Tortuga Lodge.....more migrants than residents.

Deeper into the forest....and disproving my final comment on the last post, three species of Catharus thrush, a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and  a Canada Warbler !

Joining our multi-national banding today, Blanca from Spain, and Juan, one of the Lodge wildlife guides.

Juan, releasing a Grey-cheeked Thrush, with Blanca learning the CRBO banding data requirements.
The resident bird highlight of the day was two Wedge-billed Woodcreepers.

Very difficult to age, sex etc, but a delight in the hand, this perhaps the smallest of the Woodcreepers with this unique bill and weighing only 13.7g.

Latest from the jungle, not all birds....

This fine looking 1st winter male Black and White Warbler was a great end to banding in the Cano Palma forest yesterday - our 20th migrant species.

 This the secondary forest at Cano Palma, nets run off the boardwalk and around the research station.

 

 

 A habitat where the Strawberry Poison dart frogs thrive, and butterflies astound us with variety !

This butterfly is probably The Blushing Phantom (Cithaerias pireta). Thanks to @DiscoverLifeCR for help with the identification. 

Our commonest caught migrant so far is Swainson's Thrush. This particlular bird our 500th migrant caught this trip

A target resident species yesterday was White-breasted Wood-Wren, not an unusual species in the forest here, and 3 were caught.

 

 Like most residents at our 5 study sites, a good proportion of retraps, in this case, of the three, one new juvenile and two adults with history......a bit like CES ....hmmm.

Update today !
This adult winter male Scarlet Tanager was banded at STC - a species not banded annually in the lowlands.
Banding at Tortuga Lodge in the morning, back to primary forest and more residents than migrants.

Our latest from Costa Rica.....

Catharus thrushes still arriving, mainly Swainson's with 199 ringed in the last four days, also an  incredible and unexpected total of 113 Veerys.

Early this morning at our base, the Sea Turtle Conservancy, the forest was brightened up with these 1st year Mourning and Canada Warblers - our 1st Mourning and our 8th Canada Warbler.
In the morning we go back to Parque Nacional de Tortuguero where amongst the Army Ant swarms we hope for great variety like our last visit three days ago....

More warblers like this Kentucky, only two caught so far.

More Antbirds too, several Bi-coloured Antbirds were caught and these two Spotted Antbirds.

The adult male on the left, a ringed bird I had re-trapped in January this year, and a new hatch year bird.
In this on-going project, with only one bird caught in each year since 2010 ....a nice find.

(Wendy's photos)

North American thrushes lead the way

Just before dawn this morning as we were preparing to open nets, Ivan the boatman appeared with a hand caught bird. In the kitchen he had found a Grey-cheeked Thrush - the first of the season !
How the day unfolded, below one of the 35 Swainson's Thrushes banded today !

 Only to be out banded by the 40 Veerys ...

Veerys and particlularly Swainson's Thrushes are caught in numbers every year here in Tortuguero.

Our 16 Red-eyed Vireos today, was a good total for a whole season..
Five species of flycatcher, including another Great Crested, our first Social, 4 Arcadians and 6 Yellow-bellied the more interesting..
Of the three Summer Tanagers...three different plumages....

This moulting hatch year male more interesting than the corresponding female..
..but this adult male was bright !

127 birds today of 18 species...our first Autumn fall and best day so far.
Tomorrow to the National Parque site, where last winter, thrushes, Catbirds and Kentucky warblers were found amongst the resident primary forest species.
(photos - Wendy)

White-whiskered Puffbird..A "Bobo bird" !

I put my hand into the bag and very loose feathers was all  I could feel. Having no experience of a Puffbird in the hand, and few have....this is what one looks like

This imm.or female...final ageing and sex to be decided was extracted by Yohay from Eilat, a member of our banding team. All very loose feathers, a strange physical structure, and motionless.....all part of their apparent lethargic character - (Bobo meaning stupid)

Yohay with me at our Cano Palma banding station.

  

No moult lilerature on this species..but on this bird the wings in symetrical moult, with flight feathers being replaced at 3 points.

A panoramic 180 degree photo taken by Wendy of the forest here surrounding the 1m wide boardwalk, and finally another first of  the autumn migration today a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
Back to the coast tomorrow - an early boat to our Aeropuerto site.

Prothonotary Warblers head the migrant list....

Five protons banded today....yesterday our first Veery.

Closely followed by four more Northern Waterthrushes !
After two largely successful days balancing the targeting of both resident and migrant species, below our migrant totals to date :

Prothonotary Warbler        12
Northern Waterthrush       14
"Trail's Flycatcher"            11
Yellow Warbler                 10
Veery                                5
Red-eyed Vireo                  5
Canada Warbler                 4
Great Crested Flycatcher    3
Kentucky Warbler               1
Eastern Wood Pewee          1

 

Tomorrow our boat picks us up at 5am to take us the few kms back into the forest and we band at the Cano Palma base. Here the targets are resident species, and after this evening's downpours ...Antbirds and Antshrikes we hope!
Our final bird this morning...not a migrant....this female Slaty-tailed Trogon

Vis-mig today, early Kingbirds to evening Nighthawks...

These beauties to start........!

A Urania day flying Swallowtail moth. This was on the kitchen wall last suppertime. Passage of this moth throughout the day but peaked at c4000 per hour passing our our accomodation at 17:00.

Banding this morning in the primary forest behind Tortuga Lodge.....

Early highlights a couple of passing flocks of Eastern Kingbirds... each flock 50+ birds. No migrants banded today, mainly White-collared Manikins and a nice American Pygmy Kingfisher.

A great way to end visible migration today....with 6 flocks each of c60-80 birds....all Nighthawks slowly spiralling upwards as they move south.

Migration counts feature as part of our scheduled day, with 10 minute counts of all vis-mig carried out every 2 hours whilst banding .....as a minimum.
Yesterday a late afternoon count from the beach picked up a lovely adult Brown Booby..!!

The main man...(or beast) of our garden Iguana family kept putting in an appearance whilst watching this evenings migration.

We are off to Aeropuerto at 5am tomorrow...shrub and low coastal forest next to the beach.....hoping for migrants.