A Few Rare Birds

As is usually the. case, late August and early September saw a spate of rare birds appear in southern Ontario. Part of this is due to the heavy migration that occurs, now that we are in peak autumn migration, but it is also because there are more eyes scanning for birds. I, like many birders, take the summer months off from serious birding. But with reports of rare species coming in hot and heavy it has provided me some extra motivation to dust off the binoculars. 

On August 27 a local Niagara birder, Wally Parker, found a scruffy juvenile Laughing Gull along the Fort Erie waterfront. I jumped at the opportunity to see this rare species, one that is reported in Niagara Region only a couple of times per decade - it was a big hole on my Niagara gull list!

Laughing Gull - Fort Erie waterfront, Niagara, Ontario

I arrived at the parkette at the end of Beatrice Street and immediately spotted the Laughing Gull as Dustin, a Fort Erie birder, pulled up in his truck. An older man and presumably his granddaughter were throwing bread for the Ring-billed Gulls, causing quite a commotion among the local gull flock. The Laughing Gull was right there with the ringers, bullying its way to the best pieces of bread. Laughing Gulls are experienced in food-thievery along the sandy beaches of the Caribbean and Gulf Coast (among other places) - they fit right in with the local ringers!

Laughing Gull - Fort Erie waterfront, Niagara, Ontario

Dustin and I were treated to a few flybys of the Laughing Gull, though it was, at times, much too close for photos! In this picture you can nicely see the brown juvenile scapular feathers and wing coverts, along with some newer gray feathers coming in. 

Laughing Gull - Fort Erie waterfront, Niagara, Ontario

The broad white upper side of the tail and thick black tail band are good ID features for a Laughing Gull of this age. 

Laughing Gull - Fort Erie waterfront, Niagara, Ontario

Some other features easily visible in the next photo include the long, even-width black bill, an uneven white eye-ring, and black legs. 

Laughing Gull - Fort Erie waterfront, Niagara, Ontario

Laughing Gull - Fort Erie waterfront, Niagara, Ontario

Eventually, the laugher landed on the breakwall with the ringers. They obliged my request and each of them nicely faced the same way in the same pose. Thanks, guys!

Laughing Gull (left) - Fort Erie waterfront, Niagara, Ontario

Laughing Gull (left) - Fort Erie waterfront, Niagara, Ontario

Laughing Gull - Fort Erie waterfront, Niagara, Ontario

And because they do not get enough love, here is a scruffy young Ring-billed Gull that is around the same age as the Laughing Gull. 

Ring-billed Gull - Fort Erie waterfront, Niagara, Ontario

One more shot of the Laughing Gull - I couldn't resist! It was by far the best experience I have had with this species in Ontario!

Laughing Gull - Fort Erie waterfront, Niagara, Ontario

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Western Sandpipers are reported every year in southern Ontario but it is never more than a handful. Undoubtedly many more pass through our borders but this species can easily be confused with Semipalmated Sandpiper, an abundant migrant in both spring and autumn. Western Sandpiper is a bird that I had not seen well for a few years, so with James Lees discovering one at Christie Lake in Flamborough, it was one I was eager to "twitch". Additionally, this location is only 15 minutes from where I grew up in Cambridge. 

Western Sandpiper - Christie Lake, Hamilton, Ontario

I ran into Matt Mills and Simon Carter who were scoping the shorebirds from a small bridge. It took a few minutes of scanning but eventually we picked out the Western Sandpiper and enjoyed distant scope views. Matt and Simon mentioned that there was a small path heading through the forest towards the area frequented by the shorebirds and so we grabbed our scopes and made the short walk over. We were certainly glad we did as the views were much better than from the bridge.

Western Sandpiper (right) and Semipalmated Sandpiper - Christie Lake, Hamilton, Ontario

The above photo shows the Western Sandpiper on the right, with a Semipalmated Sandpiper. This Western Sandpiper was easily identifiable, unlike some of the "tweeners" that seem to be reported each year. Compared to the semi, the Western Sandpiper exhibits more gray/white tones (brownish on Semipalmated), has a row of contrasting reddish scapular feathers, a longer more curved bill, and longer legs giving it a lankier appearance. Western Sandpipers often appear thick-necked and they lean forward more when they feed. But these features are subtle. 

Western Sandpiper - Christie Lake, Hamilton, Ontario

The Western was clearly the star of the show but there were other shorebirds to study as well. The next two photos show a Semipalmated Sandpiper and a Semipalmated Plover. 

Semipalmated Sandpiper - Christie Lake, Hamilton, Ontario

Semipalmated Plover - Christie Lake, Hamilton, Ontario

By lying down in the dried mud, the shorebirds tolerated my presence and walked right past, only 20 feet from me. 

Shorebird photography (photo taken by Matt Mills)

Western Sandpiper - Christie Lake, Hamilton, Ontario

Western Sandpiper - Christie Lake, Hamilton, Ontario

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Early September is prime time for lake-watching on the lower Great Lakes. At this time of year it is not too unusual to find species such as Long-tailed and Parasitic Jaeger, Sabine's Gull, Black Tern, and various shorebirds including Red-necked Phalarope. Since I am living in Niagara for the time being I have lake-watching options for most wind-situations. If the wind has a north or east component, I head down to Port Weller or any other of the good spots in the Region - like the mouth of the Niagara River in Niagara-on-the-Lake, 50 Point Conservation Area or Port Dalhousie. If the winds have a south or west component, Fort Erie is a great spot to be. Birding the morning after a front seems to be most productive since usually that means that a new crop of birds has appeared on the lower Great Lakes following a long migration from James Bay. 

I have only managed to get out a few times in the last two weeks but I had a productive lake-watching session in Fort Erie on September 2. I arrived as a heavy band of rain passed through the area but the winds were strong and out of the southwest - great conditions to, in theory, concentrate pelagic birds to the far east end of Lake Erie (and visible from Fort Erie). 

The best activity occurred just after the rain passed through. I locked onto a crisp juvenile Long-tailed Jaeger not too far out in front of me, heading back out towards the lake from the upper Niagara River. For the next five minutes I kept an eye on the jaeger as it slowly cruised along the shoreline and disappeared to the west. Awesome! Despite many similar lake-watching sessions here, this was my first Long-tailed Jaeger in Niagara. 

The other highlight of my vigil was a juvenile Red-necked Phalarope following a very similar flight path as the Long-tailed. Other than a brief moment where it touched down on the water, it flew pretty steadily out into the lake. Another new one for my Niagara list. Sanderlings were also present in very good numbers with one small flock hanging out on the small sandy beach where I had parked myself. An excellent way to spend a windy afternoon!

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On August 25 Steve Charbonneau made an exciting find as he was birding the Blenheim sewage lagoons. He discovered a juvenile Purple Gallinule along the edge of one of the cells! In the days since, the gallinule has been a frequent member of the local lagoon avifauna. It can usually be found without too much trouble in the east corner of Cell #1 (the first one on the right). 

I finally bit the bullet and hit the road on September 5, hoping to see and photograph this rarity in Ontario. Dodging rainstorms on the drive down, I made decent time and lucked into a period without rain for the duration of my visit. 

I actually heard the gallinule before I saw it, as the bird was uttering a series of keek calls. Eventually I tracked it down and took my time to approach carefully for photos. 

Purple Gallinule - Blenheim Lagoons, Chatham-Kent, Ontario

The gallinule sat quietly amongst the Flowering Rush, looking around but generally ignoring me. 

Purple Gallinule - Blenheim Lagoons, Chatham-Kent, Ontario

Purple Gallinules are quite rare in Ontario, with perhaps one record every two or three years. So far, there have been 21 individuals that have been accepted by the Ontario Bird Records Committee, the first being a  juvenile that was reported by George North in the Dundas Marsh on October 7, 1967. Most records of this southern species occur in the autumn and they are almost always juvenile birds, like this one. 

Purple Gallinule - Blenheim Lagoons, Chatham-Kent, Ontario

Adult Purple Gallinules are unmistakeable with their royal blue head, neck and underparts, greenish back, and gaudy bill colour along with pale blue frontal shield. The juveniles, while lacking the bold colours of the adults, are still quite distinctive in their own right. The rich brown tones of this bird along with bright white undertail covers are a dead give-away for this species. While not as brightly coloured, the bill and frontal shield are reminiscent of the adults', just duller.

Purple Gallinule - Blenheim Lagoons, Chatham-Kent, Ontario

Purple Gallinule - Blenheim Lagoons, Chatham-Kent, Ontario 

As we move deeper into September, migration will continue and the days will (hopefully) be a little cooler, making birding more enjoyable. While I intend on doing lots of mothing/insecting in the upcoming months, it is nice to have birds back on the radar as well! 

Lattice-tailed Trogons and Quail-Doves of Braulio Carrillo

Parque Nacional Los Quetzales (February 29 - March 2, 2020)

The Osa Peninsula, Part 1 (March 2-3, 2020)

The Osa Peninsula, Part 2 (March 3-5, 2020)

Hummingbirds as Bosque del Tolomuco (March 5-6, 2020)

Exploring Tapantí - Dippers and More! (March 7, 2020)

Lattice-tailed Trogons and Quail-Doves of Braulio Carrillo (March 8-10, 2020)

The Arenal Area (March 10-12, 2020)

San José to the Selva Verde Lodge (March 13-14, 2020)

First Afternoon at La Selva Biological Station (March 14, 2020)

A Big Day at La Selva Biological Station (March 15, 2020)

Last Morning at La Selva Biological Station (March 16, 2020)

Relaxing Days on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica (March 16-18, 2020)

Hot Spring Lodge and Area, North of Quepos (March 18-20, 2020)

Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio (March 19, 2020)

Savegre Valley (March 20-22, 2020)

The Orosí Area (March 22-23, 2020)

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We left Tapantí and the Orosi Valley behind and began making our way west towards San José, arriving by mid-morning. Our final destination would be the town of Guapiles, located within the Caribbean slope lowlands, as it appeared to be a good base to explore the nearby Quebrada Gonzales, a trail at Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo. Before turning north and leaving San José to cross the mountains, we made a quick stop in the Barva area, a suburb of San José. The elusive Cabanis's Ground-Sparrow had evaded us during a search in Cartago a few days earlier, but apparently the dry scrubby forest near a rec center had become reliable for this species in recent years. 

Red-billed Pigeon - Barva area, Heredia, Costa Rica

Our mid-morning arrival time was not ideal but at least there remained a solid amount of bird activity. We heard the target bird on a couple of occasions, and I'm pretty sure I saw an individual fly across the road in front of me, but that was the extent of our success. These birds can be tricky! At least the Hoffman's Woodpeckers were quite easy to observe well - a species that we had only seen once before, earlier in the trip in Cartago. 

Hoffman's Woodpecker - Barva area, Heredia, Costa Rica

Hoffman's Woodpecker - Barva area, Heredia, Costa Rica

We left the hustle and bustle of this area behind and headed into the mountains. Birding a scrubby roadside next to a very busy rec center and surrounded by suburbs is not my ideal place to go birding, that's for sure!

Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo is a large swath of protected foothill and premontane forest located on the eastern slope, north and east of San José. Due to the mountainous terrain there are only a few areas where one can access the forest, and one popular spot among birders is a trail at a ranger station known as Quebrada Gonzales. We hoped to take the afternoon to scout out the place, attempt to arrange early access for the following morning, and also explore a nearby hummingbird garden called Reserva El Tapir. 

We initially had a difficult time finding Reserva El Tapir off of the main highway but eventually succeeded. Formerly a hummingbird garden/ecotourism venture, it has been abandoned for several years now but the flourishing porterweed around the property still attracts a number of hummingbirds. El Tapir is not signed from the highway but birders seem to have no problem visiting, so we gave it a shot. We ran into a caretaker for the place and later, a few researchers who were studying thrushes on their wintering grounds. Everyone seemed confused how we heard of the place since it is apparently closed down, but they let us hang around for a while and watch the porterweed. Worked for me!

My main goal was to come across the Black-crested Coquette, a species that is regular here. We did not have to wait long and ended up watching a male buzz around the flowers for quite some time.

Black-crested Coquette - Reserva El Tapir, Limón, Costa Rica

Black-crested Coquette - Reserva El Tapir, Limón, Costa Rica

In our short visit we did not detect any Snowcaps (an uncommon hummingbird found in the highlands of Costa Rica and Panama that is supposedly regular here), but we noted several other neat hummingbirds including Green Thorntail and Violet-headed Hummingbird.

Green Thorntail - Reserva El Tapir, Limón, Costa Rica

Violet-headed Hummingbird - Reserva El Tapir, Limón, Costa Rica

Happy with our short visit, we merged onto the freshly paved highway and continued east into the lowlands. Just as the road begins to level off, one reaches the city of Guapiles. This area certainly doesn't feel like it is on the tourist route and Laura and I felt like we were back in Colombia again. It was kind of nice to not see gringos everywhere, and the resulting overpriced restaurants! We checked into our hotel room that was pretty reasonably priced for Costa Rica, and enjoyed the air conditioning in the room. 

It is funny how certain things seem like luxuries when one is traveling. Here, having A/C gave us the opportunity to do our laundry and have it dry relatively fast. Ah, what luxury.

That evening we were feeling a bit restless and so we went for a walk down some side roads near the hotel. The walk was quite birdy with many species typical of secondary forest or weedy, disturbed areas appearing in front of us.

Gray-capped Flycatcher - Guapiles, Limón, Costa Rica

Crimson-fronted Parakeets flew over in small flocks, allowing me to take my first ever (crappy) photos of this species. 

Crimson-fronted Parakeets - Guapiles, Limón, Costa Rica

Piratic Flycatcher - Guapiles, Limón, Costa Rica

We even added some new birds to our Costa Rica list during this short walk including White-throated Crake, Bay Wren, and House Sparrow.

Yellow Warbler - Guapiles, Limón, Costa Rica

Blue-black Grosbeaks were particularly common in the weedy fields. I was hoping for Gray-crowned Yellowthroat or Black-throated Wren as well, two species I had never seen before, but that was not to be.

Blue-black Grosbeak - Guapiles, Limón, Costa Rica

Scarlet-rumped Tanager - Guapiles, Limón, Costa Rica

Laura has a knack for finding hidden birds, mammals, snakes, etc in trees. This time she casually pointed out a Hoffman's Two-toed Sloth snoozing above a roadside creek. 

Hoffman's Two-toed Sloth - Guapiles, Limón, Costa Rica

The next morning we woke early and made the short drive back into the foothills to Quebrada Gonzales. The previous afternoon we had stopped in and inquired with one of the rangers about us visiting earlier, since they had the standard opening time of 8:00 AM. He was ok with opening the gate for us at 6 AM. It is always worth asking!

Quebrada Gonzales - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

An early start is necessary here if one wants to find a lot of bird species, since Quebrada Gonzales is only around 500 meters above sea level. Only one trail has been cut here, a small loop that gains some elevation but is generally very easy to navigate. In some areas there is good visibility into the understorey or midstorey levels. 

Birding at Quebrada Gonzales - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

I had a number of bird species on my wish list for the morning, of which Olive-backed Quail-Dove and Lattice-tailed Trogon were top of the list. This would most likely be our only time exploring the Caribbean foothills at this elevation on the trip. 

The morning began with calm conditions and a decent amount of birdsong. A Streak-chested Antpitta belted out his song from somewhere unseen, as did a Streak-crowned Antvireo, a new one for us. We rounded a corner and a dark shape furtively moved to the side of the path. Fortunately for us it walked back onto the trail and I quickly realized it was one my main target species - an Olive-backed Quail-Dove! Walking quiet forest tracks early in the morning sure has its perks. 

Olive-backed Quail-Dove - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

The great birds continued to appear before us. A male Snowcap perched at the top of a dead snag for a few seconds before flying off. A nice variety of wren species included some relatively tame Stripe-breasted Wrens. And little groups of Tawny-crested Tanagers moved through the low tangles. 

Stripe-breasted Wren - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

Tawny-crested Tanagers - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

A little while later we encountered a mixed flock. As is usually the case it starts with one or two birds, which becomes ten birds, and within a few minutes you are surrounded by them! I heard the tell-tale call notes of a White-throated Shrike-Tanager - a species that often leads mixed flocks - and Laura and I enjoyed excellent looks at this unique species. We ended up observing at least three individuals with mixed flocks throughout the morning, and other birders seem to echo that sentiment that the species is quite reliable here.

White-throated Shrike-Tanager - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

While we were watching the flock I noticed two tiny parrotlets fly over, calling. I deduced that they were Red-fronted Parrotlets, a species that I had never seen before. This species is generally quite scarce and difficult to find across its range which includes the mountains of western Panama and Costa Rica so it was a nice surprise to see at Quebrada Gonzales! If only the looks were better than two tiny backlit parrotlets...

We were just past the halfway point of the loop when Laura made an exciting discovery - a small snake at the edge of the trail! This is a Lower-montane Green Racer (Drymobius melanotropis). 

Lower-montane Green Racer (Drymobius melanotropus) - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

Lizards began appearing in sunny patches as we completed the loop, now that the sun had crested the mountains. 

Holcosus festivus - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

Our quail-dove luck continued a few minutes later when I spotted a dark shape roosting down the slope. I finally managed an angle through the maze of branches and we realized that this was the rarest of the three quail-doves found here - the Chiriqui Quail-Dove. 

Chiriqui Quail-Dove - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

The action did not end there! We found another mixed flock which contained many of the same species from earlier in the morning. I moved off the trail after chasing down a weird sounding trogon and stumbled across a small antswarm. I quickly got Laura's attention and we enjoyed watching Bicolored, Spotted and Ocellated Antbirds!

Bicolored Antbird - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

We even heard a Lattice-tailed Trogon singing from here - that was what originally called me off of the trail - but it would not appear for us. 

Anolis sp. - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

We finished the loop by hearing and seeing our first Nightingale Wren in a trailside tangle, capping off a very successful loop. My only regret is that we did not see a Lattice-tailed Trogon. 

We grabbed food from the car and relaxed for a bit before heading back into the forest for another loop. It was getting close to mid-day and a few other tourists were arriving, eager to enjoy what was turning into a beautiful day. 

The warmer temperatures limited bird activity on our second loop and we only added a few new species to the day-list. Butterfly watching remained excellent, however.

Nessaea sp. - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

Only 1/3 of the way around the loop I heard the song of another Lattice-tailed Trogon. I was not about to let this one get away and indeed, a few minutes later we were looking at him, singing from his perch in the middle branches of a large tree.

Lattice-tailed Trogon - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

The Lattice-tailed Trogon is thinly distributed, mainly in the lower foothills on the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica and western Panama. It isn't easily found in too many locations and Quebrada Gonzales is one of the main areas that visiting birders try for this species. Even still, quite a few birders "dip" on it here as well. 

We really enjoyed our time with this Lattice-tailed, studying the intricacies of its plumage and its song. 

Lattice-tailed Trogon - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

The rest of the loop was relatively uneventful, though we did walk through one other mixed flock that contained a Cinnamon Woodpecker and a few other new species. 

Cinnamon Woodpecker - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

Mostly though, we watched for insects and herps near the end of the hike as the day had really warmed up.

 

Tybalmia sp. - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

Anolis limifrons - PN Braulio Carrillo, San José, Costa Rica

Quebrada Gonzales was an excellent stop for us, one that we really enjoyed. It is too bad that there is only the one loop trail but in our experience it was largely devoid of other tourists and quite birdy (and herpy!). If you can speak a little Spanish, it is definitely worth it to ask one of the rangers about visiting early the next morning, since it makes all the difference at this elevation. 

I will close this post with a few photos that I took the next morning around the hotel in Guapiles. I observed 58 species in an hour the next morning, which is the same total number of species that we found in our entire morning at Quebrada Gonzales. It just goes to show how easy it is to rack up a big list in disturbed habitats in the lowlands, compared to the generally difficult birding deep in the forest (even though, in the long run, there is much more diversity to see in the forest). 

I lucked into my first pair of Gray-crowned Yellowthroats in a field beside the hotel; a great start to my walk. I also heard my first Black-throated Wrens in a few locations as well.

Gray-crowned Yellowthroat - Guapiles, Limón, Costa Rica

This warbler caused me to give it a second look - a nice Mourning Warbler. 

Mourning Warbler - Guapiles, Limón, Costa Rica

I added about a dozen new birds to my Costa Rica list in this short walk - mostly, common lowland species - including this Gray Hawk. 

Gray Hawk - Guapiles, Limón, Costa Rica

Laura and I enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and then hit the road, hoping to make it to the Arenal area sometime after lunchtime. 

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Parque Nacional Los Quetzales (February 29 - March 2, 2020)

The Osa Peninsula, Part 1 (March 2-3, 2020)

The Osa Peninsula, Part 2 (March 3-5, 2020)

Hummingbirds as Bosque del Tolomuco (March 5-6, 2020)

Exploring Tapantí - Dippers and More! (March 7, 2020)

Lattice-tailed Trogons and Quail-Doves of Braulio Carrillo (March 8-10, 2020)

The Arenal Area (March 10-12, 2020)