Struttin' His Stuff

 

 Spring is definitely here ... and the Ocellated Turkeys are courting.  Watch as this male struts his stuff, before a bevy of seemingly disinterested females.  This sort of display -- fanned tail, stomping and vocalizing -- goes on for weeks.  The males seem indiscriminate in selecting their object of affection, displaying to people and vehicles alike that pass by.  When you visit Chan Chich Lodge, you will have no problem finding these beautiful turkeys -- they are common and readily seen, right around the cabanas.

Christmas Count Turkey

With the 112th Christmas Bird Count underway across the Americas, and the Gallon Jug 21st Christmas Bird Count coming up this weekend, I thought this bird would be an appropriate subject.  It is, of course, the Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata).  This colorful species has become something of an icon at Chan Chich Lodge, where a dozen can be seen at any given moment, and dozens more found in Gallon Jug.  On average, we record 119 each Christmas Bird Count.  The least we've counted was 37 (way back in 1990). And the overall best count for this near-threatened, endemic species in our count area  is 236 (see below).

Clearly, good management on the Gallon Jug Estate has helped the Ocellated Turkey thrive in Gallon Jug/Chan Chich.   Wonder if we'll break the record on Saturday?

Not a Peacock

Many people, used to the plainer North American version, can hardly believe this large bird is a turkey. In fact, I've heard it referred to as "that peacock that hangs around by the Lodge." This is the Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata), a species that has nearly been wiped out throughout its range. Fortunately for us, this gorgeous bird, is common, really common around Chan Chich Lodge and the Gallon Jug Estate.

While I don't often "guarantee" that visitors will see a particular bird, I'm not going out on a limb when I say I absolutely guarantee that you'll see this one. And you'll be lucky enough to get as close as Frank Buck did, to get some spectacular pictures of a spectacular bird.

Too many Turkeys ... and a Tapir!

It's been a bit of a rocky start getting my one and only camera back up and running near Gallon Jug. I let it go for a week and retrieved the CF card, only to find there were close to 8000 images recorded!! The first 40 or so were Ocellated Turkeys (Meleagris ocellata) promenading back and forth, then a lot, a whole lot, of blank photos.

Then I got lucky. This nice sequence of a tapir (Tapirus bairdii) appeared just a couple nights ago, about 8:30 p.m. Tapirs aren't all that common in Gallon Jug so it was a real delight to see this one. She was near Peterson Creek, east of Gallon Jug community about 10 km. Seeing this animal made going through the 8000 images all worthwhile!

Chick Flick

After weeks in hiding, the hen Ocellated Turkeys (Meleagris ocellata) are finally bringing their chicks out into the world. These chicks were spotted over the weekend and while the hen was cautious, she did permit a few photographs. In total, I counted a dozen young, which is a pretty good result. Turkeys are among those species that have an abundance of young which are subject to predation from a wide variety of animals. So while the hen may start with 12 chicks, she may only manage to raise one. Still, that is good enough to make this endangered species prolific here on the Gallon Jug Estate. The Ocellated Turkey has become scarce in most of its range due to hunting pressure where it is not protected.

Foraging Flock

One of the great things about the camera traps is the "slice of life" they show. Just life as the animals are living it at that moment in time. For those of us interested in animals and behavior, that is plenty interesting even it if is not always dramatic. This is a mid-sized Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata) flock foraging through an area by Chan Chich's Bajo Trail.

Bruce reminded me of a friend, who upon seeing the turkeys for the first time, thought they were peacocks. Yes, they really are that gorgeous and these days seldom seen outside of this protected corner of the country. To listen to the distinctive vocalization of the turkey, go to xeno-canto here. You'll note there is a recording from Chan Chich Lodge.