The Tortuguero Integrated Bird Monitoring Program Presents
El Dia Grande
Tortuguero, Costa Rica
March 9, 2007
It wouldn’t be a typical day in Tortuguero without rain, birds or boats, and we were fortunate to have all three for the 2007 Dia Grande de Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Besides the desirable opportunity to watch birds for the entire day, the census allows participants time to explore the back corners and favourite hot spots of Tortuguero’s many caños and rainforest trails. The Tortuguero Integrated Bird Monitoring Program was fortunate to have help from several friends of the program. Local guide and wildlife guru, Darryl Loth, together with naturalist Dan Van Der Broek (a long-time Tortuguero bander) led a group from the Portland, OR Audubon Society. Meanwhile, members of Global Vision International’s Costa Rica Expedition kept their eyes out for any local rarities near the Caño Palma Biological Station.
Since we had such superb help in the waterways and back alleys of Tortuguero National Park, we focused on acquiring views of beach and land bird species. Leaving from our dorm room at 0430 we encountered our first species (ignoring the otherwise persistent roosters!): the national bird of Costa Rica. It may not be the flashiest bird in the book, but the Clay-colored Robin singing its sweet burbly tune is a common sound in the early Tortuguero morning, and it set an optimistic tone for a big day of birding. Launching from Darryl’s dock in his beast of a canoe, we set off for the gardens at Evergreen Lodge, a favourite stop on his guided tours. Immediately the optimism of the day was dampened by a wall of driving rain. As we battled raging waves while crossing the Tortuguero River in complete darkness, our meagre headlamp illuminated windswept grassy marshes (but no crakes!) and splashes from giant jumping fish. Meanwhile Darryl and Dan’s group of hardened birders… slept.
Despite a soggy crossing, the gardens were all a flurry with the best of Tortuguero’s edge specialists. A nighthawk flew by, only briefly illuminated by lamplight. As the sun rose, Palm Tanagers and Black-striped Sparrows worked the shrubbery while a pair of Golden-hooded Tanagers flitted between some palms and the rainforest edge. It was a challenge keeping our binoculars de-fogged in the rain, but in the heavier showers we were able to take advantage of the water-shedding properties of some rainforest shrubs. While under one sumptuous palm we spotted a tail of a Trogon, but with…….. thin tail barring? We discovered upon further research that juvenile Slaty-tailed Trogons can have some barring on the tail, similar to a Lattice-tailed. Later we were provided fine views of a male Slaty-tailed Trogon, which sallied among branches and electrical wires.
To be fair, the migrants gave a strong showing as well. There were many warblers, including: Chestnut-sided (one a gorgeous male in breeding plumage), Prothonotary, Black-and-white, Yellow, and a conspicuous Northern Waterthrush. Baltimore Orioles cavorted amongst the resident Black-cowled Orioles while Summer Tanagers ¨bi-dipped¨ in high exposed snags.
We left briefly for a nearby forest trail but returned in time to see a Tityra extravaganza in the center of the garden. One pair of EACH species (Masked and Black-crowned) was perching on a dead snag. The Masked were cavity nesting and ducked inside frequently with bits of twigs and leaves. At one point they skirmished with a Social Flycatcher whose nest was a meter away on a crook in the snag. Having heard or seen all three species of Toucans (including a flock of Collared Aracaris), we quickly boated up the caño to find a pair of drowsy Boat-billed Herons that Cara had found a week before in a shady nook.
After hailing Darryl and Dan’s group in the canal, we headed back to the national park for some dense jungle birding. On the way, Ian detected a flittering of brilliant blue in a pasture near the park banding site. After getting permission from the friendly Ticos, we charged over the barbed wire fence and found… a mixed flock with orioles, Summer Tanagers, Rufous-tailed hummingbirds, AND a pair of Blue Dacnis-- life birds for us! Such a superb flock was only enhanced by a pair of White-necked Jacobins, an additional Slaty-tail Trogon and a Streak-headed Woodcreeper.
A Common Black Hawk watched over as we entered the park, enjoying a break from the now-persistent midday sun. We were lured further into the jungle by the raucous calls of Purple-throated Fruitcrows, and in reward one male puffed out his purple throat patch for us. In this sunny clearing we heard the charismatic trilling of Olive-backed Euphonias while a Stripe-breasted Wood-Wren warbled in the distance. Before reaching the beach a pair of Western Slaty-Antshrikes popped by – we had heard them before off-trail.
The highlight of our time in the park may have been the sight of several male manakins lekking, hopping inordinate distances with a sharp snap of the wings. The White-collared Manakins had cleared some tiny leaping grounds on the forest floor, while the Red-capped Manakins jumped between branches. The clacking of wings was matched with a high descending whistle for the Red-capped Manakins. We don’t know about the female manakins, but we sure found the whole display quite attractive.
By this time the sun was in full force, and the forest resounded with the silence of resting birds. One last sighting—another new bird for us—was a couple Red-throated Ant-Tanagers rummaging through the brush. We headed across town to the gardens of Caribbean Conservation Corporation’s neighbour, Mawamba Lodge, to watch the hummingbirds zipping in between rays of the sun setting across the canal. Further along the lodge’s forested trails, we also spotted a Broad-winged Hawk. We headed home along the beach to make use of the fading light, and a pair of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons dropped in to take advantage of the coming darkness. We spotted the Whimbrel and Black-bellied Plover that always seem to be poking around, as well as a flock of Semi-palmated Plovers huddling in for the night.
We decided to call it a day as well, hoping that over in Caño Palma, the Great Potoo would issue its resounding call throughout the night.
Special Thanks to Darryl Loth, Dan Van Der Broek and the folk from Portland Audubon for combining their tour with the Big Day count. Evergreen and Mawamba Lodges graciously let us bird on their property.
- Ian Ausprey and Cara Lovell
Species List for El Dia Grande, Tortuguero, Costa Rica. March 9, 2007.
A partnership of the Tortuguero Integrated Bird Monitoring Program, Mawamba
Lodge, Evergreen Lodge, Global Vision International & Portland Audubon (OR).
|
Species |
Number |
Location |
|
Great Tinamou |
1 |
CAN |
|
Anhinga |
8 |
CAN |
|
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron |
3 |
CAN, CCC |
|
Great Blue Heron |
1 |
CAN |
|
Great Egret |
4 |
CAN |
|
Snowy Egret |
20 |
CAN |
|
Little Blue Heron |
27 |
CAN |
|
Green Heron |
6 |
CAN |
|
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron |
5 |
CAN, PLY |
|
Boat-billed Heron |
2 |
CAN (near EVR) |
|
Green Ibis |
2 |
CAN |
|
Black Vulture |
12 |
FLY |
|
Turkey Vulture |
22 |
FLY |
|
Osprey |
1 |
CAN |
|
Black-collared Hawk |
1 |
CAN |
|
White Hawk |
1 |
CAN |
|
Common Black Hawk |
2 |
CAN, PNT |
|
Broad-wing Hawk |
1 |
MAW |
|
Laughing Falcon |
1 |
CAN |
|
Great Currasow |
2 |
CAN |
|
White-throated Crake |
4 |
CAN, EVR |
|
Gray-necked Wood-Rail |
1 |
CAN |
|
Purple Gallinule |
1 |
CAN |
|
Sungrebe |
1 |
CAN |
|
Limpkin |
1 |
CAN |
|
Black-bellied Plover |
1 |
PLY |
|
Semi-palmated Plover |
6 |
PLY |
|
Northern Jacana |
13 |
CAN, EVR |
|
Spotted Sandpiper |
1 |
CAP |
|
Whimbrel |
2 |
PLY |
|
Pale-vented Pigeon |
5 |
CAN |
|
Short-billed Pigeon |
9 |
CAN, PNT |
|
Gray-chested Dove |
3 |
CCC |
|
Olive-throated Parakeet |
10 |
CAN |
|
Orange-chinned Parakeet |
1 |
CAP |
|
White-crowned Parrot |
1 |
CAN |
|
Red-lored Parrot |
3 |
MAW, CAN |
|
Mealy Parrot |
24 |
CAN, EVR |
|
Squirrel Cuckoo |
1 |
CAN |
|
Short-tailed Nighthawk |
1 |
CAN |
|
Unidentified Nighthawk (Common/Lesser) |
1 |
EVR |
|
Great Potoo |
1 |
CAP |
|
Chimney Swift |
8 |
CAN |
|
Gray-rumped Swift |
1 |
CAN |
|
Unidentified Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift or Barn Swallow |
2 |
EVR |
|
Bronzy Hermit |
1 |
CAP |
|
Long-billed Hermit |
12 |
CAN |
|
Unidentified Hermit |
1 |
EVR |
|
White-necked Jacobin |
2 |
EVR, CAN |
|
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird |
6 |
PNT, MAW |
|
Purple-Crowned Fairy |
1 |
CAP |
|
Black-throated Trogon |
1 |
CAN |
|
Slaty-tailed Trogon |
4 |
CAN, PNT, EVR |
|
Unidentified Trogon (Possible Lattice-tailed) |
1 |
EVR |
|
Ringed Kingfisher |
4 |
CAN |
|
Amazon Kingfisher |
1 |
CAN |
|
Green Kingfisher |
1 |
CAN |
|
American Pygmy Kingfisher |
1 |
CAN |
|
White-necked Puffbird |
4 |
CAN |
|
Collared Aracari |
14 |
CAN, EVR |
|
Keel-billed Toucan |
2 |
EVR, CAN |
|
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan |
1 |
CAN |
|
Cinnamon Woodpecker |
2 |
CAN |
|
Lineated Woodpecker |
1 |
CAP |
|
Pale-billed Woodpecker |
2 |
CAN |
|
Northern Barred-Woodcreeper |
4 |
CCC, CAN |
|
Streak-headed Woodcreeper |
4 |
PNT, CAN, MAW |
|
Western Slaty-Antshrike |
6 |
PNT, CAN |
|
Chestnut-backed Antbird |
3 |
CAN |
|
Brown-capped Tyrannulet |
3 |
CAN |
|
Yellow-bellied Elaenia |
2 |
CAN, TOR |
|
Common Tody-Flycatcher |
6 |
CAN, PNT, MAW |
|
Unidentified Pewee |
1 |
TOR |
|
Bright-rumped Attila |
6 |
CAN, EVR, PNT |
|
Great-crested Flycatcher |
2 |
CAN |
|
Great Kiskadee |
11 |
TOR, EVR, PNT |
|
Boat-billed Flycatcher |
1 |
PNT |
|
Social Flycatcher |
7 |
EVR, CAN, TOR |
|
Tropical Kingbird |
5 |
PNT, CAN, MAW |
|
Masked Tityra |
2 |
EVR |
|
Black-crowned Tityra |
2 |
EVR |
|
Purple-throated Fruitcrow |
3 |
PNT |
|
White-collared Manakin |
12 |
PNT, CAN |
|
Red-capped Manakin |
8 |
CAN, PNT |
|
Lesser Greenlet |
19 |
CAN, EVR, PNT, MAW |
|
Bay Wren |
7 |
CAN |
|
Stripe-breasted Wren |
5 |
PNT, CAN |
|
House Wren |
2 |
EVR |
|
White-breasted Wood-Wren |
1 |
CAN |
|
Tropical Gnatcatcher |
1 |
CAN |
|
Wood Thrush |
1 |
PNT |
|
Clay-Colored Robin |
7 |
MAW, TOR, CCC |
|
Yellow Warbler |
4 |
EVR, MAW, CAN |
|
Chestnut-sided Warbler |
5 |
EVR, MAW, CAN |
|
Black-and-white Warbler |
3 |
EVR, MAW |
|
Prothonotary Warbler |
4 |
EVR. MAW |
|
Northern Waterthrush |
2 |
EVR, MAW |
|
Olive-crowned Yellowthroat |
1 |
CAN |
|
Red-throated Ant-Tanager |
2 |
PNT |
|
Summer Tanager |
2 |
EVR, PNT |
|
Passerini´s Tanager |
2 |
CAN, EVR |
|
Blue-gray Tanager |
6 |
EVR, MAW |
|
Palm Tanager |
2 |
EVR |
|
Olive-backed Euphonia |
27 |
CAN, EVR, PNT |
|
Golden-hooded Tanager |
2 |
EVR |
|
Blue Dacnis |
2 |
PNT |
|
Variable Seedeater |
7 |
EVR, PNT, MAW |
|
Black-striped Sparrow |
5 |
EVR, MAW |
|
Buff-throated Saltator |
2 |
CAN |
|
Great-tailed Grackle |
23 |
TOR, CCC, CAN |
|
Black-cowled Oriole |
5 |
EVR, PNT |
|
Baltimore Oriole |
7 |
EVR, PNT, CAN, MAW |
|
Scarlet-rumped Cacique |
4 |
CAN |
|
Chestnut-headed Oropendola |
1 |
CAN |
|
Montezuma Oropendola |
23 |
CAN, EVR, TOR |
|
House Sparrow |
1 |
TOR |
|
TOTAL SPECIES: 116 |
TOTAL INDIVIDUALS: 559 |
|
|
LOCATION CODES |
|
|
|
PNT |
Parque Nacional Tortuguero (Sendero and Fields Near Entrance) |
|
|
CAN |
Caños (In and Surrounding PNT) | |