Male Golden-winged warbler banded at CATIE, November 2010

Cornell University advises this week that the Golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) is a species whose numbers have declined by 66% since 1965. Here in Costa Rica this species continues to be monitored, I believe, but I am now unsure of where to report the sightings. Yesterday’s handsome male was the first of this species to arrive this year, though it is never really common. Today, however, I found another male together with a breeding-plumaged female Bay-breasted warbler (Setophaga castanea) at the pine grove next to Villa Spoonky (I kid you not). Blackburnian warblers (Dendroica fusca) were also present.

Today’s Bay-breasted warbler looked like this

https://www.flickr.com/account

And the Blackburnian warbler was even more beautiful

https://www.flickr.com/account

Many thanks to flickr’s creative commons and to Jerry Oldenettel and Melanie Underwood for their lovely photographs.

We are now well into migration season here in San Antonio, and yesterday I was lucky enough to catch a huge flurry of activity in the trees at the entrance gate. I suspected the presence of an owl or a hawk but could find only the gathering of a mixed flock of smaller birds. The following species were all present:

1. Rufous-tailed hummingbird
2. Yellow-bellied elaenia
3. Social flycatcher
4. Gray-capped flycatcher
5. Yellow-throated vireo
6. Tropical gnatcatcher
7. Plain wren
8. Clay-colored thrush
9. Golden-winged warbler
10. Yellow warbler
11. Chestnut-sided warbler
12. Black-and-white warbler
13. Bananaquit
14. Summer tanager
15. Passerini’s tanager
16. Golden-hooded tanager
17. Blue-gray tanager
18. Palm tanager
19. Rufous-collared sparrow
20. Grayish saltator
21. Melodious blackbird
22. Yellow-throated euphonia

Though all of these are common species here (with perhaps the exception of the Golden-winged warbler), a gathering of 22 species in two or three trees all at the same time is not to be sniffed at.

This morning I found nothing, zero, zilch, nada, at the same location.