Central America.Among the Wedge-Tailed Shearwa- Ters Observed 24 Nov Was a Pink-Footed Shearwaterabout 50 Km Ssw.Of Quepos

Central America.Among the Wedge-Tailed Shearwa- Ters Observed 24 Nov Was a Pink-Footed Shearwaterabout 50 Km Ssw.Of Quepos

SHEARWATERSTHROUGH STORKS Followingthe highly successful pelagic trip off the Pacificcoast of CostaRica this past Ce.ntral America Jul, CostaRican birders (EA, AD, RD, RG, AO, JRZ)participated in a 24 Nov trip, this timeout of Quepos.With eachtrip, moreis learnedabout the distribution,seasonality, and abundance of seabirds off s. Central America.Among the Wedge-tailed Shearwa- ters observed 24 Nov was a Pink-footed Shearwaterabout 50 km ssw.of Quepos. Thisspecies, as far as known, is a rarevisitor to CostaRica in springand fall, with previ- ous records all much closer to the Cocos Is. On thesame trip, a juv. Red-hilled Tropicbird wasseen about 25 km ssw.of Quepos.Also, 3 dark-morphRed-footed Boobies were ob- served31.5 km ssw.of Quepos.This species is considered rare in Costa Rica so close to shore, and its seasonalmovements outside thebreeding season are poorly known. An AmericanWhite Pelican28 Augnear Pasiga(ph. JO) representedthe 2nd record for Panama and the first for Panamd Province.Numbers of whitepelicans report- ed in n_ Central America continue to in- H. Lee Jones [erencesin relativeabundances of migrants crease.In Belize,3 Brown Pelicanswere ob- relateto breeding success, shifting migration servedflying overheadwell inland near P.O.Box 158 routes,or weatherpatterns generally Caracol,Cayo 26 Nov (CB). While not all August through Novemberin Central that unusual,records to date arestill too few PuntaGorda, Belize Americais not just aboutmigration. As in to establish a seasonal inland occurrence North Temperateregions, the breedingsea- pattern.For now,all inland occurrencesof U.S.address: sonfor most birds in CentralAmerica, espe- thisspecies (and, for thesame reason, Mag- cially in the north, is concentratedin the nificentFrigatebirds) should be reported. 12188Central Avenue,/½605 first half of the year,but, as OliverKomar Anhingasare seldomseen on the Belize pointsout in hisfall report,we arelearning cayes,so one that turned up on CayeCanlk- Chino,California 91710 that a surprisingnumber of spedesbreed er in Sepand remained through at leastmid- ([email protected])well into, or eventhroughout, the fall.In E1 Oct (J&DB,EMc, LJ) was noteworthy In El Salvador alone, there were documented Salvador,6 ad. Anhingas remained into fall nestingrecords this fall for Anhinga,Bare- at the E1 Icacalbeach nesting site in La throatedTiger-Heron, Black-crowned Night- Unionwhere they were reportedlast sum- utumninNorth America isarguably Heron, White Ibis,Berylline Hum- thebusiest and most exciting time mingbird, Cinnamon-bellied for birders. It is the best season for Flowerpiercer,and EasternMead- vagrantsand for honingone's birding skills owlark,and suspected breeding for on confusingfall warblers,thrushes, and LesserGoldfinch. This is surelythe Empidonax,Myiarchus, and otherflycatch- case in other Central American ers.Central America has a similararray of countries as well, but autumn potentialvagrants and the sameidentifica- breedingis eithergoing unnoticed tion challenges,but there has been little or unreported.Ihis is anotherfer- birding activity to fill this autumngap, tile fieldfor study whichis onlyrecently being taken up by lo- Countryfirsts continue to accu- calbirders and ornithologists. Much of this mulate each season. This fall, increased interest in birds on the local level GlossyIbis, Wandering Tattler, and has been the result of the dedicated work of ElegantTern were added to the organizationslike BirdLife International, Honduraslist, all in a five-dayperi- Panama'ssecond American White Pelican was photographed Birds Without Border/AvesSin Fronteras, od in earlyNovember by a birder onthe coast near Pasiga ineastern Panama province on28 August 2004. Photograph byJacobo Ortega. and localAudubon societies. Although an who knew where and when to look. accurateportrait of fall migrationthrough Redhead, White-bellied Emerald, and ruer. Two chicks in each of two nests were CentralAmerica is slowlyemerging, we are Swainson's Warbler were added to the El Sal- stillbeing fed 2 Sep(NH, RIP,MS). still far frombeing able to correlatedynam- vador list, and severaladditional species In Guatemala,5 LeastBitterns were found icsof fall migrationhere with eventsfarther were documented for the first time with in a reedswamp at Monterrico,Santa Rosa north:for example,how annual fluctuations photographs. 12 Oct(KE, GM). A newnesting location of in migrationtiming might relate to climatic Bare-throatedTiger-Heron in El Salvador cydes;how pulsesof migrantsrelate to re- Abbreviations:S.E (Shrimp Farm); WS. wasdiscovered 2 Sep(NH, RIP,MS) at Es- gionalweather patterns; and how annual dif- (WildlifeSanctuary). tero El Tamarindo, La UniOn. A Reddish 162 NORTH AMERICAN BIRD Punta Gorda, Toledoon 10 Oct recordof thisspedes for any of thetrue cayes (LJ).This species isa rarefall mi- in Belize The first Rufous-necked Wood- grantin Belize.Twenty-four late Railsof thefall were on CayeCaulker 13 Sep migrantPlumbeous Kites were (J&DB).A juv. CommonMoorhen on Half seen flying over Bahia de La Moon Caye18 Oct (LJ) providedthe first Uni6n, E1 Salvadoron 3 Sep recordfor LighthouseReef. (NH, RIP,MS). An ad. Solitary Eagle in the Mountain Pine PLOVERSTHROUGH GULLS Ridge,Cayo 25 Nov (ph. CB) A SnowyPlover, a vagrantin CostaRica, was providedthe first photographic at ChomesS.E 8 & 14 Nov (JRZ). A Wan- evidenceof thisrare raptor in Be- dering Tattler on Isla de Tigre, Golfo de lize. Noteworthywere several Fortseca5 Nov (ph. TJ) wasthe firstrecord Harris's Hawks in Honduras at E1 for "modern"Honduras. The only other JicaritoLagoon 2 & 4 Nov (TJ) Hondurasrecord, from IslasFarallones, was Forall the reports of Solitary Eagle in Belize, at bestonly a feware and an ad. in Guatemala near nullified when this island was ceded to credible.This adult Solitary Eagle photographed inthe Mountain Pine Ridge Puerto Jos•, Escuintla 16 Oct Nicaragua.A flock of about30 Long-billed 25November 2004 provided the first photographic evidence ofthe species in (KE, CA). Thisspecies is rarein Curlewsforaging on wet grassin Margarita Belize,buteven thiswell-documentod reportcaused considerable debatoboth countries, where it is confined nearCo16n 16 Aug (DP,J&TP, CH) wasby amongexperts. An article on the identification ofthe species isin prepara- tionbythe finder andothers. Photograph byChrisBenesh. tothe Pacific coastal plain. Two ad. farthe largest group yet recorded in Panama. White-tailed Hawks at Chomes 8 In Belize,a MarbledGodwit appeared on Egretat the mouthof PJoHuiza 10 Nov Nov (JRZ)were a bit s.of thespecies' normal CayeCaulker 11 Sepand was joined by an- (RIP)may represent a first record for La Lib- rangein CostaRica and the firstfor thislo- otheron 27 Oct 0&DB). A surprising76 ertad.A new Black-crownedNight-Heron cality.A Red-tailedHawk at TolucaBeach, La werepresent at the CholutecaR. estuaryon andWhite Ibis breeding site with 17 nestsof Libertad10 Nov (RIP) representsa rare low- the Pacificcoast of Honduras3 Nov (TJ). the former and 20 nests of the latter was dis- Roughlythe 5th and6th recordsof SurPoird coveredin the mangrovesbehind E1 Icacal from E1 Salvador came this fall when 24 beach2 Sep(NH, RIP,MS). A flockof 94 wereseen at PlayaE1 Maculiz, La Libertad6 GlossyIbis at E1JicaritoLagoon, Choluteca Aug (AM) and6 wereseen at the mouthof 2 Nov,with smallergroups and individuals RioJiboa, La Paz5 Sep(TJ, OK). presentthrough 15 Nov (?TJ),provided the A light-morphad. PomafineJaeger was first documentedrecord for Honduras (there seen44 km ssw.of Quepos24 Nov (JRZet is a 1953-1954 recordof severalPlegadis al.). The tiny RioJiboa delta produced sev- fromCopfin, Cortes). An ad.Jabiru soaring eralexceptional larids this fall: an exhausted over Hone Creek near Bribri 20 Oct (ErC) ParasiticJaeger was foundon the beach5 wasinteresting, as this species is a rare,pos- Sep(ph. TJ, OK), establishingonly the 4th siblyseasonal, visitor to thispart of Costa record for E1 Salvador and the first con- Rica. In Honduras,3+ Jabirusat E1Jicarito firmedby photograph;a Bonaparte's Gull 22 Lagoon2-5 Nov (TJ) wereon the Pacific Nov (ph. TJ etal.) establishedE1 Salvador's slope,where they are seldom seen. Howmany times can the same spedes be recorded for 2nd recordfor that species,the first docu- thefirsttime in one country? This Wandering Tattler, mentedwith a photograph;a Roseate Tern VULTURESTHROUGH RAILS photographedonthe south side of Ida del Tigre in the thereon the samedate (ph. TJ) established A groupof 12Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures Gulfof Funseca 5 November 2004 provided the first the 2ndcountry record for thisspecies; and recordfor modern Honduras--modern inthat the tiny seenon the edgeof a lagoonin Monierrico, IslasFarallones, the site of Hondums'sfirst record, were a Forster'sTern there, also on 19 Nov (ph. SantaRosa 12 Nov (KE, GM) is noteworthy. laterceded to Nicaragua.Photograph byTom Jenner. TJ), was E1 Salvador's4th. A Gray-hooded This specieswas unrecorded(or over- Gull at Costadd Estee. of PanamaCity pro- looked?) in Guatemala as late as 1970. It has land recordfor E1 Salvadorand may have vided the 5th record for Panama. become common in the Caribbean lowlands beena migrantfrom North America. A Yel- Rarelyreported from the Pacificslope of in recentdecades but is still seenonly occa- low-headedCaracara at CarloNegro 20 Oct Honduraswere perhapsas many as 10 sionallyon the Pacific side. Seen for the first (RG, PMu) wasjust shortof theNicaraguan CaspianTerns at E1JicaritoLagoon 2-5 Nov timeon the Pacific slope of Honduraswere 3 border; the species is unrecorded in (ph. TJ)

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