Another nice view

Here's another nice view of a coatimundi (Nasua narica) taken by Frank Buck while at Chan Chich Lodge. This shows the typical stance as the coati moves through the forest, with the ringed tail upright. The males often travel alone, but it is not at all uncommon to see large groups of females and young animals.

Coati Portraits

We are treated to these portraits of coatimundis (Nasua narica) from Frank Buck. They are such curious animals and rarely seem to worried about encountering people which is probably fairly frequently, around Chan Chich Lodge. Frank had this story to share:

"As we walked down a trail, these coatis were coming up. At first they seemed somewhat distressed by encountering us as I shot this picture and the next. As we watched each other, the troupe became more alarmed and dissipated. When we got back to the lodge about an hour later, we learned that two ladies who had followed us had seen a jaguar just a little later in the same vicinity."

A Pair of Ant-followers

Although these two birds look dissimilar (dimorphic), they are in fact, the same species. This denizen of the forest, is found commonly around Chan Chich Lodge: the Red-throated Ant-tanager (Habia fuscicauda). The female is the mustard colored bird and the male is the red bird. As the name suggests, they are ant followers and are often seen in pairs or small flocks. They are loud and noisy birds and thus fairly easy to find.

Thanks to Frank for sharing these images!

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.

Puffbird with Prey

Here's another engaging photo from Alan Dahl: a White-whiskered Puffbird (Malacoptila panamensis) with prey. This appears to be a female with her more subdued buffy coloring. Not sure exactly what that tasty morsel is but looks like it'll make a good meal.

White-whiskered Puffbirds are quite easy to see around Chan Chich Lodge. I've posted about them before and how their numbers seem to have increased since last October's Hurricane Richard. Or maybe in the modified forest, they are simply more conspicuous.

Which hummingbird?

This hummingbird is a bit more colorful than the Little Hermit of last week. When Alan sent this image to me, we had a bit of debate as to which hummingbird it actually was: Scaly-breasted (Phaeochroa cuvierii) or Rufous-tailed(Amazilia tzacatl)? Both can be readily seen around Chan Chich Lodge although the Rufous-tailed is by far the more common. This photo seems to show a "scaly" breast ...

However, I recently learned that female Rufous-tails have white edged feathers on the throat. So we'll go with Alan's original ID!

It's a Little Hermit

Most hummingbirds are brilliant in jewel-like colors. Even though this little hummer is more plainly colored, it is readily seen around Chan Chich Lodge. It's a Little Hermit (Phaethornis longuemareus) also known these days, as the Stripe-tailed Hermit. It's tiny, at about 3.5 inches.

The males congregate in "leks," where they show off in an effort to attract females with lots of tail-flashing and squeaky little songs. With their slightly decurved bill, hermits are well suited to feed in heliconia flowers such as make up some of the natural landscaping at Chan Chich. Thanks to Alan Dahl for sharing yet another exceptional image!