Mexico-Central America Central America Forthe second year in a rowand ]'[the third year out of four, the fall seasonwas markedby a powerfulhurri- canethat struckBelize in the monthof I October.In 1998it wasMitch; last year it wasKeith; this year it wasIris. Considered GUATEMALA by old-timersto be the most destructive hurricaneever to hit Belize--morepower- ful than Hattie in 1961--Iris was a com- pact storm that, at one point, had three eyes.With sustainedwinds of 145 mph and gustsup to 185 mph, it strucksouth- ern Belize on the eveningof 8 October with the force of a tornado swarm and left a 48-km-widepath of devastationacross the country from the cayes to the Guatemalanborder. A wide swathof pri- maryrainforest was literally blown away in less than an hour. On 9 October, the sun roseon a desolatelandscape littered with the trunks of thousands of trees, some H. Lee Jones lying nearly in rows, othersnot too far P.O. Box 158 awaylying in disarraylike a giant pile of Abbreviations: C.C.C.-U.S.F.S. (Caribbean PuntaGorda, Belize pick-upsticks. All of the foliageand small- U.S. address: ConservationCorporation's and U.S. Forest er limbs from the groundto the canopy 6108 Wildwood Road Service Redwood Sciences Laboratory's was gone.Reports soon came in of mot- TortugueroBanding Station); Crooked Tree LakeIsabella, California 93240 mots, toucans, Squirrel Cuckoos, and (Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary,Belize); ([email protected]) other forestbirds sitting on tree stumps M.P.R. (Mountain Pine Ridge, Belize); Monteverde (Monteverde Cloud Forest besidethe highway.People reporte•t hun- dredsof deadbirds in their villages,and Reserve,Costa Rica); S.E (shrimpfarm). hetiming of migration, reflected inthe first seeingnormally elusive Crested Guans and and last recordsof migrant specieseach GreatCurassows feeding among domestic season,has been poorly documented in most flocks of turkeys,chickens, and ducks. of CentralAmerica in the past.Now, a fewded- FRIGATEBIRDS THROUGH FALCONS Among the eerily out-of-placebirds wit- icatedbirders are keepingclose track of the The AmericanWhite Pelicanis now a regular nessedby Joneswhen he returnedto Belize arrivaland departureof thesemigrants. Jim winter visitorin n. C.A., but a report of 115at nine daysafter the hurricanewere impres- and Dorothy Beveridge,residents of Caye LagunaEl Jocotal,Dept. San Miguel 28 Nov sively large numbers of Keel-billed Caulker,Belize, are to becommended for keep- (NH) wasan unusuallylarge concentration for Toucansmoving through the outskirtsof ing accuratedaily notes on the birdsthey see E1 Salvador. An ad. male Magnificent Punta Gorda, a bedraggled Collared on their morningwalks, which follow essen- Frigatebirdat Mile 6, Mollejon Road,Cayo tially the sameroute everyday. In two years, Dist., Belize14 Aug (JG) waswell inland near Araqanm•ssmg half its feathersperched on a powerlinein the villageof Mafredi, theyhave seldom missed a morningafield, and the Guatemalaborder. Two ReddishEgrets at Yellow-headed Parrots in Punta Gorda well now have an impressiverecord of landbird the shrimpponds in Chomes,Costa Rica 12 south of their normal pinelandhaunts, migrationat thiskey migrant stopover locality. Nov (RH et al.) were noteworthy.A pair of and a lone White-bellied Emerald, a forest While birdingin Panama,Costa Rica, and CinnamonTeal at LagunaE1Jocotal, Dept. San dwellinghummingbird, on a weedstalk in Belizehas become a popularpastime for both Migud 28 Nov (NH) was only the 2nd E1 the middle of an expansivericefield far tourists and residents, the silence from Salvadorrecord. A Ring-neckedDuck in juv. from the nearest forest remnant. Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala is plumagewas at PuntaGorda 28 Nov (LJ).This downrightdeafening. And E1Salvador would speciesis rare in Belizeaway from Crooked be a completevoid without the dedicated work Tree. Imm. and/or female Snail Kites have been in s. Toledo Dist. between 18 and 24 Oct (LJ et of OliverKomar. Many birdersvisit Guatemala reportedin E1 Salvadorsince 1996, but the al.); but 7 Cooper'sHawks seenduring the everyyear. Surely, some of them subscribeto presenceof an ad. pair at LagunaE1 Jocotal, sameperiod (20 Oct-3 Nov) wereunexpected, thisjournal. Surely, they see at leasta fewbirds Dept. SanMiguel 28 Nov (NH) suggeststhat as this speciesis normallyless frequent than worthyof mentionin thiscolumn. Guatemala the speciesmay be establishingitself as a Sharp-shinnedin Belize.A Swainson'sHawk is the gatewayto CentralAmerica with oneof breedingresident. in first-basicplumage was closelystudied in the richestavifaunas in the Region.Honduras A Swallow-tailedKite at Caye Caulker 10 flightand perchedat doserange near Big Falls, andNicaragua form thelink betweennorthern Sep (J&DB) representedone of only a few Toledo Dist., Belize 30 Nov (LJ, WRM, LZ, and southern Central America, but unfortu- recordsfor the Belize cayes.Three subad. RC). Despite numerous unsubstantiated natelyreceive few birderseach year and have MississippiKites were seenwith migrating reportsof this speciesin Belizein the past evenfewer (if any?)resident field ornitholo- Hook-billed Kites over Punta Gorda 21 Oct (Jones2002), this representsthe first docu- gists.This is an appeal.Is anyoneout there? (LJ,LZ). FiveSharp-shinned Hawks were seen mentedrecord for the country.A juv. Zone- VOLUME 56 (2002), NUMBER ! 115 CostaRica now has a migratoryAmerican Kestrelat Caye Caulker 18 Sep Nov (ph., vt., DM, KW, SH). At least3 werestill a-•raptor monitoring station at (J&DB) representsthe earliestfall recordfor presentinto earlyDec (m. ob.).These are the K•k61diin the BriBri indigenousreserva- Belize,and an AplomadoFalcon at Punta first of this speciesrecorded in the Region, tion near Cahuita at the base of the Gorda 18 Oct (LL WRM, LZ) was well s. of its thoughit isknown from the Mexican Yucatan. TalamancoMts. along the s. Caribbean normalpine savanna range in Belize. A RoyalTern at Mile 31, WesternHwy 22 Aug coast.The projectis beingrun jointly by (PB) representsthe first inland record for NEW WORLD QUAIL THROUGHTERNS the Hawk Mt. Sanctuary,the K6k61diWak Belize,although it has been reportedfrom Ka LonekeIndigenous Associaion, and A groupof 8 Black-earedWood-Quail and 2 LagoPet•n Itzfi in Guatemala.A White Tern Anal.In itsfirst year, the station joined the femaleTawny-faced Quail, two rarely seen showedup in EB'syard in Sierpede Osa (ph. elite sites of Elait in Israel and Vera Cruz in speciesin Panama,were at Cerro Azul near NC) on 28 Oct but laterdied. This represents Mexico as the only onesto count more PanamaCity 28 Oct (BA). The Rufous-necked the first mainland record for Costa Rica (it is thana millionraptors in a season.This fall, Wood-Rail,generally thought to be resident abundant on CocosI. 320 km to the sw.). 2,979,102 individualsof 15 specieswere whereverit occurs,may be seasonalon Caye PIGEONS THROUGH WOODPECKERS recorded as follows: Turkey Vulture Caulker.Several individuals frequent J&DB's 1,367,200; Broad-winged Hawk yarddaily between Sep and Apr; however, they A Red-billedPigeon at CayeCaulker 24 Aug have never seen or heard it on the island in the 1,018,666; Swainson's Hawk 374,188; (J&DB) wasthe first seenon any Belizecaye. MississippiKite 207,915;Peregrine Falcon interveningmonths. The first onesof the sea- With expansionof itspreferred urban habitat, 2062; Osprey2051; Swallow-tailedKite sonarrived in theiryard this year on 17Sep. A the IncaDove has been expanding its rangeall 595; Merlin 43; Plumbeous Kite 22; Zone- road-killedjuv. picked up by Ll at the mouth the wayfrom Californiato CostaRica. One in tailed Kite 20; Sharp-shinnedHawk 18; of JoeTaylor Creek, Punta Gorda on 15 Nov Tortugueraall fall (C.C.C-U.S.F.S.)may have established the southernmost record for this Cooper'sHawk 16; Northern Harrier 10; reachedthere via a rangeextension to the se., American Kestrel 4; Red-tailed Hawk 2; speciesin Belize.A Soraat CayeCaulker 17 or it mayhave been a boat-assistedor escaped unidentified migratory raptors 6290 Sep(J&DB) established the earliestfall record cagebird. Determining the originof birdsfre- for Belize. (source:La NaciSn,9 Dec. 2001). quentlyfound in the pet tradewill alwaysbe The 3rd documented record of Southern Belize, at the baseof the Yucaffm Pen., is problematic.At least 2 (possibly4) Scarlet a far cry from Costa Rica. That most Lapwingin CostaRica came 15 Nov when Macawswere seen around Cerro Tortuguero in migratingraptors avoid the Yucatfin Pen. is LMC recorded6 about 10 kme. of Siquirres mid-Nov (PG). Theseare likely wanderers evident in the totals obtained for the four on the Rio Pacuare.A juv. AmericanGolden- from the Indio-MaizReserve in Nicaragua,as mostcommon Costa Rica species by LJet Ploverat Chomes20 Oct (lRZ) wasunexpect- theyhave yet to reestablisha resident popula- al. at a coastallocation just outsidePunta ed, asthis speciesis seldomseen anywhere in tion anywherein CaribbeanCosta Rica. Two Yellow-headed Parrots on the outskirts of Gorda in s. Belize between 15 Jul and 15 C.A. in fall.A SnowyPlover at CayeCaulker Nov: migrant TurkeyVulture 0; Broad- 25 Aug (EM) representedonly the 2nd docu- PuntaGorda 28 Oct andagain 7 Nov (bothLJ) mented record for Belize. More than the nor- winged Hawk 13; Swainson'sHawk 0; were unexpected,as this speciesis normally MississippiKite 3. On the other hand,LJ mal number of Long-billedCurlews was restrictedto the pinelandsfarther north. They recorded 1030 Hook-billed Kites at this recorded this fall. In Belize, a flock of 10 was at mayhave been driven s. in searchof food by site, all between 19 Oct and 15 Nov. This CayeCaulker 29 Aug (J&DB), after which, one HurricaneIris, which passedjust n. of Punta speciesis provingto be,by morethan an birdstayed until 4 Nov;in CostaRica, one was Gorda in early Oct. Fifteen Blue-fronted Parrotlets were at Cerro Azul near Panama order of magnitude,the most common present15 Sep-20 Oct at Chomes(RD, EA); in migrantraptor alongthe s. Belizecoast. Panama,one was at PanamaViejo, Panama City 8 Aug, and a Rufous-ventedGround- Without exception,all were moving sw. City 28 Sep (KK, PAS),and anotherwas at Cuckoo was there 28 Oct (both BA).