10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2016

Culebra is the lesser known of the two major islands that lie off the eastern edge of Puerto Rico. But the small island of Culebra, seventeen miles from Puerto Rico proper, is more than adequate for a relaxing beach vacation and it can easily keep a birder busy for several days as well. This made me very happy.

Puerto Rico 125

Puerto Rico Birds Sea Turtles Chickens 125

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2021

Where a birder goes in the Caribbean determines which birds are seen including toy-like todies, Carib hummingbirds, cool pigeons, quail-doves, unique avian families and outrageous woodpeckers. One such special place is the Centro Manu, a small family run reserve that features several star bird species of Costa Rica’s Caribbean lowlands.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Puerto Rico Birds Owls 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2017

On our first full day in Puerto Rico (Sunday, 15 January), Mike and I decided to start in the east of the island and work our way west. I was convinced that we would get a Puerto Rican Tody as our first endemic species while Mike was sure it would be a Puerto Rican Woodpecker. …

Puerto Rico 120

Puerto Rico Birds Woodpeckers 2017 120

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2016

I opened the year in California and even though I flew out in the evening on New Year’s Day I did see some species out there that I would otherwise not have seen for the year. Winter birding around New York City was just so-so but I did add one species to my Queens list. Black-billed Magpie , 31 July, Golden, Colorado.

2016 168

2016 Puerto Rico New York City New York 168

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Similarly, descriptions of species repeated across volumes do not lose their accuracy with each publication. Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed. Why are these issues?

Costa Rica 245

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 245

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2018

This is the third year that my family and some our close friends did a vacation together. Two years ago it was Culebra, Puerto Rico. Instead of being around for breeding birds like my last visit I would be focusing on migratory species and Cape Henlopen delivered with forty-six species in an hour-and-a-half of birding.

North Carolina 100

North Carolina New York Delaware Puerto Rico 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2017

And, honestly, I feel a little guilty saying that traveling to Puerto Rico, Austria, and the Bahamas so far in 2017 is what has kept me from seeing not only a Great Gray Owl but New York’s first Clark’s Grebe and the young Ross’s Gull that was visiting Tupper Lake. Family twitching? Would we do it again?

New York 104

New York Owls Beavers Puerto Rico 104