I was very lucky to trek through several rainforests recently in Panama and Costa Rica and have some gorgeous tropical birds to share.
I would like to say we meandered dreamily through these exotic rainforests, but rainforests are not dreamy places. They are extreme with high temperatures (90 F. every day) and high humidity, biting ants and mosquitoes, and mucky trails that are covered with tree roots, vines, and occasional vipers.
Still, it was absolutely glorious to two lifelong birders who treasure the Neotropics.
Toucans touting primary colors with bills bigger than their faces, and iridescent hummingbirds buzzing by in their speedy territorial pursuits.
Below, a pair of Yellow-billed Toucans (Ramphastos ambiguusswainsonii) perched high in the canopy.
This hummingbird species has a longer bill and tail than most of our American species and lives year-round in Central America and parts of South America. Long-billed Hermit, below, Phaethornis longirostriscephalus.
Long-billed Hermit
While boating we had the delight of spotting many foraging snail kites. You can see below the curved bill of the snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis); it is perfectly designed to probe inside the hard shell of a snail and extract the snail meat.
Snail Kite
Most of this trip revolved around lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean, so many of our bird sightings were water birds, like these heron species, below.
Boat-billed herons (below) have a boat-shaped bill that gives them a somewhat comical look. Cochlearius cochlearius.
This heron below has distinctive stripes around the throat, hence its name, the bare-throated tiger heron. Tigrisoma mexicanum.
Bare-throated Tiger Heron
The aptly named Magnificent Frigatebird that soars above the neotropical coasts was with us every single day, a gift I thought about often as I drifted to sleep each night.
One of earth’s larger seabirds, the frigatebird has a wingspan of 7-8 feet (2-2.5 m).
Over the years I have seen frigatebirds throughout the coasts of Central and South America, but never in as much abundance as on these secluded islands.
Below is a female, Fregata magnificens.
Every night we slept on a ship, and every day we deboarded the ship onto small boats and headed for small islands where we hiked rainforest trails.
The rainforest is dense in these small, protected islands near the Panama Canal and the west coast, and there were many bird species.
Panama is slightly smaller than the state of South Carolina and yet it boasts approximately 1,000 bird species. In comparison, the very large U.S. has about 1,100 bird species.
Woodpeckers survive on trees, and the rainforests were filled with them.
One of the world’s smallest woodpeckers was quietly hiding in a leafy tree. Below, the Olivaceous Piculet, seen in Costa Rica. Picumnus olivaceus.
Not only is this a tiny woodpecker, less than four inches long (10 cm), but they have a fairly tiny range on our big earth, so we felt really lucky to find this little male.
Grosbeaks, mot mots, tanagers and trogons are special denizens of the tropical rainforest.
This is a Slaty-tailed Trogon, below. Trogon massena.
We were fortunate to be in Panama’s Soberania National Park near the Pipeline Road, a famous birding spot. We climbed up a 105-foot (32 m) spiral staircase to a canopy observation platform and soaked up serene views overlooking the rainforest, spotted many raptors and rainforest birds.
Photo courtesy pipelineroad.org
Our view from the observation tower.
In a rainforest in Costa Rica, we came upon this industrious Orange-billed Sparrow in a tangle of palms.
Another rainforest bird in Costa Rica is the curassow. We were pleased to see both the male and female, a “lifer” for us. Below is the female. Crax rubra.
A large neotropical gamebird, both genders have a curly crest.
We were often ferried from our ship to island rainforests, sometimes so isolated there wasn’t even a landing dock or bathroom. One day we spent the morning on an island where some passengers kayaked and others of us, like the birders, traversed the rainforest.
The ubiquitous black vultures, usually seen cruising above and rarely on the ground, were a pleasant close-up surprise on the beach. Coragyps atratus. They were drinking fresh water.
Rainforest birding requires a strong neck and plenty of patience, because the canopies are high and birds are hidden in the dense thickets.
But one bird species that always stood out was the scarlet macaw with its large size, show-stopping colors, and throaty squawks and screams. Ara macao.
Here’s a link (below) to an excellent scarlet macaw recording by Paul Driver.
Today we have gone high and low, enjoyed big birds and little birds, quiet ones and bawdy ones, and celebrated together a few of the avian beauties of Central American rainforests. Thanks for joining us on this colorful adventure.
Written by Jet Eliot.
Photos by Athena Alexander; two unmarked photos are friendly contributions.
It is a thrill to share with you one of the world’s greatest engineering feats of the twentieth century–the Panama Canal. Our voyage through the canal occurred last month.
We will briefly focus on the major aspects of the canal’s construction and success. Vintage photos, a few “before” and “after” photos, and what it looked like last month are all included.
Today’s celebration is about the triumph and human ingenuity that is the Panama Canal.
The history of this 50-mile-long (80 km) waterway connecting the world’s two largest oceans reaches back to the sixteenth century when Spain was considering how to avoid the long and dangerous voyage around Cape Horn. In subsequent centuries many surveys and proposals were considered.
With the discovery of gold in California in 1848, the demand for a shortcut became more pronounced. This led to the 1850-1855 construction of the Panama Railroad, which turned out to be the first rudimentary step toward a canal.
In January 1881 France attempted construction of the Panama Canal. It was plagued, however, with torrential rainfall, an abundance of tropical diseases, and a critical miscalculation regarding canal construction. The French abandoned the unfinished project in 1869.
The missteps for the French were, as history often shows, steppingstones for the next country’s attempts, the United States.
The U.S. purchased the abandoned French materials and negotiated a canal treaty. It was a controversial negotiation.
U.S. canal construction began in 1904.
Two primary engineers led the construction: John Frank Stevens and George Washington Goethals.
1905-1907. Chief engineer John Frank Stevens (photo below) was hired by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. Stevens’s achievement was building the infrastructure for this enormous project, one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken.
Stevens built a machine park, a supply system, and housing facilities for a labor force that would eventually reach a size of over 60,000 people (families included)–housing, schools, hospitals, churches, hotels and more.
This complex infrastructure was built before excavation and construction began, and took a year and a half.
Another conundrum Stevens resolved was debris. Not having a system for carrying away all the debris being dug up was a crucial problem for the French, resulting in frequent landslides. Stevens engineered the rebuilding of the existing Panama Railway and created an elaborate railway system to take away the debris and bring in bigger and sturdier equipment.
The railroad system was the backbone of all canal operations. Other than fire engines, there were few automobiles. Cranes, steam shovels, dirt, concrete, food, money, workers, tourists were all moved on rails in the Canal Zone. It was a complex network covering 450 miles (724 km).
Prior to the canal’s construction, the isthmus was a treacherous landscape of dense, mountainous jungle, swamps, and torrential rain characterized by extreme humidity and disease. Over 20,000 workers had already died by the time Stevens came on board in 1905.
Tropical disease was one of the biggest hurdles of the canal project. This was at a time when mosquito-borne disease transmission was not fully understood.
The pioneering scientific studies of Cuban epidemiologist Carlow Finlay (1833-1915) determined that yellow fever was transmitted through the mosquito Aedes aegypti.
Under Stevens’s authorization, enormous time and resources were invested in sanitation projects.
Dr. William Crawford Gorgas (1843-1920) was the main physician and chief sanitary officer of the Panama Canal Zone. Based on findings from Dr. Carlos Finlay and Dr. Walter Reed (1877-1956), Gorgas recognized that mosquitoes spread yellow fever and malaria.
With rainfall so abundant, standing water was common.
Gorgas successfully eradicated yellow fever and controlled malaria in the canal zone by implementing rigorous mosquito control and draining standing water. Crews drained swamps, fumigated buildings, covered water cisterns, sprayed insect-breeding areas with oil and larvicide, and more.
June 1910
Lastly but equally as important, Stevens convinced President Roosevelt that this canal required dams and locks. Unlike the Suez Canal that had been successfully completed 36 years earlier without dams, the Panama Canal, it turned out, was different. The earlier French attempt had not included dams or locks, and it was a critical miscalculation.
The Pacific Ocean has much larger tidal swings (up to 20 feet (6 m)) compared to the Atlantic (3 feet (1 m)), making the original direct sea-level connection impractical.
It was finally agreed that the Panama Canal required locks and dams to manage the 85-foot (26 m) elevation change.
1907-1914. In 1907 Stevens resigned and U.S. Colonel George Washington Goethals took over. Goethals ultimately directed the Panama project to its completion in 1914.
Under Goethals’s leadership, the Panama Canal’s elaborate lock system was engineered. This engineering involved excavation work, construction of numerous approach channels, the Gatun Dam, numerous lock chambers, associated dams and reservoirs, and more.
There was an especially difficult and dangerous engineering section of the canal. Called the Culebra Cut, an artificial valley had to be excavated through the Culebra Mountain range to depths of 164 feet deep (50m) below ground. Completed in 1913, it involved carving through the Culebra Mountain ridge to connect the Pacific and Atlantic sides. U.S. Engineer David du Bose Gaillard directed the work.
Seven to nine miles long (11-14 km), the Culebra Cut required removing over 100 million cubic yards of material. Without dynamite, the rock barrier could never have been breached.
In 1913, 221 well drills and 156 tripod drills bored dynamite holes. A total of 60 million pounds (27,000 metric tons) of dynamite were used. Nearly 160 trains a day hauled away debris.
Excavation was plagued by frequent mudslides due to unstable shale and clay that frequently buried equipment and destroyed months of work.
No one was killed in the mudslides which were slow-moving and usually predictable, until May 1913 when four West Indians lost their lives. Earlier, however, also in the Culebra Cut segment, in 1908 there was a premature explosion of 44,000 pounds of dynamite (20 metric tons) killing 23 workers.
Some of the engineers mentioned above are in this photo, below, of the Isthmian Commission. Chief Engineer G.W. Goethals (front center and 5th from L), Culebra Cut Engineer D. Gaillard (6th from L), and Dr. Gorgas (far right). 1904-1914.
After ten years and an expenditure of $375 million, the Panama Canal was formally opened on August 15, 1914.
With this enormous human innovation, ship travel was reduced by five months and approximately 8,000 miles (12,875 km).
Fast forward. With the growing demand of maritime traffic in the 20th century, the system of locks inaugurated in 1914 had become less efficient. In 2016 the upgrade expansion was completed–additional locks with bigger dimensions allowed for the passage of larger, modern ships.
2. Our Heroes.
The most vital resource in the canal construction was people. Engineers, builders, laborers, teachers, medical staff, law enforcement, cooks, laundry personnel and so many more professionals successfully completed this gargantuan project.
Thousands of immigrants from 47 different nations toiled in the heat and humidity. The bulk of the international labor force came from Jamaica, Barbados, Spain, Italy, India and the U.S.
First photo below (by Underwood and Underwood) is a group of West Indian laborers; the second photo, Italians; 1904-1914.
Policemen, 1913
Many women came to Panama with their husbands, and many also came to start a new chapter and build a life in this U.S. enclave. The photo below, from the Panama City Canal Museum, shows women from the American Red Cross Hospital Ship Committee in Colon, Panama, circa 1918.
c. 1918Dr. Gorgas’s medical team at Panama Canal Ancon Hospital in Panama City, 1904-1914American Engineers, 1904-1914
3. Operation and Transit.
Water is the cornerstone of the canal operation and managing it has always been one of the key priorities.
There were three natural elements that made Panama the ideal location for the interoceanic canal: the Chagres River, the narrow isthmus, and exceptionally abundant rainfall.
Between 1906 and 1913, the Chagres River was dammed to form the artificial Lake Gatun. Additional dams were built over the years.
The coordinated use of the canal’s dams guarantees a minimum depth of water in Lake Gatun to ensure the uninterrupted transit of vessels.
The sole purpose of the locks is to lift ships to the level of Lake Gatun and then lower them again in a reverse operation.
Diagram from “Guide to the Panama Canal” (2025)
The locks have chambers, and the chambers have gates. Each chamber is 1,000 feet long (305 m) and 110 feet wide (33.5 m). These dimensions determine the maximum size of ships that can use the canal.
The chamber gates are massive, height varies by position. They are 7 feet thick (2 m) and primarily made of high-grade, structural steel designed to withstand immense water pressure, heavy use, and saltwater corrosion.
Below are three “before” photos of the gates.
The first photo is on the Miraflores Locks, April 1913. These lock gates are the tallest of the Panama Canal (up to 82 feet (25 m)) to manage the high tidal range and higher water levels of the Pacific Ocean. Of course at the time of this photo, it would be a year before water actually came through here. All of this construction was built on calculations.
I like this photo because it shows a railroad car and tracks in the lower middle, demonstrating the essentiality of the railway system as well as the size perspective of the people in the center.
Another gate photo, below, June 27, 1913. These are the Gatun lower locks, workers are making the final adjustments.
This photo, below, is an earlier phase of construction on the Gatun middle locks showing steel forms used in the erection of the lock walls. April 1, 1911. Imagine how complicated this all is.
This photo, below, is a general view of the Gatun Lock chambers-to-be in the center. Structures flanking each side of it which will be the locomotive tracks, more about that in a minute. July 18, 1913.
This is a “before” photo from the Gatun Locks in July 1913.
Below is the “after” photo from January 2026. This shows the bow of our ship, the Lindblad/National Geographic Quest, and the exact same Gatun locks as above.
Ours was a small pleasure vessel with only 100 passengers and went through at night, a lower priority compared to the massive cargo carriers that go through in daylight.
Transiting the canal normally takes 8-10 hours.
When the gates are closed and the ship is inside the chamber, water fills the chamber and lifts the ship. Embedded in the side and center walls are large water culverts that carry water from Gatun Lake into the chambers. The water is moved by gravity and is controlled by huge valves in the culverts.
Approximately 26.7 million gallons of water (101,070 cubic meters) are required to fill the chamber and it takes about 8-15 minutes, equating to roughly three million gallons of water per minute.
While the ship is in the canal, an electric towing locomotive or “mule” on each side of the ship guides and assists the vessel to avoid contact with the concrete walls.
This photo below shows the locomotive to our vessel’s left, with a lineman (foreground) securing the rope that connects the ship to the locomotive. The locomotive clangs a bell to communicate with the lineman and ship crew, and there is much excitement with clanging bells, flying ropes, and intense concentration.
The men and women who operate the “mule” locomotives are specialized, highly trained employees of the Panama Canal Authority.
The newer, 21st century locks have different (bigger) dimensions and use tugboats instead of locomotives.
When the ship has reached the required height, the gate opens and the ship moves through.
The canal is fully operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Between 13,000 and 14,000 ships transit the canal a year. Approximately 9,000 workers keep the canal operating smoothly, serving ships from all over the world.
Transit fees are primarily based on vessel size. For large container ships the costs typically range from $300,000 to over $1 million per trip, depending on size and cargo. When there are canal congestion or drought-related restrictions, auction bids to skip the line can get prohibitively expensive.
The Panama Canal Authority, an agency of the Panama government, is responsible for the operation and management of the canal.
Lastly, the Culebra Cut mentioned earlier, where workers used 60 million pounds of dynamite to break through rocky mountains, where shale and clay frequently slid down the mountainside and buried workers and equipment, is seen below.
The same passage is in the photo below, highlighted by the Centennial Bridge, on a warm, humid, and quiet night last month.
Today we celebrated the remarkable men and women, civilians, laborers, engineers, designers and other dedicated humans who took part in this engineering marvel that changed the way the world moved.
Thanks for joining us on the journey.
This is a reminder, my friends, that this website is politics-free. No comments, please, about ownership or other controversial topics regarding the Panama Canal.
Written by Jet Eliot.
Colored Canal Photos by Athena Alexander.
All vintage photos, except as individually noted, by Ernest Hallen (1875-1947), Official Photographer of the Isthmian Canal Commission, from Ulrich Keller’s book (1983) “The Building of the Panama Canal in Historic Photographs.”
It is with utter delight that I share with you wild monkeys experienced on a recent trip to the rainforests of Panama and Costa Rica.
In the tropics of the Americas, the New World, we have New World monkeys–different than monkeys in Africa and other eastern parts of the globe.
New World monkeys descend from African simians that colonized South America, a line that split off about 40 million years ago.
New World Monkey Range, courtesy Wikipedia
The noses of New World monkeys are flatter than the narrow noses of Old World monkeys, and have side-facing nostrils. Also, New World monkeys have prehensile tails whereas Old World monkeys do not. There are more differences, too.
We saw the first monkey of the trip from a motorboat in Panama. We were slowly cruising the coastline, looking for wildlife, when a white-faced capuchin monkey was spotted in the trees above us. Cebus imitator. This species lives in Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras and Nicaragua.
They eat fruit, buds, flowers, insects, small invertebrates and more. Although they are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Vulnerable, they are fairly common in protected forests.
They have a distinctive black cap, seen below, for which they are named. This “cap” is said to resemble the cowls (hoods) worn by Capuchin friars.
Also in Panama, we saw the Geoffroy’s Tamarin monkey scrambling among the tree trunks close to shore. Saguinus geoffroyi. Two photos, below.
They are Central America’s smallest monkey, at 9-9.5 inches (23-24 cm) excluding the tail.
That long tail you see is a prehensile tail–a specialized, muscular appendage capable of grasping, holding and manipulating objects. Found only in New World monkeys, the prehensile tail allows the primate to suspend its entire body weight by only the tail, leaving arms and legs free for foraging and locomotive activities.
Saguinus geoffroyi are diurnal and arboreal and not seen anywhere else in the world except Panama and Colombia.
We also heard howler monkeys in Panama, but they were too far up in the canopy to photograph.
Wherever we were, cruising the shoreline or walking the trails, their haunting howling and moaning reverberated throughout the dense rainforest.
Panama rainforests were wonderful. We saw other mammals including sloths, many reptiles, insects and birds–to be featured in future posts.
Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey, Panama
It was late January and every day it was 90 degrees F. with high humidity.
Then we moved on to Costa Rica–the southern Pacific coast.
One day Athena and I had been birding and were in the shade afterward, drinking water and studying the field guide, when one of the naturalists asked us if we wanted to see the squirrel monkeys, he would take us to them. We quickly donned our equipment and off we went.
Leaping from palm frond to frond were these red-backed squirrel monkeys, shown below. Saimiri oerstedii. This wily one was hopping on the banana clumps and zipping through the palm trees.
Saimiri oerstedii are small monkeys at 9-14 inches long (23-35 cm) and weigh up to 2.2 pounds (1 kg). Their conservation status is Endangered.
Many New World monkeys have a troubled conservation status due to illegal hunting, pet trade, deforestation, habitat loss, and more.
Red-backed Squirrel Monkey, Costa Rica
On our last day in Costa Rica, we were passengers in a Zodiac (inflatable boat) cruising down a river. High above us were the howler monkeys, barely visible except for large moving branches bouncing in the leafy treetops.
Found exclusively in the New World, howlers are the biggest monkeys. Depending on the species, they are 22-36 inches long (56-19 cm) (not including tail) and typically weigh between 15 and 22 pounds (6.8–10 kg).
Howler monkeys are one of my favorite monkeys because of their incredible sounds. I felt lucky to hear them every day.
I have heard them before on previous Central and South American trips and am lovingly familiar with their glorious howls. But for those who have never heard them, the sounds can be alarming, spooky.
The first time I heard them, in the dark in the Amazon, I thought we were in a tornado. It was so dark I couldn’t see that there was no wind.
Here is a recording, link below, that isn’t too frightening. Courtesy Rangerrick.org.
New World monkeys have organized social hierarchies, vocal warning alarm calls, sophisticated use of tools and many more fascinating characteristics.
I guess what I love most about these monkeys are their agility. They effortlessly traverse the seemingly impervious jungle using arms, legs and tail, flying gracefully through the air, latching onto limbs and branches with ease.
How fortunate we are to have these creatures among us.
Written by Jet Eliot.
Photos by Athena Alexander and fellow travelers on the Quest.
Last month we visited the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge and it was a chilly day in the mid-40s (F.), but clear and sunny. I am happy to share another winter migration miracle with you.
This is a special place because it is on the Pacific Flyway–a major 10,000-mile North American migration route for over a billion birds from Arctic Alaska down to South America’s Patagonia.
Snow Geese, Sacramento NWR
In North America there are four primary migratory corridors or flyways. The Pacific Flyway, in green on the map below, covers the western states.
Courtesy Wikipedia
Located in the Central Valley of California, the Pacific Flyway hosts roughly 60% of the flyway’s wintering population. The Sacramento NWR, where we were, is a complex that includes several wildlife areas.
The first time Athena and I visited here was on New Year’s Eve of 1993. We have been visiting the Sacramento Valley every winter since then…and always with reverence for the migrating birds as well as the humans who support this massive endeavor.
In our 33 years of birding adventures in this valley, we have seen tens of thousands of geese and ducks every year. There are also raptors, songbirds, waders, shorebirds, river otters, turtles, coyote, and more. (Black phoebe songbird, below.)
It is not by accident that the birds visit here. Decade after decade, many people devote themselves to this wildlife phenomenon. Agricultural contributions to habitat management are driven by private businesses, state-funded incentive programs, and collaborative partnerships.
The waterfowl migration management is the result of environmental programs that pay farmers to flood their fields post-harvest (October–February) to decompose straw, provide waste grain for forage, and offer critical stopover, foraging, and resting for the migratory birds.
Snow geese are the primary migrating bird at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, seen below. The Sutter Buttes are the mountains in the background.
You can see a white horizontal ribbon through the middle of the photograph, below. All that white is thousands of snow geese.
It is a true joy to return to this valley every winter. We are thrilled by the raucous squawking and honking of the geese and the spectacle of giant waves of hundreds and hundreds of these huge birds darkening the sky.
There are also several other kinds of geese, dozens of duck species, and numerous other bird species.
Most of the ducks and geese are just here for the winter. When the earth warms up, they will head back to their breeding grounds in the northern parts of the continent.
Every year we see this migrating duck species, below, the green-winged teal. We saw hundreds of them that day.
Also seen in abundance every winter are one of my favorite duck species: the Northern Pintail, seen below. This is a male Anas acuta drinking water. During the other seasons they are in their breeding grounds primarily in Canada and Alaska.
Some birds, like this western meadowlark below, live here year-round. Sturnella neglecta.
Every year is different depending on many conditions, especially weather.
Last month we were pleasantly surprised to spot a few Blue-winged Teal ducks, seen below. Spatula discors. We have not seen this bird here in over a decade. (Male on left, female on right.)
There are many species of shorebirds, too, like the long-billed dowitchers (below) and a curious killdeer (photo below that).
It will be in this month of February when most of the migrating birds will begin their return to their breeding grounds. If all goes well, in the fall they will be back.
Happy New Year dear friends. Here are some photos from America, coast to coast in all the seasons–12 nature moments in 2025. I am hoping you, too, have embraced beautiful sights in 2025.
JANUARY—We came upon this river otter while birding the Pacific Flyway winter migration in the San Joaquin Delta of California. Lontra canadensis.
River Otter, Calif.
FEBRUARY—The northern elephant seals (12 or more seen here) were tending their newborns on this chilly day at Drake’s Beach, Pt. Reyes, California. Mirounga augustirostris.
MARCH—A pair of mallards on the frigid water of the Chena River, Fairbanks, Alaska.
APRIL—Signs of spring at Abbotts Lagoon in Pt. Reyes, California. Wild douglas iris (Iris douglasiana).
MAY—A quiet boat ride down the Suwannee Canel at Okefenokee Swamp. Mossy cypress trees, black water, alligators silently traversing too.
JUNE—Spring emergence of the California Tortoiseshell butterflies on Mt. Ashland in Oregon. They were gathering sustenance from the tiny bell flowers of a blooming manzanita tree. Nymphalis californica.
JULY—Rural Illinois on a summer day, storm brewing, knee-high patches of wild prairie flowers between corn fields and farmhouses.
AUGUST—A boat ride on the San Francisco Bay at Tiburon, California, we were headed for a day of frolicking on Angel Island. Mt. Tamalpais reigning in the background.
SEPTEMBER—Breathing in the Pacific sea air at Bodega Head in Bodega Bay, California, as we waited for the fish shack to open for lunch.
OCTOBER—A cawing raven telling of the upcoming storm on this autumn day at Pt. Reyes, California. Corvus corax.
NOVEMBER—A foggy winter Wednesday on the Mendocino Coast, California. My birthday.
DECEMBER—A bird species we welcome in the winter at Pt. Reyes–the Say’s Phoebe, taking a momentary break from hawking insects. Sayornis saya.
Thank you, dear readers, for your visits and comments and interest this past year. A special thanks to my fellow bloggers for sharing the marvels of this planet with me.
Cheers to a new year ahead filled with more beauty…and the gifts to see it, smell it, hear it, feel it…hold it.
Now that we’re in the middle of December, all of our winter birds in northern California have arrived. It is with great pleasure that I share a bit of information and photos featuring one of my favorite over-wintering shorebirds: the long-billed curlew.
Drakes Beach, Pt. Reyes, CA
The largest shorebird in North America, Numenius americanus have a distinctive long, downward-curved bill.
They also have gorgeous plumage with touches of mauve, in the right light, and cinnamon colors. There is a flourish of geometric shapes with speckling and barring.
The curlews will stay here on the shores of Pt. Reyes and other northern California coastal habitats until spring, around April. Additionally, they winter in parts of coastal Florida, Texas, and much of Mexico. (Range map below.)
They consume a robust winter diet with the use of their exquisitely long bills, probing deep into mud and sand for aquatic invertebrates.
How long is that bill? It’s about 5-7″ long (12.7-17.78 cm).
The curlews were busy probing and it was entertaining.
Most shorebirds probe the sand but some invertebrates, buried deep, cannot be reached. But the long-billed curlew can surpass what most shorebirds cannot reach.
Several times I watched a curlew dig up a buried sand crab and then drop it. There would sometimes be a few tries before the crab was conquered.
We enjoyed a blissfully quiet beach, the fog and briny aroma, and the shorebirds. Mid-December when so much of the world seems to be in distress or chaos, we quietly strolled this beach and absorbed the peace and beauty.
Both these birds, pictured below, are winter visitors. It is heartwarming to see both species back at Pt. Reyes after all these months of absence.
The long-billed curlew is on the left, the marbled godwit on the right. They often forage together.
We heard two curlews exchange a whistled vocalization, which reminded me that the curlew is named for its sound–an onomatopoeic moniker for its vocalization: a harsh whistled cur-lee.
In spring the long-billed curlews will migrate to their native habitat of dry grassland and sagebrush prairie where they feed on insects like beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, spiders, toads and more.
This seems a little different to me than many birds who migrate in winter from a cold coast to a warmer one, or a frigid grassland to a warmer one. To go from a grassland in summer to a coastal habitat in winter is slightly unusual. I like their flexibility.
When the earth warms, the curlews will return to their western North America breeding grounds, mainly the Great Plains and Great Basin.
Blue=wintering grounds. Orange=breeding grounds.
Range Map courtesy allaboutbirds.org
Shorebirds, for most birders, can be tricky to identify. Many of their colors are similar–whites, tans, browns, blacks–and their markings too. Some, like gulls, have different plumage for different life phases, which is confusing. Additionally, the light on a beach can be difficult with the sun, sand and water reflections often rendering birds as mere silhouettes.
But the long-billed curlew, with that gracefully curving extension, stands out in pure glory.
We are off to the northern California coast today to fill our lungs with fresh briny sea air and experience the raw beauty of the Mendocino shoreline.
Before we get there, the road takes us past autumnal vineyards in Anderson Valley and then a redwood forest.
Northern California has had the fortune of rain throughout autumn. The vineyard leaves have been a rich combination of gold, orange and red. With each rain a few more deciduous grape leaves flutter to the ground.
Redwood trees thrive in the coastal areas of Northern California due to summer fog, mild temperatures, and winter rains. Many of the inland roads leading to the coast feature redwood groves.
We drove through this one, pictured below, on Highway 128. Navarro River Redwoods State Park.
We enjoyed the typical aspects of coastal redwood forests: dripping canopies and a redolent earthy aroma. The understory was glistening with sword ferns and clover-like sorrel. Our steps on the soft, red needle carpet were hushed.
Mature trees here were second-growth, about 200-240 feet tall (61-73m). Second-growth trees are the most common redwoods we see in California today. Sequoia sempervirens. These have been cut once, usually logged in the 1800s, and have now grown back.
The really big giants, i.e. old-growth, that have never been cut, comprise less than 5% of the redwoods in California.
As glorious as all this is, it’s time to get back in the car and head to Mendocino.
The narrow, winding roads are always tricky on these redwood stretches because the trees keep growing; there are places where a solid, tall redwood is just a few arm-lengths from your car.
Twenty minutes later we have reached the coastal highway, Highway 1–the longest state route in California, spanning 656 miles (1,056 km).
Many worldwide visitors come to California to see Highway 1, take in the Pacific Ocean and its majestic beauty. Most folks, however, visit the Big Sur section of the highway in southern California.
Today we are at the opposite end, in the north. It takes us to the town and county of Mendocino.
Typical of northern California shorelines, the Mendocino coast is a rugged coast with rocky cliffs, sea arches and rustic beaches.
Geographically situated at the junction of three tectonic plates, this coast has been rocked and jolted throughout the centuries. Pacific, North American and Gorda plates.
It is the rocky coastline and dense fog that has made the Mendocino coast notorious for shipwrecks. The shipwreck of the Frolic in 1850 is what led shipmates, in a salvaging effort, to the discovery of a redwood forest. This soon brought in loggers and settlers, and the new town of Mendocino was born.
There are many small islands on this part of the coast, like the ones photographed above and below. They are a perfect spot for sea birds to forage and preen in peace–no humans or land predators.
The water is never still here. Waves are forever crashing against the miles and miles of jagged rocks and cliffs. Jetties, tidepools, sea foam, driftwood in spots. Sea palms on the rocks get swooshed and jostled by rhythmic waves.
The scenic town of Mendocino caters largely to tourists. It is a small, unincorporated town of great beauty with a population of not quite 1,000. The village was founded around a mill in the 1850s and attracted settlers who built Victorian-style homes, churches, and stores, creating a historic architecture that is a major draw for tourists.
There are pricey shops and restaurants, many breathtaking views of the ocean wherever you go, and an ambience of mellow quirkiness and charm.
Summers here are busy, winter days less so. The ocean, in the photo below, is at the end of this downtown street.
I cannot highlight Mendocino California without addressing the town’s name to fame: Murder She Wrote. It was a popular TV series from 1984 to 1996 featuring Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher who solved an uncanny number of murders in the small fictional town of Cabot Cove represented by Mendocino. Opening credits and some scenes feature the Mendocino coast. Jessica’s “home” is here, too. It’s called Blair House on Lake Street and is now a small inn.
For a short time, we walked around the town and cemetery, but it was always the coast that was drawing us in. We spent most of our time frolicking along the water’s edge–walking trail paths, birding, and eating take-out meals overlooking the sea.
We found this white-crowned sparrow in a bramble of berries and cotoneaster. He steadily plucked and ate one wild blackberry after another.
Brown pelicans, double-crested cormorants, western gulls, sparrows and many other birds kept us entertained. We saw a few sea lions, too.
There was a hardy female Anna’s hummingbird who greeted us often, the last photo.
Originally the drive home was going to include another stretch of Highway 1 and the Point Arena Lighthouse, but the fog was so thick that morning we could barely see the road. We’ll have to come back for that.
At the end of our three-day stay, back we drove through the dripping redwoods, back through the vineyards that had lost more leaves, and inland to home.
For our Halloween fun today, it’s a good time to look at wild animals that give us a slight chill. Wild animals have a rawness that is unpredictable and can indeed be spooky.
Calif. Striped Racer, CA
These are not even some of the very scariest animals (like a hyena) because I don’t want to give you nightmares.
We start with a fellow mammal, a Halloween specialty, the bat. This one is a spectacled flying fox. We came upon a colony in a forest in northern Queensland, Australia.
You can see in the photo below the bat looks bespectacled, for which it is named.
Spectacled Flying Fox, Australia
Some of the creatures here just look spooky because they’re different, but others really are spooky for how dangerous they can be.
Below is a male African buffalo. We were in Zambia, Africa and more than once our jeep came from behind tall grass and there one would be, glaring at us.
Took my breath away a few times.
His left eye is scarred and half-shut, no doubt the result of a fight. A typical male, like this one, weighs 1,650 pounds (750 kg).
African Buffalo, Zambia
This hippo, below, was scarred and surly. Some people may think hippos are kind of cute, but when you are near one in the wild, you immediately grasp the sobering presence they exude.
Hippos are fast–faster than they look.
Hippo, Zambia
Below are warthogs we came upon in Zambia; they had been digging for roots and tubers. Long, flat snouts, sharp tusks and soulless eyes. A strong-legged and very fast animal.
While on a safari walk, the guide told us to stay away from ground holes because the warthogs cleverly back into burrows, out of sight, and come charging out tusk first if they are threatened.
Common Warthogs, Botswana
There are many intimidating African animals in the wild, but we’ll look at just two more, seen in Botswana.
The male lion, below. I think we all know to fear this formidable creature. They swagger confidently and have piercing golden eyes and when it’s the right time, they pounce and tear flash like the warriors they are.
African Lion, Botswana
This is a cobra we encountered. The snake’s hood (neck) is flared and its head is up, ready to strike.
Shimmery and golden in the African sun, but deadly.
Cobra, Botswana
Let’s hop on our witchy broomstick to head over to the western hemisphere, look at more spooky creatures.
Golden Silk Spider, GA
Galapagos Islands. Far out in the Pacific Ocean about 600 miles (1,000 km) from the mainland, the wildlife has evolved in isolation, unaccustomed to humans.
These two wild iguana species, below, were not dangerous to be around, but just so incredibly unusual. Absolutely prehistoric looking.
The only living lizard that forages in the sea, marine iguanas are slow on land but graceful under water. We saw hundreds of them basking on rocks and even found a few in the water when we were snorkeling.
In 1835 Charles Darwin reported the Galapagos black lava rocks were frequented by these “most disgusting, clumsy lizards.” That seems a bit harsh–he probably found them on one of the days he was having stomach troubles.
Marine Iguana, Galapagos Isl.
Equally as curious-looking were the land iguanas. Here is a pair, below.
Peeling skin, crusty faces, long rat-like tails and gnarled claws.
Land Iguanas, Galapagos Isl.
Let’s head to Central America next. But yikes, this broomstick is so uncomfortable. Let’s switch to a magic carpet.
This American Crocodile, below, was churlishly staring at us as our little boat cruised by. Look at that mouth. Even when the chops are shut you know there’s pointy, sharp teeth lurking inside. How many teeth? About 65.
American Crocodile, Costa Rica
The array of spooky insects we have on this planet is immense. Many are very cool, but I’m taking it easy on you today. I’ve just got one for you, the assassin bug, below.
They’re called assassin bugs because they use an “assassination” method to hunt and kill. They ambush their prey, then grab them with their front legs, inject them with paralyzing saliva and then suck out the liquefied innards.
Assassin Bug, Belize
Heading north to America for the last two spooky creatures.
We were eating our sandwiches inside the car in a parking area when this big bison wandered very close to us, apparently attracted to the mud puddle. We could hear its steady, heavy breathing.
We were of course thrilled but a little nervous.
They’re faster than they look too, faster than most horses.
American Bison, SD
Lastly, my own backyard. We lived on an isolated mountain top and in the summer it was hot and dry.
This mature rattlesnake, below, hung out with us one summer.
We agreed not to bother each other, and it worked out. Why did we do that? Because the rattlesnake kept the rodent population under control.
Its head is in the center of the photo below, and it is looking at you. Rattles are on the right; there are 7 or 8 or 9?
It rattled at us a couple of times that summer, but we quickly got the message.
Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, CA
There’s something so gripping and powerful about wild animals. Add to that the dark superstitions of this holiday that go back centuries, and we have ourselves a spooky Halloween.
It is always a breath of fresh air to visit Pt. Reyes in Northern California. We go once a month and it is a different and thrilling adventure every time, cycles of the season are always in play.
California Quail
Our day trip last week was a typical coastal mid-October day. It was chilly and overcast.
We hiked the path at Abbott’s Lagoon, overview seen below–way out in the distance, on the left-hand side at the horizon is a ribbon of the ocean. The sea was relatively calm that day.
With that stormy-looking sky and low cloud cover, there were many raptors on the ground, waiting on the thermals for their lift-off.
This red-tailed hawk, below, perched patiently on a very small post.
An osprey was busy with its catch of the day on a fence, below. We have never seen osprey here so this was a treat. We kept expecting it to take off, but then our optics had that answer–the osprey was preoccupied with a fish in its talons.
Ravens, too, are usually high above us, cawing loudly about one thing or another. But that day, there were several grounded and in our midst. One of my favorite birds, the ravens were especially gorgeous with their shiny black feathers.
The coastal chaparral had advanced into its winter state since last month’s visit. Neither the coyote bush nor the lupine had any more flowers, but the bushes were animated with all the usual birds who hide underneath.
The California quail, this male below in his sentinel position, had a fluttery flock of young ones hidden below among the woody limbs. They were hidden but not quiet. The young ones will soon learn the importance of being quiet, but for now they had dad on the post keeping an eye out.
The white-crowned sparrows, ubiquitous along the Abbotts Lagoon trail, were dapper in their plumage. These individuals on the coast are year-round but further inland we’re seeing more of them arriving to winter with us, they come from Alaska and the Rocky Mountains.
Their song melts my heart and I’m thrilled they’re here for the winter, link below.
For the last few months there have been Bewick’s wrens in a patch of coyote bushes near the road, and this one frequently popped out in its dogged pursuit of insects. This wren species does not occur east of the Mississippi, but we have them here in California year-round. It is a joy to watch these noisy nimble birds.
After our hike and teatime, we drove up the road to check on the elk, driving slowly so as not to miss any critters.
This coyote below, camouflaged in the landscape, was our reward.
The coyote, too, was getting a winter coat. Usually the coyotes are prowling in the tall grass and chaparral, hunting, but on this cold, sleepy day it seemed to be naptime.
We have been observing an interesting new phenomenon lately with the elk at Point Reyes. Since a recent lawsuit settlement and the departure of dairy ranches, the elk have gradually been expanding from the reserve into the abandoned ranches.
Below is a herd of female elk grazing beside the open gate of a defunct dairy ranch.
This tule elk bull below, who doesn’t care anything about human lawsuits, was focused on keeping his harem together. The last two months they have been bugling a lot in the middle of their rutting season–a time for them to attract females and warn other males of their dominance. But the rutting season is waning now.
What a joy to see it all: the raptors rearranging their day with the lack of thermals, the elk discovering a bigger space, and the birds and mammals going about their business of resting and hunting and raising their young.
Soon the elephant seals will be making their way here from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska and the migrating shorebirds will be arriving for the winter too.
And when we come back next month, we will have our winter coats on.
As a devoted fan of wildlife on earth, I am excited to share beautiful art depicting wildlife in ancient Egypt. We humans have been revering our wild animals for centuries.
Statue of Horus, Edfu, Egypt
Living in the land of the fertile Nile Valley, ancient Egyptians acquired an in-depth knowledge of the animals that surrounded them. Later, they transferred these animals and their characteristics to the divine realm; eventually the gods were taking animal forms.
Aside from wildlife, Ancient Egyptians also had pets, a big topic for a later date. But here is an interesting article about their pets, link below, and a cat display we saw at a U.S. touring Ramses II exhibit in 2022.
(All other photos are from an Egypt tour we made last year.)
The oldest pyramid complex in Egypt is called Saqqara and is an ancient necropolis dating back to the Third Dynasty (approximately 4,600 years ago). It was the seat of government and worship prior to Giza.
Saqqara Pyramid, Egypt
Inside Saqqara structures there are numerous tombs with limestone walls (photograph below) displaying carvings of animals, fish, birds, insects, vegetation and everyday scenes with people in hunting, herding and farming scenes. The small, catacomb rooms have walls and walls with floor-to-ceiling carvings. I have just included one tiny part of one wall here.
This is a hippo (left), in an underwater Nile River scene, accompanied by several different fish species including a Nile carp. We see underwater plants here too. Hippos were once common in the Nile River but there are none today.
In addition to these everyday scenes, animals were also prevalent in the characters of their writing language, aka hieroglyphs.
Below are six photos of hieroglyphs with animals used as symbols.
This is a wall, below, in King Ramses IV’s tomb. These are funerary texts intended to guide the pharaoh through the afterlife.
Cobras, on the top row, stand out. They symbolize divine and royal protection, sovereignty, and the power to ward off enemies and chaos in the afterlife. Also of notable interest here (below, lower third) is the snake between the two flanks of women–one head with a very long, curling body. Their snakes must have been very long!
There is a menagerie of animals below the cobras in the small hieroglyphs. This close-up, below, shows a hare (top left) and a vulture (bottom left).
These hieroglyphs, below, are photographed from a wall of the Kom Ombo Temple. Animal symbols here include the head of a cow, cobra, vulture, two lion heads and a viper.
This is an outdoor wall at Karnak Temple covered with hieroglyphs (below). The carvings, which have survived for millennia, tell of battle scenes, religious rituals and gods, providing a rich glimpse into ancient Egyptian culture and history. Animals are prominent.
As in most hieroglyphs, there were multiple meanings applied to the symbolic characters.
For example, carvings of bees could mean the words for beekeeper and honey. But in this carving, below, the bees are paired with two sedge plants, symbolizing the unification of Lower Egypt (bee) with Upper Egypt (sedge), a central theme in ancient Egypt. In the center is an ankh, symbol of life.
Bee hieroglyph, Karnak pillar, Egypt
In addition to hieroglyphs, individual animals were also highlighted, always as a symbol.
Inside King Tut’s tomb (below) in the same chamber as his sarcophagus, is a painted mural showing 12 baboons–one baboon for each hour, representing the 12 hours of the night. The baboons, honored as divine sentinels of the netherworld, are escorting the Boy King to the afterlife. The upper left-hand side also displays a black scarab representing the sun god in his form of rebirth.
Additionally, animals depicted in tombs or other art were often half-man and half-beast, indicating the animal was expressed as a god or royal symbol. Ancient Egyptians combined the power of the animal with the intellect of a human.
The largest example of this is the Great Sphinx in Giza, a massive limestone statue famous for its lion’s body and human head. The lion symbolized strength and kingship.
Below is a half-man half-ibis representing the god Thoth, deity of wisdom, writing, science, magic, and the moon.
Thoth in Temple of Horus, Edfu
Also visible in the (above) photograph are hieroglyph carvings of falcons and a jackal, ibis, and viper.
In addition to carvings and wall writings there were many animals honored in jewelry, statues, door lintels, ceilings, sarcophagi and more.
The sarcophagus below, an exhibit at the Grand Egyptian Museum, has some of the most elegant carvings I have ever seen. It is the Sarcophagus of Nesptah belonging to Nes-Ptah, a noble and high-ranking priest and an influential son of the Mayor of Thebes, Montumhat. It is from the 26th Dynasty, around 2,500 years ago.
It is made of diorite, a very hard stone, and decorated with hieroglyphic texts from the Book of the Dead.
Human/animal gods as well as hieroglyphs cover Nes-Ptah’s beautiful resting place.
We will close with animal art in my favorite tomb, the Tomb of Seti located in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt.
Join me as we head down into the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I of the Nineteenth Dynasty (approximately 3,200 years ago).
I could’ve stayed down here for days, in this cosmic chamber of peace and grandeur with its richly decorated rooms.
My very favorite is Room J (above) with its depiction of circumpolar stars and constellations on the vaulted ceiling. Amazingly, this is a display of the ancient Egyptian understanding of the cosmos.
The red dots, painted with red ochre, indicate these are rough sketches. They are construction marks used by the ancient Egyptian artists and in an unfinished state. The standard duration for the mummification process was 70 days; then the tomb had to be secured, and sometimes deadlines could not be met.
Today we looked at humans from thousands of years ago and the art and stories and values and reverences important to them. They used animals as a means of communication. What a pleasure it is to share a small bit of that here with you today.
Jet Eliot 
