2nd February 2022
Great Egret with Volcano Arenal first thing this morning viewed from the entrance of the hostel
The last few days has slowed down from what it was before. still adding on patch and life ticks but I’ve made the birding shorter as the heat can get too intense and those bloody moseys are driving me insane! However, today it was back on track with another cracking day. it started off cloudy with sunny spells. There appeared to be a small arrival of migrants and it was a morning of swifts and hirundines from 06.30. A total of five species each feeding including Grey-breasted Martin, Northern and Southern Rough-winged Sallow and well overdue patch ticks, some 10 Blue and White Swallow and a brief Barn Swallow hawking over the long grass field and chocolate plantation. The first species of swift to arrive were 4 Chimney followed shortly afterwards by 2 Lesser-Swallow-tailed and a single Vaux’s Swift. After checking out other areas, I returned an hour later and scanning the skies, I picked up a single Chestnut-chested Swift feeding with the Chimney Swift. But it was higher up that some 250-300 White-collared Swift were circling before they moved off east. Leaving the airol feeders, at the north pond, I could see a bird skulking low down in a thick hedge. It was the Yellow-breasted Bushchat and I managed to just get a single record shot of it’s head just before it disappeared
A single Chestnut-collared Swift
and Vaux’s Swift
4 Chimney Swift
Some 250-300 White-collared Swift
This Barn Swallow didn’t hang around
There were up to 10 Blue and white Swallow
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Under the tall mallows where the tanagers hang out, I spotted a single female White-lined Tanager with them. Only the second record after the male over two weeks ago. It was also here that there was an Ovenbird and I had my first ever Piretic Flycatcher distantly very briefly. The flycatcher was an indication that migrants were on the move as it’s states in the guide that they arrive in the country at the end of January from the south America. And maybe this was the case with North American warblers starting to move north. After covering the patch, today I noticed less numbers of Chestnut-sided Warbler, from 10-15 most days with occasions as high as 25-30 to only 5 or 6 today. While Tennessee Warbler were on the up with maybe 3-4 observed since day one. Today there was an increase of at least 10 birds including three together. Also Northern Waterthrush appeared to be all over the shop with three together in the centre and where are all these swifts and hirundines coming from? On the edge of the primary forest, two patch ticks together were 2 very loud and vocal Bay Wren while above them was a long-billed Gnatcatcher. This was followed by a pair of White-winged Barcard and one of my favourite birds, Yellow-throated Vireo . Nearby with a single Rufous Minor there was a single female Blue-black Grassquit was gauging itself on fruit and the latter species was added to the patch list. At the end of the day, while watching 2 Broad-billed Motmot, a mixture of 100 Northern and Southern Rough-winged Swallow were coming into roost in the cane fields, east on the opposite side of the road from the weedy field.
This female White-lined Tanager under the tall mallows was only the second site record
This Piretic Flycatcher was bang on cue in arriving in Costa Rica at the end of January from South America
Yellow-throated Vireo
Long-billed Gnatwren
The first site record of Blue-black Grassquit was this female at the edge of the primary forest
Yank warblers included Yellow, Mourning, less numbers of Chestnut-sided but the highest total, from 2-3 in the last 2 weeks to 10 Tennessee Warbler and 2 Black and White Warbler including the individual above.
Chestnut-sided Warbler was way down in numbers
And Northern Waterthrush appeared to be all over the shop than usual including three birds together
Still only 3 or 4 Wood Thrush
It’s official Israel An “Apartheid State”, Say Amnesty International | #TyskySour
4,510 views
Feb 2, 2022
435DISLIKESHARESAVENovara Media
189K subscribers
SUBSCRIBED Amnesty International has declared that Israel is an apartheid state. We speak to Yara Hawari in Palestine on the significance of the judgement and lay out how Britain is implicated in this ongoing crime..
SCILLYSPIDER 2 