Aplomado Falcon

Recent Mega Birds in Costa Rica

What’s a mega bird? Aren’t all birds intrinsically mega? Who invented the “mega” term anyways? Alas, as with much of the birding-associated lexicon, we’ll probably never know who that unintended mover and shaker was. Worse, we don’t know which bird species provoked them to coin the term nor, how they deployed it.

That doesn’t really matter but it would be nice to know. For those of us interested in birding history, we wouldn’t mind knowing if they said, “That Red-footed Falcon is a real mega”!, or if they were so beyond mind blown by focusing in on a choice elusive and unexpected species that they could utter nothing more than a hazy dazed and eye-glazed “Mega…”.

birding Costa Rica — This is my poor photo of a mega RVG Cuckoo. The blurry nature of the photo seems fitting for its highly elusive nature (at least that’s what I tell myself).

Whatever the case, we got the word and it must not be abused. Or, heck, birding is pretty much ruleless, use it however you want. This is your birding life after all, you bird how you do. However, if “we” were so inclined to define “mega”, in my opinion (decidedly not IMHO because that sounds too much like a dang pancake chain), I would say that the word refers to particularly unexpected, automatically rare, and/or especially elusive birds.

In other words, a surprise bird sighting to knock your birding socks off and give you a personal thrill. Megas would be birds like the Harpy Eagle, Yellow Rail, and the Bukidnon Woodcock (yeah, that’s real). On account of their elusive and ultra sneaky nature, the Neomorphus ground-cuckoos also fit the mega bill as do localized and ultra rare birds like the Cherry-throated Tanager (although that one might merit mega-mega or triple mega crown status, there’s like two dozen left).

The megaist of the mega birds would be species believed to be extinct, awaiting rediscovery, or that have never been previously seen. Kinglet Calyptura is a prime candidate along with maybe an unknown bird or two in remote parts of Bolivia.

As for Costa Rica, we got our own set of megas, a few of which have been recently seen.

Aplomado Falcon near Jaco

Although this lanky falcon isn’t rare on the global page, it’s always a mega for Costa Rica. We probably get a few each year and one or two might be briefly seen. They seem to be juveniles likely wandering in from the north and don’t usually stay long.

A few days ago, one of those choice cool falcons was found by Tina Van Dusen, a local birder in the Playa Hermosa, Jaco area. This isn’t the first mega she has found, we’re glad she keeps looking and reporting the birds she turns up around Playa Hermosa!

This falcon has been hanging out in the open fields near Mistico, a housing site near Playa Hermosa. Thankfully, a good number of local birders have seen it, I hope it sticks around long enough for me and Maryllen to see it too.

If you go, watch for it perched on posts, on top of lone trees, or flying around the fields. If you see a gaggle of birders, that might work too.

Crested Eagle at Pitilla Biological Station

Whoah! Yes! The just as difficult, slightly smaller version of the Harpy was seen by experienced local birders at Pitilla Biological Station. Although they don’t have a picture, their description is spot on and they have enough experience with other raptors to make the right call.

This isn’t just an automatic mega sighting by merit of the species involved, it’s also a fantastic mega sighting because we have no idea how many (few) Crested Eagles still occur in Costa Rica. One had never been seen in that area before but it’s the least bit surprising that they saw one where they did. Pitilla is one of the most remote, intact, accessible areas of lowland and foothill rainforest on the Caribbean slope. Not by coincidence, it’s also the only place where both Speckled Mourner and Ocellated Poorwill have been recently seen and not that far from a Harpy Eagle sighting in 2017.

All these species are indicators of healthy, intact habitat, the main question I have is where that Crested Eagle came from. Did it wander in from somewhere else? Are there a few hanging on in the remote forests of the northern volcanoes? Hopefully there are enough to maintain a small population.

Gray-headed Piprites at Rancho Naturalista

The piprites is another classic mega for Costa Rica. Although it used to be slightly more frequent, the mini pseudo manakin has never been common and is weirdly local. The reasons for its localization are surely not the slightest bit weird for the bird but they sure are evasive for us humans.

It has become very hard to predict where this bird might occur other than at its known and regular haunts. The best haunt seems to be a site near Turrialba where local guide Steven Montenegro regularly sees it. Other regular spots are in that same general region including one of the best known birding lodges in Costa Rica; good old Rancho Naturalista.

Yes, recently, one was seen there, hopefully, it will stick around for lots more birders to see it. If not, you could always contact Steven or try Vista Aves; the guide there also knows sites for this unassuming mega.

Migrating Swallows and other birds from the north

No, they don’t fit the mega definition but what can I say? Watching dozens of swallows fly over the house was a mega experience for me, especially after a short, successful hospital stay. I’m still alive and so are they; Cliff Swallows with deep chestnut throats, Bank Swallows looking svelte, and beautiful peach Barn Swallows zipping from the fields of Ohio straight on through Costa Rica.

Wood-pewees hawking bugs from perches, the first of many Baltimore Orioles and Summer Tanagers getting reaccustomed to their tropical side of life, and good numbers of cheerful chipping Yellow Warblers. In which forests did the flycatchers sing their lazy summer songs? Where did the orioles and tanagers flutter in June maples and oaks? Where did the warblers grace the northern willows?

I like to know but no matter right now. It only matters that they made it here and, if they stay, that they survive the winter in these tropical realms.

To learn more about birding at the sites mentioned in this post while supporting this blog, check out my bird finding guide for Costa Rica. I hope to see some mega birds with you here!

Two Megas in 30 Minutes at La Fortuna

Any day that involves binoculars and birds is a good one. Even if the only birds you see are common, familiar species, hey, at least you are out there watching them! Even so, it’s extra nice when the day is exceptional, when the birding day treats you to rare, unexpected sights with little effort. That’s how January 23 was for Mary and I and unless we chance upon an extra large eagle in the next 12 months, the bird luck from this particular day will be hard to beat.

Since we had already planned on getting in some birding while stopping at Freddo Fresas and Cinchona, the drive over the mountains would have always been good. When Mary told me that an Aplomado Falcon had been seen in the middle of La Fortuna on January 23rd, though, we suddenly had expectations for a much more exciting trip! This species wanders to Costa Rica pretty much every year but they are few in number and tend to be sporadic. Last year, fortunately, many local birders got onto a young bird that took up residence in San Isidro del General and for all I know, it may still be there. However, since heading over the tall Talamanca Mountains is quite a drive for us, we never made the trip. Therefore, hearing about an Aplomado at La Fortuna and on a day when we were already scheduled to be in that area was welcome news indeed!

I figured we could still drive past Poas and Cinchona and just go to La Fortuna before continuing on to San Carlos. Hopefully the falcon would stick around for at least the morning and en route, we should be able to get an update about the whereabouts of the bird.

Off we went on the morning of the 23rd, our hopes lifted by reports and photos of the falcon taken the same time we left the house. The stop at Freddo Fresas was more to talk to the owners about promoting birding, something they are very much interested in doing, that watching birds. We saw little in the garden but I will give it a thorough morning check within a week and will likely write about finding a roosting screech-owl. Wishful thinking but if the luck from the 23rd continues, I should find an owl, Dusky Nightjar, and a rare warbler in a couple of hours.

As for Cinchona, we actually didn’t even stop. With barbets, hummingbirds, and a stealthy quail-dove possible, not stopping for at least a few minutes would seem to be an odd decision for a birder to make. However, some species take precedence over others and it was the message Mary received somewhere between Freddo Fresas and Varablanca that gave us serious reason to make haste for La Fortuna.

Believe it or not, we passed on seeing this bird…

Not only was the falcon still present but so was another mega for Costa Rica, a Palm Warbler! I know, most birders from eastern North America would wonder how “mega” and “Palm Warbler” could be linked in any way or form but one place’s common bird is another’s mega and in Costa Rica, the Palm Warbler is a serious mega. Like the falcon, it also shows just about every year or two but there seem to be very few that can be chased. In classic Patagonia Rest Stop effect fashion, this Palm was discovered by two local birders while they were watching the Aplomado. They also took photos. I know because when I glanced at the image of a Palm Warbler on Mary’s phone while driving on the mountain pass between Poas and Barva Volcanoes, I nearly slammed on the brakes in surprise.

From that moment, our trip suddenly became a drive with just one main destination, the aptly named town of La Fortuna. We could only hope that the place would live up to its name because birds do fly, disappear, and get eaten even on the same day you race to see them. The only way to increase your chances is getting there sooner rather than later so with that in mind, we sped right past Cinchona and kept moving, only making one brief stop to check out some Red-breasted Meadowlarks on the way.

As we drove into La Fortuna, we went into search mode, scanning the tops of buildings and watching the sky for the telltale shape of a large lanky falcon. I wondered if it might be in the tallest spot in town and sure enough, as we approached the town plaza, there was indeed a suspicious lump of a bird perched on the very top of the main church. A quick look through optics confirmed that yes, the Aplomado was still present! Like most reports from Costa Rica, it was a young bird and one that made us think of a cross between a Peregrine and Bat Falcon with a dash of Merlin.

You can’t see it but there’s an Aplomado Falcon in this picture. Similarly, there’s probably a Barn Owl in there too, just inside the steeple.

After a few more looks, we had a tense, straightforward drive to the Palm Warbler spot; a small baseball field bordered by trees, a chain link fence, and a small bull ring. Yes, you read that right, perfect Palm Warbler habitat. Luckily, there was a place to park the car and we started pishing in earnest. A Yellow Warbler responded and we scanned the grass. We walked to the corner of the field and glassed a promising brush pile. House Sparrows chipped, a Ruddy Ground-Dove flew into view but not our target bird! I pished some more and wondered if the bird had somehow given us the slip. But during one of those silly bouts of pishing, I was pretty sure that I had heard a dry chip note, one that was not a Yellow nor Chestnut-sided but the likely voice of Mega numero dos. Mary suggested checking the trees again where it had been seen and sure enough, as we approached, I glimpsed a warbler flying up from the ground. After a few seconds of scanning the foliage, yes, there it was in all of its tail wagging distinctive glory, a lovely Palm Warbler and my 807 bird for Costa Rica!

We watched Mega Dos for a few minutes, wondering out loud how we could be so lucky and then went back to the falcon to admire it in that relaxed, post successful twitch mode. The falcon was still on top of the church but it looked restless. It was looking back and forth and having doubtlessly scared all the other birds away, didn’t really have any prey in sight. We watched as it stretched its wings and took to the air, big and lanky, flying higher and higher up towards the circling vultures. The last I saw it, it was way up there, a silhouette kind of like a Mississippi Kite. I hope it comes back, I hope it finds enough pigeons to eat in one trusty spot so more birders can see it. As with any twitch, we would have never known about this nor the warbler if other birders hadn’t found and reported them. Many thanks to Erick Castro and Gerald Pereira for doing just that!