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Message: <blockquote data-quote="dwatsonbirder" data-source="post: 2816640" data-attributes="member: 92203">In the summer of 2013 I spent eight weeks in Central America travelling and volunteering with my girlfriend. It was a truly life altering experience, with beautiful scenery, amazing local culture, wonderful people and of course, spectacular wildlife. I have to thank Mark Dawson and Joe Cockram for all of their help with regards to where to go, and to those who responded to my posts on Birdforum, though the biggest debt of gratitude must go to my partner Kathi, for her endless patience, insane organisational skills and excellent Spanish, without her I believe I would still be looking for the bus station in San Jose!The trip21/06/13 Toronto, Canada 05:30amAn overnight stay in Canada allowed me exactly 45minutes birding before our transport for the connecting flight arrived. First up were Red winged Blackbird and American robin, which were singing in the pre-dawn gloom outside the hotel. A familiar call increased my confidence, especially as I knew the next bird was likely to be a lifer. A soft trilling from a group of low bushes had me instantly looking around for one of my favourite birds, Waxwing, but as I clamped my eyes on the bird, the slicker facial pattern and lemon undertail coverts confirmed my suspicions that I was watching Cedar waxwing. Next up were Ring billed and American herring gulls leaving their roosts and flying overhead, whilst a Common grackle and a pair of Mourning doves left the protection of their roost in some bushes. A Tree swallow bombed about overhead, whilst a pair of Savannah sparrow fed in an area of rank grassland. In a nearby tree a fine Eastern kingbird occasionally sallied out in pursuit of flies, whilst below recently fledged American robins were fed by worn looking adults. A House finch flew into the same area of cover briefly, but was chased away by the anxious robins. I looked at my watch and with 10 minutes to spare I jogged back to the hotel to collect my bags and rouse Kathi, who sensibly opted to lie in! One last sighting in North America involved an empidonax flycatcher that stunned itself against the window of Toronto airport, this species group is notoriously difficult to assign to species level, but I believe it to be Yellow bellied flycatcher.21/06/13San Jose, Costa Rica (sometime later that day)As the plane touched down on the tarmac of the runway at San Jose International Airport, a large long tailed bird flew up from the grass and away. Boat tailed grackle, my first bird in the Neo-tropics and ID-ed at about 190mph, nice! As the taxi left the airport I noticed several raptors circling overhead, all mostly black, but some with pale “hands” and some with pale flight feathers –Turkey and Black headed vultures. At the hotel our room overlooked the Parque Central (no prizes for who had booked this one!) and several more species were noted including Tropical kingbird, Great kissadee, Clay coloured robin, blue-grey tanager, White winged dove and Crimson fronted parakeet. After a long day an early night was in order ready for another long day of travelling.</blockquote>

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