that I saw a beautiful bird on the trail in front of me - a Blue Capped Motmot.
I didn't manage to record its song but you can listen to it and read more about them here: https://ebird.org/species/bucmot1?siteLanguage=en_GB
Shortly afterwards I came across a somewhat smaller creature - or rather creatures - Ants. Look carefully at the screen shot below and you'll notice little flecks of green.....
... They are tiny pieces of leaf being transported by an army of ants down their own Ant highway. We learned from Damian the following day, when we encountered more of these highways, that the ants take these back to their nest and feed them to captured larvae, which in turn they then feed on themselves. A more grewsome example of symbiosis I can't imagine!
Keep an eye on Mick's video log - he'll be posting some video footage of these extraordinary little creatures and their highways which cover vast areas of the forest floor.
Just as I emerged from the undergrowth at the top of the ridge, there was a sudden movement in front of my feet and I caught a glimpse of a thin brown snake of perhaps half a metre in length as it twisted quickly across the path and out of the way of my approaching feet!
The following day - Monday 11th March, when on our walk with Damian and Fanny, I heard lots of birdsong but struggled to actually see any birds other than indistinct fluttering shapes high in the canopy above our heads.
Then, towards the end of our hike, whilst hanging back on my own, I finally spotted a group of small birds about 10 metres away, fluttering around a small clearing and flashing bright blue. How I wished I had a small pair of binoculars with me. If I had, I may have realised that I was witnessing a rare sight indeed.
I was looking at Blue Backed Manakins...
....but it was only once back on the boat and after a little research that I realised that I had probably witnessed males practicing their mating rituals and teaching their juniors the 'tricks of the trade'.
I managed to record some of their song but can't figure out a way to link to it here.
However, you can listen to another recording and find out more about the bird and it's antics by visiting this link...
That was the last proper sighting of birds whilst still in the rain forest, but once we had returned to the car and were having our lunch in a clearing by the side of the (very quiet) road, two Orange Winged Parrots flew overhead...
For more information...https://ebird.org/species/orwpar
Then, later as I was driving back to meet the others after wishing Mabel a Happy Birthday, I passed a pair of Rufous Vented Chacalacha's, the island's national birds, in the long grass by the side of the road...
Once again more information on the bird can be found here...
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