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Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler
The sweet song of the Yellow Warbler always puts a smile on my face as it sings “sweet, sweet, I am so sweet”. The rich buttery yellow with the reddish streaks indicate a male Yellow Warbler in the photos. Females and immatures are not as bright and lack the rich reddish streaking on the breast. The plain face with a piercing black eye is a characteristic of this species.
These photos were taken at Magee Marsh, Ohio in 2018
Palm Warbler at Magee Marsh, Ohio
Palm Warbler
The Palm Warbler occurs mostly east of the Rocky Mountains and breeds almost exclusively in Northern Canada. Some members of this species will spend winters along the west coast of the United States, however, most overwinter in the Southeastern United States and down into the Caribbean and Yucatan. The winter Palm Warbler, like most other warblers is drab brown, but the yellow under-tail area gives them away along with their habit of wagging their tail up and down as they forage on the ground. They are brave for warblers. In Florida a winter bird came up and pecked on my shoe.
The photo shows an adult heading for the breeding grounds. Photo taken in May 2018 at Magee Marsh, Ohio.
A common shorebird of South America but it is slowly spreading north into Central America. This is one of two that my daughter spotted close to the Arenal Volcano near La Fortuna, Costa Rica
Common Yellowthroat
This cute warbler usually inhabits marshy areas, often in and around reeds or other vegetative tangles. This is a photo of a male. The female’s colors are subdued. They skulk around in dense vegetation making them hard to see, but every once in awhile one will appear for a photo. In the spring they can more easily be found by their song which sounds like whichety-whichety-whichety and is quite a racket for a tiny bird. In the northern summer, this species can be found across the entire United States and the southern half of Canada.
Bay-breasted Warbler
Yes, there are many beautiful birds in the Neotropics, but it’s not to say there isn’t beauty among the birds in North America. Indeed, we share many of our birds with countries in the south when they migrate to warmer climes in the winter. Floy and I have seen many northern species in the south, but they are often drab and do not show their breeding colors until the northern spring. The male Bay-breasted warbler is a member of this category, drab and plain in the Neotropics becoming a stunning showman in the northern summer.
This photo was taken in May, 2018 at Magee Marsh, Ohio
Western Tanager. Photo taken near Truckee, California
Floy pretty much described this bird in her post below. We see it show up in the spring in the San Francisco Bay Area, usually, but not always in riparian areas. It is a common summer bird in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
I guess it’s time for an interlude from things tropical, well, at least for a few posts. Floy and I did our annual trip to the migratory birding areas of San Louis and Merced National Wildlife Refuges and the Panoche Valley, all of which are in Central California. Panoche Valley is semi-desolate, with some cattle farming. This area attracts birds that are not often seen in the San Jose, California area such as Horned Larks, Mountain Plovers, Mountain Bluebirds, etc. It’s not unusual to see this species there in the winter. After rain, the Panoche area can be emerald green. Beware of the mid-summer because it can become very hot and dry.
This is the same hawk Floy presented in her sketch below. Unlike other hawks of the area, this one spends a great deal of time standing in open fields. Scanning the vast fields of the valley, it’s not uncommon to see them standing as a white pillar in the distance.
Golden-hooded Tanager (David Zittin, Costa Rica 2018)
I know I have posted this species earlier, but darn, it’s hard to get tired looking at such beauty. A few birds really take the breath from me when I encounter them in the field and this is one of those species.
It’s hard to describe the feeling that a birder has seeing one of these for the first time. They are strikingly beautiful with a color combination that takes the breath away from the viewer.
Speckled Tanager (David Zittin, Costa Rica 2018)
Speckled Tanager (David Zittin, Costa Rica 2018)
Honeycreepers are common in Costa Rica. They are often seen at places where fruit is put out to attract birds.
The Green Honeycreeper male is blue, but the female is green.
The female Green Honeycreeper, unlike the male, is green.
Walking across the Stone Bridge at the La Selva Research Station. I was more or less not paying attention to what was in front of me and you can imagine my surprise when I lifted my head and came eye to eye with an adult Broad-winged Hawk.
This hawk migrates across Costa Rica in large numbers and will flock with other hawks and Turkey Vultures. Some of these migrants will winter in Costa Rica and others keep going to locations further south.
Golden-hooded Tanager eating fruit
(David Zittin, La Selva BIological Station, Costa Rica, 2018)
Golden-hooded Tanager
The Golden-hooded Tanage (Tangara larvata) is a neotropical bird mostly found in lowlands from Southern Mexico to Northwestern South America. As with other small, blue tropical birds, they catch the eye. The contrasting golden hood against blues and blacks makes this a neotropical delight. They are common around feeders and places where preferred food sources are found. Like many birds, they are opportunistic omnivores and will eat fruit and small arthropods.
Black-throated Trogons live mostly in dark forested areas of the American Tropics and can be difficult to photograph. Fortunately these two were cooperative. The one on the pipe rail just sat there and allowed me to approach to within about 20 feet. The one on the tree was next to a path and didn’t seem alarmed at my presence.
This trogon eats mostly insects, but will also take lizards and fruit.
Black-throated Trogon (David Zittin, Costa Rica 2018)
Black-throated Trogon (David Zittin, Costa Rica 2018)
Blue Dacnis (David Zittin, La Selva Research Station, Costa Rica, 2018)
This beautiful blue neotropical bird is found from Nicaragua south to the northern half of South America. Like many birds, it is an opportunistic feeder eating insects, seeds and fruit.
The electric blue color of the male is eye catching. This one is probably a young male because it still has some green color on its wings. The female is an intense green with a blue head.
