Friday, 8 September 2017

Costa Rica - Tortuguero - Masses of Migrants!


The Sea Turtle Biological Station Macaw survey is a good opportunity to observe species that are currently migrating using the river and canals surrounding Tortuguero. The skies today were alive with Hirundines all of which seemed in a great hurry to get somewhere.
There was a handful of Laughing Gull today. This is normally a family I don’t get too excited about (with c10000 daily in the winter at Beddington Farm) but these were the first gulls I have seen on this trip so a very small celebration was in order.

The Macaws were absent in the morning as Chris (Netherlands) and I kept watch. The Macaws arrived just prior to the beginning of the afternoon survey and were present for a good part of the afternoon. The largest group was twenty three Green who appeared from behind the Biological before landing in the trees on the west bank.
A Mangrove Swallow was judged as photo of the day. It was rather obliging sitting on the roof of a tourist charter boat taking brief circular flights to hawk insects.
A juvenile Bare-throated Heron kept the observers company as it fished from under the overhanging trees. Little Blue Heron and Snowy Egret were also added to the trip list.
Migrants of the day came in an untidy procession of circa,one hundred Common Nighthawk. This was a truly amazing spectacle of birds and a species I had not seen in such numbers before! This is a regular event along the Caribbean lowlands.

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