Greater prairie-chickens are a lekking species of grouse that reside in open grasslands throughout several midwestern states. Leks are aggregations of males visited by females for the sole purpose of mating. Males gather together for several months in the breeding season, each defending a territory within the lek. Females typically choose to mate with one, […]
Read PostCosta Rica has long been known as a world class ecotourism destination and the Costa Rican Bird Route is considered the first birding trail of its kind in Central America. The bird route is another example of Costa Rica’s commitment to conserving valuable habitat for a variety of species. This project’s goal is to promote […]
Read PostEven though Costa Rica is a small country, its biodiversity is impressive. Only the size of the state of West Virginia, Costa Rica provides habitat for approximately 4% of the world’s species. More than 850 species of birds have been recorded there. That’s more than all of the birds recorded in the US and Canada […]
Read PostWhen a winter trip to Arizona landed on my travel calendar, I knew a search for Harris’s hawks was in order. Harris’s hawks reside in the arid southwest US, including the Tucson area. This raptor species stands alone when it comes to hunting. They hunt cooperatively as small family units. Why? It increases their chances […]
Read PostWe’re admitted travel junkies here at Reefs to Rockies. Every time we travel, even if it’s just home for the holidays, we try to fit in time to explore the great outdoors. Last week, I was able to convince a friend of mine to brave a chilly Dallas morning at White Rock Lake. Many hours […]
Read PostIt didn’t take long to notice a wide variety of bird species in front of our condo in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico. Located along the Riviera Maya, Puerto Aventuras is a resort area south of Playa del Carmen. A few short walks along the beach provided an abundance of bird photo op’s. Watching the resident pair […]
Read PostWe arrived to Otun Quimbaya after dark on a Saturday. On the way from Pereira we stopped along the Otun River in town in search of the torrent duck, a local highlight. We struck out on the duck, but did see a white-capped dipper in the river. Otun Quimbaya is located in the west slope […]
Read PostNestled between two urban Manizales neighborhoods, Los Alcazares Ecopark proved to be a surprise highlight of the trip. Upon arrival, our guide informed us that a typical two-hour morning birding session at this location often yields 50+ species without walking more than 100 yards down the road from the entrance. We showed up late in […]
Read PostApproximately 10% of Earth’s living species are found in Colombia. At present, Colombia ranks first in the world when it comes to the number of bird species. Our first major stop for birding on this trip was El Dorado Reserve in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and a two-three hour drive from Santa Marta. El Dorado […]
Read PostBack in Bogota after 7 days of birding (Santa Marta, Otun Quimbaya and Cali regions). Final tally of birds seen comes to 317 different species (the group saw a total of 355). To put that into perspective, we saw approximately 1/3 of the total number of species recorded in the US in Canada in just […]
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