Nature brought us an avian gift this holiday season: two separate occurrences of Southern Lapwings (Vanellus chilensis)! Don't go scrambling for your Birds of Costa Rica, because you won't find any mention of this South American plover there, as these are just the third and fourth records of the species in the country. The first record was on the San Carlos River, near Nicaragua, in 1997; and the second was near the Ingenio El General (sugar mill), a few kilometers southwest of Dr. Skutch's reserve, in March 2000.

In addition to the Southern Lapwings, there are lots of birds there right now and the hour we spent was very entertaining. Of note were two Pectoral Sandpipers (Calidris melanotos), for which, according to the field guide, there are no winter records.

Another rare visitor didn't have such good fortune as the lapwings. Neyer Campos reports that on 28 October 2001, a White Tern (Gygis alba) was found in Sierpe de Osa by Erick Beita, a local naturalist guide. In fact, if I got the story correctly, the off-course wanderer actually turned up in Erick's yard. For whatever reason, the handsome tern didn't last more than 24 hours. Neyer said he took pictures of the bird, but that the specimen was lost because while Erick was away from the house, his brothers threw away the carcass because it smelled badly.

[Remember, you can now check the results of CBCs online!]

The rarest migrant report to have reached me in the last few months was that of a Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) seen in Cahuita by Robert Dean in mid-November. The sighting represents perhaps only the second record of this species in Costa Rica.

In mid-October, Robert also found a female Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) accompanying a small flock of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (Pheucticus ludovicianus) in Monteverde. There are only two previous sightings of Black-headed Grosbeak mentioned in the CR field guide.

Eduardo Amengual, who with his wife Patricia is administrating La Colina Lodge in Monteverde, enjoyed a veritable parade of migrants that visited a fruiting fig tree beside the hotel this past season. Highlights included a Prairie Warbler (Dendroica discolor) -- the first species of Dendroica to arrive at the fig -- seen on 14 August; at least four Cerulean Warblers (Dendroica cerulea) -- including one gorgeous adult male -- that came through from 02 to 04 September; and a Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendroica dominica) on 02 September.

Other reports from Monteverde include a Hermit Warbler (Dendroica occidentalis) that has been frequenting the conifers behind the cheese factory and a Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens) -- albeit, a female -- that has been seen at the Ecological Farm. Also, Bruce Young sent word of a MacGillivray's Warbler (Oporornis tolmiei) that he has seen from his office window "off and on since 10 October."

On a migrant-chasing trip to the Caribbean, Eduardo Amengual spotted an Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) on 08 October while birding along the road to Punta Uva. The bird was among many migrating Great Crested Flycatchers (Myiarchus crinitus) and its presence coincided with the passage of Hurricane Iris in the Caribbean.

A few days later on 12 October, at Gavilán Lodge near Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Eduardo found a male Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora pinus) foraging with a mixed flock of other warblers. While birding with Chris Fagyal, Jerry LeTendre, Judith Sullivan, and Ric and Betty Zarwell on 07 November, we were able to add this species to the Rancho Naturalista balcony list for the year 2001, likewise with a fine adult male. And returning to the Puerto Viejo area, Blue-winged Warbler also showed up on 29 December during the La Selva Christmas Bird Count.

Several rare migrant warblers were reported from the Grecia CBC on 15 December. Two Cape May Warblers (Dendroica tigrina) were seen in an area known as El Chayote and on Cerro Espiritu Santo, outside of Palmares, Jim Zook found a Hermit Warbler and a Yellow-throated Warbler.

On 21 December 2001, after chasing the above-mentioned lapwings, my sons and I birded the Skywalk at Hotel Villa Lapas and had nice long looks at a foraging Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorus). It was a life bird for them, and a year bird for me. [By the way, the lower portion of this trail has also been fairly reliable for Stub-tailed Spadebill (Platyrinchus cancrominus).]

After the note in the previous newsletter regarding the southward spread of the White-throated Magpie-Jay (Calocitta formosa), Jim Zook wrote to clarify that both this species and the Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila) had been reported to him by Brian Nice, a British birder who has recently taken up residence in Dominical. [I apologize for this and all other errors that may occur in these newsletters due to occasional "data mismanagement".]

Rich Hoyer mentioned a place just down the road (Km 120) that has been productive for hummers, too: the roadside vegetation just 100 meters or so up the road from the Río Payner washout (a hairpin turn in the road that was washed away by flood waters from Hurricane Cesar back in 1996). Between two different Wings tours and a visit I made with Fagyal et. al. on the morning of 11 November 2001, the following species have been seen there: Green Hermit (Phaethornis guy), Green Violet-ear (Colibri thalassinus), Violet-headed Hummingbird (Klais guimeti), Snowy-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia edward), Stripe-tailed Hummingbird (Eupherusa eximia), Black-bellied Hummingbird (Eupherusa nigriventris), White-tailed Emerald (Elvira chionura), White-throated Mountain-gem (Lampornis cinereicauda), and Purple-crowned Fairy (Heliothryx barroti). All in all, a rather interesting species mix.

Thanks to Nancy Newfield and her contacts at LSU, I finally feel 100% sure that back in July 1994 I photographed a rare Blue-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia cyanura), rather than the common Stripe-tailed Hummingbird (Eupherusa eximia), at the Hummingbird Gallery in Monteverde.

Nancy forwarded digital copies of the photos to Van Remsen at LSU, who replied:

On 08 November 2001, while checking out the action at the mouth of the Tarcoles River with the aforementioned Fagyal group, Ric Zarwell pointed out a strange-looking cormorant standing on a sandbar among numerous Neotropic Cormorants (Phalacrocorax brasilianus). The bird in question had almost completely white underparts that contrasted with its dark crown, nape, and back. Neither the illustrations in the CR field guide nor the National Geographic guide showed anything like what we were seeing.

The following day, we checked my copy of SEABIRDS, by Peter Harrison, and more or less unanimously agreed that the closest thing to what we had seen at Tarcoles was a Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius). However, this species is only known from Australia and New Zealand, and hence didn't seem very likely.

[The following account is reprinted from Cotinga 16 with permission from the Neotropical Bird Club. This astounding observation is worth disseminating as much as possible, especially as it pertains to the Costa Rican avifauna. (Numbers in parentheses correspond to the referrences cited at the end of the article.)]

Occasionally avian behaviour is sufficiently strange as to make it worthwhile reporting in the hope that, combined with other observations, a clear pattern and understanding will emerge. On 21 February 2000, in Jardin Bótanico Wilson, near San Vito, south Costa Rica (at 1,100 m), our attention was drawn to two adult Chestnut-mandibled Toucans (Ramphastos swainsonii) flying from tree to tree. They were in an area of open canopy at the edge of Las Cruces forest. No obvious size, colour, or bill length differences were noted between the two, which were c.30 m diagonally above us. The following is a composite of our brief observations, edited by the senior author.

For approximately three minutes (partially timed) it dangled completely inert, with the sole exception that it once partly extended its wings for less than a second. The dangling individual was shaken vigorously several times during the period. Two Fiery-billed Aracari (Pteroglossus frantzii) flew into the same tree, as did two other Ramphastos, but the latter did not become involved. One of the Pteroglossus, however, suddenly approached the two in combat and appeared to try and climb onto them. This caused the two Ramphastos to leave, the lower still grasped by the upper for a second or so. All six individuals departed simultaneously and quickly disappeared from view, the dangling toucan commencing normal flight following a short drop when it was released.

'Dueling' with bills appears widespread among rhamphastids(9) and their use in social interactions(6) may prove to be one answer to the ancient puzzle of the function of their giant bills(7,9). Strong intraspecific aggression in which the mandible is used to hold a victim during an attack has been reported in Pale-mandibled Aracari (Pteroglossus erythropygius)(2). Stable interspecific hierarchies related to feeding occur among other frugivores(3), and an intraspecific dominance hierarchy has been demonstrated in at least one avian herbivore in the New World tropics, the White-winged Trumpeter (Psophia leucoptera) (although dominance interactions there appear primarily among males for access to females)(4). To our knowledge, in such hierarchies, subordinate individuals have not exhibited such dramatically submissive behaviour (which presumably helped avoid serious injury) as that we observed.

While you were enjoying Paul Ehrlich's article, I was thinking, "Hm-m-m, maybe there's a use for some of those less-than-perfect digital photos I've taken recently. I can let the newsletter readers try and guess what species they are!" Actually, in reality you don't always get a great look at every bird, but with experience, even a glimpse of a bird can be enough to know what it is. So take a look at this photo and see what you think. Do you know what you're looking at? If so, email me with the correct answer and you'll win a free lifetime subscription to the Gone Birding Newsletter!

I hope that you've enjoyed this newsletter and welcome any comments at gonebirdingcr@gmail.com or if you're in Costa Rica, feel free to give me a ring at 293-2710.

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October 2001

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