White-throated Sparrow
Here’s a White-throated Sparrow enjoying the low winter sun on a sunny day, one of 72 species seen during my annual hometown Christmas Bird Count yesterday – in our section alone! I’ll show you more of the unexpected, intriguing or beautiful birds we found all week. We did successfully spot the two American Oystercatcher I recently posted about, though in the thick morning fog there were not too many good photos to be had of them or some of the early sightings. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreGreen-breasted Mango
The Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii) is the most common resident hummingbird species Sean encounters at Finca Pura Vida in Costa Rica. It’s an especially interesting resident because it has a slower molt than most hummingbirds, leading to a mosaic of patterns of juvenile individuals. They often appear to be stuck in between certain plumage ages. This bird is the adult male with gorgeous rich purple and blue gorget on display. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Costa Rica while on assignment for the...
Read MoreGray Hawk (Buteo plagiatus)
This was a fascinating sighting by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser in Costa Rica a few days ago, and it was the first time he had ever observed it. This raptor put two and two together thinking, “Hey, maybe I can get a free meal while these guys have birds flying out from their hands,” during their banding operation. The Gray Hawk (Buteo plagiatus) stuck around for most of the day watching them process birds and waiting to see if it could take advantage of the situation. Luckily the humans were a step or two ahead of it, but it was an interesting behavior to watch.
Read MorePlain-capped Starthroat (Heliomaster constantii)
Sean got right back to producing gorgeous art like this upon commencing the new season of avian conservation research in Costa Rica. Here is the Plain-capped Starthroat (Heliomaster constantii), a beautiful tropical hummingbird species. It gives the look of a stretched out Ruby-throated Hummingbird with a beautiful red gorget and its long bill used to probe many species of flowers for feeding and pollination. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Costa Rica while on assignment for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural...
Read MoreCosta Rica 2015-16
The 2015-16 Costa Rica field season starts…now! RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser has headed out for his fifth year of research at the Nicoya Peninsula Avian Research Station with Tyler Christensen. They will once again be tracking down neotropical migrants, researching the biology of resident birds, and of course taking plenty of other tropical excursions. Sean will be sure to provide plenty of stories and photos in the coming weeks. He will again be posting things for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History, Meet Your Neighbours, and most likely penning a few blogs again on...
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