A Stout Year

Resplendent Quetzal is one of the top contenders for Most Facemelting Bird of 2013...the mind reels. Photographed above the Savegre Lodge in Costa Rica.

2013 has come and gone...that was quick. There is no doubt other blogs in the Birdosphere have done some recaps of the year (Neil Hayward is the champ...Bell's and Sagebrush Sparrows...Rufous-necked Wood-Rail...Zino's Petrel birder politics and subsequent redemption...yadda yadda). Of course, you know all that stuff, so why rehash it? No, you came here for one reason...# 7.

For years now, I've been almost-enthusiastically year listing, more as a way to get out and birding and exploring new places than anything else...in other words, its fun but neither competitive or intense. It is a very good way to spend a Perpetual Weekend. In 2012 I finished with ~579 (birding in California, Florida, and Costa Rica), and this year it looks like I will be finishing with ~690 (Costa Rica, California, North Carolina). 690 is by far the highest year list I've ever had, and I'm pretty happy about that...of course, I could have gotten to 700 with just a little more luck (not dipping as much, having a better fall for vagrants in the bay area, one more day of landbirding in North Carolina).

700 will have to wait another year though, and I have a feeling it won't be 2014...but you never know. Without further delay, here is this leading birder's breakdown of 2013.

Number of new life birds: I don't know. Probably somewhere over 200? Costa Rica was insane.

Number of new ABA birds: 11 (8 in North Carolina, 3 in California).

Number of new California birds: 14 (including armchair ticks), with 4 in December!

Best lifer: This is hard. I saw so many. Copious lifers in 2013. Fork-tailed Flycatcher was something I'd yearned for for as long as I have been birding. Little Bunting was HUGE (not literally). Trindade Petrels brought the stoke. A rainbow of new hummingbirds were seen in Costa Rica. There's too many to choose from.

Best birder scandal: Although I really enjoy what is happening over here, it is no doubt the implosion of the San Diego birding scene (which resulted in the local listserv being completely abandoned for one operated by a different faction) and subsequent internet combat in San Diego, much of which went on behind the scenes. Remember "Todd Ingress", the fictional blind birder? Lines have since been drawn in the sand. WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON????

Bear witness to this vulgar display of endemism. Island Scrub-Jays were my constant companions for the spring and summer of 2013, even though I was not researching them. Santa Cruz Island (where else?), CA.

Best ABA bird: Little Bunting. I squeezed much satisfaction out of looking at this bird.

Best North Carolina bird: Trindade Petrel. Huge bonus bird.

Best California bird: Red-necked Stint on the LA River. Not the rarest, but it was number 500 for my state list. It was also number 500 for Officer Adam Searcy, who chased the bird with me. That makes us bird-married.

Best northern vagrant: Trumpeter Swans at Modoc National Wildlife Refuge (above). They are expected here in the winter so aren't vagrants per se, but the first time we saw them was an awesome experience. How to sum it up? State bird, majesty, spectacular sunset, serenaded by pleasant trumpeting, pleasant friends...followed by affordable beer and disgusting Basque food.

Best pelagic vagrant: Great Shearwater (off Half Moon Bay, in San Francisco County).

Best Siberian vagrant: I've already mentioned Little Bunting and Red-necked Stint...how about Arctic Loon? I was stoked to see the one wintering in Monterey (a state bird) after I returned from Costa Rica last January.

Best eastern vagrant: Hudsonian Godwit (Napa).

I have had a hell of a time photographing Gray Hawk over the years, despite living in southeast Arizona and spending a good amount of time in other places where they are easy to find (south Texas, Mexico, Costa Rica). I finally had some good luck last week with the bird in Carpinteria, CA...but I was robbed from the opportunity for even crushier shots (see below).

Best Central American Vagrant: Gray Hawk (first California record, Santa Barbara County.

Worst birder experience: A few days ago I was driving up to Oakland from SoCal and saw the Gray Hawk hanging out in its usual spot on Highway 101. The light was perf. I pulled over to crush it, making sure to give it plenty of space so it wouldn't flush into the side of a semi or something. As I got the bird in the viewfinder and was literally focusing on it, a black car pulled off the freeway and parked right next to the bird. You can guess what happened next, and the bird actually flew uncomfortably close to a moving truck that happened to be passing by. The car immediately left after flushing the bird. I was fucking pissed. To whoever you are, you are a dick, and I hope your year is filled with nothing but House Sparrows and feral pigeons.

I was really looking forward to meeting this bird in 2013...it did not disappoint. Fiery-throated Hummingbird is another candidate for Most Facemelting Bird of 2013. Photographed at Paraiso Del Quetzales in the Talamanca Mountains of Costa Rica.

Most facemelting bird: Fuck. I was in Costa Rica. Was it the quetzal? Was it Bay-headed or Speckled Tanager? Fiery-throated Hummingbird? I can't decide.

Worst dip: Dipping on "guaranteed" Masked Ducks in Costa Rica. Ouch. Dipping on Snowcap at one of the best sites for them in Costa Rica also wrought significant pain.

Worst overall miss: I did not see a longspur of ANY SPECIES in 2013. Sigh.

Worst birding experience: Breaking my birdcrusher for the second time in a year by having it detach from its strap and slam onto a sidewalk. This prevented an aggravating number of crushes in the subsequent weeks (Bald and Golden Eagles, Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Goshawk, Prairie Falcon, Trumpeter Swans, etc.).

Worst day of birding: Going to Outer Point Reyes in early September and seeing exactly one (1) migrant bird, a Western Wood-Pewee. Life was pain.

Best Raptor: The Black-and-white Owl at Cerro Lodge in Costa Rica.

Best birder experience: Watching "Stilt" break down into tears when she did not get to see a Streak-chested Antpitta that the rest of us got to see. It was incredible...and don't worry, she saw it a few minutes later. A very close second was Officer Jon Dunn telling me that I am not fit to serve on the CBRC (because I don't "support the committee", not because I suck). The kicker is that although he was talking to me, about me, he did not recognize me for the person he was talking about...who does that?

Band-rumped Storm-Petrel was one of many lifer pelagic birds off North Carolina last August. I was stoked to get so much boat time this year, off both coasts. Being a leader on Shearwater Journeys trips was a lot of fun and I hope to do it again next year. Oh, I got seasick and puked for the first time this year, that was cool.

Best hybrid: Not rare by any means, but I looked at hella American X Black Oystercatcher hybrids in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. It's good practice.

Best bourbon: As with every year, I tasted many a bourbon this year...but I think Broken Bell is one of my new favorites.

Best beer: There's a lot of quality beer out there...but right now I miss Yuengling.

Best album: Bad Religion's True North. "I'm just a petrel in the storm; my island can't protect me anymore."

Greatest Coup of Birding: Oscar Johnson's ridiculous Common Swift above a random patch of desert in Riverside County, CA.

Best birder meme: THERE ARE SO MANY!!! Anything involving inner circles and puppetmasters. "It's too far for you to see"..."Black-chins are still migrating"..."Does he really pronounce it Justine?"...

This year I finally found a convenient/reliable spot for crushing Yellow-billed Magpies, one of California's most interesting, desired, and even poignant species. Photographed in Monterey County, CA.

Best California yearbirder: Dipper Dan. He may not have the highest total in the field, but he won.

Best self-found bird: A Slaty-backed Gull in Marin County (CA) was a long-awaited defeat of a state nemesis.

Best dream bird (aka best bird seen in a dream): Runt Harpy Eagle in northern California.

There were too many great bird trips to count this year, with new and old friends alike. I'm stoked to have such a strong network of friendly dorks available in a pasttime that is littered with people that I would rather avoid, and a girlfriend who is sympathetic to me being gone for months at a time and has a high tolerance for raging nerds. I'm looking forward to meeting more great people and great birds in 2014. I do have a quick trip planned in the very near future that should produce some cool shit (and cool tacos), but aside from that I really don't know where 2014 is going to take me for work or birding trips...and so the Perpetual Weekend rolls on.

Bringing The Stoke At El Paraiso

This Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush was one of many birds at El Paraiso that left me with the kind of stoke that you rarely get after birding for many years. Definitely a place I would recommend, and would love to visit again.

It doesn't seem like seven months ago when I was slaying life birds day after day in Costa Rica. Despite the amount of beer and tequila and cuba libres consumed in those three weeks, it all still seems fresh and new to me...which is probably why I'm still posting about the trip seven months later.

All of today's shots are from El Paraiso Del Quetzales, in the Talamancas. I blogged about El Paraiso in another post, but the quantity of good birds there compels more coverage.

One of the reasons I wanted to go to El Paraiso was the exceptionally high chance of seeing this bird...as you can see, we did not leave disappointed. I am happy to say that I now stand among the ranks of people who have been fortunate enough to see an adult male Resplendent Quetzal...the mind reels. This is one of the most facemelting, absolutely crippling birds in existence, a legendary bird that leaves the observer dumbstruck. If you are not familiar with this species, yes those are it's tail streamers that hang down to the bottom of the frame.

They weren't exactly the most confiding birds I've seen, but who cares? If you need this bird, El Paraiso is practically a sure bet. Finding them was almost anticlimactic; the guide (a very accomplished birder) knew exactly where to look. Victory is so, so sweet.

Collared Redstart was a bird that produced a lot of drool as I studied my field guide in the weeks before the trip. Luckily for everyone it's a pretty easy bird to get, and they are not exactly prone to skulking and lurking like a lot of tropical birds. Total crippler.

This is a Sooty Thrush, one of a number of species in today's post that are endemic to Costa Rica and Panama. When I saw them, I typically just thought about how striking their resemblance is to European Blackbird, another yellow-billed black thrush from across the Atlantic. Evolution is fun.

Buffy Tuftedcheek! These are pretty big birds who seem to spend most of their time with their heads engulfed by bromeliads, or thrashing around in the canopy mosses.

As their name implies, they do have tufted cheeks, something that seems pretty unique in the bird world. No idea what they're for...anyone care to enlighten me?

Barred Becard is one of my new favorite birds. The smallest Costa Rican becard, they are uncommon in high-elevation cloud forests. Compared to the other becards, they are much stubbier and are more likely to migrate into your heart.

Knowing that the world is still safe for creatures like Barred Becards is a very reassuring thought when the night is dark and full of terrors.

Black-and-yellow Silky-Flycatchers were numerous on the Zeledonia trail below the lodge. They are not shy, but apparently do everything in their power to avoid direct sunlight. And if you are wondering, yes, Stilt, Frank and Dipper Dan all got to see Zeledonia on the Zeledonia Trail. Stupid Seagull Steve did not.

The somewhat more economically-plumaged female. I was more than happy to not have to struggle to see these birds...but we dipped on Long-tailed Silky, which left me devastated.

Gratuitous hummingbird photo! Green Violet-Ear. Why it's not a Green Blue-Ear is a question I can't even begin to ponder...maybe its best to just focus on the facemelt.

Whoever named the Green Violet-Ear was clearly not the same person who described Fiery-throated Hummingbird, which is an outstanding and very descriptive name. This bird has its throat flame turned down slightly.

This is another bird that we were happy to have our guide point out; the one and only Ochraceous Pewee we saw on the trip. I was so high on quetzal adrenaline that I completely forgot this shitty (but identifiable) picture of this local and semielusive species.

Speaking of bird-driven adrenaline, I just want to say for posterity that there were many, many times on this trip when we hit such intense flocks of good birds that everyone in our group could barely cope with the reality of it. One of us would invariably acknowledge these moments by simply announcing "it's happening again" and we would all silently agree. Those moments are one of the things that will eventually drive me south of the border again.

Crippling Birding in the Talamancas: Paraiso del Quetzales

Fiery-throated Hummingbird. What is there to say about such a crippler? About such facemelt? I have nothing to add.

One of the benefits of planning a group trip is you pretty much get to decide where you bird. While I planned much of this trip on my own, there were certainly limitations which you are familiar with; time and money. Most of the places we stayed were relatively cheap for Costa Rica, but I decided to splurge and do a night at Paraiso del Quetzales in the Talamanca Mountains. Renowned as one of the better high-elevation birding sites with almost-guaranteed Resplendent Quetzals (a must-see bird, obviously) on the property, at about $75 per person for one night it was the most expensive lodging of the trip. That said, that includes access to fantastic birding opportunities, soul-fulfilling hummingbird views, dinner, breakfast, and a guided tour focusing on (but not at all limited to) tracking down quetzals. So while steep for a budget birder, the value cannot be argued. The cabinas are simple and clean, and the whole place has a pretty relaxed vibe...until you hit a mixed flock and the mierda hits the fan.

We arrived right before sunset and were completely blown away by the hummingbird show. We were in a daze. The birding only got better the next morning. We were there for less than 24 hours, but I'll have to split up the photographs into a couple different posts.




Green Violet-Ear is abundant at higher elevation sites in the Talamancas, one of the relatively few hummingbird species that seem equally common at feeding stations and in the field. Aside from their abundance, this might be attributed to the fact that they are a lekking species and are very loud singers.

And if you are wondering if they landed on my hand, yes. Yes they did.

Large-footed Finch was easy to find on the grounds here. They are not quite as brave as the hummingbirds and Yellow-thighed Finches, but it would be difficult to bird this spot for very long without picking up this handsome species.

Yellow-thighed Finches are so funny looking...completely dull aside from you know what. They even come to nectar feeders! Note the Fiery-thoated Hummingbird lurking in the background.

Ruddy Treerunners were in multiple mixed flocks we encountered here. I reckon they are to be expected. Yet another Costa Rican species that stumped me the first (and second, and third) time I saw them.

My lifer Yellow-winged Vireo!!! I was completely groggy and already in a daze of lifers-to-be when this bird popped up in front of me at dawn. Surprised I got any usable images.

When I look at this species, I think it belongs in the United States. It's got that economy of style thing going, kind of like a Solitary Vireo with broken spectacles. However, I don't think this bird will ever make it to the ABA Area...but I will mention that when I saw this bird I had not seen a new species of vireo in over ten years. Great success!

Magnificent Hummingbirds made a big impression on me at an early age. Shortly after I started birding, I went with my family to southeast Arizona. I did have an inkling of some of the fantastic birds there, but did not know what to expect at all, being hella young and being there in early spring. Magnificent Hummingbirds (which we ran into at Madera Canyon) made a huge impression on me. I could not get over their size, and the unfathomable colors they project in the right light. They still hold a special place in my heart.

Of course, there was the time I was working in Josephine Canyon (that's on the other side of the Santa Ritas, southeast of Madera) and came upon a cougar on the trail. The cat/potential Seagull Steve-slayer wandered off down the trail, unfortunately in the direction I had to go. As I followed the cougar very nervously and talking to myself very loudly to warn the cat I was coming, I suddenly heard a loud WHOOOOOSHHHHHUMMMMMMMM inches behind my head. It scared the fucking shit out of me. I whipped around in horror to find a male Magnificent Hummingbird hovering at eye level, which of course had come to investigate my red hat. How embarrassing.

Magnificent Hummingbird is actually the only hummingbird species expected in both Arizona and Costa Rica.

You can literally pet hummingbirds here. Facemelting ones. Here is a Fiery-throated expressing it's love of sugar water and hatred for rival hummingbirds.

Ochraceous Wren! Had to use the field guide for this one, total brainbird. In real life lighting, they are very richly colored, their name suits them much better than what you see here. Aside from the trails at El Paraiso, we also had them up the canyon from El Toucanet Lodge, which is a mid-elevation site to the northwest.

The cabina I stayed in. Make sure to make use of the extra blankets when you are there, it gets cold as fuck at night! And yes, I did hear Dusky Nightjar there.