Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) recapture by Sean Graesser
This Prothonotary Warbler was originally banded in 2011 as a bird of at least two years of age. We recaptured this bird this year at our site. This mean the bird has traveled at least 27,000 miles so far in his life. It has returned to the same site in a Mangrove estuary in Costa Rica now for three years. It always amazes me to think about the incredible journeys these songbirds make and the need to preserve the habitat on both ends of their life cycles.
Read MoreLong-tailed Manakin (Chiroxiphia linearis) by Twan Leenders
Here’s a different view of another Long-tailed Manakin in Costa Rica, this one taken by Twan. You may have seen another by Sean last month. You can also spot the band already on this bird in the photo. Maybe it will be a neighbor that they meet again next year?
Read MoreOvenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus) by Sean Graesser
Apart from all of the locals Sean has been meeting some familiar friends in Costa Rica. His new Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus) pal could have been nesting in your backyard this summer but it’s spending the winter deep in Central America. Banding and research of many U.S. and Canadian breeding species on their winter grounds is vital to their overall conservation as they spend about half of their lives away from our borders. If we care about protecting them we must have the full picture and conduct international efforts in doing so.
Read MoreHummingbird banding begins
On December 3 we started hummingbird banding and research at Finca Pura Vida. To say these magnificent birds overwhelmed us is an understatement. We have been having feeders filled for us while we were away from our research station so that when we got here the birds would already be accustomed to the food source. We set our traps last night and filled all of our feeders to the brim to start early. On average over 50 individuals were feeding at one time and we had most likely over 300 individuals feeding in the time period we were working. We constantly had to close traps and nets to catch...
Read MoreScaly-breasted Hummingbird (Phaeochroa cuvierii) by Sean Graesser
We arrived in Costa Rica yesterday and got right to work today. We woke up this morning to our hummingbird feeders being visited by over 200 individuals. We have set all of our traps and research begins tomorrow. This Scaly-breasted Hummingbird (Phaeochroa cuvierii) got caught when we were setting up today. We have already observed two out of range species at the feeders.
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