Teaching starts with a Tinamou

Another amazing start to a banding session here in Costa Rica.!!!

A young Great Tinamou, though the actual identification was confirmed from photos later.

The morning at Cano Palma continued with a good mix of residents and migrants. This is one species often heard in the forest..Chestnut-backed Antbird. This an adult male.

 Another adult male of a species not often caught was this aptly named White-flanked Antwren

This next bird is also a male but just a few red feathers give the clue to the final bright red head plumage of an adult male Red-capped Manakin

With several keen volunteers at Cano Palma the morning was a good teaching opportunity. Learning points for all of us when it comes down to the finer points of Empidonax Flycatcher identification.
The bird here was an Acadian Flycatcher

At our base at the Sea Turtle Conservancy today a morning of teaching again in a temperature of 32.5 by the end of the session.

 

 Bea from Chile here banding a Swainson's Thrush.

 More migrants than residents banded here today with Veerys, Swainson's Thrushes, Traills and Acadian Flycatchers, Prothonotory, Kentucky and this Chestnut-sided Warbler.

Of course the days aren't just about birds. Just a few of the many other creatures seen in the last couple of days...

 Bats at Cano Palma - these usually live in the boat dock but have moved to a nearby tree after having young

 a Blue Morpho butterfly just emerged in the toilet!

a colourful Grasshopper extracted from one of our nets

One of the many Cayman that live in the canal by Cano Palma station..

 and back at our base in Tortuguero our night security guards are experts at finding creatures of the night. Thanks Alfredo! This is a Red-eyed Tree Frog

and  this is a huge Cane Toad

A change in the weather tonight with a big thunderstorm. Hopefully it will be dry by the morning for a visit to our site near the airport. This Bare-throated Tiger Heron is often by the boat deck when we leave by boat to travel to our sites.