The fall transition doesn’t really start in the fall. This happens as soon as the birds sense movement. Few shorebirds get such an urge, not so long after arriving in the Arctic!
Despite flying thousands of miles north from their wintering grounds, once Surfbirds, plovers, and various sandpipers nest, they turn right and migrate south.
It sounds crazy but that’s just how things evolved, at least for those species. They are not the only ones either. Other “early” migrants leave their breeding grounds in late summer. In the fall, some are barely present in the north.
Fall doesn’t really happen in Costa Rica but we still get hints of the changes in the north. The first came in the form of early “fall migrants”. Recently, birders in Costa Rica have been seeing some of the first fall birds, testifying to these ancient avian movements.
Here’s why we know fall is just around the corner:
Flocks of Swallow-tailed Kites
Yesterday, while reviewing eBird sightings, I noticed one that was like a birding dream. Birders in the Caribbean lowlands have seen more than 100 Swallow-tailed Kites, all floating together as they head south.
I approved it and even though they didn’t have pictures, that sighting was still confirmed. Today is when the elegant raptors migrate south through Costa Rica and yes, we see flocks numbering in the hundreds!
It doesn’t happen for long but if you go birding in the Caribbean lowlands for the next month or so, you should see some on the move. I’ll have to keep an eye on the skies over the Central Valley, some might fly this way too.
Louisiana Waterthrushes
Anyone familiar with this cool bird will not be surprised that some have arrived in Costa Rica. These stream-loving, eastern warblers reach their wintering grounds very early.
The mountainous Costa Rica provides them with abundant habitat. I seem to see them in most high altitude streams and rocky rivers. I wonder how much winter it really is here?
Yellow Warblers, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, and Pewees
I haven’t seen or heard of any of these early migrants but they should be arriving any day now. Yellow Warblers and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers are common in Costa Rica. If you see a wintering Empid here, it’s probably a Yellow-bellied.
Pewees will also move in numbers, both Western and Eastern. I look forward to hearing their call; they brought me back to where they came from; “pee o wees” in the sultry summer forest of maple and beech where American Redstarts fly and “wheep!” the Great-crested Flycatchers.
The hoarse calls of Westerners are perfect for their dry, mountainous homes. It seems like a call that a bird that lives near cowboys should give, flying out of the sage and wild, western pinelands. I remember the amazing mountains of Colorado and the beautiful woods of Washington state.
The Voices of the Summer Birds are hushed
Meanwhile, in Costa Rica, the constant voices of our summer birds have fallen silent. Yes, you might still hear an adventurous Piratic Flycatcher or a Yellow-green Vireo that can’t help but be mostly silent.
The same goes for the other main summer resident, the Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher. These birds are like migrant warblers and vireos in the north; only here to take advantage of a sudden, wet season boost of arthropods.
When they have raised their children, there is no need to sing. Just time to eat, probably change feathers, and head back to the Amazon.
Shorebirds
And yes, some of the shorebirds are back! Some never leave but most are migrants who stop or settle in Costa Rica after nesting in the far northern wetlands.
Someone posted pictures of breeding plumage Surfbirds, some Spotties have at least a month, and today, I noticed Least, Willet, and Whimbrels at Tarcoles.
It’s just the beginning of the fall transition but I’ll take it. I’m excited to see those birds while anticipating the big bird movement, the avian stream that flows through Costa Rica in October.
Preparing for a birding trip in Costa Rica? Check out my guide to birding in Costa Rica! Hope to see you here!
