Congratulations to SVBC President-Emeritus Alison Wickwire Olivieri for correctly identifying our Bird Quiz Quickie.  The bird pictured below is a Pale-breasted Spinetail (Synallaxis albescens).

Note the faint eye stripe and particularly the very diagnostic tail configuration; hence the name Spinetail.

FYI: Some folks have mentioned the rather poor quality of this photograph, making identification a challenge.  In the field, birds rarely pose fully exposed and in full sunlight.  These Bird Quiz Quickies will regularly include photographs of less-than-perfect composition.  But there will always be visual clues to aid in identification.  In birding, we live by the motto: ‘If it was easy, it wouldn’t be any fun.’

(photo courtesy of Sarah Beeson-Jones)

The first SVBC member to correctly identify this bird wins one dozen Snickerdoodle cookies!

Send your response to:

eltangaral@gmail.com

(Pepe Castiblanco, Sarah and Charles Beeson-Jones are not eligible.)

Photo taken in rice fields behind Ciudad Neily, February 2018.

Good luck!

(photo courtesy of Sarah Beeson-Jones)

Congratulations to the great Steven Masis Dias for correctly identifying our latest quiz bird as the beautiful Golden-winged Warbler.  A VERY tiny bit of yellow/gold color on the wing is viewable in the first photo below.  A full photo of the Golden-winged Warbler is offered below as well.  (photos courtesy of Jo Davidson)

Steven wins 12 home-baked Snickerdoodle cookies, which can be collected at El Tangaral after Jan. 12th.  Bravo Steven!

Trying to identify this one may turn you upside down; but give it your best shot.

The first correct ID (sent to president@sanvitobirdclub.org) wins one dozen freshly baked Snickerdoodle cookies.  Of course, you must either live in San Vito or come to San Vito to collect the cookies in January 2018.

Winner will be announced on the night before Christmas, 2017.

(Photo courtesy of Jo Davidson.  Taken in November 2017 in Linda Vista.)

Congratulations to SVBC member Jo Davidson for correctly identifying our Quiz Bird: the female Red-breasted Blackbird.

*****

Felicidades a Jo Davidson para identificar nuestra quiz bird: la hembra de Red-breasted Blackbird (Sturnella militaris).

(photo courtesy of Alison Olivieri, taken near Playa Zancudo)

Be the first one to correctly identify the species of this bird and win a plate of homemade cookies.  This bird was seen and photographed near Playa Zancudo in August of 2017.

Send your response to: president@sanvitobirdclub.org

******

Ser el primero en identificar este especies de aves y gana una plata de galletas (hecho en casa).  Esta ave fue vista cerca de Playa Zancudo en agosto de 2017.

Envia su repuesta a: president@sanvitobirdclub.org

Alison Olivieri correctly identified Quiz Bird #9 as a Golden-crowned Warbler.  Note the all gray back and tail, all yellow belly and chest and striping through the eye and crown.

(FYI: San Vito Bird Club member Cecilia Sansonetti just missed getting her bird feeder list submitted in time but she IDed 34 species on her feeder including a Snowy-bellied hummingbird she lured by putting FLOWERS on her feeder.)

(Golden-crowned Warbler photo courtesy of Yeimiri Badilla)

This small bird was photographed on the Rio Negro trail by Yeimri Badilla in December.  Can you identify this bird? /Este ave pequeno fue fotografiado por Yeimiri Badilla en el sendero Rio Negro en el mes de diciembre.  Puede identifcarlo?

If you can identify this bird, send your answer to:

president@sanvitobirdclub.org

…no later than March 19th.  Winner (if local) will receive one dozen home-made cookies.

Si puede identificar este ave, envia su repuesta a:

president@sanvitobirdclub.org

…antes de marzo 19.  Si usted es correcto (y vive aqui en Coto Brus), ganaras 12 galletas hecho en casa!

(photo courtesy de Yeimiri Badilla)

Location: Los Angeles road.

A Hint: Not common around here.

Be the first to send the CORRECT answer to eltangaral@gmail.com and you will win, one dozen home-baked Snickerdoodle cookies! Winner will be announced at the SVBC bird walk, April 23^rd.

Good luck all!

******************************************************

Ubicación: La carretera Los Angels.

Una Pista: No es comun aqui.

Sea el primero en enviar la respuesta CORRECTA a eltangaral@gmail.com y ganará ¡una docena de galletas Snickerdoodle caseras! Anunciaremos el ganador a la SVBC caminata a April 23.

¡Buena suerte a todos!

What a good thing it is that birds sing! Aside from the wonderful music, bird songs give us the opportunity to identify a species without even seeing it.

‘Hey, that sounded like a Black-faced Antthrush.’

‘I think I heard a Bat Falcon!’

As you know, learning to identify a bird by its appearance takes some practice. It is no different in learning to identify a bird by its song; this takes some time and effort as well. Here are a few links to bird song recording websites to help you get started.

Our own Las Cruces Biological Station has a link to the Bird Songs of Las Cruces. It doesn’t include every species but does have quite a few.

http://www.ots.ac.cr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=964&Itemid=429

Cornell University and the Macaulay Library is the largest source of bird song recordings in the world.

https://macaulaylibrary.org/browse/taxa/aves

Here is another great source for bird songs.

http://www.xeno-canto.org

And one more.

http://ibc.lynxeds.com

Want to take the bird songs with you out in the field? There are several apps available for your Apple phone. I’m not suggesting you get this one; but I like it and it works for me.

https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/costa-rica-birds-field-guide/id568719936?mt=8

For Android phones:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.BirdSounds.CostaRica

Enjoy the music.

********************************

¿Qué es eso?

¡Qué grandioso es que las aves canten! Además de la maravillosa música, el canto de las aves nos da la oportunidad de identificar una especie sin siquiera verla.

“Hey, eso sonó como un Gallito Hormiguero Carinegro.”

“¡Creo que escuché un Halcón Cuelliblanco!”

Como usted sabrá, aprender a identificar un pájaro por su aspecto lleva cierta práctica. Aprender a identificar un ave por su canto no es diferente; esto también toma cierto tiempo y esfuerzo. Aquí hay algunos enlaces a sitios web de grabaciones de cantos de aves para ayudarle a comenzar.

Nuestra Estación Biológica Las Cruces tiene un enlace a Bird Songs of Las Cruces. No incluye todas las especies, pero tiene algunas cuantas.

http://www.ots.ac.cr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=964&Itemid=429&lang=es

La Universidad de Cornell y la Macaulay Library es el acervo de grabaciones de cantos de aves más grande del mundo.

https://macaulaylibrary.org/browse/taxa/aves

Aquí hay otra gran fuente de cantos de aves.

http://www.xeno-canto.org

Y otra más.

http://ibc.lynxeds.com

¿Quiere llevar el canto de los pájaros con usted al campo? Hay varias aplicaciones disponibles para su teléfono celular. No estoy sugiriendo que consiga esta; pero a mí me gusta y sirve para mí.

https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/costa-rica-birds-field-guide/id568719936?mt=8

Para dispositivos Android.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.BirdSounds.CostaRica

Disfrute la música.

Masked Tityra. Photo by Mark W. Eaton.