Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis formosa)
The Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis formosa) is one of the more common neotropical migrants found in Cocobolo Nature Preserve. They can be found in a mixture of habitat types, but seem to prefer mature secondary growth. Our crew has even caught an individual in the same net on the same day two years apart, showing the incredible site fidelity some of these birds possess. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Panama while on assignment for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
Read MoreSpotted Antbirds (Hylophylax naevioides)
I thought I would share a couple of pairs today for Valentine’s Day, the first being this female and male Spotted Antbird (Hylophylax naevioides) by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser. As Sean tells it they are a species that follows army ant swarms, feeding on a wide variety of insects that the ants turn up. In the Cocobolo Nature Reserve in Panama there are a wide variety of antbird species that inhabit the mature secondary and lowland primary forest. This duo was photographed by Sean for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Panama while on assignment for the Roger Tory...
Read MoreLeaf-litter Toads (Rhinella alata)
These Leaf-litter Toads (Rhinella alata) were along a stream bank yesterday in Chagres National Park in Panama. It was great to see this species that can sometimes blend in well with the leaf litter. They also remind me of another toad Twan and I will be checking in on this week – the Atelopus limosus, as it will be the fourth year we will be doing work with a population deep in the Cocobolo Nature Reserve in Panama. Sean Graesser RTPI Affiliate
Read MoreNew CLICK Program in Panama
With this storm settling down, Twan and I are preparing for our return to Panama tomorrow (hopefully). We are assisting with a new program this year called CLICK, and its goal is to assist rural villages in Panama to protect the biodiversity around them. High school students from the Marvelwood School in Kent, Connecticut will work with children from the rural village of La Zahina in eastern Panama along with Lauren Bowers (daughter of Marvelwood Alum Chuck Bowers) to document the wildlife in their “backyards” and around the Cocobolo Nature Reserve in order to better understand and help...
Read MoreFrog Friday Parenting
Thank Goodness it’s Frog Friday again! Although every day is frog day in my book, I have to admit that I am particularly excited about next Frog Friday because I will be heading down to Panama again to expand our ongoing research on the endangered amphibians found in Cocobolo Nature Reserve. So many questions to answer… Why did some species survive the mass extinctions that ravaged other sites in Panama? How did selective decline of some species in the preserve affect the balance between surviving species? Are there ways to safely re-introduce some of the ex-situ backup...
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