Jane and I reported to each other that we had been seeing a strange bird flying above the Abacos in the Bahamas. A large white hawk with brilliantly contrasting lines of black, and a long tail like a swallow or frigatebird. Locals had been seeing the unusual bird as well, and one described it as being like a "starship in the sky."

I kept my camera at hand in case I saw it again.

It turns out that El Nino weather patterns and unusual northwesterly winds had blown these birds, more known in Central and South America, towards the Bahamas. I shot this photo while trying to identify the starship in the sky.

Note the blue wings on this butterfly from Ithomiinae (a subfamily of Nymphalidae) - you can see the vegetation behind them. The wings of these delicate jungle butterflies give them an ethereal elusive quality. The bright blue sheen only comes out with the camera's flash, or in just the right light.

There are 370 clearwings in the world, ranging throughout Latin America. Their invisibility, along with their preference for certain types of plants, gives them a bizarre smell and taste that every type of animal, from bird to mammal to insect, despises.

These butterflies can afford to be delicate because they have cornered the market on assuring their safety.

Last fall, I showed you a simple way to keep your field bag light with a simple colored pencil holder. Here is another solution that works well. This is a small, compact and waterproof watercolor pallette. Although you can carry a small amount of watercolors in any size container - an altoids tin, for example, a waterproof pallette can't be beat because you can open and close it anywhere, and not worry about spilled paint.

Also, I collect different sizes of drinking straws, which are great in protecting your brushes in travel. I keep the brushes right in the pallette to shave weight and space, and I seek out shorter brushes, which are easier to stow while traveling.

If you read my post on the white mystery spider, you should know that I received a response from the Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside. They found an image of a spider in Brazil which looks identical.

Species name? Epicadus heterogaster, or White crab Spider.

Although this is a different species, look at this David Attenborough video on the power of white crab spiders.

Above is a wold spider, probably about 8 inches in diameter, which we photographed hanging over a river on a large leaf, preparing to pounce on an appropriate prey. Wolf spiders are so confusing, I won't attempt to ID this guy any time soon.

Just received another email from the Dept of Entemology:

The taxonomy of the genus is such that there are only six species, and it looks like only one of them is recorded outside of Brazil, actually - Epicadus granulatus. However, using geographic distribution to make a species ID is NOT wise. There is no reason that E. heterogaster could NOT be found in Panama, nor any of the 4 remaining species (or, for that matter, it could also be undescribed).

Labelling the photo "Epicadus sp." would be as far as you could go, then.

I always compress everything for my trip into a single moleskine journal - itineraries, contacts, airplane tickets and so forth. I also add notes about the places I am going. The process, before and during travel, helps me learn about different subjects. I have already filled a couple journals about the country of Panama. When I visited to El Valle, I had a very specific purpose - to focus on the micro-world, and so this journal reflects that. Visit Moleskine Journal

I love toucans, but there is something unreal about the Emerald Toucanet. Toucans are always brilliantly colored, but the emerald toucanet is a brilliant green - such an ethereal color for such a large bird.

The emerald toucanet above, which I photographed in Panama while with a group of birders, is also called a Blue-throated Toucanet. Look at its throat. If you would see the same species in Mexico, for example, you wouldn't see the blue throat.

Blue-throated toucanets, then, are a subspecies of Emerald Toucanets. But, ornithologists currently recognize seven different, and distinct, subspecies of the Emerald Toucanet, and they all have great names in their own right - our Blue-throated, the Wagler's, the Emerald subspecies, the Violet-throated, the Santa Marta, the Andean and the Peruvian.

While I love toucans, this guy in particular is a good lesson in the future of ornithology. Right now, science recognizes about 10,000 species of birds. But as we learn more about biology, DNA and genetics, we get a better glimpse into whether certain animals should be categorized as sub-species, or their own species.

Many believe that within the next quarter-century, the amount of bird species known to science will jump from ten thousand to perhaps as high as 25,000. The reason has nothing to do with more discoveries - although new bird discoveries still do happen. It's about more refined biology being used to reclassify birds.

For the birder's who are walking with me, seeing this Blue-throated Toucanet could end up having a profound impact on their hobby in the future. Let's say they've seen the Emerald Toucanet in Peru, Venezuala, Costa Rica, Mexico and now Panama. If biologists decided to split the bird into seven species, these birder's total species tally will increase.

In ornithology, there is a reverse side to 'splitting.' It's called 'lumping.' In taxonomy, there are lumpers and splitters; and both sides have valid arguments about whether certain species need to be split, or certain species need to be reclassified as a single species. In the world of ornithology, both are happening constantly, and following the conversation is a nice way of peering into the future of taxonomy.

We know this much. The creature in the photo below is from the family Thomisidae, which means the animal below is a type of crab spider. Now, the mystery continues because we don't yet know its species name, or even its genus name.

When I first saw this spider, I instantly remembered a documentary by David Attenborough in which he highlighted very specialized spiders that resembled orchids. I called this spider a 'white orchid spider.'

Here is what I have uncovered by talking to spider enthusiasts over the past couple days.

1. Crab spiders don't build webs. Rather, they have complex means of ambushing their prey.

2. Many species in Thomisidae have evolved to look identical to the parts of a specific type of flower. These crab spiders are often referred to as flower spiders or, more specifically, orchid-mimic spiders.

3. I have found an online photo of this animal, in which the author called the spider an orchid-mimic spider.'

4. The photo above was from the Amazon, but I photographed my orchid-mimic at high elevation in Panama. Such diverse geography and habitat would suggest this creature is widespread, but why then did the other reference claim he believes he is the first person to ever photograph this spider?

More tomorrow.

I believe in an absolute minimum in photography equipment - stay light and leave the dozens of lenses to the gear junkies. I have the luxury of saying this because for many years, I have traveled with a very heavy camera, whose sheer weight requires me to shave off the extras.

In the past 2 years, I've added a digital Canon to my backpack for the sole purpose of shooting telephotos. More recently, I realized Notes from the Road could also benefit from macros. For each type of photography I add, the backpack gets heavier and I learn ways to shave off even more weight.

I have been practicing macros in Panama and have over a thousand images of all manner of tropical critters. I want to share this one with you because the mystery is spectacular. Before I start to reveal what it is, and just how amazing this thing is, I want to challenge my readers to attempt an identification. Please note that I have not confirmed the species, but I know enough to know the biology of this organism. Join the discussion at my Facebook page if you know anything about this, or just want to take a wild stab. Tomorrow, I'll reveal more detail.

Discuss on Facebook

I just photographed new butterflies in Panama. Want to help me identify them? The new ones start here.

I photographed this lacewing while picking blueberries at Sauvie Island this weekend. I've been carrying the camera around to practice my macros as much as possible, to try to learn something new for my travels this fall. When you look for macros, you discover a whole new side to the world.

I have no idea which lacewing species this is. There are 4,500 species in dozens of genera, and they all look pretty much the same. Do you see the tiny hairs on this guy's transparent wings? Those are a special adaptation to help the lacewing cut through the tangles of spider webs.

What's in your field bag?

Although I carry a daypack with my large format camera system and some other travel necessities, I also usually keep a smaller bag, which I call my field bag. This is a small, lightweight collection of my essentials - whether I'm traveling by plane, in a city cafe, or in the field.

Here are the essentials of my field bag:

- A lightweight and waterproof Nike 10x25 binoculars, with the strap removed and replaced with much longer Domke straps. This allows me to wear the binoculars around my back.

- Moleskine sketchbook, where I keep all of my travel plans, confirmations, notes, interviews, maps & directions, sketches.

- A small leather case by Global Art, which houses 24 watercolor pencils, a pencil sharpener, 3 Copic pens and 3 watercolor brushes.

- A field guide if necessary.

What to carry in the field bag is one of my favorite subjects. Email me your thoughts about your field bag.

I photographed this roadside memorial near Why, Arizona this spring when I was traveling near the border for an upcoming Notes from the Road article. Note the solar-powered landscape lighting.

Just finished this map of Honduras for an upcoming story on Atlantida. Visit the full map.

I am adding my old Moleskine updates to the Roam section. In the future, all Moleskine entries will live here. Currently, there are six, although I am still scanning in all the pages.

Abaco Islands, Bahamas
St. Lucia
Belize
Guana Cay, Bahamas
Dominican Republic
Nicaragua

I am adding links to all maps here in Roam. They will eventually all be housed here. I am also updating the old maps and will be posting them here. Link