Bugle Birds…by Brad Marks

Wow, July is really “cooking” by – literally ha. We were spoiled with a few recent mornings/nights in the low 60’s but today’s morning run was a return to the humidity wall – the “feels like” section in the weather report shot to 106F degree by mid-day. To be honest, beyond the trail of sweat left on the pavement, I didn’t really notice the heat as I was completely captivated by today’s podcast selection. Not a big surprise as Mike Rowe’s ‘The Way I Heard’ It is a masterclass in how to find and interview intriguing individuals. Thanks to the distances I train at, I go through ravenous amounts of podcasts and interviews on some form of running, self-improvement, psychology, behavioral, technical and on rare occasions just something fun and light. The more thought provoking, the better or I might start thinking about what I’m physically doing and NOBODY wants that hahaha. At times though, something or someone about knocks me off my feet with an insight or topic that blows me away – today was one of those days. If you are curious, the name of the episode was Todd Rose – One Good Thing. He is the author of Collective Illusions – a book that was put on my wish list the moment I got into dry clothes. His company works in the “private” polling arena which attacks the blatant flaws in assessing public opinion. If you want to know what Gen Z is REALLY thinking, Todd is at the heart of the matter and it will absolutely surprise you. I will not waste print on the details, but if are interested have a listen on your favorite podcast service, Mike Rowe’s website (link here) or if you are not consuming while running, it is on YouTube (link here). There is one thing I know that is definitely not an illusion and that is Brad and Jan out in the field bringing you another great story from their travels afar. While I attempt to replenish the fluids in my body, Brad is going to take over and force birds to play the bugle for us…wait..is it play the bugle for the birds..hmmm, a classic from the Buggles (link here) or maybe just some happy Budgies singing (link here). I really need to start paying more attention at our weekly planning meetings.

In any case, take it away Brad…

On assignment in the Southern Caribbean (I know, don’t feel sorry for us) Jan and I had been riding on a tour coach for a couple of hours when we stopped at a secluded beach area.  If my notes were correct, we had just stopped at Playa Kenepa Grandi on the island of Curaçao.  The coach parking lot is a couple hundred yards from the beach and is elevated about 100 feet above the water.  Getting to the beach itself involves a hike down to the water from the parking area.  We only had about 15 minutes off the coach to stretch our legs and use the facilities, so a beach visit was out of the question.

After taking selfies with the beach in the background, Jan and I wandered to the right a little bit to see if we could find the bird Merlin was telling us was in the greenery.  We left the pavement to walk a little way along the path when something bright orange caught our eyes.  Merlin was having trouble hearing over the people and sounds of ocean.

There it is. I tried to get the camera on it, but it was gone already.  Over there.  Lifted the camera, but I was too late, again.  This bird was teasing us quite a bit by staying inside the foliage on the edge of the cliff.  Then Jan spotted an orange flash leaving the bushes and heading across the parking lot to the shady side of the greenery.  Dang it, we missed our chance. We walked towards the shade (it was quite warm outside) and were rewarded with a bright orange bird sitting openly on a branch about eye level.

Now that is what I call a video (err, picture) star. Hit the jump to read more about this colorful find!

At first, I thought it was a wayward Baltimore Oriole.  Doing the math in my head told me this bird would have had to traverse a thousand or more miles of open water to get here.  Or it would have taken a very long route through Central America.  Probably isn’t a Baltimore.  That means it’s going to turn out to be a +1, if we can get some photos this time.

We took a few snaps just to get something in the tin.  The bird wasn’t ruffled by us being close, so we took a couple of steps closer and took more photos.  Still not interested in us, so closer in we went.  We hadn’t expected to have very much time for any birding on this trip, so I only packed the travel 18-200mm lenses.  This really nice travel lens lets us take a wide range of photos, but none from very far away.  We were “foot zooming” at this point, inching up closer and closer to our subject birds.

This is a Venezuelan Troupial (Icterus icterus), a +1 for us.  And one of the first birds we could identify as part of South America, a new continent for us.  OK, OK, technically we weren’t on the continent itself, but we were on an island on the continental shelf about 35-40 miles off the coast of Venezuela.  Don’t worry, we actually touched the mainland a few days later in Colombia to officially say we’ve been in South America.

While the rest of the tour bus was lined up to purchase a beverage or an ice cream, or to use the facilities, Jan and I kept photographing the birds.  We did see another unrelated yellow bird in the foliage, but I’m saving that for a future story.

At first glance, the stare given to me by this Troupial reminded me of a grackle’s intense gaze.

Adults are orange, whereas the juveniles look almost yellow in comparison.  Juveniles have dark eyes, but the adults have pale yellow eyes.  Adults have a blue tear-drop shape around their eyes.  The striking orange and black feathers make them stand out in the greenery.  This family of Troupials had found a leak in the water supply and were making the most of it.

Venezuelan Troupial are notorious for their lack of shame when it comes to nest stealing.  While we did not witness this behavior, they would much rather steal an existing nest than build one of their own. 

Part of this New World oriole’s name, Troupial, is an onomatopoeic version of their loud and melodic calls:  “turu-pío, turu-pío”.  Troupial as sometimes called the “bugle bird” by locals.  You can probably tell by the full name, it is the national bird of Venezuela.  They can be found all over Venezuela, Colombia, and many Caribbean islands including the ABC Islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, essentially their annual range.  No need to migrate when you already call paradise home.

With the clock ticking in my head for our short stop, I looked around and didn’t see a single person from our tour bus.  That either meant they were all lost, or had already boarded the tour bus for the next stop.  Guess which it was?  Yup, Jan and I were the last two to get on the bus.

Thank you for reading.  If you want to see more Venezuelan Troupial photos, please visit here. 

Credits:

Thanks again to Jan for proofreading and editing.  Thanks to Jan for many of the photos in this story.