Toucan, Blue-crowned Motmot, Rufous-tailed Jacamars Squirrel Cuckoo, Scarlet Ibis, Violacious Trogon, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, honeycreepers, hummingbirds, and of course the woodpeckers: Red-rumped, Golden-olive, Chestnut, Linneated, and my most hoped for (and least likly to see I think) Crimson-creasted Woodpecker. (And that list is just off the top of my head - there will be hundreds more bird species).

So now I want to hear from you. Have you been to Trinidad and/or Tobago? Did you write a trip report or blog about it? Any recommendations or suggestions for while we are there? (Other than to not miss the rum-punch in the afternoons!)

Got an bug? Don't know what it is? Do ya' wanna' know?

Then have I found the web site for you!
Check out BugGuide.Net!

What a fantastic site. I ran across this some time back when I was trying to identify a moth larvae that Pam and I found on our last trip to Arizona, bookmarked it, then lost it with the change ovre of computers. Well, yesterday I posted a photo of a beetle for Wordless Wednesday - I figured it was a good choice for the post because I didn't know what it was, so I couldn't say much about it. Unfortunately, that just didn't sit well with me. I hate not being able to put a name to something. (Possibly one reason I got into birding) So when I had some free time, I started combing the net to see what I could find out, and again I ran across this site. The description of the site says that they "are an online community of naturalists who enjoy learning about and sharing our observations of insects, spiders, and other related creatures. We enjoy the opportunity to instill in others the fascination and appreciation that we share for the intricate lives of these oft-maligned creatures." So it's almost like a Wiki for bugs. They do have a tremendous collection of photos and information that I'm sure I will be referencing again and again! At first I couldn't find any photos that matched what I had (which I now know was more an issue of my ignorance & impatience) so I submitted the photo for identification, with as much additional information as I could supply. Within 40 minutes, I had a clear and concise answer from one of the contributing editors of the site.
I have to admist, that much of the time I spent on-line yesterday was exploring the site, and trying to identify photos of spioders, beetles, butterflies, moths, etc that I had taken over the years. What I enjoyed the most was that I'd find a photo of something on the site, then remember - "hey! I have a pic of something that looks like that!" then was able to go back, find my photo and compare for an id.
If you haven't been there yet, definitely check it out - I almost guarantee that you'll be adding it to your "Bookmarks" list!

Wordless Wednesday 12/3/08

I'm posting this little critter for Wordless Wednesday, because I have no idea what the heck it is. Photo was taken at the visitor center of the Santa Ana NWR in southern Texas.


Get Wordless over at Wordless Wednesday

Belated post from Sunday

I've already posted about most of this past (long) weekend's birding. Sunday did not bode very well weather-wise compared to the other nice days that we had over the holiday weekend, so if we were going to go anywhere, we decided ahead of time that we'd be "car-birding". It was cold and damp, and we had intermittent snow that at times hardened into almost hail. After much hemming and hawing about where to go, I chose Mt. Auburn Cemetery. It's a beautiful drive, even if there are no birds around, and I was still smarting from missing the Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers the previous weekend. (And the Screech Owl, but I knew it wouldn't be sitting out on the edge of a cavity on a day like this). Within a few minutes I heard a sapsucker call, so I killed the engine and walked around a bit to find the bird. (That link is of the call from Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds web site.) It had started to rain a bit, so I decided to listen for the call again from the protection of a tree that still had leaves on it - and the next call came from right above my head! For the next several minutes I was able to watch it checking several sap wells that it had drilled previously and obviously had been enjoying success from.

(Certainly not my best photos, but not bad in low light and rain.
I did have to lighten them a bit)

Notice the shape of the red on the crown and how it changes based on angle and the bird's "alert" level.

We did spend a bit of time looking for a second bird (there was a pair last weekend), but came up empty., then finished up our car birding by sitting quietly in front of a feeder that is near one of the small ponds, that attacts mostly House Sparrows, but also come other common feeder birds like chickadee, titmouse, cardinal, blue jay, and a few red-winged blackbirds.

Bird Photography Weekly #14

King Eider

Here in New England, we are starting to look for our winter specialities. We can usually count on a King Eider or two to show up in the coastal waters. This particular individual (well, I presume it is the same individual) has been seen for the last few year in Gloucester. I digi-scoped this about two years ago.

To see more bird photos, check out: