11 August 2011

Exploring the Choco: World First! ECUADOR (31 July)


On our return journey to the car we bumped into a feisty flock of Yellow-green Bush-Tanagers. A group of three of this rare and inconspicuous tanagers were found on the periphery of yet another tanager flock. Unlike many bush-tanagers these ones feed up high in the canopy making them extremely hard to photograph as these very poor photos will attest. However, while Andrew recorded their sweet song and I took these dodgy photos we knew that these may be the first photos and first recordings of their songs ever to be documented. So poor or not, it might just be a world first! You can find Andrew Spencer's recording of the song on Xeno Canto here: http://www.xeno-canto.org/XCspeciesprofiles.php?species_nr2=3414.00

We ended the day with the local Choco form of Lesser Elaenia, a scarce and local bird, that may well be given full species status in the future (which would then make it another Choco endemic).


Next up the lively Chical Road, another newish site in the Choco region, brimming with rare and cool Choco birds...

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