I rarely, if ever, see northern migrants in August in my patch and this year was no exception. First arrival came September 2, a very handsome male Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia).

Larry Waddell’s photo is of a female Black-and-white Warbler that visited his home in Aquiares

The female is slightly more modestly attired than the male, whose plumage has striking black-and-white contrast. This particular bird was picking its way along the branches of one of our guayabo trees.

Other recent garden visitors of note, all residents, are the Fasciated Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma fasciatum), which continues to feast on koi at the ponds, and the Yellow-crowned Euphonia (Euphonia luteicapilla), which, though common, is not a bird that I can regularly count on.

Down in Santa Rosa, John Beer has a Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris) stationed in his yard, and even lower down, at CATIE, a group of birders spotted an overhead immature Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens). This is the second recent sighting well inland of the this species. Here’s a nice shot of the starthroat:

Female Long-billed Starthroat, courtesy of John Beer