Sitting out on the upstairs terrace of our house, the excited singing of three White-shouldered Fire-eyes (Pyriglena leucoptera) from just inside the forest below aroused my curiosity. I went to the start of one of the trails that goes into the closed forest, and had my best view so far of the amazing phenomenon of an army ant swarm. It is difficult to convey in photographs, but it really is like a whole forest area is alive with ants, little rivers of them rushing over the leaf litter, up and down every twig and branch, and even up the trunks of big trees.
It may sound gruesome, but standing in the middle of the swarm, you realise how crucial this phenomenon is to the variety of birdlife in the forest interior. The undergrowth and mid-storey were a constant flutter of the various species that are associated with the "mixed flocks" following army ants. Not just the antbirds such as the Fireye that stay quite close to the ground, but also woodcreepers zooming up the trunks picking off their lunch. A hawk called from the canopy nearby, presumably excited by the potential prey attracted by the ants - and so it goes on.
The palm fruit continues to attract toucans close to the house and all around the forest edge - this Channel-billed one was part of a flock of around fifteen that came right next to our barbeque area as I was having lunch the other day. It confirms that this period - March-April - is most definitely the prime toucan-viewing time here, although it is always frustratingly difficult to predict or guarantee to visitors when or where they will appear. They have a horrible habit of coming out in force just after guests have left!
