10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2015

This spectacular, turkey-like bird roams the floor of tropical forests from eastern Mexico south to northwestern Ecuador. This means that they probably can’t withstand any sort of hunting pressure, and given the lack of Great Curassows in most accessible parts of their range, that is probably the case.

Costa Rica 167

Costa Rica Turkey Ecuador Hunting 167

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2011

This is not a surprise as both pastimes tap into my primeval desire to hunt. I don’t need to kill something to feel the rush of the hunt. Enter our quest to see the Scaled Antpitta at Tandayapa Lodge in Ecuador. A Scaled Antpitta at Tandayapa Lodge, Ecuador by Luke Seitz Most antpitta species are very tough to see.

Ecuador 150

Ecuador South Africa United States Hunting 150

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2017

Last week I wrote about the interesting hunting habits of our local Harris’s Hawks. Their territory also includes portions of Central America, down into eastern Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. Today I will cover another one of Mexico’s Baja Peninsulas characters, the Zone-tailed Hawk Buteo Albonotatus.

Tail Banding 100

Tail Banding Turkey Paraguay Mexico 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2019

There are more than 50 regional endemics to choose from, and many birds are easier to see in Costa Rica than many other places because of access to habitat and/or lack of hunting pressure. Thanks to better protection from hunting, this fancy bird is tame and easy to see at many sites in Costa Rica. Buff-fronted Quail-Dove.

Costa Rica 202

Costa Rica Panama Birds Eagles 202

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

When Esdras asked us to find the bird without his help, I flashed back to my first potoo experience on the Napo River, Ecuador, where I was literally face-to-face with a Common Potoo and still saw a stick. But, I was birding with experienced neotropical birders, and Linda soon spotted the Nothern Potoo disguised as part of a nearby tree.

Honduras 244

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 244

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2013

My post last week where I defended game hunting as a conservation tool has, unaccountably, encountered a certain amount of push back. Who would have thought that a post defending hunting game in general would have not been universally acclaimed? I will address two of them in the new year, namely, “Is hunting moral at all?”

Tigers 170

Tigers Hunting Game Protection 170

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

A Guan was collected in 1876 in a mangrove forest near the border between Peru and Ecuador. There were reasons to think that the White-winged Guan had been extirpated by over-hunting. Some remained stored for decades before a researcher would pick them up and inquired about these poorly documented specimens.

Collecting 267

Collecting Peru Neglecting Hunting 267