Louisiana Waterthrush
This is a Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) photographed on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, where it was recaptured after being banded in a previous year. Costa Rica has both species of waterthrush residing throughout the wintering season in a wide variety of habitats, but much like in the states it is usually found along an area with a water source nearby. The Louisiana Waterthrush is usually more commonly found on this Caribbean slope of Costa Rica, but I’ve caught it on the Pacific side as well. Seemingly its distribution isn’t fully understood yet due to its...
Read MoreBlack-and-Yellow Tanager Pair (Chrysothlypis chrysomelas)
The Black-and-Yellow Tanager (Chrysothlypis chrysomelas) is endemic to highland areas on the Caribbean slopes of Costa Rica and Panama. A small tanager in comparison to other species in the similar elevation, it can be commonly found in mixed feeding flocks on the edges of pre-montane forest habitat. 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 History.
Read MoreKentucky Warbler Recapture and Cabo Blanco Birds
The first session of our fourth year at Cabo Blanco is in the books. Cabo Blanco is Costa Rica’s first national preserve, established over fifty years ago. The preserve is mostly one generation of forest that has re-grown over a 60-year period. It was once all primary forest, but was cut down for farmland. We start the morning walking up a winding trail to our banding station tucked away near a few fallen trees. Along trails we’ve secretly cut are twenty well-placed mist nests to catch a wide variety of avifauna that uses the preserves habitat. Once we reach the base camp every morning we...
Read MoreTennessee Warbler sightings and numbers
The Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina) is probably one of those migrants you’re glad to find in either the spring or the fall. It is most often an uncommon treat for the U.S. or Canadian birder as a species that breeds in the boreal forest and can readily blend into the background. Looking at my last five years of eBirding I see only 14 records and half of those came from the last fall season here in and around Chautauqua County, New York. All of the records were of one or two individuals. Suffice it to say it is a tough spot here but this is currently not the case in Costa...
Read MoreWood Thrush territory
On Thursday, December 12, during the first banding session at Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve we caught a Wood Thrush, one of our Neotropical migrants. What’s special about catching this species is it’s supposed to be a Caribbean slope migrant and at Cabo Blanco we’re on the Pacific slope. The other intriguing thing is that it’s only supposed to be a passage migrant, meaning that by early November it’s supposed to have left Costa Rica. This is the third year in a row we have witnessed this. It draws attention to the fact that we are still very unaware of where...
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