On the road again

Figured it was time to place a bird picture here, to show that I haven’t completely abandoned birding just yet. This is a female Hepatic Tanager, a characteristic bird of Central American pine-oak forests. I observed it in Tisey last week, in the mountains of northwestern Nicaragua. If you followed this blog last winter, you may remember reading about this bird as one of the regular flock members in mixed warbler flocks. Those neotropical migrants are currently on their way to join pine-oak residents such as this Hepatic Tanager.

I’m now traveling in the opposite direction. I’m in El Salvador at the moment, where earlier this week I assisted Lety, Carlos and Diana with bird banding in El Imposible, a national park I first visited 6 months ago. Today I’ll be attending Roselvy’s graduation from the University of San Salvador. All these people I just mentioned are Salvadoran biologists. It is always a pleasure to spend time with them, and I love coming to El Salvador.

Then tomorrow I resume my northward journey, next stop Guatemala City. That’s not too far from here, and only a $15 bus ride. Sunday I plan to make my way across the Mexican border to San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, where I spent much time last winter studying Golden-cheeked Warblers. Next on the itinerary Monday is a nightly bus ride from San Cristóbal to Veracruz City, where I hope to arrive early Tuesday morning. From there, final destination Cardel & Chichicaxtle in Central Veracruz is only an hour’s bus ride away. Next week Thursday, the 2009 fall raptor seasons kicks off in Veracruz, and once more I’ll be a counter on Pronatura’s River of Raptors project. Looking forward to witnessing that spectacle of massive bird migration once more. I’ll be writing about it here of course.

This is what I’m up to next.

While here, I discussed exciting possibilities for field work in Central America during the upcoming winter season and the first half of next year. More about that some other time.