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?

Jingle Bells -- Gallon Jug Style!

Every year we look forward to the Casey Community School Christmas carolers as they make the rounds in Gallon Jug and Chan Chich.  It's the official kick-off of the holiday season for us. And while it is true that there is no snow or ice, they lack nothing in holiday spirit. 

This year, teacher Miss Debbie composed a more "relevant" verse for the familiar favorite "Jingle Bells."  Listen carefully!  Those of you familiar with Belize's normal modes of transport will get a chuckle out of this one.

With Season's Greetings to Belize Field Notes readers from sunny Gallon Jug!

Sneak Peek

We finally got a good "hit" on our single camera. We'd placed it at a junction near Laguna Verde over the past week.  Any idea what this animal is?

This is a tayra, Eira barbara, taking a sneak peek at the remote camera.  The tayra is a large member of the weasel family and in my experience anyway, is not often photographed.  It's a common diurnal animal, very curious and bold and frequently encountered.  Tayras seem always to be in perpetual motion and it is my guess that they move so fast and frequently that the remote camera is just too slow to catch them.  In this case, there were several "blank" photos (after an image of its departing backside) indicating it was still in the immediate area.

Pretty clear than animals notice what's new in their environment, even if it is camouflaged!

Sure to be Counted

 This time of year, our thoughts turn to the annual Christmas Bird Count (see my November 18 post).  Pictured here, thanks again to Frank Buck, is a bird that will almost certainly be recorded on the Gallon Jug count: the Chestnut Woodpecker, Celeus elegans.   It is a species that, with a little effort, can be seen on any given day here in our neck of the woods.  This particular bird appears to be a  male with its red cheek patch -- females lack this.  Otherwise, the sexes appear alike.  They are richly chestnut in color, even orangish in brighter light.  The Chestnut Woodpecker is fairly large in size.  It prefers dead trees for nesting and foraging in good quality tropical forest which the Gallon Jug Estate and Chan Chich Lodge are fortunate to have.  Join us, if you'd like to see this attractive species.

Nocturnal Visitor

So we had this hole in our downstairs door.  And after a while, there was a sort of well-worn path to it.

Finally got the remote camera up last night ... and here's the culprit: an opossum.  We have a few different opossum species in Belize but so far as I can tell, this is the common Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana).  Found not only in Virginia, and the eastern half of the US, this adaptable creature's range extends all the way through Central America as well.  It is fairly frequently seen here in the Gallon Jug Estate. As you know from personal experience, this is a creature that often raids the garbage.  Fortunately for us, it so far has left our garbage untouched.

Very Creepy, Very Crawly

It's probably a safe bet that this little predator isn't often featured in nature blogs.  In fact, when we stumbled over it (well, not literally), I wasn't even sure what it was.  Recently, it has been common on the Gallon Jug Ring Road in the early mornings, exactly the time when I take my walk or run.  But I wasn't seeing it in late afternoon.  Finally, Bruce took a few minutes to research it.

As it turns out, it is a flatworm or land planarian, (Bipalium kewense).  It preys upon earthworms, slugs, larvae and is even cannibalistic.  Evidently it is Asian in origin and has been accidentally introduced around the world.  It requires high humidity which probably explains why we only are seeing it on the roads in the early morning when it tends to be especially damp and/or foggy.  How this invasive species arrived in our remote corner of Belize, we'll never know.  Exotic species like this one can be hard to eradicate (how would you even go about it?) and often negatively impact local species.  So interesting though this little creature is, it's not exactly a wonderful sign to have it here.  If you want to learn more about Bipalium kewense, check it out here.

112th Christmas Bird Count

Thanksgiving is just a few days off and Christmas is right around the corner.  So it seems appropriate to feature the Slaty-tailed Trogon (Trogon massena), festive in holiday colors, for a post about the Christmas Bird Count.  Yes, it's that time of year again ... and we're planning for 21st Christmas Bird Count to be held in Gallon Jug and Chan Chich Lodge.  The date we've selected is  December 31.  So just think, we're going to count birds all day, including the Slaty-tail, and retire to beautiful Chan Chich Lodge on New Year's Eve to compare results and raise a Belikin beer.  What could be better?

Not familiar with Christmas Bird Counts?  Here's more detail from the National Audubon Society: 

Citizen Science in Action
The count period for the 112th Christmas Bird Count will begin on December 14, 2011. 


 From December 14 through January 5 tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission - often before dawn. For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season.

Each of the citizen scientists who annually braves snow, wind, or rain, to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations - and to help guide conservation action.


From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition -- and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation.
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We'd love to have you join us ... or join a count closer to your home.  Check out the National Audubon Society's website for more details about how to go about signing up online, past count results, why Christmas Bird Counts are important and much more.

My thanks to Frank Buck for the use of his Slaty-tail image!