French Guiana October 2010 |
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I was lucky enough to go on a weeklong trip to French Guiana from
1-8 October 2010. I tagged along with a group of serious entomologists,
mostly associated with Yale's Peabody Collection. We largely patrolled the
grounds and nearby forest of our lodge, the Amazone Nature Lodge located on
Kaw Mountain at about 3000 feet elevation. Kaw Mountain is really a long
ridge, and we searched both during the day in various habitats plus at night
using mercury-vapor lamps. I mostly worked with Mike (see list below) as we
tried various trails and streams either at the lodge or up to 6 km away. One
day we took a boat trip on the Kaw River near the "town" of Kaw (7 Oct).
List of collectors, all dedicated entomologists:
Maishe Dickman
Bill and Suzanne Krinsky
Leonard and Maya Munstermann
Mike Thomas
Vic and Roanna DeMasi
If you mouse over the photo the date and
image number will give you the location. Each image is a thumbnail, click on
it to see the larger images. Most of the posed stuff was either caught by
net in the field or came of one of the sheets at night.
Thanks to the following for ID help:
Beetles and insects in general: Bill Krinsky
Cerambycids: Roy Morris
Odonates: Marcel Wasscher
Birds and odonates: Dennis Paulson
Here are some photos from the trip... |
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Some of the boys: L-R: Bill, Giff, Maishe, Mike, Leonard
(photo courtesy of Suzanne Krinsky) |
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Mike, in hunting mode on 3 Oct |
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Mike and Giff at stream 1 on 3 Oct |
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One of the sheets, on 4 Oct |
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All at one of the sheets on 4 Oct.
Left column:
-Maishe and Giff, right before the Yankees ignominiously bowed out of the
playoffs
-Bill with a Megasoma
-Katy burning Bill's shoulder to supposedly denature a wasp sting he has
just received.. he reported the burns were worse than the sting
-Mike and Bill looking for promising specimens
Right column:
-Leonard inspecting a prize
-Vic, Maishe and Katy having a laugh
-Giff and Mike at the sheet |
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Another mercury-vapor lamp setup, 6 Oct |
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One of the sheets, 6 Oct |
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The flat part to the trail to the lek, before it
got tougher, and a sign at the lek. Mike, Katy and Maishe near the lek at a
large cave. |
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If we had to go anywhere we would pile in the back of this
tough little Renault truck. |
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The Munstermann lodge... Maya waving |
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The entire lodge is solar powered. Battery building on the
left, solar panel on the right. |
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Breakfast table: (L-R) Maishe, Bill, Suzanne, Vic, Roanna |
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Stream 1, 3 Oct |
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Stream 2 from 6 Oct. |
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Kaw River, 7 Oct |
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Arthropoda |
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Class Arachnida, Order Aranae- Spiders |
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unk spider |
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Micrathena sp., posed |
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unk jumper |
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unk jumper, posed |
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unk jumper, posed |
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unk jumper, posed |
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unk jumper, posed |
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unk jumper |
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unk jumper, found along stream on eel-grass type
of vegetation. Two seen on same plant at different parts of stream. |
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unk jumper from 10/5, posed |
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unk jumper, posed |
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unk jumper, same individual on the right posed on 10/7 |
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Class Insecta |
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Order Odonata-
Dragonflies and Damselflies
Many of these are not identified yet but we collected representatives of
most of them, so we'll get the IDs eventually... |
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Damselflies |
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Heliocharis amazona |
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Hetaerina sp. |
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Hetaerina sp. |
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Mnesarete sp. |
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Argia sp. |
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Argia sp. |
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Argia sp. |
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Argia sp. |
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Heteragrion sp. |
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Heteragrion ictericum |
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Palaemnema sp. |
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Palaemnema brevignoni |
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Neoneura sp.? |
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Darners |
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Staurophlebia sp. |
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Gynacantha membranalis |
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Clubtails |
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Phyllocycla sp. |
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Cacoides latro |
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unk
Zonophora sp. clubtail |
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Emeralds |
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Aeschnosoma forcipula |
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Aeschnosoma forcipula.
Female. |
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Skimmers |
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Anatya guttata |
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Anatya guttata |
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Micrathyria sp. |
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Micrathyria sp. |
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Micrathyria sp. |
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Micrathyria sp. |
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Micrathyria very near didyma, possibly laevigata |
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Zenithoptera sp. |
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Zenithoptera sp. |
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unk skimmer |
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unk skimmer |
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Order Orthoptera- Crickets, Grasshoppers,
Locusts |
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Unk Monkey Grasshopper in family Eumastacidae |
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Proscopiidae sp. Grasshopper. These Stick-like Grasshoppers are
commonly called "Jumping Sticks" and they are fabulous stick mimics. |
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Unk Katydid |
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Cycloptera speculata. Ridiculously good leaf mimic Katydid, posed. |
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Wasp Mimic Katydid, posed Aganacris
pseudosphex male. (Tettigoniidae) |
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Order Dictyoptera- Cockroaches,
Mantids |
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Unk Mantid sp., posed |
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Unk Roach sp. |
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Order Hemiptera- True Bugs,
Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids, and Allies |
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Suborder Auchenorrhyncha
- Free-living Hemipterans |
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Leafhopper- posed |
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Leafhopper, posed |
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Leafhopper, posed |
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Leafhopper, posed |
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Leafhopper, posed |
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Leafhopper sp. |
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Leafhopper sp, posed |
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Leafhopper sp, posed |
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Leafhopper sp. |
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Fulgorid Planthopper Pterodictya reticulata |
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Fulgorid Planthopper |
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nymph Fulgorid Planthopper |
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Unk Treehopper sp. |
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Odontoptera carrenoi Treehopper. Amazing dead leaf
mimic., posed |
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Posed Membracid Bocydium globulare |
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Suborder Heteroptera
- True Bugs |
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This Coreid was pretty obvious... |
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Diactor bilineatus, Leaf-footed Bug (Coreidae) |
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This posed Reduviid is Manicocoris rufipes. It is a
"Resin Bug" that collects resin from trees to aid in capture of stingless
bees (Trigona sp). We found it and others hanging out on one tree in
the forest with a resin well. |
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Order Neuroptera- Lacewings,
Antlions, Mantis Flies |
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Ant-mimic Mantisipid |
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Same Mantisipid as yesterday, but now posed. In #50 it is
drinking water from the surface of the leaf. |
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Order Coleoptera- Beetles We looked for tigers, but did not find any. |
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possibly Chrysina sp. |
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Posed Megasoma acteon female |
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Chrysomelid sp. |
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Unk Tortoiseshell Beetle sp. |
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Posed Batus barbicornis. SpecTACular Long-horn. |
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Ant-mimic Cerambycid Beetle Appula sp. |
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Unk Brentid weevil, posed |
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Taeniotes sp. Cerambycid Beetle, posed |
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Posed Lampyrid Beetle, Apisoma sp. |
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Posed Megasoma acteon male |
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Myoxomorpha funestra Cerambycid, posed |
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Order Diptera- True Flies,
Mosquitoes |
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Unk Flies |
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Unk Leptogaster sp. |
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Unk Andrenosoma sp., posed |
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Order Lepidoptera-
Butterflies, Moths |
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Unk Heliconian |
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Unk Hairstreak |
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Blue Morpho, possibly achilles |
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Unk Hairstreak |
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Unk Butterfly |
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Unk Hairstreak |
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Unk Hairstreak |
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Unk Heliconia sp. |
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Unk butterfly |
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Moths |
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Poor photo of a moth that mimics jumping spiders on leaf
surfaces |
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Unk Moth |
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Emergent Moth sp. |
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Unk Moth sp. |
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Unk Moth sp... I think |
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Unk Moth sp., posed |
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Gorgonidia buckleyi whitfordi, posed |
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Unk Moth sp. |
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Lampyrid mimic moth, posed Crastoplastis diluta |
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Unk moth, posed |
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Larvae |
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Geometrid caterpillar, posed. Jumping spider mimic, maybe. |
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Sphinx caterpillar, posed |
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Unk caterpillar |
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Unk caterpillar |
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Unk caterpillar |
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Unk Caterpillar |
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Unk Looper Caterpillar |
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Unk Caterpillar, posed |
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probable Megalapodid caterpillar, posed |
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Unk Caterpillar sp. |
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similar to Tetrio Sphinx, Giant Gray Sphinx, Frangipani
Hornworm, Pseudosphinx tetrio. Posed. |
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Unk larvae, may or may not be Lepidoptera |
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Order Hymenoptera- Bees,
Ants, Wasps, Hornets |
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Unk Ant |
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Bullet Ant, unk sp. |
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Apoica pallens. Fascinating nest-guarding behavior. |
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Chordata |
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Unk gecko that lived in our kitchen. |
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Class Aves- Birds We saw about 60 species, heard many
more, but only got decent shots
of a few... most of the time I had macro lenses on and couldn't get the bird
shots. Most of the shots here were from the boat ride along the Kaw River.
Except for C-O-T-R, all shots from 7 Oct are along the river. |
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Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes burrovianus) |
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Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus). We
had at least one or two over the camp every day, max of 8 at once. |
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Azure Gallinule (Porphyrula flavirostris) |
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American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica).
These had probably recently arrived from their nonstop flight from the NE US
or Maritimes... I think they are all adults in various stages of molt. |
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Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) |
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Wattled Jacana (Jacana jacana). Adult on left and
juvenile on right. |
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Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) |
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Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) |
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White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis). Two shots
of the same juvenile on the left and an adult on the right. |
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Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) |
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Yellow-billed Tern (Sterna superciliaris).
Not positive these aren't Least Terns, but seem to be Yellow-billed. |
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Great Ani (Crotophaga major) |
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Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani) |
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Blackish Nightjar Caprimulus nigriscens I think. Unk sex
on a nest, but probably the male. |
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Blackish Nightjar Caprimulus nigriscens I think.
Same nest but the other sex, at night.. |
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Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona) |
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White-headed Marsh-Tyrant (Arundinicola leucocephala) |
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Guianan Cock of the Rock (Rupicola rupicola)
These were at a lek near the lodge. It was pretty dark in there, and we
didn't want to use flash, so these are a little soft. But what a bird! |
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Black-capped Donacobius (Donacobius atricapillus) |
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Red-breasted Blackbird (Sturnella militarus) |
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Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela) |
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Class Mammalia- Mammals |
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Yellow-legged Tamarin. They were around the lodge just about
daily, but tough to get shots of... |
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