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Central America Are Usually First-Winter Birds and Are Rarely Fourthsof Theway out to Cocosi

Central America Are Usually First-Winter Birds and Are Rarely Fourthsof Theway out to Cocosi

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km 27 on the roadto Calakmul7 May were Webb (1995). Two SavannahSparrows were Contributors(area compilerin boldface): latemigrants (AM, JM), as wasone seen 8 noted at Churburnfiharbor 23 Mar (BM, IN); DavidBacab, Joseph Brooks, Rafael Chac6n, Mayat R.L.0B, MC, RH). the specieshas become scarce in the subre- MichaelCoker, Bob Curry,Francisco Cutz, Threemale ScarletTanagers were at San gion.Two Dickcissels, a late transient, were at Alex Dzib, EdwinG6ngora, Richard Hoyer, Crisanto24 Apr, feedingon gumbo-limbo Calakmul 6 May (JB, MC, RH), and 7 Ken Kurland, Barbara MacKinnon, Amy fruits(BM); others were seen 1 Mayon Coz.,3 Bobolinkswere seen on Coz.2 May (JB,MC, McAndrews,Alberto M•zquita, Roddgo May alongthe VigfaChico Rd. (2; JB,MC, RH). An Eastern Meadowlark was seen in a Migoya,Jorge Montejo, Jane MoR. L. ey, Ismael RH),and the same day at Uxmal(DB). A sin- pastureat Hopelchen,Camp. 24 Apr,outside Navarro, Waldemar Santamaria,Beverly gleWestern Spindalis was detected on Coz. 10- itsknown distribution (DB). Once more, Shiny Scott,Murray Sullivan, Melgar Tabasco, Luis 13 Apr (RC, BC, BM). A Blue-grayTanager Cowbirdhas shown up at SianKa'an, Q. Roo, Tellez, Guilmer Tun, RichardWilson, Lee Yo- was near San Crisanto 20 Mar (BM); this where3 maleswere observed at in a mangrove der,Pat Yoder. • speciesis commonlyfound nesting in M•rida tree one km n. of BocaPaila 15 Mar (WS). Two as well as in the coastalvillages to the n., Eurasian/AfricanCollared-Doves were report- H•ctorG6mez de Silva,Xola 314-E, 03100 M•xico, D.F., thoughit is not mappedhere by Howelland edcourting 23 Mayat Celest•n(DB). Mexico,([email protected]) CentralAmerica

dy Crakein Panamaand a HermitThrush in tralAmerica, so one seen in Nicaraguaflying .Other Regionalrarities included low overL. Moyua,Matagalpa 9 May (LL,JM, 'ssecond Nashville Warbler, Hon- WA, DK) wasnoteworthy. Not previouslyre- duras'third White-ventedEuphonia, El Sal- portedfrom SummitPonds, Panama Canal vador'sthird Roseate Tern and thirdSpotted Area, was a juv. Agami Heron seen 1 Apr Woodcreeper,'s second, third, and (FT). Two reportsof GreenIbis comefrom fourth Swallow-tailedGulls, and that coun- Panama.One was seen at thebridge over the try'sthird American Pipit. There are now sev- R. Frijoleson Pipeline Road in SoberaniaN.P. eral records of Swallow-tailed Gull from both 6 Apr (CB),and 2 werenear Chiriqui Grande, Costa Rica and Panama, but until now no Bocasdel Toro 19 Apr (RM, DM, KK). There photographicevidence or specimenevidence are very few verifiedreports for the Canal H. LeeJones ': Oliver Komar hasbeen published, and the specieshas not Area,and it is veryuncommon at the latter yet beenadded to the A.O.U.Check-list for locality.An ad. andimm. KingVulture were '¾iththis spring report, we welcome North American birds. seen6 Mar (KE, CA,JLL) on thePacific slope * ' JeffreyMcCrary as our Nicaraguan of at Los TarralesReserve, Su- , re'cords coordinator. For the first TINAMOUSTHROUGH VULTURES chitepequez,where the species is rare. time, we have a countrycoordinator for On Cerro Pirre above Cana in e. Darien, a ,and for the first time national rarely encounteredChoco Tinamou was RAPTORS compilershave contributed from all of the heard5 Apr (FT). At IndianCreek Village, PearlKite, still expandingits rangein Costa CentralAmerican countries. Of specialinter- Toledo,a maleRing-necked Duck was seen 8 Rica,reached new elevationalheights when estthis period were expeditions to twopoor- Mar (BF).This species is rarein Belizeaway onewas observed at 2100m at SavegreLodge, ly knownareas. Kevin Easley led an expedi- fromCrooked Tree W.S. Since the open ocean SanGerardo de Dota,on the Pacificslope of tionto CocosIsland, finding four rare pelagic between mainland Costa Rica and Cocos I. is Cerro de la Muerte 14 Feb (MAM). Another speciesand severalunexpected migrants. rarelyvisited by birders,almost any pelagic was seen a few km n. of Puerto Armuelles in Knut Eisermanncarried out an inventoryat speciesseen in thesewaters is worthnoting. Panama11 May (KA), possiblyonly the 2nd an isolatedpatch of lowlandhumid rain for- Two Pink-looted Shearwaters were seen on recordedin Chiriqui.A CraneHawk seen in est in southwestern Honduras, in the Rio the trip out 30 Apr,and one was seen on the mangroveson theBayano R. in e. Panamd26 Amarillovalley near the Copanruins, pro- returntrip 5 May (KEa et al.). This species Apr (RM) wasthe first reported from that lo- ducing19 newrecords for thedepartment of surelypasses through Costa Rican waters reg- cality.A rarelyseen Solitary Eagle was ob- Copanand a numberof interestingrange ex- ularlyduring migration but probably in small servedin flight at CerroAzul e. of Panama tensions. numbers,as indicatedhere. SingleLeach's City28 Apr (OK,RoC, CA, DD, NQ). On the This springwas notablydifferent from Storm-Petrels seen on two occasions between Caribbean coast of Honduras, Cooper's, spring2004 in onerespect. There were no re- the islandand mainland5 May (KEaet al.) Swainson's,and Broad-wingedHawks were portsof CedarWaxwing. Thousands were re- arealso worth noting. An ad.Red-looted Boo- observedmigrating over CapiroCalentura porteda yearago. This was not really surpris- by at IslaUvita off Puerto Lim6n 15 Mar (LS, N.E outsideTrujillo, Col6n, in thefirst week ing, as no CedarWaxwings were reported GF) was on the Caribbean coast of Costa ofApr (MW,GCo). The latter two species mi- duringthe winterseason, in strongcontrast Rica,where the specieshad not previously grateprincipally w. of theContinental Divide. to the previouswinter. Two country "firsts" beenreported. In CostaRica, an ad.light-morph Crested surfacedthis spring: a well-documentedRud- AmericanBittern is rareanywhere in Cen- Eaglewas seen perched and in flightat Tor-

VOLUME 60 (2006) ß NUMBER 3 4.51 [CENTRALAlVlERICA

tugueroN.P 2 Apr (ph. BW,DL). In locality as E1 Salvador'sfirst spring the pastyear, there have been several recordin Apr 2005. reportsfrom this same area. In Pana- An ad. HerringGull wasseen be- ma,a CrestedEagle was reported at the ' tween the Costa Rican mainland and Canaairstrip 4 Apr (F¾). CrestedEa- Cocos I. 5 May (KEa et al.). This gleis considered tobe rarer than Harpy speciesis seldomseen in CostaPica, Eaglein mostareas where the ranges of and an ad. is an even rarer occurrence. thetwo overlap. In Honduras,individ- A possiblesecond-summer Herring ual Black Hawk-Eaglessoaring over Gull at the mouth of the R. Jiboa,La humidbroadleaf forest and coffee plan- Paz 23 May (ph., 'tTJ)would be the tations at two sites near R. Amarillo 27 first springrecord for E1Salvador, but Apr and6 May (ph. KE, CA) werethe somefeatures suggest a hybrid,possi- first recordedfor Copdn,as were 3 bly Kelp x Herring. Two Swallow- Barred Forest-Falcons in the same hu- tailed Gullswere seen the night of 30 midbroadleaf forest 28 Apr andanoth- Apr following a ship about three- er at a forestpatch nearby 6 May (CA, HerringGulls in are usually first-winter birds and are rarely fourthsof theway out to CocosI. (ph. KE). A Crested Caracara seen near recordedoutside of winter.Although this second-summer gullat the mouth of KEa et al.). Later, 3 were seenwith the Changuinola,Bocas del Toro16 Apr theRio Jiboa, found on the late date of 23 May 2006, was initially identified asa ship near the islandpre-dawn 1 May. (RM,DM) providedthe first provincial HerringGull, it hasgenerated much debate on the Internet. It may be a hybrid Finally,one bird was seen around 8:00 record. (notedark eye and large bill), and Herring Gull may not even have been one of a.m.on 5 May,about one-third of the theparents. Photograph byTom Jenner. wayback to themainland from the is- RAILS from the Caribbeanlowlands last fall (pub- land(roughly 6 ø 45' N). Thisis onlythe 2nd A RuddyCrake seen in a marshjust ne. of lishedin thejournal Zeledonia), were consid- timethis species has been reported from Cos- Changuinola,Bocas del Toro20 Mar ORM) erablyfarther s. on thePacific coastal plain of ta Pica waters. The first record was of birds was the first ever reportedin Panama.The CostaPica than previously reported appar- seenat nightoff the tip of theBurica Pen. at onlyother reports s. of n. Nicaraguaare ap- entlythe first ever recorded s. of Jaco. Suitable the Costa Pica-Panama border in Mar 2003. parentlytwo sight reports, possibly represent- habitat[or thisspecies exists all alongthe Pa- A nearbysighting in Apr 2000,however, was inga singlebird, from Guanacaste, Costa Pica, cific coastdown into Panatari,leaving open believed to be in Panama waters. in earlyMay 1955(Paul Slud, 1964, The Birds thepossibility of an incipientsoutherly range Four SootyTerns seen on a rockyislet in of CostaPica: Distribution and Ecology). The expansion.A NorthernJacana seen on the WaferBay, Cocos 1. 2 May (KEaet al.) were Panamarecord most likely representsa va- ChagresR. about3 km upstreamfrom Gain- possiblynesting. This species was reported as grantrather than a rareresidenl population. boa,Canal Area 16 May (GA) representedthe nestingat the island22 May 1962,when 30 Alsoin thevicinity of Changuinola,Bocas del nests were counted on Isla Manuelita at the n. Torowere a! least 3 Gray-breastedCrakes end of Cocos,but it has not beenreported heard14-16 Apr (RM, DM), onlythe 2ndre- nestingthere since. In E1Salvador, a concen- portedfor the provinceand the first for the trationof 960 BlackTerns resting on sand bars Panamanian lowlands. at BarraSalada, 5onsonate 7 May was notewor- Rufous-necked Wood-Rails were seen and thy (OK, TJ,JF); only30 of thesebirds were heardthis springfrom all threeof J&MW's in breedingplumage. A still impressive75 monitoringsites, Tamarindo, Naranjo, and wereat the mouthof R.Jiboa, La Paz23 May Esterolguanito, in mangroveson the ocean (TJ). A RoseateTern at BancaSalada 7 May sideof theNicoya Pen., where seldom report- (tOK, TJ) was only the 3rd recordedfor E1 ed.Up to 4 UniformCrakes were heard, and Salvador and the first for Sonsonate. Parasitic 2 seen,13 & 18 Apr near ChiriquiGrande, Jaegeris the only speciesof stercorariidreli- Bocasdel Toro(RM, DM, KK); 2 were heard ablyreported from Honduras, where it is con- ne.of Changuinola,Bocas del Toro 14 Apr, and sidereda vagrant.A dark-morphad. was doc- onewas heard at thesame place 17 Apr (RM, umented from the beach near the mouth of R. DM). There are few previousreports from Apocket of rainforest and associated coffee plantations in Platano7 Apr (?D&ES,GE DH), anda subad. Panama. In Costa Rica, a Yellow-breasted theRio Amarillo valley in the Department ofCop,•n inwest- wasphotographed 11 Aprat Lagunade Brus, Crake was seen as it was flushed on three oc- emHonduras was discovered tohost isolated populations Graciasa Dios (vt. D&ES, GE DH). ofnearly 20 bird species this spring. 1he Black-crested Co- casionsfrom a wetpasture in E1Tigre about 3 quette(male, 2 May2006) is an example ofone of these PIGEONSTHROUGH OWLS km e. ofLa Selvain late Mar (KEa et al.). This spedes.Photograph byKnut Eisermann. verysecretive species is seldomreported from In Honduras,3 Short-billedPigeons found in CostaPica, although it isprobably widely dis- easternmostrecord for thisspecies. In Costa a humid broadleaf forest 5 km nw. of R. Amar- tributed. Pica, an ad. WarfledJacana was seen 13-17 illo, Coptin24-28 Apr (v.r. KE), weresub- Mar in the San Joaqmn marsh, , stantiallyisolated from other known popula- THICK-KNEESTHROUGH JAEGERS Puntarenas0Z, GF), whereone bird hasap- tions.In CostaPica, up to 13 ScarletMacaws Two Double-stripedThick-knees in a fallow pearedduring the springmonths since 2004, at LaSelva late Feb-Apr (m.ob.) were the first harvestedrice field 5 km s. of Matapalobe- when it was an imm. E1 Salvador's 4th Baird's to appearat La Selvain perhaps30 years.In tweenQuepos and Dominical23 Apr (PM), Sandpiperwas at the mouthof the R. Jiboa, addition,3 wereseen 8 Apr nearChilamate, followingclose on theheels of thefirst record La Paz 23 May (ph., '•TJ).It wasat the same 10 km nw, of La Selva, and 10 were seen 20

452 HORTH AMERICAN BIRDS CENIRALAMERICA 1

May at BocaTapada de SanCar- high elevationfor thisspecies. A los, 35 km nw. of La Selva (both Purple-crownedFairy was at L. JZ). One can only speculateif Moyufi, DaHo, Matagalpa, these were resident birds or visi- Nicaragua9 May (LL, JM, WA, torsfrom Nicaragua---or perhaps DK). straysfrom a smallremnant pop- A pair of Purple-throated ulationnear the n. edgeof Costa Woodstars was seen at Cana 3 Ricathat hadbeen presumed ex- Apr (FT). This speciesis rarein tirpated.Is the suddenappear- Panama.A female Sparkling- anceof thesebirds a positivere- tailed Hummingbirdwas mist- sult of conservation efforts and an netted at MontecristoN.P., Santa illustrationof biologicalcorridors Aria23 Mar 2006 (ph. LA). The in action? Or is deforestation and speciesis rarely reportedany- poachingin Nicaraguadriving where in E1 Salvador. A second- these birds to the south? year male Ruby-throatedHum- In Guatemala, Honduras, and mingbirdwas mist-netted at Fin- Sparkling-tailedHummingbirds arerarely reported and even more rarely E1 Salvador,Barred Parakeetsare ca Corteza in San Vito, Puntare- capturedin ElSalvador. This female was mist-netted at Montecristo normallyfound in high-altitude NationalPark on 23 March 2006. Photograph byLeticia Andino. nas 15 Mar (AO; San Vito Bird cloud forests.It was surprising, Club) near the Panama border, therefore,to find thespecies daily (11 Apr43 NIGHTJARS THROUGH TROGONS whererare and near the edgeof its wintering May)at 700m in bamboostands on theflood A DuskyNightjar calling and seenat about range.A smallpopulation of Slaty-tailedTro- plainof theR. Amarillo, near the vfilage of R. 1700 m about 10 km nnw. of Hato Chami, gons (at least 2) was found in humid Amarillo,Coptin; at least100 were present 8 Chir•qut5-6 Mar (GA, WA) establishedthe broadleaf forest 5 km nw. of R. Amarillo (v.r. May (ph. KE, CA, OK). A SpectacledParrot- easternmostreport for thisspecies. Easley re- KE) 26 Apr, which extendsthe rangeinto let, typicallya lowlandspecies, was seen at portedseeing and hearingseveral White- Copon.Another 3+ wereobserved in shaded Cana3 Apr (FT), providingthe firstrecord tailedNightjars in Apralong the road to Dud- coffeeplantations 2.5 km s. of R. Amarilloat for thate. Dar•n locality.A smallpopulation ka de at 900 m on the s. Pacific the unusualelevation of 1100 m on 13, 14, & of Brown-hooded Parrots was found in humid slopeof CostaRica. This species is verysel- 23 Apr (v.r.KE). broadleaf forest 3 km nw. of R. Amarillo domreported in CostaRica, but it appearsto 26-28 Apr and8 May (v.r.KE), establishing be commonhere in the grasslandsalong the KINGFISHERSTHROUGH COTINGAS the firstrecords for Copon.Groups of oneor roadup to what is now knownas the Rosy An AmazonKingfisher at Cana4 Apr (FT) twopairs were heard each day. In LasAlturas Thrush-Tanagerspot. A Great Potoo was wasthe first reported from this site. An Amer- on the s. Pacificslope of CordilleraTalaman- heard4 Mar2 km n. of LasMangas, Atldntida icanPygmy Kingfisher along a creeknear R. ca,a PheasantCuckoo heard singing from the (MB, DA) in primaryrain forest.This is the Amarillo,Copon 28 Apr (KE) wasunexpected forestedge 6 Febat 1500m (JG,AO, JZ) pro-. 2nd report from Hondurasin the last two anda firstrecord for thatdepartment. Rare at vided the 3rd report for this area. Single years.Reports of Rufous-crestedCoquette, Cana was a female Rufous•tailedJacamar 7 singingbirds were heard last year in Mar from rare in Panama,included a male along Apr (iT). A Tawny-wingedWoodcreeper in two other areas on the Las Alturas farm_ PipelineRoad 31 Mar;up to 5 femalesat Cer- humid broadleaf forest 5 km n. of R. Amaril- Rufous-ventedGround-Cuckoos put on a ro Azul,Panareal 2 Apr; 2 femalesat Cana3 lo 26 Apr (KE) extendsthis species'range show for birders and other visitors to the Rain- Apr;and one female at Cana4 Apr (all FT). A intoCopon, Honduras. A Strong-billedWood- forestAerial Tram bordering Braulio Carrillo maleBlack-crested Coquette in coffeeplanta- creeperat Mayflower-BocawinaN.P., 5tann N.E 29 Mar•8Apr (m.ob.).Up to 3 wereseen tionsnear R. Amarillo2 May provideddocu- Creek3 Mar (BF et al.) was in an area where togetherregularly from the tram,the loading mentationof an isolatedpopulation in Copon thishighly localized species in Belizehad not platform,the parking lot, thecoffee shop, and (ph. KE). previouslybeen reported. A SpottedWood- evenright outside the plate glass windows of Two femaleViolet-crowned Woodnymphs creepermist-netted 22 Mar at Montecristo the gift shop.A persistentarmy swarmin wereseen near the peakof 940-m Mr. Mar- N.P.,Santa Aria (ph. VG) representedthe first the area around the tram enticed these rare and garetin e. Cayo8-9 May (PB,GC, DT, PW, recordfor SantaAria and only the 3rd docu• seldom-seenbirds into the open.At least3 SR,IM). The specieshas only been recorded mentedrecord for E1Salvador. The species Bare-shankedScreech-Owls heard calling and in Belizen. of Toledo,where it is rare and lo- wasnot entirely unexpected, however, as one one seen at 1600 m about 15 km nw. of Hato calized,on one prior occasion.Two female (conceivablythe sameindividual) was found Chami4 Mar (WA,GA) providedthe firstre- MangroveHummingbirds were capturedat in Jul 2005 in the Hondurasportion of the port from e. Chir•qui.Although considered TamarindoMangroves (date uncertain;ph. park (KE). rarein Honduras,Crested Owls were notedto J&MW). Stilesand Skutch list thisspecies as At least3 Yellow-belliedTyrannulets at R. be fairlycommon this springin PicoBonito occurringonly around the Gulf of Nicoyaand Amarillo 23-26 Apr (v.r. KE) extendthis N.E,Atldntida up to 900m (DA).Anderson ei- not fromthe w. sideof the peninsula.As the species'range into Coptin, Honduras. Another ther heard or saw an individual on about 70% speciesis reportedcloser and closerto the speciesrare at Canawas a Yellow-crowned of visits into forested areas between dusk and Nicaraguanborder, it maysoon lose its status Tyrannulet4 Apr (iT). Unexpectedalong the dawn. To the southwest,Crested Owls were as a CostaRican endemic. A maleSnowcap PipelineRoad was a Yellow-greenTyrannulet recorded on at least three territories in humid wasseen visiting feeders at Bosquede Pazat heard2 Mar (GLA).A Rufous-browedTyran- broadleafforest 5 km nw. of R. Amarillo,a first 1600m on the Caribbeanslope of PoasVol- nulet 8 May (KA, TS) on the Sora-E1Valle recordfor Copon, 2 May(v.r. KE). cano15-20 Mar (VP). This is an unusually roadjust abovethe village of MatoAhogado,

VOLUME 60 (2006) NUMBER 3 453 CENTRAlMvlFRICA

Panamd,may representonly the 2nd report reported.This specieswas nestingin May from this locality.Paltry Tyrannuletswere alongthe sw. shoreline of L. Managuain low fairlycommon in humidbroadleaf forest and brushclose to shore.Additionally, a singing in shadedcoffee plantations near R. Amarillo, individualwas observed on ChiltepePen. 20 Copdn(v.r. KE) on all daysfrom 13 Apr•8 Jun (all Lk, JM, WA, DK). In CostaRica, one May.This appears to be an isolatedpopula- visiteda fruit feederat Bosquede Paz late tion.In Guatemala,a Yellow-belliedFlycatch- Feb-mid-Mar (RaC, VP). This bird was at a er at RocjaPomtila, Alta Verapaz 24 May(RC) new locationand at the highestelevation was a late springmigrant, but a LeastFly- (1600 m) yet reportedin CostaPica. An catcherthere the daybefore was exceptional- AmericanPipit seendaily at thesoccer field ly late (EC). and alongthe beachat WaferBay, Cocos I. TwoRufous Mourners were singing in hu- from l-4 May(ph. KEaet al.) providedonly mid broadleaf forest 5 km nw. of R. Amarillo Swallow-tailedGulls have been reported twice in recent the 3rd recordfor CostaRica. Both previous 25 Apr, establishinga new localityfor the yearsin NorthAmerican waters off the Pacific coast of records were from the mouth of the R. Tar- Panamaand CostaRica. This bird was observed before species.It hasbeen recorded at oneother site coles,one in autumn1993 (JV) and another dawn at seabetween the CostaRican mainland and Cocos in Copan.A Sulphur-belliedFlycatcher 11 Island30 April 2006; it providedthe second record for Costa 28 Jan 2005 OH, RH). Mar at Lubaantun,Toledo (CL) wasearly, but Ricaand the second photographically documented record a StreakedFlycatcher at Nim Li Punit,Toledo forNorth America, the first being from Pacific Grove, Carl- WARBLERSTHROUGH TANAGERS 8 Mar (CL) mayhave established the earliest fomia,in June 1985. Photograph byKevin œasley. Blue-wingedWarbler is seldomreported on springdate yet for thisuncommon species in the Pacificslope of Guatemala,so 2 seenat Belize.In CostaPica, at the s. extremeof its another was mist-netted at the same location TakalikAbaj, Retalhuleu 5 Mar (KE,CA) were winter range,a Scissor-tailedFlycatcher was 26 Mar (MB). A slightlyextralimital Hermit unexpected.An Orange-crownedWarbler seenin a ricefield at Finca18 in Sieprede Thrush3 km s. of R. Amarillo23 Apr (•KE) seenat Barrade Santiago, Ahuachapdn 6 May (s. Pacificlowlands in the Pio -pio wasapparently the first for Honduras.Rare in (JF,TJ) wasonly the 4th reportedfor E1Sal- Terrabadelta) 17 Mar (GF). Rarelyreported e. Panama,a Wood Thrushat Cam 7 Apr vadorand the first in spring.A Nashville in Panamawas a SnowyCotinga seen 28 km (FT) wasthe firstreported from this site; one Warbler seennear the GatfinYacht Club, near n. of PuntaPef•a on the roadto Altairante,Bo- at RocjaPomtila in Guatemala6 May (EC) ColOn31 Mar (JT) establishedthe 2nd Pana- casdd Toro14 Apr (RM, DM). was a late spring migrant. Clay-colored ma record and the first from the Canal Area. Robinsseen at Cam 3-4 Apr (FT) werethe A female BlackburnJan Warbler at Finca Pa- VIREOSTHROUGH PIPITS firstreported from this site. trocinio,Quetzaltenango 4 Mar (KE, CA) was In Guatemala,the lastWhite-eyed Vireo of A GrayCatbird that approached and circled an exceptionallyearly migrant.Although the seasonwas reported at RocjaPomtila 14 a boat well out to sea en route from Cocos I. thereare nearly a dozendocumented records Apr (EC), and a Yellow-greenVireo at Los 5 May (KEa et al.) and then headednorth- of Yellow-throatedWarbler in E1Salvador, all TartalesReserve, Suchitepequez 6 Mar (KE) havebeen in fall or winter.The first spring wasearly. At least9 GreenShrike-Vireos at IL recordwas an individualseen at Merliot, La Amarillo 23-28 Apr (v.r. KE) extendthis Libertad23 Mar (TJ). species'range into Copdn,Honduras. A well- Althoughfairly common in winteron the documented Brown-chested Martin was ob- cayes,a Prairie Warbler at PelicanBeach, servedwith a smallgroup of Gray-breasted Stann Creek i Mar (BF et al.) was on the Be- Martins between Palmar Sur and Ciudad lize mainland,where the speciesis seldom CortOsin the s. Pacificlowlands along the seen.As part of anongoing study of Cerulean coastalhwy. 25 Mar (•CaL, DP), andanother Warblermigration routes through n. Central or thesame individual was found not far away America,21 CeruleanWarblers were record- 12 Apr at ca. 1000m in SanVito (•AS). The ed in Apr on the Caribbeancoast between fewprevious records from Costa Rica have all Trujillo, ColOnand Omoa, Cortes,and at beenMay-mid-Sep. Tree Swallow is a raremi- CopanRuinas, Copo•n in the interiorof Hon- grant in Panama,so a flock seennear the duras (MW,, GC, DA et al.). Similar to last GatOnYacht Club near ColOn 12 Apr (JT) was year's results, the rot. rangesfacing the noteworthyProviding only the 2nd record for Caribbeanhad the highest densities. A North- CocosI. (the first wasin Apr 2005) was a From29 March (here) until 8 April 2006, a persistentarmy em Waterthrushbriefly visited the dining groupof 6 CliffSwallows seen 1 May(KEa et antswarm at the Rainforest Aerial Tram adjacent to Braulio area of a boat bound for Cocos I. from the al.). CarrilloNational Park in Costa Rica enticed as many as three CostaRican mainland 30 Apr (KEaet al.) be- Two Rufous-and-white Wrens found 5 km Rufous-ventedGround-Cuckoos ata time into the open, foreflying off over open ocean to the north. In nw.of IL Amarillo24-25 Apr (v.r.KE) estab- wherethey could easily be observed from the loading plat- Honduras,a late Red-facedWarbler in a shad- form,the parking lot, the coffee shop, and even from the lisheda newlocality for thisspecies in Hon- plateglass windows ofthe gift shop. The species israrely ed coffeeplantation at R. Amarilloi May duras.The speciesis alsoknown from the observedinthe open. Photograph byWarner Bonilla. (CA) anda maleScarlet Tanager mist-netted Vallede Copan about 20 km to thesouthwest. in nearbybroadleaf forest 4 May(ph. KE, CA) Anotherfirst for Cana in e. Darienwas a Trop- wardover the water was most unexpected on bothfurnished first records for Copdn. icalGnatcatcher seen 6 Apr (FT). Following thePacific side of CostaRica. Tropical Mock- A smalloutlying population of Flame-col- the captureof a Slate-coloredSolitaire at 150 ingbirdsare apparently more common in the oredTanagers was discovered on top of Mr. m elevationin Pico Bonito,Atldntida in Feb, Pacificregion of Nicaraguathan previously Margaret,Cayo in 1994 (MM) and found

454 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS CENTRALAMERICA

againin 1997,when 6 werecounted (LJ). A ra de los Cuchumatanes,2 km s. of P•tquix, until the 17th (HL) in the R. Tarcoles man- shortexpedition to the peak8-9 May (MM) Huehuetenango(ph. TJ). Grayish Saltator, first groveson the cen.Pacific coast near Carara documenteda singleindividual, suggesting reportedfor Panamain 2003,now appears to N.E, providedmore reports of thisspecies for thatthe population is extantbut perhapsnot be fairlycommon around Changuinola in Bo- the Pacificslope, where it has appearedre- for long.The statusof Golden-hoodedIan- cas del Toro. One was seen on a side road off centlyin widely separatedareas. Although agerin w. Hondurasis poorlyunderstood. the main road betweenChanguinola and thesebirds have lingered for a fewweeks or a Severalindividuals, including a pair nest- Guabito 21 Mar, and anotherwas heard at a month,an establishedpopulation has yet to buildingat theunusual elevation of 1100m, differentlocation along the main road the be documented.Single Orange-crowned Ori- werefound 23 Aprand 2 & 6 Mayin shaded sameday (KK, RM). Severalwere seenand olesseen at Cana3-4 Apr (FT) werethe first coffeeplantations 3 km s. andse. of R. Amar- heardat variouslocalities around Changuino- recordsfrom this site. In E1 Salvador,the Yel- illo (ph.,v.r. KE, CA) and27 Apr and8 May la 14-18 Apr (RM, DM, KK). Anotherisolat- low-wingedCacique colonization document- alongthe edgeof humid broadleafforest 5 ed rainforest species found in humid ed in summer2005 was reconfirmed 7 May km nw.of R. Amarillo(KE). These represent- this year, with at least 10 nestsnear Los ed new localitiesfor this tanager,although C6banos,Sonsonate (ph. TJ, OK, JF). At the the specieshas been recorded at one other colonysite, 8 ad. malesand 3 femaleswere sitein Copdn. observed,while 3 males (2 of them second- yearbirds) were found up to 5 km away.A SEEDEATERSTHROUGH GROSBEAKS maleWhite-vented Euphonia was dosely ob- Afteran absence of reportsin Belizefor sever- servedin PicoBonito N.E, Atldntida24 May al years,about 6 Slate-coloredSeedeaters (DA). Surprisingly,this species had only been werefound in spinybamboo along the Sibun reportedin Hondurastwice before, and nei- R., Cayo16 Apr+(LB, DB),less than one km therwas adequately documented. downstream of its confluence with Caves Branch.The following day, 2 morewere found Contributors(country coordinators in bold- nearby at Hellgate. The Slate-colored face): Kenneth Aliaire, David Anderson Seedeatersat Carara N.E, Costa Rica in Feb (Honduras), Leticia del Carmen Andino, remaineduntil at leastlate Apr. A late report GeorgeAngehr (Panama),Wayne Arendt, of ca. 6 Yellow-belliedSeedeaters seen along AnAmerican Pipit, only the third recorded inCosta Rica, GeorgeL. Armistead,Claudia Avendafio, wasobserved onthe beach at Wafer Bay, Cocos from the Peninsularoad by L. ArenalDam i Feb Philip Balderamos,Chelina Batista,Jason 1 (here)through 4 May 2006; it waslocated by a birding 0JG) mayhave provided the firstrecord for tourgroup visiting the island. Photograph byKevin œasley. Berry,Mike Boyd, David Bustamante,Elyis the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. The Bustamante,Efrain Caal,Javier Caal, Roberto onlyother place on the Caribbeanside where broadleaf forest 5 km nw. of R. Amarillo is Caal, Luis Campos,Rafael Campos (RaC), theyare knownto occuris aroundCartago. Black-facedGrosbeak, of which 2 were found Rob Clay (RoC), Gabrid Colorado(GCo), This record is also much farther n. and w. singing24 Apr (v.r.KE). Glenn Crawford,David Diaz, Kevin Easley thanany previous records. Many Nicaraguan (KEa), Knut Eisermann (Guatemala),Jesse Seed-Finches were seen in abandoned rice BLACKBIRDSTHROUGH EUPHONIAS Fagan, GustavoFlores, Guy Foulks, Bert fieldsw. of Changuinola,Bocas del Toro 15-17 A femaleBobolink seen perched at WaferBay Frenz,Vicky Galan, Leonardo Garrigues, Julie Apr (DM, RM, KK); thereare few previous re- anda maleseen in flightover Chatham Bay, Girard,Jean Jaques Gozard, Deborah Hahn, portsfrom Panama. CocosI. 4 May (KEaet al.) wereunexpected. JasonHorn, RoelfHovinga, Tom Jenner, Lee A young(molting) male Blue Seedeater There are severalprevious spring records Jones (Belize), Karl Kaufmann, Douglas captured6 Aprand a femalecaptured 7 Aprat fromCocos I. between28 Mar and 26 Apr.It Knapp,Oliver Komar(El Salvador),Geoff & E1Imposible N.E (ph. LA) providedonly the is extremelyrare on the mainlandin spring. HeatherLightfoot, Cindy Lippincott, Lorenzo 2ndand 3rd springrecords for E1Salvador. A On 26 Mar,at least6 maleRed-winged Black- LGpez,Daryl Loth, Carl Lundblad(CaL), Yellow-facedGrassquit near Mile 24 on the birdswere observedat Rubelsanto,Alta Vera- Joshu•de Leon Lux, PacoMadrigal, Israel WesternHwy. 9 Apr (PB)represented a short paz,where a lonesinging male had been pres- ManzaneroSr., Lenny Martin, Jeffrey Mc- northwardrange extension of thisspecies in ent thispast winter (KE, CA). Theserecent Crary (Nicaragua),Martin Meadows, Rosabel Belize.After two decadesof rapidexpansion recordsapparently represent a significant MirG, Darien Montafiez, Marco Antonio followingits discovery in Belizearound 1980, rangeexpansion. At least 6 EasternMea& Morales,Allison Olivieri, Daniel Paez,Veni- the populationappears now to have stabi- owlarkswere seen near the village of E1Tuc•n cio Porras, Nando Quiroz, Stevan Reneau, lized. A small populationof Orange-billed Uno in s. Peten28 Mar (KE, CA). The site is Ariadna Sfinchez, Iino Sfinchez, Luis San- Sparrowswas found in humidbroadleaf forest 80 km s. of a knownpopulation at La Liber- doval,David & ElizabethShoch, Jos• Tejada, 5 km nw. of R. Amarillo,Copdn 25 Apr (v.r. tad. AlthoughPROEVAL RAXMU has been FrancisToldi, David Tzul, Jay Vandergaast, KE). Thispopulation is substantiallyisolated conductingmonthly bird monitoringsince PatrickWarrior, MelindaWelton, BruceWise, fromthe known range of thisspecies near the 2001in Rocj•tPomtilfi, Alta Verapaz,Eastern John & MaureenWoodcock, Jim Zook (Cos- Caribbeancoast, by perhaps50 km or more. Meadowlark was not recorded there until 25 ta Rica).• In Guatemala,at leastone Savannah Spar- May (,JC). rowwas seen 2 Mar in grasssavannah at ca. ShinyCowbirds were seen in fairnumbers H. LeeJones, 4810 Park Newport, #317, Newport Beach, 2800 m betweenMomostenango and San in the Cana Stationclearing daily 3-5 Apr California92660, ([email protected]); FranciscoE1 Alto, Totonicapdn(,JB, KE), (FT). Thereare few if any previousrecords OliverKomar, SalvaNATURA Conservation Science Pro- wherenesting has been assumed but not con- from this site. A Black-cowled Oriole seen 10 gram,33 AvenidaSur #640, San Salvador, ElSalvador, firmed.Another was seen 13 Apr in theSier- Apr (LG, LC, LM, G&HL), anda pair present ([email protected])

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