Birdingcraft
Well-known member
Although I live in Costa Rica, its not all birds all the time. It should be (!) but I live in the urbanized San Jose area. At least I get out most weekends though and this past weekend was pretty good.
On Saturday I visited my patch with a bunch of students and one of their profs (Dieter) who, like myself, is a member of the Bird Club of Costa Rica. My patch is Quebrada Gonzalez in Braulio Carrillo National Park. Located along the highway between San Jose and Limon, it provides access to fantastic, Caribbean slope foothill rain forest. Its also one of the only safe places to bird the park. The dense vegetation, high humidity and rain make birding a challenge but its always exciting! This past Saturday, I think I still recorded around 70 species (many heard only) without fully concentrating on birds. Here are some of the highlights:
Black-headed Nightingale Thrush: nice looks at this regular species on the trail, its orange bill and legs standing out like candy in the understory gloom. Best was that a couple of the students thought it was cute.
Next highlight was a very good one- Yellow-eared Toucanet: I hadnt seen thsi species in a while so it was wonderful to get nice looks at 2 pairs. A lifer for Dieter!
This was quickly followed by another great species; Snowcap!!: a pair of this amethyst colored Hummingbird. Well, the male looks like a purple jewel actually while the female is a small, short billed Hummingbird with all white underparts.
On the way back to the ranger station we ran into some of a mixed flock I often see along the steps near the exit. We saw a few of the Black-faced Grosbeaks, Olive Tanagers and other species that were rushing through the forest.
After a short rest, we headed across the highway to a trail that end at the river. Our highlight was not a bird but a snake! Luckily out in the open where we could all see it instead of being dangerously hidden in the leaves of the forest floor was a Fer-de-Lance. And it was big. No baby snake there. This was a coiled adult that must have been a meter and half in length. Very impressive.
We ran into a few more mixed flocks that held migrants such as Blackburnian, Canada and Chestnut-sided Warblers and residents such as a female Collared Trogon, Tawny-faced Gnatwren, Scarlet-rumped Caciques, more Tanagers, Flycatchers, Spotted and Wedge-billed Woodcreepers and more! My patch is always good for mixed flocks!
A good day overall, we even managed to miss the rain!
On Saturday I visited my patch with a bunch of students and one of their profs (Dieter) who, like myself, is a member of the Bird Club of Costa Rica. My patch is Quebrada Gonzalez in Braulio Carrillo National Park. Located along the highway between San Jose and Limon, it provides access to fantastic, Caribbean slope foothill rain forest. Its also one of the only safe places to bird the park. The dense vegetation, high humidity and rain make birding a challenge but its always exciting! This past Saturday, I think I still recorded around 70 species (many heard only) without fully concentrating on birds. Here are some of the highlights:
Black-headed Nightingale Thrush: nice looks at this regular species on the trail, its orange bill and legs standing out like candy in the understory gloom. Best was that a couple of the students thought it was cute.
Next highlight was a very good one- Yellow-eared Toucanet: I hadnt seen thsi species in a while so it was wonderful to get nice looks at 2 pairs. A lifer for Dieter!
This was quickly followed by another great species; Snowcap!!: a pair of this amethyst colored Hummingbird. Well, the male looks like a purple jewel actually while the female is a small, short billed Hummingbird with all white underparts.
On the way back to the ranger station we ran into some of a mixed flock I often see along the steps near the exit. We saw a few of the Black-faced Grosbeaks, Olive Tanagers and other species that were rushing through the forest.
After a short rest, we headed across the highway to a trail that end at the river. Our highlight was not a bird but a snake! Luckily out in the open where we could all see it instead of being dangerously hidden in the leaves of the forest floor was a Fer-de-Lance. And it was big. No baby snake there. This was a coiled adult that must have been a meter and half in length. Very impressive.
We ran into a few more mixed flocks that held migrants such as Blackburnian, Canada and Chestnut-sided Warblers and residents such as a female Collared Trogon, Tawny-faced Gnatwren, Scarlet-rumped Caciques, more Tanagers, Flycatchers, Spotted and Wedge-billed Woodcreepers and more! My patch is always good for mixed flocks!
A good day overall, we even managed to miss the rain!
