Michael´s Third Year

[Galana]

Me too. More please. As yet I don't recognise any worthy nominations to an EBC award!

 

[xelas]

Rain, rain, and rain ... and yet your first batch of photos shows plenty of blue sky and sunlit birds ! 

[Dave Williams]

I had hoped to visit CR this autumn but that won't be the case now...Corfu instead! Sun Bittern is very high on my world wish list, if you could conjure one of those up this afternoon like you did the Spotted Crake I'll be more than grateful Michael!

[michael-ibk]

I´m sorry Dave, my magical conjure-up-awesome-birds-for-Dave powers are limited to one at a time.

 

Onwards to Waders and friends. Costa Rica is relatively free of them in summer, and we were lucky to find four species in one place (actually on one sandbank) very late in the game (a few hours before departure) otherwise there wouldn´t be much to show here.

 

332/C24.) Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis) / Bronzekiebitz

 

Arenal 69 trail,16/7. The only Lapwing in the country. Not very common, we had three spots (here, Rancho Naturalista, Bosque del Cabo) for these, all low-grass pastures.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

333/C25.) Wilson´s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia) / Wilson-Regenpfeifer

 

Manzanillo, 22/7 & 23/7. One pair seen on the Carribean beach. I´m not entirely sure about this one. I first had it down as Collared Plover but, oddly enough, one of the distinguishing fieldmarks of Collared Plover is that it does NOT have a complete collar. That leaves Wilson´s and Semipalmated Plover. The bill does not look quite strong enough for a Wilson´s and the breast band is very small but the leg colour goes against Semipalmated which should not be arrive before August. Difficult to get this wader stuff right if one is not familiar with American birds. @offshorebirder, I would appreciate your input, and of course anybody else, please have a go.

 

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

334/C26.) Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) / Regenbrachvogel

 

Isla Dama (Manuel Antonio region), 4/8. Another one of the few birds which also occur in Europe. Different subspecies here of course, I assume rufiventris because Stiles states it breeds in Alaska and North Canada. They just start arriving in August so we were lucky to see them.

 

 

The obvious dark eye-stripe sets it apart from our Curlew (which does not occur in CR).

 

[michael-ibk]

335/27.) Willet (Tringa semipalmata) / Schlammtreter

 

Isla Dama, 4/8. One single bird here at our last-minute-get-four-waders-in-one place.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

336/C28.) Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) / Großer Gelbschenkel

 

Isla Dama, 4/8. Cannot exclude the almost identical, only slightly smaller Lesser Yellowlegs but the good folks over on birdnet agreed on Greater. Fieldmarks for Greater: More stocky, bill longer (about 1.5 times the size of head, and yes, I used a ruler to check, it´s less for these specimens), nostrils clear of feathers, more extensive barring, more frantic feeder.

 

 

 

And here all three waders together:

 

[michael-ibk]

337/C29.) Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) / Drosseluferläufer

 

Isla Dama, 4/8, and Manzanillo, 21/7. America´s answer to our Common Sandpiper, they are difficult to tell apart when non-breeding (the Spotted loses its spots then), every year a few of them pop up in Europe (mainly in the UK as I understand). The only common wader, numerous on both coasts.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

338/C30.) Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) / Wiesenstrandläufer

 

Isla Dama, 4/8. Seen together with Willet, Whimbrel and Yellowlegs. The yellow legs are distinctive enough for a clear ID.

 

[michael-ibk]

339/C31.) Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa) / Gelbstirn-Blatthühnchen

 

Lago Hule area (North of San José), 15/7. Only one sighting of this bird even though the book calls them "common and widespread".

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2018 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

340/C32.) Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinicus) / Zwergsultanhuhn

 

Tarcoles Bridge, 4/8. Two sightings of this species. Amercian Coot and "Common" Gallinule, which I both somehow expected to see in numbers, never showed up.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

341/C33.) White-Throated Crake (Laterallus albigularis) / Weißkehlralle

 

Arenal area, 17/7. Seen on the Bogarin Trail near La Fortuna, a really awesome place for all kind of creatures. Always cool to see members of this furtive family.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

342/C34.) Rufous-Naped Wood-Rail (Aramides albiventris) / Cayenneralle

 

Bogarin Trail, 17/7. A very recent split from the Grey-Necked Wood-Rail. The two have different calls and slightly different plumage.

 

[michael-ibk]

343/C35.) Grey-Necked Wood-Rail (Aramides cajaneus) / Cayenneralle

 

Manuel Antonio, 3/8. It pains me to post this one but we all know the name of the game - Every Bird Counts, right? Much more widespread than its Central American sister species, found in most of South America, and probably a familiar bird for all Pantanal visitors where it is easily seen. Please admire the perfectly sharp twig - don´t we all hate twigs?

 

 

Up next: Birds of Prey

Edited September 23, 2018 by michael-ibk

[Dave Williams]

Excellent list so far and some super images too.

[Galana]

Great to be following your successes.

On the strength of that Grey-necked Woodrail I think you will be admitted to the exclusive EBC Club too.

Keep them coming.

[michael-ibk]

Hooray, finally in the club! I hoped that the master would smile mercifully on the Rail. And don´t worry some more really good ebc-stuff in the raptor section.

 

344/C36.) Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) / Rabengeier

 

Arenal, 16/7. As is the fate of all super-abundant birds I did not bother photographing them after having clicked them on the first days. Impossible to miss in Costa Rica.

 

 

[xelas]

There are so many changes in the names of neotropical birds people like me can get easily confused. Looking at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology / Neotropical Birds web site I have found this:

Aramides albiventris = Russet-naped Wood-Rail

Aramides cajaneus = Gray-cowled Wood-Rail

 

Edited September 23, 2018 by xelas

[michael-ibk]

Both names are acceptable, @xelas. I follow the xeno-canto nomenclature which is very up-to-date. The American Ornithological Society Society (AOC) calls them Rufous-Named, the International Ornithological Comittee (IOC) goes with Russet-Naped.

[michael-ibk]

345/C37.) Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) / Truthahngeier

 

Bosque del Cabo, 31/7. Not as numerous as its cousin but still plenty of them around. New World Vultures are not closely related to ours, "convergent" evolution just had them fill similar niches.

 

[michael-ibk]

346/C38.) Swallow-Tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) / Schwalbenweih

 

Arenal, 16/7. These birds were very common in that area. At one point I was standing on a hill, dozens of them closely swooshing around my head. Super opportunity for photos, but since it was raining heavily my lens was safely hidden under my raincoat (and gave me a bit of a pervert appearance). And so, all I got (at a different place) was this:

 

[michael-ibk]

347/C39.) White Hawk (Pseudastur albicollis) / Schneebussard

 

Arenal, 16/7. The only sighting of this widespread bird which is also found in most of tropical South America.

 

[michael-ibk]

348/C40.) Double-Toothed Kite (Harpagus bidentatus) / Doppelzahnweih

 

Bosque del Cabo, 31/7. The only sighting of this raptor. The book says it follows foraging troops of Capuchin and Squirrel Monkeys in order to catch lizards and insects the monkeys flush out. Half-correct, this bird was following Squirrel and Spider Monkeys.

 

[michael-ibk]

349/C41.) Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) / Wegebussard

 

The most numerous Bird of Prey. Multiple sightings all over the country.True to its name, it was most often seen next to the road perching on fencepoles. Both from Bosque del Cabo, 1/8 & 2/8.