10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2018

It’s warm as always in Costa Rica but I know there’s a change of seasons up north. In Costa Rica, the seasons are changing as well, nothing like the drastic turn up north but changes nonetheless. One of many beautiful Baltimore Orioles in Costa Rica for the winter. Gulls on the Niagara.

Costa Rica 148

Costa Rica Baltimore Tennessee Parrots 148

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2020

The prospect of identifying a certain number of species in a given amount of time pushes us to pay more attention to birds no matter what the circumstances (although I suggest keeping the exclamations about species identifications to yourself during such solemn situations as funerals, graduations, and watching episodes of The Sopranos).

Costa Rica 263

Costa Rica 2020 Morals Farming 263

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 16, 2021

After all, Costa Rica is no small player on the world birding stage. We have nearly 930 species on the official list and with some effort, 700 in a year is a feasible goal. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck – Dendrocygna autumnalis; Tirimbina, 9-Jan. Here I go, I hope you also surpass your birding goals in 2021.

Costa Rica 166

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Woodpeckers 166

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2015

Each year, I hope to identify at least 600 species. That 600th species was a Streaked Xenops , an especially uncommon bird in Costa Rica usually seen at Tapanti National Park. That’s where I saw mine for 2015 but there are still plenty of other species lacking from the year list. I hope I see them again soon.

Costa Rica 154

Costa Rica 2015 Species West Virginia 154

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2015

January kicks off the high season for birding in Costa Rica. Identifying 600 species : This is an annual goal of mine and, in Costa Rica, is feasible even if you stick to birding once a week. Last year, I got 654 species. Break 500 species by the end of February : This should be possible.

Costa Rica 164

Costa Rica 2015 Birds Panama 164

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2015

However, that doesn’t mean that the bird species in question is necessarily endangered. For example, in Costa Rica, we have Eastern Phoebe on the list because one lone, very lost (or extremely adventurous) individual took a really big detour at Pismo Beach instead of making a short flight to wintering grounds much closer to home.

Costa Rica 162

Costa Rica Birds Panama Sparrows 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2018

Flock after flock of blackbirds, ducks, geese, raptors flapping their way north. In Costa Rica, April is much more stable. It’s a good time to be in Costa Rica. They come in the form of waves of Scarlet Tanagers , pewees, Blackburnian Warblers, and other species. Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Blackbirds Texas Geese 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2014

This is also why we don’t expect to see many birds on a sunny day in Costa Rica. Go birding in middle elevation forest in Costa Rica (or anywhere in the neotropics) and you will appreciate (and curse) the ability of those birds to hide in plain sight. Destinations Costa Rica Trips' By two p.m.,

Costa Rica 171

Costa Rica Falcons Ducks Species 171

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2017

Unless those non-birding folks happen to be duck hunters or love to go fishing, they tend to stay away from the marshes, the riparian zones, the bottom lands. There are two main wetland areas in Costa Rica, one in the Tempisque River floodplain, and the other in wetland areas associated with Lake Nicaragua. See the birds?

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Birds Ducks Pelicans 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2015

However, some birds still stand out from the rest, and they tend to be the rare ones like these species: Arctic Tern : Unexpected, seen very close on land and in flight, and a lifer that I should have got at some point when living and birding up north. I have seen both in other places but still need them for my Costa Rica list.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica 2015 Eagles Birds 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2018

Our second week here in Costa Rica has certainly seen a great increase in the amount of rain. He quickly starts pointing our different species that are all around us, with exceptional and obvious knowledge. We were able to get in about 2 hours with Abner the next day, before heading off to the southern end of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 113

Costa Rica Falcons Mexico Groups 113

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2019

To surpass a challenging number of species, the planning, the conniving for major birding should have begun back in the past, in 2018. Every day counts and to seriously maximize the species total, a birder needs to maximize time in the field at the most productive places during the most productive times and then some.

Costa Rica 113

Costa Rica 2019 Parrots Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2017

In Costa Rica, we did our part and were elated to finish with more than 640 species. Keel-billed Toucan , one of three toucan species seen during our day of birding. Overhead, we got our first species in the form of a calling Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. Pre-dawn in the Lowlands.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica 2017 Owls West Virginia 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2018

The pressure is on if you can only get certain species during the first month of the year but if you just want to add any old birds to the year list, everything is fresh! Since I’m in no big hurry to reach any number of species in 2018, my year birding is going to be a fresh one hopefully touched with a good dose of Zen.

Costa Rica 168

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Woodpeckers 168

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Manky Muscovy Ducks Manky Muscovy Ducks By Mike • March 2, 2011 • 6 comments Tweet Share The Muscovy Duck ( Cairina moschata ) attracts more attention than most ducks, at least in North America.

Ducks 226

Ducks 2011 Deer New York 226

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2016

When I went to Honduras in 2014, I was advised to use The Birds of Costa Rica by Richard Garrigues and Robert Dean (2014) and The Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America by Steve N.G. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America covers 827 species, including resident, migratory, and common vagrant birds.

El Salvador 235

El Salvador America Costa Rica Honduras 235

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2017

It’s going to take a while but if I can expend time and energy (aka birding kung-fu) in the right places, I can certainly make that happen for Costa Rica. Nevertheless, I still have over 232 species including the latest addition- a Striped Owl heard from my bedroom window as it called into a moonlit night.

Costa Rica 105

Costa Rica 2017 Woodpeckers Parrots 105

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2021

My birding list for November totals 15 species. Thank goodness that the rest of the beats have been busily birding,that’s what they like to do… 9 of them submitted 114 checklists via eBird and amassed 525 species from 7 (China, Australia, Mexico, Costa Rica, UK, Serbia and USA) countries during November.

Sparrows 218

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Costa Rica 218

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

When Costa Rica becomes a topic of conversation, we don’t usually hear the word “extinction” being thrown around. But how about when the Costa Rica conversation involves a birder? It’s easy to bedazzle the bins with this one when birding in Costa Rica. Must be a joke, right?

Costa Rica 228

Costa Rica Species Panama Birds 228

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Finally, the Similan Islands are perhaps one of the most beautiful islands in the world and form a stunning backdrop to this species, one of the loveliest pigeons in the world. I had enough time to warn my husband that it was headed our way and we ducked. The experience, the place, and the bird combine to make this my BBOTY.

2014 197

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 197

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2016

On the other side of the weather coin, now that I live in Costa Rica, the first month of the year also means warm sunny days punctuated by windy weather, and migrants like Yellow Warblers and Baltimore Orioles sharing green space with Blue-gray Tanagers and other avian locals. The locals don’t always get along with the migrants.

Costa Rica 101

Costa Rica 2016 San Antonio Sparrows 101

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2021

9 beats from 8 countries (Australia, USA, UK, Serbia, Costa Rica, China, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico), shared 138 checklists for 703 species. The year list to date is 1015 species and 7 have been added to the life list ( 4059 ) from Costa Rica, China and Trinidad and Tobago.

Woodpeckers 193

Woodpeckers Sparrows Ducks Parrots 193

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2021

December’s beats found 609 birds after submitting 116 checklists from 8 countries (USA, UK, Costa Rica, China, Mexico, Serbia and Australia). The year list ends on a provisional 1803 species from 1608 checklists submitted by 12 beats from 16 countries. If you wish to see a full list for 2020, you can find it here. .

2020 237

2020 Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots 237

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2019

There were birds to watch but they were the gulls and ducks on the river, the sparrows in the fields, the finches that came to the feeder, the beautiful American Kestrel on the roadside wire. Much to the good fortune of resident and visiting birders in Costa Rica, this is true, we see toucans at many sites in the country.

Costa Rica 186

Costa Rica Panama Eating Eggs South America 186

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2022

8 of them sent 153 lists, noting 645 species of bird across 7 countries (Mexico, UK, USA, Serbia, Australia, Costa Rica, Colombia). It has not resulted in extraordinary numbers of sightings personally, but the beats have been busy on their respective patches and have sent me their lists to collate.

Sparrows 246

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Owls 246

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2016

Like the red in Red-bellied Woodpecker and the ring in Ring-necked Duck , this part of the Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet’s name describes a feature that is not obvious to the casual observer or from a great distance. The Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet itself was the Northern Beardless Flycatcher until the early 1980s. Next: Beardless.

Costa Rica 103

Costa Rica 2014 Family Collecting 103

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2020

7 beats contributed their sightings from 7 countries (Hong Kong, UK, China, USA, Serbia, Australia and, of course, Costa Rica). 149 checklists were submitted, accounting for 465 species. Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). Eastern Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha). American Black Duck (Anas rubripes).

2020 154

2020 Sparrows Niger Woodpeckers 154

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2018

This 57,331 acre refuge was set aside as a critical wintering location for tens of thousands of Geese, Ducks and Sandhill Cranes. There was also a small raft of Ruddy Ducks. In about 10 days, we leave for our last (at least up to now) out of the US trip, with 21 days scheduled in Costa Rica. US species – 243.

New Mexico 113

New Mexico Mexico Tucson Costa Rica 113

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2015

After the birding bugs bites, the abundance of new and colorful birds makes it easy to overlook or even blatantly ignore sparrows, “seagulls”, female ducks, and flycatchers. At first glance, every single species seems to be nothing more than an eye-ring and pair of wing bars. The Yellow-olive Flycatcher is one such species.

Costa Rica 203

Costa Rica Panama Species Sparrows 203

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2021

9 beats submitted 140 checklists from 7 countries (USA, UK, Costa Rica, Serbia, Australia, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago) during October to account for 585 species. 2 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck – Dendrocygna autumnalis. 3 Fulvous Whistling-Duck – Dendrocygna bicolor. 11 Wood Duck – Aix sponsa.

Woodpeckers 248

Woodpeckers Sparrows Blackbirds Ducks 248

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2024

When a birder uses the word, we usually refer to a species that canbe mostly or exclusively found in a single country. Which means that the large country of Mexico boasts (according to one list) 127 endemic bird species, while the famous birders’ destination of Costa Rica has only 6. More evidence of resilience?

Costa Rica 201

Costa Rica Mexico North America Lions 201

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2021

Our brave beats have been putting themselves at risk for your vicarious listing pleasure and 10 of them submitted 151 checklists for 692 species, 2 of which made it onto the life list. Checklists came in from 7 countries (USA, UK, Serbia, China, Mexico, Costa Rica and Australia) and brought the year list for 2021 so far to 1143.

Sparrows 161

Sparrows Woodpeckers Blackbirds Ducks 161

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2020

It happens to every birder and it may take a while but eventually, every person who strives to see different species of birds comes across that one warbler, that particular shorebird or bunting or crossbill that they really, honestly, should have seen. My former nemesis was the Masked Duck. It also shows there every year!

Costa Rica 263

Costa Rica Ducks Birds Laws 263

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2012

After lazing in the heat I decided to visit the forest pools one last time, hoping for another sighting of Hartlaub’s Duck or White-bellied Kingfisher. I even managed to shoot a video with hands trembling of excitement, probably a first of the species. 2012 was one of my best years for birding in Costa Rica.

2012 133

2012 Ghana Ireland Birds 133

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2020

But in bigger news, could this be the month that UK outbirds Costa Rica? At time of writing (usually a couple of days early to avoid the deadline panic), UK is fielding 63 species. Costa Rica has also submitted 63. Costa Rica v UK is bino a bino and UK has never before beaten The Man. UK El Campeón!

2020 162

2020 Costa Rica Blackbirds Sparrows 162

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2015

Read on if you want to indulge me in reliving my version of it… In 2014 I birded in three countries (United States, Canada, Costa Rica), four states (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida), and forty-two counties. (I’m That increased my total list from my balcony to 92 species!

2014 245

2014 Costa Rica New York New Jersey 245

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2020

Incidentally, Uganda ( 510 ) leap-frogged Australia ( 475 ) to become the list’s fourth most prolific country behind Costa Rica ( 763 ), USA ( 654 ) and Brazil ( 555 ). They contributed 150 lists accounting for 1032 species and more than 36,000 individual birds. White-faced Whistling-Duck – Dendrocygna viduata.

2019 179

2019 Chile Texas Sanctuary 179