Heliconias

Heliconias are the quintessential neo-tropical flowers. They are large, unusually-shaped and brightly coloured. The shape of the flowers is the result of an intricate relationship between the plant and the pollinator, usually hummingbirds.

Heliconia stricta

In many Heliconias, tHe flower is shaped in such a way that only longbilled hummingbirds, often ‘hermits’ can reach the nectar. Since few species can reach the nectar, there is little competition and the pollinators are sure to find a good amount of nectar when they visit the flower. The hummingbirds therefore tend to visit flowers of the same species, and this increases the probability of pollination for the heliconias. However, to make sure that the hummingbirds visit enough flowers, not all flowers in the inflorescence contain nectar. Many are almost dry, while a few contain large amounts of nectar. Hummingbirds are thus obliged to visit a large number of flowers on the same inflorescence to get the nectar they need.

Heliconia chartacea

The specialisation of plant and pollinator may be one of the reasons why there are so many species of Heliconia. Through specialisation of pollinators, several, perhaps many, species can co-exist in the same habitat, because they use different pollinators.

Heliconia psittacorum

Scaly-breasted Humminbird

Th scaly-breasted hummingbird (Phaeochroa cuvierii) is a fairly large, dull-coloured bird, for hummingbird standards that is. Mostly green upperparts and grey breast feathers with a green edge, giving the breast a scaly appearance.Best field mark are the white corners to the tail, overall green colour and size (15 cm).

Scaly-breasted hummingbirds occur mostly in open areas in the Pacific lowlands of Panama, but are uncommon. They come to hummingbird feeders, where they dominate most other species.

 

 

Turtle Laying Season in Panama

The turtle season is in full swing. Almost every day, turtles arrive at the beach of Malena to lay eggs and almost every day there are turtle hatchlings to be released. Five species of turtles lay their eggs at Malena beach: Olive Ridley, Green, Loggerhead, Hawksbill and leatherbacks. The Olive Ridley is the most common turtle on Malena beach.

Olive Ridley laying eggs

The Malena community has set up an association to protect the turtles that breed on their beach. Every day, or rather, every night and early morning, volunteers patrol the beach to check for turtle nests. The nests they find are dug out and the eggs are reburied in a turtle hatchery, where dogs, cats and poachers can not get at them. In this way, the people of Malena prevent virtually all egg mortality and generally some 90% of the eggs hatch.

Digging up recently laid turtle eggs

... And reburying them in the hatchery

When the small turtles hatch, they are released on the beach and accompanied until the water edge, preventing mortality from cats, dogs, ghost crabs and raccoons. But when they enter the water, the turtles are on their own.

Together with some guests we went on a very early patrol with the Malena communioty turtle patrol and were lucky enough to see a female Olive Ridley turtle come on the beach to lay eggs. On another day, we went to help release the turtle hatchlings, also in the early morning. This takes less luck, since the laying date of each nest is noted and we know that it takes 48-50 days for the eggs to hatch.

Last year the Malena turtle protection association released nearly 20,000 young turtles and it looks like they will release a similar number this year.

Mother and Child

The rainy season is in full swing and birds are breeding like rabbits. They have to, breeding success is low here in the neo-tropics. All to frequently, nests are robbed by snakes, squirrels or opposums. Some birds start  a new nest immediately after completing (or losing) the last one, up to three times per year.

This stripe-throated humming bird at least managed to bring one chick to fledgling stage. No small feat if you remember the above and also know that hummingbird males only contribute their genes to the breeding effort.

Fish or Watch Whales

The Pacific Coast of Panama offers some great fishing, especially at the southern edge of the Azuero peninsula and in the remote Darien. At both places, the continental shelf is narrow and nutrient-rich water from the deep mixes with the warm surface water, providing food for Tuna, Marlin, Dorado, Wahoo and many other species of game fish.

 January to April are the best months for fishing. Yellowfin Tuna are the main attraction for fishermen. They arrive in the area around January, first mostly the smaller ones (20-30 kg), but as the season progresses, more and more large individuals, some weighing more than 100 kg, are present. Wahoo, Dorado and Sailfish are also common during this period. Closer in shore, you can catch Amber Jack, Sierra and numerous other fish.

My brother catching a fish while his son looks on

Steve and his Amber Jack

I do like an occasional fishing trip, especially if I can catch a tuna and transform it into sashimi afterwards. So I went fishing twice so far, once in December with friends and once in July with my father and brother. I organised the trips with Jerry Higdon, who has been fishing here for years. He knows the area very well and has good fishing equipment on board.

 However, I am more of a nature lover and bird watcher than a fisherman and on both occasions I was caught in a variation of the old fishermans dilemma. Not so much: fish or cut bait, but rather: fish or watch whales or watch birds or try to photograph dolphins… I tried to do it all, which probably explains why I only caught some Sierras, while Steve got the Amber Jack.

Hump back whale showing its tail

But if you are serious about it, fishing here is great and I can recommend Jerry Higdon, our local captain and fishing guide.

Whale mother and calf

 

Visitors to our humminbird feeders

We get six different species of hummingbirds at the feeders near Hotel Helicona (www.hotelheliconiapanama.com). The Longbilled starthroat is one of them. The first picture shows why it is called ‘longbilled’

Longbilled Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostis)

The second one why it is called ‘Starthroat’:

 

Longbilled starthroat (Heliomaster longirostis)

 

Watching the Azuero Parakeet (Pyrrhura eisenmanni)

Ornithologistst have recently given the Azuero parakeet the status of full species, and it has been baptized Pyrrhura eisenmanni. The Azuero parakeet is perhaps not particularly rare, but it occurs only in the Cerro Hoya mountains, on the southern tip of Panama’s Azuero peninsula.  The Cerro Hoya mountains are protected in the aptly named Cerro Hoya National Park.

Cerro Hoya National Park has three outstanding features: the Azuero Parakeet, the great green macaw and its inaccessibility. There are no facilities. No roads, no maintained tracks, no acomodation, no nothing. Finding the Azuero Parakeet is therefore no easy task. Except for the few times when the birds descent the mountains to feed in fig trees at the park’s edge. June-July is one of those times.

Azuero Parakeet - Pyrrhura eisenmanni

During this time, flocks of 15 to 50 parakeets arrive in the early morning to feast on the figs and then spend some time sunning and grooming themselves and each other. The Azuero parakeet is not very shy and you can watch them for hours during this time.

 

Last week we organised the first two trips from our hotel heliconia (www.hotelheliconiapanama.com) to look for the parakeets. And with success. On both days, we were able to watch the birds for several hours and/or on several occasions. At the moment there are two small flocks visiting the area, one of about 15 birds and anpother of about 25 birds. In the course of the next weeks, we expect more birds to come in.

 

Apart from the Azuero Parakeet, we also saw king vultures (Sarcoramphus papa), great green macaws (Ara ambiguus) and orange-colared manakins (Manacus aurantiacus).

Orange-collared Manakin - Manacus aurantiacus