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Posted by Stephen Paez on 19:39:48 05/18/08
Went for brief birding this morning at the Cutler Marsh. Nothing new, I was hoping to catch some sandpipers but there weren't any, except for 1 Greater Yellowlegs. The usuals: W. Pelican, both ibises, stilts, green heron, great egret, coots, mottled duck etc...
Much more exciting was my recent trip to Honduras and Nicaragua for birding. Our flight to Tegucigalpa made a stop at the lowland tropicsl city of San Pedro Sula. We stayed in the plane and from my window saw the following by the runway:
Crested Caracara (my first bird on the trip, great start)
Great-Tailed Grackle (seen throughout the trip)
Turkey Vulture
Cattle Egret
We then proceeded to Tegucigalpa, a highland city with brushy areas, pine forest areas and cloud forests. I have never seriously birded a cloud forest so I was expecting plenty of lifers. We first went to La Tigra National Park, about 45 minutes from Tegucigalpa and about 5,000-6,000 ft above sea level. Mostly cloud forest. We spent the night at their cabins, cheap. Saw the following just outside the park:
Melodious Blackbird
Yellow-Faced Grassquit (lifer)
Bushy-Crested Jay (lifer)
Golden-Fronted Woodpecker (lifer)
Once inside the park, in the cloud forest, we had:
Emerald Toucanet (lifer)
Crescent-Chested Warbler (lifer)
Common Bush-Tanager (lifer)
Slate-Throated Redstart (lifer)
Swallow-Tailed Kite (to remind me of MIami)
Ruddy-Capped Nightingale-Thrush (lifer)
Yellowish Flycatcher (lifer)
Mountain Elaenia (lifer)
Slate-Colored Solitaire (lifer, with an incredible song that sounded like a human playing a flute)
Black Robin (lifer)
Mountain Trogon (lifer)
White-Faced Quail-Dove (lifer)
White-Eared Hummingbird (lifer)
Scaled Antpitta (lifer, very excited about this one)
Band-Tailed Pigeon
Plain Wren
S. House Wren
Canada Warbler (one of the few migrants I saw on trip)
Mountain Robin (lifer)
Singing Quail (lifer, also very exciting ird)
Bronzed Cowbird
Chestnut-Capped Brush-Finch (lifer)
Olive-Sided Flycatcher
(Wow, 19 lifers for my first day)
In Tegucigalpa and surrounding countryside I added:
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture (commoner than above throughout my trip)
Spot-Breasted Bobwhite
Clay-Colored Robin (also abundant throughout the trip)
Great-Tailed Grackle
Blue-Gray Tanager
Red-Billed Pigeon
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Rock Dove
House Sparrow
Inca Dove
Rufous-Naped Wren
Gray-Breasted Martin
Tropical Kingbird
White-Fronted Parrot
Dusky-Capped Flycatcher
Kestrel
Rufous-Collared Sparrow
Groove-Billed Ani
N. Rough-Winged Swallow (lifer believe it or not)
White-Tipped Dove
Grace's Warbler (lifer)
Acorn Woodpecker
Greater Pewee (lifer)
Wood Pewee (not sure if Eastern or Western)
Black-Headed Saltator
Social Flycatcher
Common Ground-Dove
White-Winged Dove
Common Black Hawk (lifer, was found floating face down in a cattle watering tank, probably trying to get the frogs. The farmer didn't want to save it because he said it ate chickens. I told him they eat frogs and fish mostly and convinced him to fish it out with a bucket. After about an hour it came to and flew away. My deed of the day and great lifer!)
Masked Tityra
Rose-Throated Becard (female)
E. Meadowlark
Boat-Billed Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Yellow Warbler
Turquoise-Browed Motmot
Blue Grosbeak
White-Lored Gnatcatcher
Osprey
Scrub Euphonia
Altamira Oriole (lifer)
Bronzed Cowbird
Melodious Blackbird
(Only 5 lifers here since they are basically the same birds one sees around Managua, Nicaragua, where I used to live)
We afterwards flew to Managua, Nic. The following were seen in or near Managua:
Social Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Tropical Kingbird
Blue-Gray Tanager
Blue Grosbeak
White-Throated Magpie-Jay
Melodious Blackbird
Rufous-Naped Wren
Stripe-Headed Sparrow
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Clay-Colored Robin
Great-Tailed Grackle
Cattle Egret
Turquoise-Browed Motmot
White-Winged Dove
Red-Billed Pigeon
Inca Dove
Ruddy Ground-Dove
White-Fronted Parrot
Orange-Fronted Parakeet
Orange-Chinned Parakeet
Common Ground-Dove
Black-Headed Saltator
Groove-Billed Ani
Yellow Warbler
Mourning Dove (only seen in the city of Leon)
In the city of Granada and the nearby Isletas (fresh water islands in Lake Nicaragua) saw the following:
Neotropic Cormorant
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Ringed Kingfisher
N. Jacana
Montezuma Oropendola
Mangrove Swallow (lifer)
White-Throated Magpie-Jay
Great Kiskadee
Turkey Vulture
White-Winged Dove
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Blue-Gray Tanager
Greay-Breasted Martin
Orange-Fronted Parakeet
Tropical Kingbird
At the Masaya Volcano Park (mostly brush area) saw the following
Groove-Billed Ani
White-Throated Magpie-Jay
Vaux's Swift
Turquoise-Browed MOtmot
Black Vulture
Blue Grosbeak
White-Lored Gnatcatcher
Pacific Parakeet (nesting in the crater of the live volcano!)
We then headed out to Chocoyero, a reserve on the outskirts of Managua with mostly Tropical Dry Forest, and saw the following:
Black-Headed Saltator
Black Vulture
Common Ground-Dove
Red-Billed Pigeon
White-Throated Magpie-Jay
Groove-Billed Ani
Yellow-Billed Cacique
Turquoise-Browed Motmot
Rufous-Capped Warbler
Hoffmann's Woodpecker
Long-Tailed Manakin
White-Fronted Parrot
Pacific Parakeet
Orange-Chinned Parakeet
White-Crowned Parrot (lifer)
Gray-Headed Tanager
Red-Crowned Ant-Tanager
Plain-Capped Starthroat
Stripe-Throated Hermit
Rufous-Naped Wren
Orange-Billed Nightingale-Thrush (lifer)
Clay-Colored Robin
Least Flycatcher
Dusky-Capped Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Common Tody-Flycatcher (lifer)
Yellow-Green Vireo (lifer, yayyy, love the vireos)
And finally, we headed out on our last day to Montibelli, a private reserve with more tropical dry forest very close to Chocoyero. Accompanying guides are obligatory. Saw:
Common Pauraque
Black-Headed Saltator
Buff-Throated Saltator (lifer)
Black Vulture
Inca Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Red-Billed Pigeon
White-Throated Magpie-Jay
Groove-Billed Ani
Lesser Ground-Cuckoo
Squirrel Cuckoo
Streak-Headed Woodcreeper
Olive Sparrow (lifer)
Yellow-Billed Cacique
Melodious Blackbird
Spot-Breasted Oriole (in its native habitat!! :)
Bronzed Cowbird
Montezuma Oropendola
Turquoise-Browed Motmot
Blue-Crowned Motmot
Northern Potoo
Rufous-Capped Warbler
Canada Warbler
Hoffmann's Woodpecker
Long-Tailed Manakin
White-Fronted Parrot
Pacific Parakeet
Orange-Chinned Parakeet
Collared Aracari
Mottled Owl (lifer - was being mobbed by small birds)
Barred Antshrike
Dusky Antbird
Gray-Headed Tanager
Scrub Euphonia
Blue-Gray Tanager
Cinnamon Hummingbird
Canivet's Emerald (lifer)
Stripe-Throated Hermit
Rufous-Naped Wren
Plain Wren
Banded Wren
Rufous-and-white Wren (lifer)
Black-Headed Trogon
Violaceous Trogon (lifer)
Orange-Billed Nightingale-Thrush
Clay-Colored Robin
Least Flycatcher
Dusky-Capped Flycatcher
Boat-Billed Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Tropical Kingbird
Rose-Throated Becard
Yellow-Green Vireo
Rufous-Browed Peppershrike (Lifer - my target bird of the trip. A bird I have always wanted to see. The guide told me it was going to be difficult, he had only seen it twice before. Saw it towards the end of the day, for about a good 2 seconds)
Well, had a blast. 35 lifers including my fantasy bird (peppershrike). Now have to find the Green Shrike-Vireo on the Caribbean side of the country next. Will be back again.
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