|
Great Jacamar is a seldom-reported and perhaps declining resident of the deep forests of the Canal area, seen occasionally on Pipeline Road and with decreasing frequency on
Semaphore Hill. I've managed to rustle up perhaps 2-3 reports for each of the last several years, including the first record from Cerro Azul, from a VENT tour group in October of 2006.
I was lucky enough to see this bird on my first visit to the region, when I collected video (a grainy still reprinted below) of a single bird on Pipeline Road in August of 2003. The circumstances surrounding
this sighting were quite interesting; the previous day we had lost our primary guide, Carlos Bethancourt, to the bite of a fer-de-lance, and were only visting Pipeline again to make up for time lost while we sought medical attention for Carlos.
In the morning before we left for the field one of my companions on this trip, Jesse Fagan (now a leader for Field Guides Inc.) announced that he would like to see a Great Jacamar on this day. Lo and behold, a vocalizing individual landed on a branch
but a few meters from the road, and we viewed and filmed the placid bird at length. I have since only heard the melodious whistling call of this species on a couple of occasions.
|
|
