Brief trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin produces three new warbler species for the year (and lots of other stuff)

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler with leg bands, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Jack Pine habitat, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Golden winged Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Golden winged Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Nashville Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Mourning Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Brewster's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

American Redstart, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Northern Waterthrush, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

I flew out of Hartford late morning on Thursday the 9th into Minneapolis to begin a roughly two week vacation away with multiple stops before heading back home. The main part of the trip would be Alaska (covered in a later post) with the bookends being Minnesota/Wisconsin at the beginning and Oregon at the end (also covered in a later post). The first part of the trip I would be on my own with the goal being to track down at least two and possibly three species of warblers I had not yet seen for the year in the continental US (Kirtland’s Warbler, Golden winged Warbler and Connecticut Warbler)…much more on that at the following post: Minnesota and Wisconsin warblers.  I arrived in the early afternoon and after a little snafu with picking up the rental car I started the long (about 5 1/2 hour) drive to my Airbnb in northeast Wisconsin near the Michigan border. I eventually made it to the lodging around 7:30, had a quick dinner, a shower and went off to bed to try to get some sleep. However the place I rented was a basement location and the noise from above was super annoying and sleep was in short supply. 

With little sleep I headed out before dawn to drive to a spot to the south about 40 minutes away to try to find my first target…the Kirtland’s Warbler. I would have a much better chance to catch up with a Kirtland’s Warbler in their core breeding range in the lower peninsula of Michigan but I really didn’t want another three plus hour drive each way to get there. After lots of messages with a few people ‘in the know’ as far as possible locations for the species I had what I hoped would be a productive plan to find one. The species came close to extinction just a few decades ago and after lots of effort to provide suitable habitat (they need Jack Pines at a height of five to fifteen or so for breeding locations) and control of Brown headed Cowbirds the species has rebounded and has now been taken off the endangered species list. Wisconsin is at the periphery of the range and the area I would be checking has just a few nesting pairs and the locations are kept secret to protect the species. I arrived in one spot before sunrise and was immediately entertained by some Common Nighthawks calling and diving and making the unique booming sound as they drop from height and pull up just before hitting the ground. As I was enjoying the nighthawks I heard a Kirtland’s Warbler singing…target one down for the day. I then spent the next hour or so trying to get looks, photos and recordings. I had at least two males and a female present in a roughly 60 acre pine lot with the perfect height trees present. One of the males had color bands and I’ll see what I can find out about the history of the individual. I also had a number of other warbler species present with Nashville Warblers being the most prevalent (a theme that continued all day). I moved around the area a bit over the next few hours and found another pair of a Kirtland’s Warblers as well as great selection of other species (warblers and others). With the Kirtland’s Warbler in the bag my next target was Golden winged Warbler. I checked a few good looking spots before eventually seeing one and by end of the morning I had seen several including adults carrying food and fledglings being fed. I even had a Brewster’s Warbler hybrid feeding typical looking Golden winged Warbler fledglings. Besides warblers I had a bunch of other species I was able to add for the day and I had a total of 75 species. 

Canada Jay, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Blackburnian Warbler, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Ruffed Grouse, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Mourning Warbler, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Magnolia Warbler, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Boreal forest, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Without knowing how I would fare on Friday I kept my options open for Saturday. If I had failed to find a Kirtland’s Warbler I planned to perhaps make a trip into Michigan but thankfully I did not have to do that. Instead I decided to get up even earlier on Saturday and make the long drive back to Minnesota with the destination being the famous Sax Zim bog area a few hours north of Minneapolis. The area is very well known as a destination in the winter for those looking for owls and other northern birds but the summer also holds the chance of finding some interesting species with the chief among those being Connecticut Warblers. The downside of heading there is it is another long drive and to get there early enough to have a chance of getting birds while they are still singing meant another very early morning. Even getting up early I still did not get there until around 7AM (it’s a nearly five hour drive so tough to get there at first light!). The area had the feel and sound of the boreal north with both Red Crossbills and White winged Crossbills, Pine Siskins and Canada Jays. Not long after I arrived I heard a Connecticut Warbler sing in the distance and despite lots of effort on my part I never got eyes on the bird and I only heard it sing one more time and it was even more distant. Although I would have loved to have gotten a look I was very happy to finally hear this warbler sing on its breeding grounds. I have actually never heard the song in real life until that morning as the fall birds that come through are not singing and only call. I then tried a few other areas to try to find another Connecticut Warbler before I returned to the original area before heading toward the airport just after noon. I had no luck with finding any others or seeing or hearing the original one again. Nonetheless the warbler became warbler species #51 And was the last one I needed to find for the year in the continental US. This was also one of two warbler species this year that was heard only although I hope to track down some this fall at home.  I hit another milestone by topping my best ever year total for species in the US with White winged Crossbill breaking my previous best total of 449 set way back in 2011. This is all thanks to multiple trips to various parts of the US at various seasons.  It was a great morning in the area with multiple new species for the year with sunny weather every day with progressively warmer temps that topped off in the low 90’s.  I finished the day with 82 species, including 13 species of warblers.

During my short time in the area I found a total of 110 species and added two new states to my travel list.  In Minnesota I had 79 species and in Wisconsin I had 84 species (obviously some overall of species).

Full eBird trip report here:  Minnesota and Wisconsin trip report

Costa Rica trip to the southern Pacific region from January 28-February 4

Fiery billed Aracari, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

I took a trip down to Costa Rica once again at the end of January into early February. This was my 16th trip down to Costa Rica and my first one down to the southern Pacific foothills since the irreplaceable Rio Magnolia Lodge closed. I stayed in an AirBnb a bit higher in elevation that sits on 1500 acres of land. As always warblers figured highly into my birding and a more detailed post of them with even more photos can be found at the following link:  Costa Rica warblers.  I flew out of Hartford early in the morning and connected through Charlotte on my way to San Jose. After a very long trip down that ended with my transport getting a flat tire just as we arrived I unpacked and started to get settled in. Common Pauraques were the only nocturnal species I had. 

Mourning Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Mistletoe Tyrannulet, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Common Chlorospingus and Golden winged Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Gray cowled Wood Rail, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Yellow throated Toucan, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Green crowned Brilliant, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Dusky Antbird, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Tennessee Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

Dawn, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025

After a bit of badly needed sleep I was up before dawn to start checking the area out. It was great to hear the birds I remember well from many trips to Rio Magnolia. I hiked a few of the roads and turned up loads of species with some not seen at Rio Magnolia including Black Guan, Common Chlorospingus, Slate throated Redstart and others. The elevation is a few hundred meters higher so a slightly different selection of species. I walked for a few hours in progressively warmer weather as the sun rapidly heated stuff up. The morning produced 67 species with nothing too unusual. The clouds rolled in around 11 and cooled it off a bit and I spent the rest of the day relaxing around the house. 

Yellow faced Grassquit, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

White naped Brushfinch, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Olivaceous Piculet, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Golden winged Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Wilson's Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Scarlet thighed Dacnis, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Brown Violetear, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Slate throated Redstart, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Yellow faced Grassquit carrying nest material, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Blackburnian Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

Rufous and White Wren, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025

On my second full day down there I took a road that led off to the south to begin the day and walked a bit over a mile under mainly cloudy conditions. I spent almost three hours walking the road and turned up a decent assortment of species (72 species to be exact) before returning to the house for a brief stop before heading out again. The clouds really moved in by late morning and lingered for the remainder of the day with a few brief bouts of rain. Once again I stayed around the house for the rest of the day and continued to turn up birds. Late afternoon into early evening found some fairly heavy rain arriving which continued on and off for a couple hours. By the end of the day I had found 86 species. 

Spot crowned Euphonia, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Slate throated Redstart, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Yellow throated Vireo, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Common Chlorospingus, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

White ruffed Manakin, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Butterfly species, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Lesson's Motmot, Finca Mango, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Chestnut capped Warbler, Finca Mango, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Lineated Woodpecker, Finca Mango, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Swallow tailed Kite, Finca Mango, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

Sunset, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025

On Friday I was up early so tried to see what I could hear for nocturnal birds and I heard one distant owl (unknown species) plus a few Common Pauraques. I then walked a few of the roads and turned up a few good pockets of birds including a few that were new for the trip. I did not cover as much territory as previous morning but still had seventy plus species by mid morning. I was invited by the owners of my Airbnb to catch a ride with the caretaker of the property down to another house (Finca Mango) they own at a lower elevation. With the property being a few hundred meters lower I hoped to score a few new species for the trip and I did indeed find a few more. Unfortunately I didn’t arrive down there until 10:30 and by that time the activity had dropped from what I would expect early on in the day plus the habitat was more open. Nonetheless it was nice to get a few new species and have some hot, sunny weather. I then got a ride back up the mountain in the early afternoon to have lunch and get back into the daily thick clouds and fog. Surprisingly the clouds lifted in the afternoon and I got to enjoy an afternoon view toward the Pacific Ocean for the first time since arriving in Costa Rica. I even took a short walk in the afternoon to enjoy the sun and warmth (especially nice knowing it was cold and icy at home). 

Thunderstorm over Pacific, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 1, 2025

Golden olive Woodpecker, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 1, 2025

Blue gray Tanager, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 1, 2025

Silver throated Tanager, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 1, 2025

Morning fog, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 1, 2025

I started off February in the same way I ended the last one, by getting out at first light to track down birds. There was actually a bit of fog to start the morning, something I had not had to deal with in the morning before here. It cleared off fairly well but the skies were more threatening than previous days with a distant thunderstorm rumbling over the Pacific and dark clouds inland that moved in and dropped a brief shower. Nothing too bad and it didn’t curtail my activities much at all. I had another good morning despite the less than ideal conditions. Lighting was bad most of the time so photo opportunities were limited. As always there were a few new species around to add to the list for the trip. Later in the morning I got a visit from John and Maureen, the former owners of Rio Magnolia Lodge. I had not seen them in three years since our last visit to the lodge when it was in operation. It was great to see them but I have to admit it would have been perfect to see them again at the lodge! Once again the rest of the afternoon was spent in the immediate vicinity of the house relaxing and enjoying the birds. 

Speckled Tanager, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

Golden winged Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

Brown Jay, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

Collared Trogon, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

Masked Tityra, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

Spotted crowned Euphonia, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

Mourning Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

Mid morning view, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025

On Sunday I woke up early and decided to try my luck with finding some owls before the sun came up. It was another star field night as I started walking down one of the roads. I was mainly trying to find a Bare shanked Screech Owl and that is what I concentrated on. I flushed up a few Common Pauraques as I walked with one allowing decent looks. After several stops with nothing I finally heard one and then two owls calling back and forth. I got a few recordings and tried my best to get looks at them but they remained hidden despite sounding like they were quite close. The Bare shanked Screech Owl was a life bird for me, becoming species #2161. Once the sun came up the bird activity increased as expected and I started ticking off species for the day. I walked a few steep miles before stopping back at the house for a bit of break before heading out once again. I ran across the owner of the property during my travels and had a nice conversation about the property and the birds. As usual the clouds settled in by late morning. It was another productive day with 77 species total. 

Speckled Tanager, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

Gray headed Chachalacas, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

Swainson's Thrush, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

Variable Seedeater, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

Fiery billed Aracari, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

Black striped Sparrow, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

Short billed Pigeon, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

Dawn, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 3, 2025

During my last full day in Costa Rica I decided to try to maximize the total number of species for the day. Although I didn’t get out before dawn to check for owls I figured I would be able to maximize the number of species using info gathered on previous days of where specific species usually turn up. I also walked further down one of the roads into more open areas to hopefully add some new species. In my four hours of walking I turned up 84 species before taking a break back at the house. I then spent the rest of the day outside at the house plus a couple brief walks around the immediate area. I turned up a number of new species and by the end of the day I had found a total of 90 species, making it my single best day at the location.  

On the 4th I had transport scheduled to get me a bit after seven to make the long ride to the airport in San Jose where I had an afternoon flight on JetBlue to Orlando. I had just a bit of time to bird close to the house before some last minute packing.  The ride to the airport took five hours with some traffic delays.

For the time at Refugio San Antonio I had a total of 130 species including one life bird (Bare shanked Screech Owl). This total is less than I would usually get for the same time period during trips to the former Rio Magnolia Lodge and this is due to a couple of factors. The higher elevation here (1300 meters) compared to Rio Magnolia Lodge (800-900m) hosts a smaller total number of species and the weather here gets socked in with clouds and fog by late morning everyday plus the views do not allow as expanse a view which cuts down on the number of raptors one can see. Nonetheless it is a great spot well away from most people. For the entire trip I ended up with 158 species in Costa Rica.