Ruby-throated Hummingbird recaptures
Yesterday we recaptured two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) from previous years here in Costa Rica for the first time. Both of these females were banded last year and returned to the exact same location. They traveled most likely over 4,000 miles round-trip since the last time we saw them. Weighing less than a penny it is incredible what these small tenacious birds can do. Sean Graesser RTPI Affiliate
Read MoreRufous Hummingbird and vagrancy
This past weekend I was able to briefly visit and photograph a vagrant hummingbird from the west at an undisclosed location in Connecticut. I was told of the sighting by two experts who had documented the bird a couple hours earlier, confirming via observations and photos that this was a Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), and not the very easy to confuse Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) which would have been even more rare. The bird pictured below is an immature female. She paused only briefly in the tree being otherwise occupied and somewhat anxious, zipping back and...
Read MoreBoothe Park Hawk Watch 9/12 – 182 migrant raptors
We had a decent day at the Boothe Park Hawk Watch in Stratford, Connecticut yesterday, considering the deep blue sky in control, as we tallied 182 migrant raptors filling in the 9:30-4:30 time frame. Having no clouds in the sky makes it very difficult to spot hawks, eagles, falcons, vultures and so forth flying at altitudes in the thousands of feet. Light clouds, especially cirrus, provide a helpful backdrop to view them on without obscuring any or dumping precipitation which would stop the birds from moving south. In essence many migrants likely flew by right over our heads that we could...
Read MoreNicoya Peninsula Avian Research Station seeking volunteers
The Nicoya Peninsula Avian Research Station is seeking volunteer banding technicians for a winter project in northwestern Costa Rica. The research is aimed toward the study of molt and aging criteria in Costa Rican resident bird species, and collection of data from wintering Nearctic-Neotropical migrants for the Institute for Bird Populations’ MoSI Program. Winter participants will aid in the operation of four bird banding sites on the Nicoya Peninsula. These positions are opportunities for students, educators, amateur or professional ornithologists, and nature enthusiasts to visit one of...
Read MoreHummingbird frenzy!
Hummingbird frenzy! Check out all of these hummingbirds, sometimes over 50 at one time and several hundred in a short period, visiting feeders at Finca Pura Vida in Costa Rica. The most common species in the video is the Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii) with others including Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris), Blue-throated Goldentail (Hylocharis eliciae), Scaly-breasted Hummingbird (Phaeochroa cuvierii), White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora). There are also a few Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) in the mix! They may be in your backyard this...
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