Elizabetha has altered her direction yet again and is now flying along a SE heading paralleling, and certainly in sight of, the Andean foothills to her east. Yesterday she flew 55 km (35 miles).
She continues to baffle us with her new and different behavior, moving so slowly down the west coast of South America. To us, this is really great stuff, new behavior in a migrant peregrine.
It forces me to become aware of my own particular prejudices in how I think about migrant peregrines. Working the fall migration for many decades along the beaches of Padre Island, Texas, or on the coastlines of Ecuador, Peru and Chile, I have developed a concept of these falcons flying south both quickly and directly, that there is some sort of "rush" to get to their austral ranges. And, of course, many of them do that very thing.
However, looking at Elizabetha, and Linda before her, I am having to re-calibrate my understanding to include these adult females that slowly take their time traveling south.
And I realize that, after all, peregrine means wanderer, the essence of what she seems to be doing right now.
This sort of meandering flight really does epitomize that quality. Think of what she is going through. She is flying across a gigantic amount of area on her flight across an entire hemisphere. She has to be able to function in each location, climate, and habitat type. She must be able to recognize each new prey species and exploit new hunting opportunities when she encounters them. She has to have enough skill and experience to make a living under all of these conditions. And she has to successfully avoid predators. She is out there every day, adapting to each new challenge on her journey south.
In other words, she is an absolute master at what she does, which I find to be extraordinary.
Don McCall writes,
"It's not clear whether we'll receive any more data before her transmitter begins the off-season duty cycle. There should be one more GPS fix in the evening of the 30th but it wouldn't normally be transmitted to a satellite until the next morning (after the switchover), so we'll have to see if anything shows up tomorrow morning."
So expect the next series of reports on Elizabetha to appear in about 10-11 more days.
30 November, 2008
29 November, 2008
Elizabetha Slowly Moving Through Lowlands of Ecuador
Elizabetha continues to move at a slow pace through Ecuador. Yesterday, she flew another 50 km (31 miles) towards Guayaquil.
Don McCall writes...
"Unfortunately we won't be able to track her daily progress much longer. Her transmitter's programming will soon switch to a different seasonal mode, and her data will then become available only every 10 days. When that occurs, these notices will be sent only while Elizabetha continues to migrate and new signals are received for her. However, the FRG website will continue to be updated approximately every 5 days (since there will also be periodic updates for Sparrow King and La Serena)."
When we order satellite transmitters, we are required to designate what kind of "duty cycle" we want programmed into each unit. This includes the dates for switching the radio on for daily locations during the migration as well as when we want the unit to turn off (when the falcon arrives at its austral range).
We had all anticipated that Elizabetha would be back at the Putu dune field by the first of December. However, peregrines obviously have their own way of doing things and therefore we underestimated the transition date for her this year.
We should still be able to get a pretty good idea of her route and when she arrives back at Putu but we won't be able to get this information every day. Downloads for her will occur, as Don stated, every 10 days starting 1 December. So stay tuned.
Don McCall writes...
"Unfortunately we won't be able to track her daily progress much longer. Her transmitter's programming will soon switch to a different seasonal mode, and her data will then become available only every 10 days. When that occurs, these notices will be sent only while Elizabetha continues to migrate and new signals are received for her. However, the FRG website will continue to be updated approximately every 5 days (since there will also be periodic updates for Sparrow King and La Serena)."
When we order satellite transmitters, we are required to designate what kind of "duty cycle" we want programmed into each unit. This includes the dates for switching the radio on for daily locations during the migration as well as when we want the unit to turn off (when the falcon arrives at its austral range).
We had all anticipated that Elizabetha would be back at the Putu dune field by the first of December. However, peregrines obviously have their own way of doing things and therefore we underestimated the transition date for her this year.
We should still be able to get a pretty good idea of her route and when she arrives back at Putu but we won't be able to get this information every day. Downloads for her will occur, as Don stated, every 10 days starting 1 December. So stay tuned.
28 November, 2008
Elizabetha Returns to the Lowlands
Elizabetha continued to follow a beautiful southwesterly heading yesterday and flew down into the lowlands of Ecuador. She now appears to have committed to the more traditional coastal route.
She covered 94 km (58 miles) during the day and is right on track to intercept Guayaquil and the Pacific Ocean about 134 km (83 miles) to the southwest.
Looking at her overall route so far, you can clearly see that in addition to her record-setting flight along the eastern seaboard of the US, she has also engaged in several small delays in certain areas like the Florida Keys, Honduras and Panama.
Most recently, she is showing the "equatorial slowdown" that we noticed in several other tagged birds in the past. This behavior seems to be geographically associated with the equator for some reason.
For example, she has spent 13 days (almost 20% of her total migratory period) just traversing Colombia and half of Ecuador. This slowdown is clearly apparent on the map and can be seen in the compression of blue dots (roost sites) shown within the two countries.
The reason(s) for this apparent slowdown remains a mystery.
Last night, she roosted southeast of the town of Quevedo near the Quevedo River. The main highway from Quito to Guayaquil passes through this town.
Cloud cover on the Google Earth map prevents us from seeing the details of this roost site.
She covered 94 km (58 miles) during the day and is right on track to intercept Guayaquil and the Pacific Ocean about 134 km (83 miles) to the southwest.
Looking at her overall route so far, you can clearly see that in addition to her record-setting flight along the eastern seaboard of the US, she has also engaged in several small delays in certain areas like the Florida Keys, Honduras and Panama.
Most recently, she is showing the "equatorial slowdown" that we noticed in several other tagged birds in the past. This behavior seems to be geographically associated with the equator for some reason.
For example, she has spent 13 days (almost 20% of her total migratory period) just traversing Colombia and half of Ecuador. This slowdown is clearly apparent on the map and can be seen in the compression of blue dots (roost sites) shown within the two countries.
The reason(s) for this apparent slowdown remains a mystery.
Last night, she roosted southeast of the town of Quevedo near the Quevedo River. The main highway from Quito to Guayaquil passes through this town.
Cloud cover on the Google Earth map prevents us from seeing the details of this roost site.
27 November, 2008
Elizabetha Exploring Ecuador
Well, this falcon is exhibiting some more new behavior.
She has moved only a few miles over the last several days (12 km or 7 miles yesterday) and remains in the Andean foothill region of western Ecuador. Over the last six days, she has only crossed about a third of the country, all of it in the mountains.
We are not certain what she is doing there and what it is that might be holding her attention in this area of the tropics. She does seem to be moving a bit west and lower in elevation.
Could her slow migration be weather related? Perhaps there are heavy rains in the foothills that are impeding her flight.
Could it be prey? Maybe she has an opportunity to capture some favored prey species.
She may also need to "re-fuel" and add some fat to power the rest of the migration south.
Could it be that she will select a new and different location in Ecuador for her "wintering" months? And note the italics and quote marks around "wintering" so near the equator (a common northern hemisphere term and misleading in the extreme when it comes to Neotropical migrants).
Our colleague, Oscar Beingolea, in Peru suggests that northern adult female peregrines may be less philopatric than adult males. He rarely sees them return to the same locations in Peru.
All we can do at this point is wait and see what she will do.
She has moved only a few miles over the last several days (12 km or 7 miles yesterday) and remains in the Andean foothill region of western Ecuador. Over the last six days, she has only crossed about a third of the country, all of it in the mountains.
We are not certain what she is doing there and what it is that might be holding her attention in this area of the tropics. She does seem to be moving a bit west and lower in elevation.
Could her slow migration be weather related? Perhaps there are heavy rains in the foothills that are impeding her flight.
Could it be prey? Maybe she has an opportunity to capture some favored prey species.
She may also need to "re-fuel" and add some fat to power the rest of the migration south.
Could it be that she will select a new and different location in Ecuador for her "wintering" months? And note the italics and quote marks around "wintering" so near the equator (a common northern hemisphere term and misleading in the extreme when it comes to Neotropical migrants).
Our colleague, Oscar Beingolea, in Peru suggests that northern adult female peregrines may be less philopatric than adult males. He rarely sees them return to the same locations in Peru.
All we can do at this point is wait and see what she will do.
25 November, 2008
Elizabetha Moving Across the Andean Front
Elizabetha is continuing to take her time moving south. We are all impressed with her unexpectedly slow rate of travel as we had expected her to have arrived in Chile by now. But then, that is the value of a satellite transmitter. We are constantly learning new things about peregrine migration.
Yesterday, she finally crossed the equator and roosted 2.6 km (1.6 miles) south of the line. Looks like she chose to sleep on a forested hillside overlooking a river.
She also moved down in elevation and may be approaching the central valley of Ecuador, a tropical corridor of both forest and agricultural fields. Perhaps she is choosing out of the high Andes route. We should know by tomorrow.
She was nearly even with Quito in latitude.
I'd like to say hello to Bob Szuszkowski and all of his 5th grade students at Ironia School in Randolph, NJ, who are closely following Elizabetha's migration south. We are happy to be sharing her adventure with you and learning about falcon migration together. Enjoy!
Yesterday, she finally crossed the equator and roosted 2.6 km (1.6 miles) south of the line. Looks like she chose to sleep on a forested hillside overlooking a river.
She also moved down in elevation and may be approaching the central valley of Ecuador, a tropical corridor of both forest and agricultural fields. Perhaps she is choosing out of the high Andes route. We should know by tomorrow.
She was nearly even with Quito in latitude.
I'd like to say hello to Bob Szuszkowski and all of his 5th grade students at Ironia School in Randolph, NJ, who are closely following Elizabetha's migration south. We are happy to be sharing her adventure with you and learning about falcon migration together. Enjoy!
23 November, 2008
Elizabetha near Equator at 5,000 feet in the Andes
Elizabetha continued to move slowly south yesterday, covering only 62 km (39 miles) for the day.
She roosted last night on the western slope of the Andes along a river drainage flowing west from the dormant 4,700 meter high Volcan Cotacachi in Imbabura Province. This tributary eventually joins the Esmeraldas River.
She selected a small patch of forest alongside the river and across from the main road from Otavalo. The elevation of her signal (approximately 5,000 feet) reveals that she has chosen an Andean route at this point.
She is only about 58 km (36 miles) north of Quito.
She should cross over the equator either today or tomorrow as she is just 32 km (20 miles) north of the line.
This is the first time that we have had one of our tagged falcons initiate a southbound Andean route so far to the north. She veered into the foothills back in Colombia.
She roosted last night on the western slope of the Andes along a river drainage flowing west from the dormant 4,700 meter high Volcan Cotacachi in Imbabura Province. This tributary eventually joins the Esmeraldas River.
She selected a small patch of forest alongside the river and across from the main road from Otavalo. The elevation of her signal (approximately 5,000 feet) reveals that she has chosen an Andean route at this point.
She is only about 58 km (36 miles) north of Quito.
She should cross over the equator either today or tomorrow as she is just 32 km (20 miles) north of the line.
This is the first time that we have had one of our tagged falcons initiate a southbound Andean route so far to the north. She veered into the foothills back in Colombia.
22 November, 2008
Elizabetha Inching South
Our bird continued to move slowly south through the mountains of Ecuador in late November. Yesterday, she flew a mere 22 km (14 miles).
This is another example of the slow migration behavior exhibited by some of our adult female "deep" peregrines. We saw this behavior in Linda last year as well as in the first satellite tagged peregrine that flew to South America in the 1990's. The latter bird, tagged by Bill Seegar, arrived in the high mountains of Argentina in mid-December.
What are the selective advantages of an extended migration period? They might include;
1.) a greater familiarity with the terrain along the migratory route.
2.) more opportunities to hunt different prey species over a wider range of habitats.
3.) less energy expended over a greater period of time.
So there may be some definite advantageous elements to this type of behavior for the adult female.
This is another example of the slow migration behavior exhibited by some of our adult female "deep" peregrines. We saw this behavior in Linda last year as well as in the first satellite tagged peregrine that flew to South America in the 1990's. The latter bird, tagged by Bill Seegar, arrived in the high mountains of Argentina in mid-December.
What are the selective advantages of an extended migration period? They might include;
1.) a greater familiarity with the terrain along the migratory route.
2.) more opportunities to hunt different prey species over a wider range of habitats.
3.) less energy expended over a greater period of time.
So there may be some definite advantageous elements to this type of behavior for the adult female.
21 November, 2008
Elizabetha Arrives in Ecuador
After taking her time spending an entire week crossing Colombia, Elizabetha finally flew into Ecuador. Last night, she roosted just barely across the border and well up into the Andes Mountains.
In Colombia, she had followed what we are considering to be the "classic" coastal route, following the ocean shoreline and being "compressed" by the coast range. We have noticed that this geographic funnel really concentrates the west coast migrants along a narrow strip of Colombia coastline. Based on these findings, we would encourage our Colombian colleagues to consider looking there for migrant falcons in the future. We suspect that it will prove to be a major hot spot for South American birds in both spring and fall.
It might even have good potential as a peregrine banding site.
Elizabetha left the coast and then flew inland, high into the mountains, diverging from the coastal lowland valley route that we have identified in the past.
Will she become an Andean migrant all the way to Chile or will she return to the coast?
In Colombia, she had followed what we are considering to be the "classic" coastal route, following the ocean shoreline and being "compressed" by the coast range. We have noticed that this geographic funnel really concentrates the west coast migrants along a narrow strip of Colombia coastline. Based on these findings, we would encourage our Colombian colleagues to consider looking there for migrant falcons in the future. We suspect that it will prove to be a major hot spot for South American birds in both spring and fall.
It might even have good potential as a peregrine banding site.
Elizabetha left the coast and then flew inland, high into the mountains, diverging from the coastal lowland valley route that we have identified in the past.
Will she become an Andean migrant all the way to Chile or will she return to the coast?
20 November, 2008
Elizabetha Still in Colombia
More of the same for Elizabetha yesterday. She travelled another 101 km (63 mi) through Colombia and is now 106 km from Ecuador (and 3656 km / 2272 mi from the spot in Chile where she began her northern migration on 12 Apr). So, she's now completed about 3/4 of her southern migration route.
19 November, 2008
Elizabetha Moving Slowly Through Colombia
Elizabetha is still in no great hurry to get back to Chile. She continued through Colombia for another 50 km (31 mi) yesterday, and is now 39 kilometers from the Pacific and 206 km (128 mi) from Ecuador.
18 November, 2008
Elizabetha Progressing Through Colombia
Elizabetha continued south through the coastal region of Colombia for another 227 km (140 mi) yesterday. Her overnight roost was about 35 km. inland and 90 km. southwest of Cali.
17 November, 2008
Elizabetha Continues Through Colombia
Two days after arriving in northwestern Colombia, Elizabetha is on the move again. She flew south for 223 km (128 mi) yesterday, parallelling the Pacific Coast, and is now about 56 km inland (approximately due west of Bogota). At that distance from the coast she is still only about 75 meters above sea level. She's now almost halfway through Colombia, with Ecuador next on her itinerary.
16 November, 2008
Elizabetha in Colombia
Elizabetha has made landfall in NW Colombia near the city/town of Coredo. On 14 Nov. 2008, around 0600 local time we had a GPS waypoint for her in southern Panama. She then most likely made her Pacific Ocean crossing of approx. 165 mi. (270 km) to the coastal area of NW Colombia. She is now slowly making her way south along the coast. We expect more satellite data to be in later today.
14 November, 2008
Sparrow King Returns to Antofagasta
Sparrow King has returned to his "wintering" grounds on the outskirts of Antofagasta, Chile. He flew 613 km (351 mi) in the past two days, with his most recent signal locating him in the hills about a kilometer east of the city.
Elizabetha Starts Across the Gulf of Panama
Elizabetha might finally be headed for South America. Her overnight roost was near the southeast tip of Panama's Azuero Peninsula, just 61 km (38 mi) southeast of her previous day's location. However, a pair of Doppler signals received around daybreak less than 2 hours ago show that she has begun flying over the Pacific to the southeast and was already several kilometers offshore. It's 256 km (159 mi) from that location to the northwest tip of Colombia, or she could possibly fly a somewhat shorter route by veering to the northeast and making landfall in southeastern Panama. Of course, she's been known to just turn around and try again on another day. Tomorrow should tell.
13 November, 2008
Elizabetha Continues Touring Panama
Elizabetha continued her counterclockwise tour of Panama yesterday. She flew 140 km (87 mi) southwest from the Caribbean Coast to the Azuero Peninsula (the large bulge in the southern part of Panama that's directly west of the Gulf of Panama). Her overnight roost was about 29 km (18 mi) southeast of the city of Santiago, and 182 km (113 mi) southwest of Panama City. Perhaps she'll cross the Gulf of Panama to reach South America from here.
12 November, 2008
Sparrow King Approaching Chile
Sparrow King has flown 310 km (193 mi) in the past two days, and has nearly completed his journey through Peru (and soon, his entire southern migration). He is now only 42 km from Chile, just inland of the Pacific Coast and the coast highway.
Elizabetha Still Backtracking
Elizabetha continued backtracking on the northern shore of Panama yesterday, but not very far. She flew west for another 26 km (16 mi) and roosted in a forested area about 300 meters from the water.
11 November, 2008
Elizabetha Returns to the Caribbean
In a somewhat unexpected move, Elizabetha flew 65 km (40 mi) to the northwest and returned to the Caribbean side of Panama yesterday. Her overnight roost was about 2 km from the water. Other birds have backtracked slightly during their migration, particularly during a "rest" phase when they weren't making much progress anyway, but this might be the largest such reversal seen on the Southern Cross Peregrine Project. It's interesting that she has returned to an entirely different ocean, even if the distance involved isn't too great. And, this means that Bud might have another opportunity to spot her when she returns south.
10 November, 2008
Elizabetha's Attempted Interception
Here are excerpts from Bud's report about his attempted interception of Elizabetha this morning in the middle of her migration:
"We drove out to the area, arriving about an hour after astronomical dawn. Those are huge tracts of unoccupied house/apartments on Google Earth. Incidentally, Guido thinks the GE maps for this area are about 5 years old.
The terrain consists of rolling hills covered in typical tropical habitat, some stands of dense forest, some open fields, all of it heavily vegetated. We easily found the road leading up to the plateau but it is rainy season. The dirt or rather mud road had big potholes full of water at the approaches and there was no way we could get through. It would have been difficult even with a 4WD vehicle. So we could not gain access to the open plateau.
We returned to the main paved road leading south down to the Port at Vaca Monte but it had tall pampas grass along the side of the road, too tall to see over in many places and no good vantage points there either. This was about 5,000 feet east from her last position.
We then found a side road heading west, easily visible on Google Earth and took that. There is a small lake to the north of it. From this road, I could look east towards her last position. I did see a bird of prey the right size perched atop a tree west of her area. It was gray on the back and white on the front (shining in the sun) and I think that it was a peregrine. It looked right but I had no scope and we are talking a half mile out with 10X binoculars. It flew when I showed it to one of the women. I then watched a large falcon fly east fairly low over the treetops but I cannot definitely say it was a peregrine. Sure looked like it to me. Even if it was her, there would have been no way to see the antenna at that range.
So my results will have to remain inconclusive."
"We drove out to the area, arriving about an hour after astronomical dawn. Those are huge tracts of unoccupied house/apartments on Google Earth. Incidentally, Guido thinks the GE maps for this area are about 5 years old.
The terrain consists of rolling hills covered in typical tropical habitat, some stands of dense forest, some open fields, all of it heavily vegetated. We easily found the road leading up to the plateau but it is rainy season. The dirt or rather mud road had big potholes full of water at the approaches and there was no way we could get through. It would have been difficult even with a 4WD vehicle. So we could not gain access to the open plateau.
We returned to the main paved road leading south down to the Port at Vaca Monte but it had tall pampas grass along the side of the road, too tall to see over in many places and no good vantage points there either. This was about 5,000 feet east from her last position.
We then found a side road heading west, easily visible on Google Earth and took that. There is a small lake to the north of it. From this road, I could look east towards her last position. I did see a bird of prey the right size perched atop a tree west of her area. It was gray on the back and white on the front (shining in the sun) and I think that it was a peregrine. It looked right but I had no scope and we are talking a half mile out with 10X binoculars. It flew when I showed it to one of the women. I then watched a large falcon fly east fairly low over the treetops but I cannot definitely say it was a peregrine. Sure looked like it to me. Even if it was her, there would have been no way to see the antenna at that range.
So my results will have to remain inconclusive."
Sparrow King is Approaching Chile
Sparrow King covered another 583 km (362 mi) in the past two days after leaving the vicinity of Lima, Peru. He's now about 2 km from the Pacific Ocean and west of the city of Arequipa, about 350 km from the Chilean border.
Elizabetha Nears Panama City
Amazingly, Elizabetha flew yesterday to the outskirts of Panama City, where FRG founder Bud Anderson and his tour group are hoping for a chance to spot her. She's about 23 km (14 mi) west of the city, on the fringe of a region that looks populated (on Google Earth) not far from the Pan American Highway. Specifically, she's in a wooded area about 500 meters from what appears to be a dirt road, but it's hard to tell what the terrain is like there -- perhaps it's swampy, in which case they'll have to hope to spot her when she flies. Also surprisingly, this was the earliest that we've ever received the signals from Argos (although I haven't always been watching for them quite so diligently). A B-qual (very poor) Doppler fix was received at 0705Z, just 15 minutes after being transmitted from the satellite. The GPS fixes (which take longer for the Argos system to process), including the 0600Z fix indicating Elizabetha's overnight roost site, appeared about 20 minutes later. Bud received this information by cell phone at approximately 0245 local (Panama) time. Now we'll have to wait for his report. Good luck, Bud!
09 November, 2008
Elizabetha Progressing Through Panama
Elizabetha followed the northern coast of Panama eastward for 167 km (104 mi) yesterday; she roosted overnight in a heavily forested area just a couple of hundred meters from the Caribbean Sea, due north of Santiago (Panama) and 159 km (99 mi) west of Panama City.
08 November, 2008
Elizabetha Has Entered Panama
Elizabetha left Costa Rica yesterday and flew 209 km (130 mi) to the shore of Almirante Bay on the Caribbean side of Panama, just 29 km from the Costa Rican border. Her overnight roost was 319 km (198 mi) from Panama City. Coming your way, Bud!
07 November, 2008
Elizabetha is Passing Through Costa Rica
Elizabetha flew 342 km (213 mi) yesterday, passed Lake Nicaragua, and ended up for the night in Costa Rica about 70 km north of San Jose. This is in the same general area where Marco Saborio and friend intercepted Linda during her northbound migration last year, but the timing of the signals wasn't right for another interception attempt with Elizabetha this year (and her location doesn't look very accessible on Google Earth). Marco also reports that the only roads into that area are very dangerous to drive because of the heavy rains and danger of landslides. If Elizabetha remains near San Jose for a day or two then an attempt to see her might be possible, but it's more likely that she'll be in Panama by tomorrow (where Bud and the tour group that he's with could conceivably have a chance). Stay tuned...
06 November, 2008
Elizabetha Now in Nicaragua
Elizabetha is finally on the move again. After remaining near the same location in Honduras since 01 Nov, she flew 292 km (181 mi) into Nicaragua by early evening yesterday, and then continued an additional 43 km (26 mi) to her overnight roost about 80 km north of Managua. She is now much closer to the Pacific Coast than the Caribbean, and should soon be reaching Lake Nicaragua and then Costa Rica.
05 November, 2008
Sparrow King makes his way through Peru ... Elizabetha still in Honduras
Sparrow King has progressed 198 km (123 mi) through the Andean foothills and is now about 280 km from Lima, Peru.
Elizabetha is still at the same place in Honduras; by yesterday afternoon she had moved about 5 km but she then returned to the same overnight roosting area that she has used previously.
Elizabetha is still at the same place in Honduras; by yesterday afternoon she had moved about 5 km but she then returned to the same overnight roosting area that she has used previously.
03 November, 2008
Elizabetha Slows Down In Honduras
Elizabetha remains within 30 km of the Caribbean coast in Honduras. She flew only 13 km (8 miles) yesterday, some of that involving back-tracking.
She is travelling much slower than Sparrow King and is apparently in no rush to get back to Chile.
This is another example of an adult female, like Linda last year, simply taking her time migrating south. This is in great contrast to her recent world record flight along the eastern seaboard of the US.
What we are learning is that some adult female tundra peregrines take more time than expected to migrate to South America.
In fact, the first North American satellite-tagged peregrine to ever reach South America (tagged by Bill Seegar at Assateague Island) in the early 1990's arrived in Argentina in December, much later than anyone expected.
She is travelling much slower than Sparrow King and is apparently in no rush to get back to Chile.
This is another example of an adult female, like Linda last year, simply taking her time migrating south. This is in great contrast to her recent world record flight along the eastern seaboard of the US.
What we are learning is that some adult female tundra peregrines take more time than expected to migrate to South America.
In fact, the first North American satellite-tagged peregrine to ever reach South America (tagged by Bill Seegar at Assateague Island) in the early 1990's arrived in Argentina in December, much later than anyone expected.
Sparrow King Back in the Peruvian Atacama Desert
Sparky continued to fly south along the classic west coast migration route in South America. Last night, he roosted in the foothills of the Andes just southeast of the coastal city of Trujillo, about 8 km from the Pacific coast, after flying 542 km (337 miles) over the last two days.
He is now deep in the heart of the Atacama Desert once again.
He is now deep in the heart of the Atacama Desert once again.
02 November, 2008
Elizabetha Arrives in Honduras
Elizabetha left Belize on Friday and possibly flew over-ocean to Honduras. She arrived on the Caribbean coast just west of Puerto Cortes and not far from San Pedro Sula, where I spent a night last year en route to Panama. Definitely warm, definitely tropical there. She had flown 146 km (91 miles) for the day.
Yesterday, she flew inland, perhaps changing her bearing for the west coast route that she will eventually have to select to get back to Chile. She only went 44 km (28 miles) for the day. This area is mountainous and was pretty cloudy when I went through. Rainy season there right now. She may be dealing with weather.
Yesterday, she flew inland, perhaps changing her bearing for the west coast route that she will eventually have to select to get back to Chile. She only went 44 km (28 miles) for the day. This area is mountainous and was pretty cloudy when I went through. Rainy season there right now. She may be dealing with weather.
01 November, 2008
Sparrow King Traverses Ecuador
At last signal, Sparrow King had flown 155 km (96 miles) across Ecuador, following the central lowland valley south to Guayaquil and then beyond. Several of our birds have now followed this particular route.
On Thursday, he skirted the eastern edge of the Gulf of Guayaquil and had nearly crossed Ecuador.
He roosted SW of Machala, about 22 km (13 miles) north of the Peruvian border.
Several of our satellite-tagged birds have also paused in this area before. It is still typical tropical forest habitat with mangroves near the coast. But, like much of coastal Ecuador, this region has been converted to small artificial impoundments used for raising shrimp. It appears the Sparky slept on the edge of one of these ponds, perhaps on a power pole.
By the time you read this, he should be flying over the beginning of the Atacama Desert in Peru. The change comes fairly abruptly, transitioning from the humid coastal forest to the world's driest desert.
On Thursday, he skirted the eastern edge of the Gulf of Guayaquil and had nearly crossed Ecuador.
He roosted SW of Machala, about 22 km (13 miles) north of the Peruvian border.
Several of our satellite-tagged birds have also paused in this area before. It is still typical tropical forest habitat with mangroves near the coast. But, like much of coastal Ecuador, this region has been converted to small artificial impoundments used for raising shrimp. It appears the Sparky slept on the edge of one of these ponds, perhaps on a power pole.
By the time you read this, he should be flying over the beginning of the Atacama Desert in Peru. The change comes fairly abruptly, transitioning from the humid coastal forest to the world's driest desert.
Elizabetha Remains On Turneffe Island
Elizabetha remained among the islands at Turneffe on Thursday. She flew south a short distance (35km/22 miles) across the main island.
One of our friends and supporters, Jim Bishop, has visited these tropical islands while going after bonefish. He reports that they are a palm-dotted paradise with an enormous number of small islands in clear blue waters. There are several tourist resorts accessible by a short boat ride from the mainland.
He notes that there is no shortage of roosting sites available for Elizabetha to use.
One of our friends and supporters, Jim Bishop, has visited these tropical islands while going after bonefish. He reports that they are a palm-dotted paradise with an enormous number of small islands in clear blue waters. There are several tourist resorts accessible by a short boat ride from the mainland.
He notes that there is no shortage of roosting sites available for Elizabetha to use.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
