Easley Birding: October 2010

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Ecuador Adventure Part 5 - Rio Silanche & Milpe

Hello Friends - After our nice stay at Bellavista, we transferred to the comfortable Septimo Paradiso Lodge for a 4 night-stay. From here we were able to visit several different habitat zones near Mindo. The first area visited was the Rio Silanche Reserve in the morning and then the vistior center at the Milpe Reserve in the afternoon.
Some of the highlights from the Rio Silanche Reserve were: Crane Hawk, Gray-headed Kite, Bat Falcon, Pallid Dove, Pacific Parrotlet, Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift, Blue-chested Hummingbird, Purple-crowned Fairy, Western White-tailed Trogon, Choco Trogon, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Orange-fronted Barbet, Pale-mandibled Aracari, Choco Toucan, Guayaquil & Red-rumped Woodpeckers, Olivaceous Piculet, Steaked Xenops, Black-striped & Spotted Woodcreepers, Western Slaty-Antshrike, Dot-winged, Checker-throated & White-flanked Antwren, Dusky & Chestnut-backed Antbirds, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, White-bearded Manakin, Greenish Elaenia, Golden-faced Tyrannulet, Slaty-capped Flycatcher, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Streaked, Rusty-margined, Boat-billed, Yellow-margined, Sulphur-rumped & Ruddy-tailed Flycatchers, Masked Water-Tyrant, Band-backed Wren, Slate-throated Gnatcatcher, Olive-crowned Yellowthroat, White-shouldered, Bay-headed, Rufous-winged, Golden-hooded, Gray-and-Gold Tanagers, Blue Dacnis and Green Honeycreeper.
Later at the Milpe Reserve we found: Green-fronted Lancebill, Green Thorntail, Green-crowned Brilliant, Buff-fronted Foliage-Gleaner, Plain-brown Woodcreeper, Ornate & Bran-colored Flycatchers, Snowy-throated Kingbird, Bananaquit, Rufous-throated Tanager and an Orange-billed Sparrow.
Our next post will be all about Mashpy...
Good Birding - Steven Easley SMAN

Choco Trogon (male) - Rio Silanche

Choco Trogon (female) - Rio Silanche

Pale-mandibled Aracari - Rio Silanche

Green Thorntail (female) - Milpe

Bananaquit - Milpe

Green-crowned Woodnymph - Milpe

Green-crowned Brilliant (juv. male) - Milpe

Green-crowned Brilliant (female) - Milpe

Green-fronted Lancebill (female) - Milpe

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

New CR Bird - Cape May Warbler @ Las Brisas

Hola Amigos - A good friend of ours, Ernesto Carmen, called us last night to inform us of a Cape May Warbler sighting near Siquirres. So after getting some much needed directions, we decided to 'twitch' this Costa Rican Rarity. We left early this morning and drove to the Las Brisas Reserve to try our luck. After arriving, we met a few birders already at the site, Donald Jimenez and his friend Juan. They told us they had seen the bird just before we arrived and they had nice photos to prove it. My confidence grew and I thought this was going to be easy - remember children: Nothing is Easy! However, my confidence began to fade after 3 hours of searching yielded - NOTHING!
The owner of the property, Eric Berlin, offered to take us into the Las Brisas Reserve and give us a short tour of the property. Wow, what a fantastic piece of property this is. Stunning forest that stretches as far as the eye can see. I can't wait to go back and really get a feel for what this place has to offer. After climbing up two very well constructed canopy towers, we headed back to the car to try the Cape May once again. While hiking back to the car, we came across a small mixed feeding flock. A Red-throated Ant-Tanager popped out and then was followed by a Blue-winged (Brewster's) Warbler. This was a new Costa Rican Bird for Magdalena and we began to think our luck was changing...Oh yeah...
After arriving back to the Cape May site, we began scanning the trees and bushes once again. After less than 5 minutes, we finally found our target. I spotted some movement and sure enough it was our bird -a juvenile male Cape May Warbler! We quickly made our way back to where he was feeding and got off a few shots before he flew away. This was a new Costa Rican Bird for us both - 778 for the SMAN and 763 for my lovely wife! The drive back home was much nicer after having seen our target bird, Yeah!!!

Apparently our luck hadn't worn off yet, because after arriving back home we saw a pair of Barred Parakeets fly right above our house, then they swung back around and flew over for a 2nd time.
Not an easy bird in Costa Rica and certainly not common in our area!
Thanks again to Donald Jimenez for his help at Las Brisas and also thanks to Eric Berlin for his hospitality!!!
Good Birding - Steven Easley - THE SMAN

Blue-winged (Brewster's) Warbler - Las Brisas Reserve

Olive-backed Euphonia (female) - Las Brisas Reserve

White-ruffed Manakin (female) - Las Brisas Reserve

Cape May Warbler (juvenile male) - Las Brisas Reserve

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Ecuador Adventure Part 4 - Bellavista Lodge

Hello Friends -

During our stay at the lovely Bellavista Lodge, we saw lots of spectacular birds. Here is a list of species seen during our 2 night-stay...
Roadside Hawk, White-throated & White-rumped Hawks, Swallow-tailed Kite, Black & Turkey Vultures, Sickle-winged Guan, Plumbeous & Band-tailed Pigeons, White-throated Quail-Dove, White-collared Swift, Red-billed Parrot, Squirrel Cuckoo, Common (Gray) Potoo, Speckled Hummingbird, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Buff-tailed Coronet, Tawny-bellied Hermit, Brown, Green & Sparkling Violet-ears, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Andean Emerald, Brown Inca, Collared Inca, Gorgeted Sunangel, Booted Racket-tail, Violet-tailed Sylph, Wedge-billed Hummingbird, Purple-throated Woodstar, White-bellied Woodstar, Masked Trogon, Red-headed Barbet, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Crimson-mantled & Powerful Woodpeckers, Azara's Spinetail, Red-faced Spinetail, Rusty-winged Barbtail, Pearled Treerunner, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Lineated Foliage-Gleaner, Striped Treehunter, Streaked Xenops, Strong-billed & Montane Woodcreepers, Long-tailed Antbird, Chestnut-crowned Antpitta, Spillmann's Tapaculo, Green-and-black Fruiteater, Black-capped, Rufous-winged & White-tailed Tyrannulets, White-crested Elaenia, Streak-necked, Golden-crowned & Cinnamon Flycatchers, Smoke-colored Pewee, Tropical Kingbird, Barred & One-colored & Black-and-white Becards, Blue-and-white Swallow, Sepia-brown & Plain-tailed Wrens, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush, Great & Glossy-black Thrushes, Turquoise Jay, Brown-capped & Red-eyed Vireos, Thick-billed Euphonia, Tropical Parula, Slate-throated & Spectacled Redstarts, Black-crested, Russet-crowned & Three-striped Warblers, Capped Conebill, Grass-green Tanager, Dusky Bush-Tanager, Western Hemispingus, Lemon-rumped, Flame-faced, Blue-gray, Blue-capped, Black-capped, Blue-and-black, Fawn-breasted, Golden, Golden-naped & Beryl-spangled Tanagers, Hooded & Blue-winged Mountain-Tanagers, Plushcap, White-sided & Masked Flowerpiercers, Chestnut-capped, Rufous-naped, Stripe-headed & White-winged Brush-Finches, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Black-winged Saltator, Golden-bellied Grosbeak

Bellavista Entrance

Gorgeted Sunangel

Sparkling Violet-ear

Booted Racket-tail

Goddard Group birding from the "Dome"

Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager

Montane Woodcreeper

Golden-bellied Flycatcher

Fawn-breasted Brilliant

Turquoise Jay

Goddard Group photographing Masked Trogon

Masked Trogon

Powerful Woodpecker

Powerful Woodpecker (zoomed in)

Powerful Woodpecker - female

Common (Gray) Potoo

Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan

Green Violet-ear

Purple-throated Woodstar (juv. male)

Violet-tailed Sylph

Booted Racket-tail - female

Brown Inca

Speckled Hummingbird

Andean Emerald

3 NEW YARD BIRDS!!!

Hola Amigos -
I am pleased to announce to the world that we had 3 more new yard birds this morning.
The recent victims were Wilson's Warbler, Spotted Barbtail and a stunning Eye-ringed Flatbill.
The Wilson's Warber was in a small canopy flock in the backyard, which also held Red-eyed Vireo, Blackburnian Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler and a lone Common Tody-Flycatcher.
The Eye-ringed Flatbill and Spotted Barbtail were moving with an undergrowth flock at the forest edge. Other birds seen in the mixed feeding flock were - Plain Antvireo, Tawny-crowned Greenlet - Long-billed Gnatwren - Black-throated Wren - Spotted Woodcreeper - Slaty Antwren - Checker-throated Antwren and a gorgeous male Golden-winged Warbler!
Also, birds have been coming to the banana feeder more regularly - Blue-crowned Motmot is now hourly - Gray-headed Chachalaca - Brown Jay - Buff-throated & Black-headed Saltators - Great Kiskadee - Summer, Palm, Blue-gray & Passerini's Tanagers - Baltimore Oriole - Clay-colored Thrush -Montezuma & Chestnut-headed Oropendolas are all regular visitors.
Good Birding - Steven Easley

Eye-ringed Flatbill

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Ecuador Adventure Part 3 - Yanacocha to Bellavista

Hola Amigos -
On our 2nd day, we visited the Yanacocha Reserve. A beautiful place, where we were able to see some really spectacular birds. We hiked a long scenic trail, which has been carved right out of the mountain side. Along this trail there are hummingbird feeders every several hundred yards, which attract a wide variety of hummers. The best feeders were at the end of the trail, this is where most of the action took place.
Before arriving to the reserve, we spotted a Plain-breasted Hawk and a gorgeous Red-crested Cotinga along the roadside. Other birds seen along the Yanacocha Trail were - Andean Guan, Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Sapphire-vented & Golden-breasted Pufflegs, Great Sapphirewing, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Tyrian Metaltail, Purple-backed Thornbill, Mountain Velvetbreast, Barred Fruiteater, White-throated & White-banded Tyrannulets, Rufous Wren, Spectacled Redstart, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Grass-green Tanager, Glossy & Masked Flowerpiercers and the colorful Black-backed Conebill.
Later in the afternoon, we drove the dirt road between Nono and Mindo. We stopped on several occasions to walk and bird along the roadside. A few of the more notable sightings were - Collared Inca, Toucan Barbet, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Golden-headed Quetzal, Smoke-colored Pewee, Stripe-headed Brush-Finch, White-crested Elaenia, , White-capped Dipper and Hooded Siskin.
Next up in our report is Bellavista Lodge, located in the wonderful Ecuadorian Cloud-Forest...Due stay tuned!!!
Good Birding - STEVEN EASLEY