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Birdingcrafts 2011 Costa Rica list (1 Viewer)

Birdingcraft

Well-known member
I am starting this thread a bit late but now that the guiding season has slowed down, I will regularly update it. I am at 515 so far and (like every year) hope to break 600. I have some good/tough ones for 2011 so far such as Agami Heron, Merlin, Sunbittern, Sharpbill, Black-crowned Antpitta, Silvery-throated Jay, Black and white Becard, and Rough-legged Tyrannulet, but am still missing quite a lot.

It doesnt help that I missed out on catching Spring migration at Caribbean slope hotspots but maybe if I make plans now to catch fall migration, I can get enough shorebirds and warblers to push numbers over the 600 mark.

On a side note, I also need to get some lifers this year! The problem is that everything I need requires a fair amount of time and effort- commodities made rare by the powerful combination of work and an almost three year old daughter.

So, I will start this out with number 515- a Striped Owl heard calling from the house the past few nights. I have no idea what the next new 2011 birds will be but hopefully this upcoming weekend will turn up a few new birds.
 
I got 516 and 517 for the year on Sunday morning at Quebrada Gonzalez. In a large mixed flock of tanagers, was my first Canada Warbler for the year and one Red-eyed Vireo. No, not very exciting for North American birders but new for the year nonetheless!
 
Added three new species on Monday during a morning of birding near La Fortuna.
519. Black-headed Antthrush- one heard along the road leading to Manuel Brenes Reserve. The birding is always good in this area and Monday was no exception. Light rain kept things active and flowering trees were very good for hummingbirds. Highlights were Black-crested Coquette, Brown Violetear, Thrushlike Manakin, Tawny-faced Gnatwren, mixed flocks of tanagers, etc., and Lattice-tailed Trogon.

On a short trip to forest around Lake Arenal in search of Keel-billed Motmot, I picked up 520. Great Antshrike and a soaring 521. Peregrine Falcon.

518 was a migrant Chimney Swift seen during the week.
 
Yesterday, I visited the middle elevation forests of Tapanti National Park and picked up 4new birds for the year. I was hoping to see and record Ochre-breasted Antpitta but no such luck there. Birding was still nice however, and among the 100 species identified, the new ones for the year were:

522. White-throated Flycatcher- uncommon and local in Costa Rica, this Empid. is sometimes found in the scrubby habitats on the way to the park.
523. Olive-striped Flycatcher- This fairly common cloud forest species was overdue for the year. One came in to spishing.
524. Immaculate Antbird- Thought I had got this one for the year already but I hadnt marked it yet on my 2011 list. A few calling individuals confirmed this middle elevation antbird for 2011.
525. Yellow-billed Cacique- A pair heard calling from a bamboo thicket.
 
This morning, I was recording bird vocalizations on the road that passes in front of Cerro Lodge and picked up a nice new bird for 2011: Mangrove Cuckoo.
Number 526 was a surprise because I thought they had all left the country by now (most or all Mangrove Cuckoos in Costa Rica are believed to be migrants from Mexico and other parts of Central America).
 
On Saturday, I picked up number 527 in the form of a calling covey of Marbled Wood-Quail near Carara National Park.
 
Picked up one more bird this past weekend at the Nueva Luna Eco Lodge near La Fortuna- Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher. This small flycatcher is decidely uncommon so 528 was a good one to get.
 
Recent additions to my 2011 list:

529- Black-crowned Night Heron- rather uncommon in Costa Rica, I scoped my 2011 bird during an unsuccessful search for Maskd Duck at Cachi dam.
530-Ochre-breasted Antpitta- Very happy to have gotten this one for the year because it was also a long awaited lifer! Seen along the Arboles Caidos trail in Tapanti National Park.
531-Three-striped Warbler- Picked this one up not long after seeing the antpitta.
532- Spectacled Owl- Overdue for the year. Great looks at one while guiding at Quebrada Gonzalez, Braulio Carrillo National Park.
 
On my way back from dropping my daughter off at daycare, I picked up bird number 533 for 2011: Hook-billed Kite!

Uncommon in Costa Rica, this species is probably a rare breeder in the remnant moist forests and riparian growth of the Central Valley. I noticed it while driving and upon realizing that it wasn't a vulture, nor Short-tailed Hawk (the most common summer raptors in the Central Valley of Costa Rica), I kept an eye on it until it banked and showed the tell-tale shape and markings of of a Hook-billed Kite- longish, prominently barred tail, small head, and broad wings with "rounded" or hand-like primaries. Quite the quality bird to see from the car!
 
Last weekend, bird 534 came in the form of a calling Tawny-chested Flycatcher at El Copal Biological Reserve. El Copal is a reliable spot for this rare species. The only other reliable site for it is the nearby Rancho Naturalista so I was very pleased to get this one for the year. They no doubt occur elsewhere but seem to be very localized.
 
Despite very little birding done this past weekend, I saw a very nice Prevost's Ground-Sparrow in coffee plantations near the house for species number 535.
 
I picked up an excellent year bird on the slopes of Volcan Barva- Blue Seedeater! Although this finch has a wide range, it is rarely seen (Saturdays bird is only the second I have ever seen in CR). I found number 536 near a riparian corridor with a sizeable bamboo patch. Perhaps even more exciting is that the bamboo is starting to produce seeds! This is a rare event that can attract other uncommon species such as Maroon-chested Ground-Dove, Barred Parakeet, and Slaty and Peg-billed Finches. In being fairly close to the house, I hope to check this seeding patch of bamboo on a regular basis.
 
I took a short trip to the estuary of the Tarcoles River to look for shorebirds and picked up 6 new birds for the year. All were expected but needed nonetheless.
537. Short-billed Dowitcher- a group of 7.
538. Marbled Godwit- one of these big shorebirds.
539. Wilson's Plover- saw 3 of this expected species.
540. Sandwich Tern- just 1 with a group of Royals and the next species.
541. Elegant Tern- 1 one these.
542. Western Sandpiper- a few of these common peeps.
 
I added four new birds to my year list on a family trip to Playa Hermosa in Guanacaste this weekend. A nasty stomach bug seriously limited my birding so I added far fewer birds than I had hoped. Nevertheless, I still picked up four new species for the year and will hopefully get back up there before 2011 comes to an end.
543. Beautiful Streak-backed Orioles in the trees around the hotel.
544. A Brown Booby flying near the beach was new for the year.
545. Brown-crested Flycatcher
546. Bank Swallows were migrating through in large numbers.
 
A weekend of guiding at the Finca Luna Nueva resulted in two new species for the year. Neither were the targets I had hoped for but I will take them just the same. They were:
547. Uniform Crake- a pair calling at dusk was also new for the site list.
548. Olivaceous Piculet- seen just outside of the place, deforestation has allowed this edge species to expand its range onto the Caribbean slope.
 
A Saturday trip to a few shorebird sites turned up several hoped for year species.

On Friday evening, a flyby Common Nighthawk was a welcome, expected tick for number 549.

Number 550 was a beautiful Collared Plover at Caldera.

At Chomes, thousands of Black Terns and Least Terns wheeled overheard for numbers 551 and 552.

On a bird-filled pond, I picked up Black Skimmer (553), Common Tern (554), and Gull-billed Tern (555).

Despite scoping through the hundreds of shorebirds, I failed to locate any rarities or new birds for the year so we left Chomes to check out the lagoons at Colorado.

Those yielded one more year bird- a Greater Yellowlegs for number 556.

I will probably visit Colorado again in December to see if I can pick up any uncommon migrant ducks.
 
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I picked up Dickcissel this morning, the same way I got this bird last year- by call as it flew over the backyard. Happy to get 557 without leaving the house!
 
I have been listening for nocturnal migrants for many nights now but have heard nothing until listening at 4:30 this morning. A few Swainson's Thrushes were heard and then one that I was hoping to get for the year- Upland Sandpiper! In Costa Rica, this bird is much easier to detect as it flies over than on the ground. Number 558!
 
Two new birds today. The first was Gray-cheeked Thrush- a few heard as they flew over at 4:30 am (glad I got out of bed) and the second was MacGillivray's Warbler near the Grecia Forest Reserve. With migrants coming through, this my chance for a bunch of new birds. Hope to get some this weekend, targets being Eastern Kingbird, Scarlet Tanager, cuckoos, various uncommon warblers, Purple Martin, and other migrants.
Now at 560.
 
A Saturday trip to Caribbean slope forests around Virgen del Socorro and a couple hours in the lowlands yielded 6 new bird species for the year. There were:
561. Black-breasted Wood Quail- Heard in middle elevation forest near Varablanca.
562. Scaly-throated Foliage gleaner- Great to get this species as it is rather rare in Costa Rica. Saw 2 foraging with mixed flocks near Virgen del Socorro.
563. White-crowned Manakin- 1 female near Virgen del Socorro.
564. Scarlet Tanager- Just one male seen but thats all it takes! Seen in a fruiting fig near Chilamate.
565. Plumbeous Kite- I should have already seen this earlier in the year but somehow missed it. Got lucky with 2 migrating individuals because they leave Costa Rica by about now.
566. Green fronted Lancebill- a brief sighting of this uncommon species near Varablanca.
 

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