Bulletin 396 - Colombia 2021 #13 - Hawks and Falcons

 I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

Hawks and falcons are always favorites of birders because of the sense of power and strength. We saw several species of hawks as well as 2 falcon species. Some were life birds and some were 1st time photos of species.

The 20" Black-collared Hawk (Busarellus nigricollis) is a beautiful rufous colored raptor with a white head and black chest. It is found along swamps, mangroves and lakes. It usually perches low to the water as it hunts for fish, amphibians and snails. 

Black-collared Hawk

The 20" Common Black Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus) is also found along waterways. This juvie was photographed in a palm tree on the Caribbean coast.

Common Black Hawk - juvenile

His larger cousin, the 24" Great Black Hawk (Buteogallus urubitinga) is found perched along the waters edge. This was a lifer for me. I had been looking for this bird on all my tropical trips. We were able to approach in the boat to within 10 meters from the bird. Wow

Great Black Hawk

Another smaller cousin is the 15" Slate-colored Hawk (Buteogallus schistaceus). He is also associated with water - but the still black water in flooded forests. He was also a life bird for me.

Slate-colored Hawk

The 18" Grey-lined Hawk (Buteo nitidis) is identical to the Grey Hawk in southern USA. They were split and this bird is south of Costa Rica. 

Grey-lined Hawk

The last hawk is the very common 15" Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris). It has a range from Mexico to Argentina - so a person should see it on every trip.

Roadside Hawk

The 11" Bat Falcon (Falco rufigularis) was a treat to see again. I saw it for the first time in 1993, on my first trip to the tropics in Belize. I had not seen it again until this trip.

Bat Falcon

The 17" adult Black Caracara (Daptrius ater) is an all black bird with reddish facial skin. The juvenile has yellow facial skin.

Black Caracara

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 76 of the 254 species of hawks, eagles and kites

I have photos of 18 of the 65 species of falcons and caracaras

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2022 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 317 - Guatemala 2018 #3 - Raptors, Puffbird

I went for a third visit to Guatemala in May. Once again, I used the wonderful local guide Knut Eisermann of Cayaya Birding. On this visit, we went to new locations to get different species.

I got some wonderful photos of raptors on this trip including a life bird. The best was the 14" Orange-breasted Falcon (Falco deiroleucus). This was only my second time ever to see this bird.

Orange-breasted Falcon

And another

Orange-breasted Falcon

Another falcon was my first time ever to see one of the group of Forest Falcons. It is not a great pic, but after almost 30  years birding I finally saw one at dusk, the 14" Barred Forest Falcon (Micrastur ruficollis). It has a striped breast.

Barred Forest Falcon

Another first was a photo of the beautiful white 28" King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa). I have never seen this bird perched, always overhead. It has a white body and black trailing edge of the wings. 

King Vulture

The life bird was the 18" Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus). This bird occasionally is found in south Texas, but I have never seen it before.

Hook-billed Kite - dark morph

Also we found a 14" Plumbeous Kite (Ictinia plumbea) on the nest.

Plumbeous Kite

The 14" Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) is a very common hawk in the tropics, This one was beside the road (of course) but sitting at eye level watching the action around an army ant swarm. He was perhaps only 25 feet from me when I took this photo and not concerned in the least.

Roadside Hawk

I have seen the 8" White-whiskered Puffbird (Malacoptila panamensis) before, but always the male. This time we saw a pair of them. The male is bright rufous.

White-whiskered Puffbird - male

The female is plain brown with a streaked breast

White-whiskered Puffbird - female

I have put the different bird families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 13 of the 65 species of falcons

I have photos of 5 of the 7 species of new world vultures

I have photos of 38 of the 254 species of hawks, eagles

I have photos of 8 of the 38 species of puffbirds

Happy birding and photography,


David McDonald
dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2018 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 259 - Costa Rica #4 - Raptors and other large birds

I had been surprised that I had seen so few raptors on previous tropical trips, but this trip made up for it.

The adult 22" Common Black-Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus) is an all black robust hawkwith a white band on the tail.

Common Black-Hawk - adult

The juvenile is brown and the breast heavily streaked.

Common Black-Hawk - juvenile

His opposite is the 23" White Hawk (Pseudaster albicollis). He is all white except a few black stripes on his wings and tail

White Hawk

The 15" Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) is a very common hawk in the Americas with a range from Mexico to Argentina. I was surprised that I had not a photo previously except a very distant one. This trip there was one beside the road and I took photos out the window of the car. The bird is IDed by the gray head and brown streaked chest and belly.

Roadside Hawk

The tiny 9" Pearl Kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii) has been expanding its range from Amazonia recently and was first reported in Costa Rica in the mid 1990s and now is into Nicaragua.

Pearl Kite

This 16" Yellow-headed Caracara (Milvago chimachima) was sitting in the road and just flew up to a fence post beside the road. I took this photo out the window and just got a head shot as I was so close. 

Yellow-headed Caracara

I got 1 new toucan on this trip, the 17" Fiery-billed Aracari (Pteroglossus frantzii). The red and black bill IDs this bird.

Fiery-billed Aracari

A pair of 22" Black-mandibled Toucans (Ramphastos ambiguus) were in a tree and decided to get into a disagreement and locked bills in the dispute.

Black-mandibled Toucans

And another photo

Black-mandibled Toucans

I got better photos of 2 cracids this trip as well. The 24" Black Guan (Chamaepetes unicolor) came to the feeder at the first lodge.

Black Guan

The 20" Gray-headed Chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps) also showed up at a feeder at another location. It is brown with a gray head and neck and rufous on the wings.

Gray-headed Chachalaca

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2016 David McDonald


To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.