Back from Costa Rica and some new local arrivals

Blue Gray Tanager, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Apr 16, 2015

Just back from a trip down to Costa Rica and still recovering from jet lag and a bit of a stomach bug but otherwise doing fine!  I'll post more about Costa Rica later when I'm feeling better and have the numerous photos from there sorted out. 

Bonaparte's Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 18, 2015

Bonaparte's Gulls, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 18, 2015

Bonaparte's Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 18, 2015

Winsor Dam (pleasantly ice free now), Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 18, 2015

I spent a little time out this morning before heading home and caught up with several species that had arrived here while I was away.  The most notable sighting was three Bonaparte's Gulls with some other gulls way out on the now ice free reservoir at Winsor Dam.  This makes an impressive eight species of gull in the county this year.  Overall today I had nine new species with just my limited time outside...spring certainly has arrived.

Another week in Costa Rica -Mar 29-Apr 5

Cherrie's Tanager, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Mar 31, 2014

Blue gray Tanager, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Mar 30, 2014

 

Insect, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Mar 31, 2014

Blue crowned Motmot, Bosque del Tolomuco, Costa Rica, Apr 3, 2014

The next posting from the trip to Costa Rica covers the week we spent down around Rio Magnolia Lodge with a couple of trips away from the lodge (one to the coast at Hacienda Baru and another into the mountains outside San Isidro). 

I spent the first few days around the lodge adding more and more species to the trip list and getting reacquainted with the bird life of the southern Pacific foothills.  No life birds the first few days but some great birding nonetheless.  During a walk in the early afternoon on one of the rainforest trails I came across a swarm (hundreds) of lightning bug type insects flashing away in the forest around 3pm. Very cool stuff to see...I tried to capture it on video but the videos do not do the experience justice. No idea on the exact species but they were quite small.
Link to videos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/13834038563/in/set-72157643533350313
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/13834469574/in/set-72157643533350313/

Beach at Hacienda Baru, Apr 1, 2014

After a few days at the lodge we headed down for a half day at the coast with a visit to Hacienda Baru. As expected it was very hot with temperatures around 90 and no clouds. Despite drinking copious amounts of water after the few hours down there I was wiped out. The entire area down there was also quite dry with many areas that normally hold some water and feature related birds were completely dry. I did manage to run across a few pockets of birds but other areas of the forest were very quiet. I did run across an army ant swarm but the only species of bird around with that group were a few Gray headed Tanagers.  During a few miles of walking I did manage quite a few species with one life bird, a Slate headed Tody Flycatcher.

Scintillant Hummingbird, Bosque del Tolomuco, Costa Rica, Apr 3, 2014

Emerald Toucanet, Bosque del Tolomuco, Costa Rica, Apr 3, 2014

Silver throated Tanager on nest, Bosque del Tolomuco, Costa Rica, Apr 3, 2014

My last day away from the lodge was a day long trip with the guide Andres to Bosque del Tolomuco in the Cerro de la Muerte at an elevation around 1650m.   We started around dawn and went through until around 3pm.  Another hot but productive day and I managed to find nine life birds there with some spectacular looks at many species plus I added two species to the list for the site (an Osprey and a recently dead Fiery throated Hummingbird).

Swallow tailed Kite, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Apr 2, 2014

Another beautiful, sunny hot day around the lodge on April 2 produced more great birds including two lifers (Brown billed Scythebill and Yellow billed Cacique).  I spent a good portion of the morning exploring the various trails before it got too hot. Besides the birds I once again ran across a family group of Howler Monkeys including a young one with a couple adults. I then spent the late morning through afternoon sky watching for various raptors, swifts,etc (plus taking some time out for a swim!). Nothing like having Swallow tailed Kites skim past you not even fifteen feet away as you swim in the pool.

The last full day I spent at the lodge exploring all the trails once again and yet again I ran across some new birds including a life bird, a Yellow Flycatcher.  The diversity of the tropics always amazes me as I have spent weeks at the lodge and I still manage to turn up new stuff. As always it is tough to leave the tropics to go back home but at least Wilson is always happy to see me.

Now for the numbers from the latest trip as of now (still reviewing some photos which may add something new).  I managed a total of 59 life birds bringing my life list up to 878.   I found a total of 294 species on this trip and added 66 to my Costa Rica list bringing my total there up to over four hundred to a total of 414 species.

Even more photos can be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/sets/72157643533350313/

Los Cusingos on December 19...and sightings around here

Blue gray Tanager, Los Cusingos, Dec 19, 2012

 

Red capped Manakin, Los Cusingos, Dec 19, 2012

Red legged Honeycreeper, Los Cusingos, Dec 19, 2012

Silver throated Tanager, Los Cusingos, Dec 19, 2012

Buff throated Saltator, Los Cusingos, Dec 19, 2012

Green Honeycreeper, Los Cusingos, Dec 19, 2012

On December 18th we took a trip away from the lodge down through San Isidro to the old home of Alexander Skutch which is now a protected wildlife area.  This trip was once again productive and allowed for some great photographs of various species.  The variation of species in the tropics is always amazing.  Hope all enjoy just a small selection of the species present there. 

Iceland Gull (Kumlien's), Connecticut River at Holyoke Dam, S. Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2013

Iceland Gull (Kumlien's), Connecticut River at Holyoke Dam, S. Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2013

Iceland Gull (Kumlien's), Connecticut River at Holyoke Dam, S. Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2013

I also managed to get out briefly this morning and ran across a Iceland Gull (Kumlien's) below the Holyoke Dam viewed from the South Hadley side of the river.  Initially I was unsure if the bird was a Glaucous (seemed too small) or Iceland (seemed too big) or some hybrid.  I forwarded the photos to a few other experts who agreed it was an Iceland Gull (Kumlien's).  The other three expected species of gulls were there in good numbers plus three Common Goldeneye and a dozen plus Common Mergansers as well as hundreds of Canada Geese and a few Mallards.  This makes species #74 for the county this year for me...amazing in just a week and a half in January!

End of year wrap up and species #228 for the year in the county

Indigo Bunting, Quabbin

Time for the end of year posting once again.  This year was yet another good year to be out and about checking my local areas as well as places far from home for birds. 

Blue gray Tanager, Los Cusingos, Costa Rica, Dec 2012

Caspian Tern, Viera Wetlands, FL, Jan 2012

Cooper's Hawk, Sweetwater Wetlands, AZ, Apr 2012

I took a few trips this year including a trip to Florida at the end of January-early February, Arizona in April and Costa Rica in December.   Other shorter trips included day trips to the Connecticut shore and down to the Plymouth area.

Yellow-headed Blackbird, Hadley, Oct 2012

Rough-legged Hawk, Hadley Honeypot, MA, Feb 2012

Little Blue Heron, Arcadia, MA, Apr 2012
 

Brewster's Warbler, UMASS Amherst, May 2012

Golden-winged Warbler, Amherst rail trail, May 2012
 

Lawrence's Warbler, Belchertown, May 2012

The rest of the time I spent mainly in the local area trying to maximize my county list for the year.  My initial goal at the beginning of the year was to top the 200 mark for the county which I had oddly never done before.  I managed to go well past the 200 mark and finished with a total of 228.  Although I missed on some birds I would normally expect such as American Bittern, Acadian Flycatcher, and Black Vulture I still reached a higher number than I had expected to.  I added several county birds to my life list this year including Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Yellow headed Blackbird, Rufous Hummingbird and Hoary Redpoll bringing my overall county total to 272.  Overall some really great warblers including a couple hybrids including at least two Brewster's Warblers as well as a Lawrence's Warbler plus the unusual Golden winged and a singing spring Orange crowned Warbler. 

Pine Grosbeak, Quabbin , Dec 2012

Common Redpoll, Hadley, Dec 2012

There was also a big incursion of winter irruptive species this fall and winter that continues with most every possible species represented in numbers (except for Bohemian waxwings which were around at the beginning of the year). 

Black-legged Kittiwake, Quabbin, Nov 2012

Hurricane Sandy brought a large number of sea ducks down onto Quabbin over the course of several days and finally delivered a notable inland bird for me...a Black-legged Kittiwake almost a week after the passage of the storm.  Two years in a row with tropical systems impacting the area...amazing.

I tried one last run through the Hadley Honeypot midday today to try my luck at catching up with a Northern Shrike or perhaps (with lots of luck) a Gyrfalcon that was there a couple weeks.  Although there was no Gyrfalcon around I did finally catch up with a Northern Shrike (county species #228 for the year!)  I was very happy to add one final species for the year.  Other birds of note around the Honeypot and nearby Aqua Vitae Road included dozens of Horned Larks, a handful of Snow Buntings and a lone Lapland Longspur.  I also made a brief stop at Quabbin Park at Winsor Dam and at least seven Pine Grosbeaks continue in the crabapple trees.

I managed to add a total of 69 new species to my life list this year with two each coming from Arizona and Massachusetts and the remaining 65 species coming from my recent trip to Costa Rica.  The highlights are many and a look back through the last year of postings will revel most of them.  A total of 556 species for the year and a total life list that now stands at 766.  Many of the highlights were captured on film and can be found at my flickr site at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/

I continue to use eBird to record my sightings and I passed a few milestones this year including adding my 10,000^th list and submitting almost 2400 lists this year with over 2175 of those lists from Massachusetts.  Yet again I will mention what a great resource eBird is for recording sightings and researching information of various species.  With the many advances made in accessing information and providing easy ways to submit data, more and more people will hopefully embrace the use of eBird and make the information even more useful to both the public and researchers.  The website to start your journey on eBird is here:

http://ebird.org/content/ebird