My grandparents came to watch my sister and I when my parents left to spend five nights in Miami. It was Friday, my first full day with my grandparents. We were sitting on the back porch when a female cowbird flew into the yard. My grandma pointed it out and we watched birds for a bit before it was time for school. That's when I took my first interest in birds: May 11, 2013, approximately 8:00 AM. North Park Village was the first birding spot I visited, which was with my grandparents the very next day. I remember walking the loop from the entrance and back, and my grandparents told me about the birding experiences they had the day before while I was at school. They told me they saw a Rose Breasted Grosbeak, which was one of the highlights of their trip. My grandpa showed me a picture of the bird on his phone. We were just nearing the end of the loop when I spotted a bird sitting in the tree above my head. I saw the bird my grandpa showed me in the photo. The bird has a thick bill, black back and a patch of rose on the breast. I pointed and yelled "Look look! The rosemary bird!" My grandparents chucked, then put their binocs up. I spotted my first bird.

​Last May, my grandparents met us in Panama. When I was there my grandparents had the room next door, and we would sit on the balcony and point out birds in the trees to each other. In four days of birding we picked up 127 species. It was the best four days of my life, to be able to bird with my grandparents in such an amazing place. My grandparents are the reason why I am so in to the birds today.

Some of the best local birding I do is on the Illinois Young Birders Trips. The Illinois Young Birders Club is for birders from ages 9-18. Matthew Cvetas, the leader of the club, is a great guy with lots bird knowledge. Because he lives in my hometown, he tells me about bird sightings in the area. Josh Engel, who is also one of the leaders of the Illinois Young Birders Club suggested the top birding hotspots around the world, which greatly influence our year of travel. I would often write them an email with a photo of an unknown bird asking for helping with IDs. Instead of writing back with an answer, they would ask: What color are its legs? How is the bill shaped? How broad is the eye-ring? They were teaching me how to ID new birds for myself.  

In addition to Josh and Matthew, I learned a lot from all of the bird guides I met while traveling around the world. This is a picture of Dan, my favorite guide, and I birding at Mizenhead Peninsula, the southernmost tip of Ireland. Dan and I set out on a wet and rainy morning and walked around in fields, beaches, mudflats and even people's backyards. He was so determined to track birds that his enthusiasm and passion was contagious. I think we both had a great time birding that day.

This is Rui, my guide in Portugal, and I birding at Tagus Estuary. From Rui, I learned the importance of a good field guide. When we were looking at coots, Rui looked at every detail in the field guide for about 30 minutes, searching for details to confirm the Red Knob.

Here is Steve, my dad and I birding at Huay Tong Tao Lake in Chang Mai, Thailand. I met Steve through Birding Pals, an online birding site that connects local birders with travelers. It was a great morning and extremely kind of Steve to take us out for free to share his love for birds. It's a generosity I hope to share one day. I am still in touch with him today.

Uthai and I birding at Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand. We stood at the highest spot in Thailand and even found a bird endemic only to the summit at Doi Inthanon, the Green Tailed Sunbird. It's considered one of the best birding spots in all of Asia and we saw 54 species!

Ladong and I birding at Phnom Krom, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Ladong has only been birding for a year, but really knew his stuff. He knew every bird call which was how we located most of our birds. Just by sound we were able to ID 41 species.

Sue and I birding in the rice fields in Ubud, Bali. Sue was not only a bird expert, but a wildlife expert which made birding with her one of the highlights of our entire trip. The coolest thing we did was suck the nectar out of honeysuckle flowers like sunbirds and hummingbirds do! Sue understood not just birds, the environment in which they lived.

Chris and I birding at Kasai Rinkai Koen. Chris was pretty tough on me: no matter how good my sightings were, he was unimpressed because I failed to take notes. He stressed the importance of this fundamental birders' task.

Jacob and I birding the famous Pipeline Road in Panama. I found the most species with him and it was by far the best birding I did on my trip. He would force me to slow down and not jump to conclusions. Like Matthew and Josh, he asked me to explain what I saw before making an ID. With his help, my grandparents and I managed to spot more than 100 bird species.

Cesar and I birding around the jungle surrounding the town of Sierpe, Costa Rica. Cesar was late meeting us and it was super hot. My dad and I were a little annoyed that he was keeping us waiting until we saw him huffing down the street on a crummy old bike. We spent the day walking the jungle because he didn't have a car, something we tend to take for granted. He was good birder and with his help, saw Scarlet Macaw, Cinnamon Becard, Bronzy Hermit and Costa Rican Swift. It reminded me that some of the best birding can be done in your backyard.

I learned so much from these guides and my fellow birders. I'm grateful to all of them, but the person I appreciate most is my dad. He takes me on most of my birding trips, waking up early on the weekend and standing in the cold or hot weather while I bird. Even though he's not a birder himself, he still does it to support me. He and I have found all sorts of cool birds for the area. We have seen Western Kingbird, Snowy Owl, Common Ground Dove, etc. My Illinois list is around 200, but without my dad it would probably only at 100-110.

When I got back I had a cool experience I never wrote about, which was a behind the scenes tour of the Field Museum. On display for the public is only 1% of all the birds they have, and I got to see the rest of them! Peggy Macnamara, the artist in residence, brought me behind the scenes, and then John Bates, one of the ornithologists showed me around (this was extra nice of him considering that it was completely impromptu). He showed me around and opened drawer after drawer of stuffed birds. I was also able to watch the ornithologists work. It helped me to understand a little about what ornithologists do, which I hope one day, will be my future.

I had just left the doors of my house when I received a huge birding surprise. A CONNECTICUT WARBLER was just sitting on the sidewalk. Right in front of me. I couldn't believe my eyes...

Unfortunately the bird was injured, and couldn't fly. I called my mom and thought maybe we should call the Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, a place that helps injured birds. Sadly, by the time my mom came outside to see the bird, it had already passed away. Poor guy. This was a huge surprise because this warbler, as well as the Cerulean Warbler, are the two rarest warblers that pass through Chicago during migration. And to have the first record off fall migration practically on my doorstep, is very very lucky. Out of the days in my birding life, this definitely makes top 5, maybe even top 3, although it would be nice if the bird was not injured. Life bird 665!

Hi everyone, back to posting. I know it has been a while since I've posted, so here is a list of lifers I've gotten since the end our "big adventure." My life list in now at 660, up from 647 at my last post.

1. Western Kingbird
2. Cliff Swallow
3. Willow Flycatcher
4. Marsh Wren
5. Field Sparrow
6. American Oystercatcher
7. Black Bellied Plover
8. Least Tern
9. Pine Warbler
10. Common Nighthawk
11. Short Billed Dowitcher
12. Blue Winged Teal
13. American Golden Plover

Today I woke up early and biked to four birding locations starting at Northwestern Campus. I visited a specific location along the lakefront called The Lakefill, which has 252 bird records, number 16 for the state. I arrived at about 7:50 and walked up to a clump of trees LOADED with warblers! The first bird I saw was my life bird BLACK THROATED GREEN WARBLER! I saw roughly 12 of these throughout the day!

I would guess that at the lakefill today there were maybe 100 warblers. It seemed as if every tree held more and more warblers, such as this awesome female BLACKPOLL WARBLER.

Here's is a female SCARLET TANAGER, a bird I have only see once almost two years ago.

As I was looking at warblers, I saw a weird looking bird fly into the same tree I was watching. I couldn't even guess what it was at first, but I soon realized it was a YELLOW BILLED CUCKOO! This was the highlight of the day. This bird has not been seen here in six years and this is only the second recorded sighting ever for this location! 


My second stop was Lighthouse Beach. To my surprise the first bird I saw was this RED BELLIED WOODPECKER. I've never seen one in Evanston and I recall hearing one time that this bird is not as common along the lakefront.

I wasn't at Lighthouse for long. My mom has a friend named Sarah who kindly invited me to her backyard to look at the hummingbirds and orioles at her feeders, as well as, migrating warblers passing through. The backside of her yard had three hummingbird feeders and three oriole feeders lined up in a row. Hummers and orioles were everywhere! Below is a RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRD.

BALTIMORE ORIOLE

Sarah leaves a little pile of jelly in the middle of her oriole feeders to attract warblers, and sure enough I spotted this TENNESSEE WARBLER on top of the oriole feeders. Life bird 662!

This awesome BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER also showed up in the yard!

I ended my day at the Canal Shores Golf Course where I saw my life bird OVENBIRD, as well as some nice NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and many GRAY CATBIRDS. Big thanks to Sarah for inviting me to bird in her yard! Without her I wouldn't have gotten so many birds and another lifer! 

Lifers for the day:
Ovenbird
Tennessee Warbler
Black Throated Green Warbler

Highlights for the day:
Yellow Billed Cuckoo
Cape May Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler

It was a great day of birding!

Species List                                                              Life List 663 (3 life birds today)
Canada Goose 12
Mallard 1
Double Crested Cormorant 3
Green Heron 1
Ring Billed Gull
Yellow Billed Cuckoo 1
Chimney Swift 1
Red Eyed Vireo 5
Barn Swallow 4
Cliff Swallow 1
American Robin 2
European Starling 2
Cedar Waxwing 16
Cape May Warbler 3
Blackpoll Warbler 1
Black Throated Green Warbler 12 life bird!
Scarlet Tanager 1
American Goldfinch 3
House Sparrow 1
Ruby Throated Hummingbird 12
Red Bellied Woodpecker 2
American Redstart 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher 1
Tennessee Warbler 2 life bird!
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal 2
Baltimore Oriole 7
Mourning Dove 3
Swainson's Thrush 1
Gray Catbird 5
Ovenbird 1 life bird!
Northern Waterthrush 2

33 species total!

Costa Rica was our last country of the trip. I was looking forward to going home, but wanted to finish the trip off strong with several more life birds. We visited two places in Costa Rica. We started in the north at the Papagayo Peninsula where we met up with family. We all shared this big, luxurious house with a pool and an ocean view. I was so busy playing around with my cousins that I didn't get to do much birding. Instead, we went to the beach and mostly just relaxed by the pool. 

I was lucky enough, however, to see this huge BARE THROATED TIGER HERON on our property. Life bird! 

Also sighted in front of the house - five trogons! This BLACK HEADED TROGON was a new one for me.

I also saw SLATY TAILED TROGONS, which I believe is the most common trogon in Costa Rica.

As I was observing the Slaty Tailed Trogon, I noticed a small bird in the same tree. I thought the trogons were so cool so I didn’t pay much attention to the small bird, but when I looked, it was my best bird in Costa Rica. An amazing LONG TAILED MANAKIN!!! This bird has blue wings, a red crown and a super long tail. I didn’t pay any attention to the trogons after that.

But the day I saw the most lifers in the North was during our river boat cruise down through Palo Verde National Park. We saw huge iguanas, crocodiles, monkeys and my life bird LAUGHING FALCON.

On our way back to the house we saw some BLACK NECKED STILT, NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, LEAST GREBE and WATTLED JACANA outside the resort property. Below is a shot of the stilt.

The most fun day was when we took a boat to a deserted beach. While the staff cooked us lunch I got to drive the jet ski, paddle board, kayak and snorkel. Everyday we had a cook make a huge breakfast for us and sometimes we would even have a chef cook us a fancy dinner. We were only supposed to have two days in the northern part of the country, but we were having such a good time that we stayed for four.

After our stint in the North, we drove six hours to southern Costa Rica near the Osa Peninsula. I noticed that the terrain in the north was very dry with yellow grass and trees. When we got further south the terrain immediately changed to green, mountainous rainforest. Usually people come to Costa Rica and stay in fancy resorts on the beach and go on tours and have people cook for you and blah blah blah. But when we went south we saw the real Costa Rica. There are no tourists or fancy resorts. The houses were very simple, just a few wooden boards cobbled together with tin roofs. I can't imagine the houses standing after a big storm. The school was just a tiny tin hut in the middle of an empty field. The grocery stores are small rooms with concrete walls and very limited food options. On this trip, we didn't often have a relaxing vacation. We usually stayed away from tourists and instead, lived near the locals. We did what they did. We lived the way they do. We ate what they ate. We experienced what was like to really live in that country. A lot of times, I felt out of my comfort zone, but it was the only way to really understand what the rest of the world is like.

We drove up the bumpiest, craziest, steepest hill I have ever been on to reach the house. You have to have a 4x4 or you won't make it up the hill. We arrived and from the house saw nothing but trees. Nature was everywhere. Monkeys, birds, snakes, bugs, everything. The hot water is heated by the sun. You can't flush the toilet paper down the toilet. You have to be really careful to preserve water. Wildlife comes up to the house and sometimes even in the house. There were several flowers next to the house and I would watch the hummingbird movement in the mornings. It was crazy! I bet I saw hundreds of hummers in the four days I was there. The problem is that there are approximately 55 species of hummingbirds native to Costa Rica and they are hard to identify which is why I have so many mystery birds today.

Yes, I know I should have done a lot more studying before I arrived. If anyone has any insight into what these birds are, please do let me know!

Our place was not far from Tortuga Beach. Tortuga means "turtle" and it's named this because sea turtles come to this beach to lay their eggs. We didn't see any turtles, but I did see a RINGED KINGFISHER, SNOWY EGRET and WHITE IBIS (see below). 

On our last day of the trip I went birding around the town of Sierpe. Caesar, our guide, showed up on a bike. Costa Rica is not rich and many people don't have a car so they must walk or bike to their destination. It must be hard to access different birding spots on just a bike. But we started off strong with a group of BLACK BELLIED WHISTLING DUCKS and a BRONZY HERMIT. The Bronzy Hermit is a type of hummingbird with a long curved bill. This was a new bird for me and only Caesar's second sighting. A RIVERSIDE WREN flew in a nearby tree and it was my first ever sighting! We arrived at a field where we saw a pair of SCARLET MACAWS and a CINNAMON BECARD which were both good birds. Next we followed a secret trail through the jungle. The jungle, with its dense foliage can make sightings tough and really hard to spot birds. You hear more than you see. The only good birds we got on the trail were PALE BILLED WOODPECKER and BLUE CROWNED MANAKIN. We totaled 41 species with almost half of them identified by their call.

Overall, I really liked Costa Rica. I especially liked the quietness of our house in the south. It was great to not hear anything but nature. It also gave us more time to think about the overall year. It was hard to believe that it was time to go home. We had an amazing year, especially for the birds. Here’s an answer to a question you have probably been wondering for a while now: Why do I love to bird? 

I like the competitive nature of birding. I like listing and trying to get as many species as I can. I also try to get more species than other people and get a top ranking on local birding lists for any given area. Another thing I like is that birding is unpredictable. You never know how many or what types of birds you will see. You could see 10 birds or 70; the rarest bird of the day could be as common as a House Wren or as exceptional as a Resplendent Quetzal. 

I keep a camera with me so I can take pictures of a cool bird, a rare bird, a life bird, or an unidentified bird. It is important to have binoculars so you can see the small details and distinguish one bird from another. Birding is often challenging. It can also be frustrating, like the trip I took with my dad for my 11th birthday. I birded for six hours at some very productive spots and got less than 20 species. Then there are days like in New Zealand with the Black Stilt. I did a lot of prep work and careful planning and saw 11 of these critically endangered birds, one twentieth of the bird's population. That was an amazing day!


Bird List for Costa Rica                                            Life List 646 (21 life birds in Costa Rica)

Great Kiskadee X
Red Crowned Woodpecker X
Yellow Green Vireo 1
Blue Gray Tanager X
Cinnamon Hummingbird X life bird!
Canivet's Emerald 1 life bird!
Laughing Falcon 1 life bird!
Turquoise Browed Motmot 2
Turkey Vulture X
Black Vulture X
Northern Jacana 1 life bird!
Southern Lapwing 1
Lance Tailed Manakin 1 life bird!
Neotropic Cormorant 1 life bird!
Black Headed Trogon 2 life bird! 
Blue and White Swallow 2 life bird!
Green Heron 3
Bare Throated Tiger Heron 3
Great Tailed Grackle X
Clay Colored Robin X
White Winged Dove X
Orange Chinned Parakeet 20
Rufous Naped Wren life bird!
Brown Pelican 30
Magnificent Frigatebird X
Ruddy Ground Dove X
Rufous Tailed Hummingbird 12
White Necked Jacobin 3 life bird!
Rufous Breasted Wood Rail life bird!
Tropical Kingbird X
White Ibis 3
Passerini's Tanager X
House Wren 2
Scarlet Rumped Cacique 1
Masked Tityra 2
Fiery Billed Aracari 4 life bird!
Chestnut Mandibled Toucan 4
Green Kingfisher 2
Cattle Egret 1
Blue Dacnis 3
Black Striped Sparrow 1 
Snowy Egret 1
Ringed Kingfisher 1
Costa Rican Swift 1 life bird!
Tropical Gnatcatcher 1
Bronzy Hermit 1 life bird!
Slaty Tailed Trogon 1
Cinnamon Becard 1 life bird!
Red Legged Honeycreeper 2
Golden Naped Woodpecker 2 life bird!
Riverside Wren 1 life bird!
Blue Crowned Manakin 1
Wood Stork 6
Black Bellied Whistling Duck 7
Pale Billed Woodpecker 3 life bird!
Short Billed Pigeon 2
Yellow Crowned Euphonia 2
Lesser Swallow Tailed Swift X
Mangrove Swallow 1
Palm Tanager 1
Red Lored Parrot X
Streaked Flycatcher 1
Brown Chested Martin X life bird!
Scarlet Macaw 4 life bird!
Variable Seedeater 2
Gray Headed Chachalaca 1
Barid's Trogon 2 
Great Tinamou 2
Little Tinamou 1
Long Billed Gnatwren 6
Roadside Hawk 1
Blue Crowned Motmot 1
Swallow Tailed Kite 2 Last Life Bird Of The Trip :(

73 Species Total

I swear that day I arrived in Panama I died and went to heaven.  Those four days were some of the best days of my life. I birded a famous birding spot with my grandparents called Pipeline Road, a spot with more bird records than all of Illinois, and Panama itself has more native birds than all of America. In total I saw 133 species (127 positively identified)! This post is dedicated to just the birds.

The first day we birded the resort, getting a total of 36 species. Behind the hotel I saw this COMMON TODY FLYCATCHER.

After birding the backside of the resort, we went out front, where we saw several species. These BLUE GRAY TANAGERS were very common throughout Panama.

The best bird that morning was a nice COCOA TREECREEPER. Creepers cling to the side of trees like woodpeckers and creep upwards, never down the tree.

Later that afternoon we took an aerial tram tour. We had a guide tell us all about the wildlife in the jungle. We went up to a lookout tower, but it was pouring rain which meant that there wasn’t much to see. There was also lots of lightning and we were on at the top of a very tall metal lookout tower, so we came down early. When we got to the parking lot the rain died down a bit. A trogon flew across the road and I tried to locate it. Then I saw a large bird fly into the trees. I thought it was a trogon, but it was a pair of CRIMSON CRESTED WOODPECKERS! This was a lifer for me and my grandparents. These birds were so cool that we soon had about 12 people crowding around.

Part of the tram tour is learning about the orchids and captive poison dart frogs. My grandpa and I found it rather boring and birded instead. We birded along the Rio Charges which flows behind the resort where we found RUDDY GROUND DOVES, WATTLED JACANAS and a GREEN HERON. Here is a shot of the GREEN HERON.

The next day I went on a half day birding trip and we got over 70 species! Our guide Jacob picked us up around seven and brought us to a parking lot. I was a bit surprised that that is where he brought us, but it went well and we got around 15 species in the small amount of time we were there. Then he took us to this road where we saw the majority of that day’s birds. Jacob pointed out this BUFF CHEECKED SALTATOR to us shortly after we arrived.

Then we heard a high pitch call coming from the jungle across the street. Jacob is an expert not only on the birds, but on the calls. He is also very good at mimicking them. He called the bird in and it was one of our best birds of the day, a BLACK FACED ANTRUSH. This is a bird slightly smaller than a robin and typically walks on the ground. It is a rusty color, with a black face and a cocked tail. This was a lifer for both my grandparents and me! We walked on, and Jacob called in one of the coolest and most colorful birds I have ever seen, a VIOLACEOUS TROGON! Unfortunately this photo does not show much color at all.

We got to the end of the trail, and Jacob put his finger over his lips, and motioned for me to come forward. He pointed to two awesome SPECTACLED OWLS, sitting in the trees just off the trail.

Here is its evil looking twin.

I saw my first sloth ever along that same trail.

On the way back we spotted some awesome birds. There were two ponds where we spotted three species of kingfishers and three types of herons. It was great! Jacob first pointed out a nice juvenile LITTLE BLUE HERON, as well as a very rare and bizarre CAPPED HERON. I had no idea a heron this cool existed. I didn’t get good shots, but it’s better than nothing.

Soon after Jacob pointed out a BOAT BILLED HERON, a medium sized heron with a bill a few inches thick. Just behind us I spotted our second species of trogon, a SLATY TAILED TROGON, which I believe is the most common trogon in the area. Before coming back to the hotel, we pulled off to the side of the road. The trees along the road were like little treasure troves full of birds, and I got many lifers. Every time I blinked there was another life bird!  GREEN HONEYCREEPER, BLUE DACNIS, TROPCAL GNATCATCHER. I could go on and on for several minutes telling you about the awesome lifers I got that day.

The very next day was the most jam packed birding day of my life. Jacob picked us up at seven and we were out on our crazy birding excursion for 10 hours. This is the day I had been waiting for ever since my parents put Panama on the itinerary. Before starting our all day birding trip at Pipeline Road, we stopped at a pond close to the resort and got some amazing birds. Just as we were leaving the resort, we saw this juvenile RUFESCENT TIGER HERON along the side of the road.

When we arrived at the pond we saw an adult Rufescent Tiger Heron…

...as well as a nice STRIATED HERON, our sixth species of heron in Panama.

After a quick stop there we moved on to the Pipeline Road. Just as we got out of the car, Jacob put the scope on a GREAT POTOO, which is an owl-like bird that never moves. I know that this is a mean thing to say, but man, if I were that Great Potoo I would be looking down at the birders and think I’m just wasting my life sitting on this dang branch forever. The bird didn’t even blink, and showed no signs of life just like a statue. But that’s what it likes to do. Which makes me wonder. What do birds do for fun? For that Great Potoo is it as fun for him to sit on that branch as it is for me to bird?

We started walking, and saw so many birds! At the beginning of our walk we saw these baby Agoutis. They are abundant in the area and are one of the largest rodents in the world. Good thing they are friendly.

Jacob pointed out this WESTERN SLATY ANTSHRIKE female with nesting material in its mouth.

Soon after, we saw this female FASCIATED ANTSHRIKE. This bird prefers lower and middle levels of the forest and is common but sometimes hard to see due to secretive behavior it moves slowly and deliberately through thickets and tangled vines.

We stopped for a quick lunch back at the resort before going back to Pipeline Road hoping for an ant swarm. I don’t know how an ant swarm is created exactly, but I believe it is caused by rain. Many birds feed on ants and if an ant swarm happened there would be a lot more birds out. Jacob said that there is a chance for one since it rained the day before. When we arrived we heard a ruckus coming from the trees. There was a group of SCARLET RUMPED CAQUICES, and they were acting up. Jacob told us they do this when there is a hawk in the area. In a clearing Jacob and my grandparents saw a GRAY HAWK, but I arrived too late. A little further on, Jacob spotted a rare bird, an awesome SLATY BACKED FOREST FALCON. This bird seldom seen because it tends to sit quietly in the dense jungle. Life bird!

Jacob was a fantastic and very experienced guide and it was amazing to bird with him. I learned a lot.

On our last day we tried the aerial tram again and thank goodness it didn’t rain. We went up to the lookout tower. Just as I was walking up, my dad spotted this type of poison dart frog.

At the top we had a good view of the jungle, Charges River, and the Panama Canal. Since we were in the treetops, I got good views of a PALM TANAGER, a common birds here.
When we came back, My grandparents and I birded from the balcony. There is a small tree that gets tons of birds. I saw RED LEGGED HONEYCREEPER, TROPICAL KINGBIRD, TROPICAL MOCKINGBIRD, BLUE GRAY TANAGER, COLLARED ARACARI, SOUTHERN ROUGH WINGED SWALLOW, and more. One of the coolest birds I saw in the tree was this GOLDEN HOODED TANAGER.

Panama was the best birding I have ever done in my life. Huge thanks to my grandparents for coming all the way here to meet us and taking me on some amazing birding trips. I have to say the best birds were the Capped Heron, the Slaty Backed Forest Falcon, the Boat Billed Heron, the Spectacled Owl, the Keel Billed Toucan, the Great Potoo, and the Black Faced Antbird. I will definitely come back!

*= life bird
**= not seen by me (not counted in life list)
XXX= unidentified

100 lifers total
127 identified species total           


Day One
1. Tropical Kingbird *      
2. Tropical Mockingbird           
3. Great Kiskadee                    
4. Clay-colored Robin              
5. Blue-gray Tanager*
6. Red-throated Ant-Tanager**         
7. Red-crowned Woodpecker
8. Scrub Euphonia*    
9. Southern Lapwing*
10. Magnificent Frigatebird
11. Gray-headed Chachalaca*
12. Masked Tityra
13. Palm Tanager*
14. Passerini’s Tanager*
15. Streaked Flycatcher*
16. Turkey Vulture
17. Black Vulture
18. Flame-rumped Tanager**
19. Slaty-tailed Trogon*
20. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird*
21. Keel-billed Toucan*
22. Red-lored Parrot*
23. Cocoa Woodcreeper*
24. Orange-chinned Parakeet*
25. Southern Rough-winged Swallow*
26. Common Moorhen*
27. Snowy EgretXXX
28. Green Heron
29. Social Flycatcher
30. House Wren
31. White-collared SeedeaterXXX
32. Red-legged Honeycreeper*
33. Squirrel Cuckoo*
34. Roadside Hawk (Deedee & Dick only)**
35. Blue-crowned Motmot*
36. Black-headed Saltator**
37. Crimson-crested Woodpecker (2) in forest at base of Aerial Tram*

Day Two - May 18, 2015 - With Guide: Jacob Ortega - Summit Ponds, Gamboa Rainforest

38. Collared Aracari*
39. Pale-vented Pigeon*
40. Ruddy-breasted Seedeater*
41. Thick-billed Seed-Finch*
42. Ruddy Ground-Dove*
43. Gray-breasted Martin*
44. Sandwich TernXXX
45. Mangrove Swallow*
46. Amazon Kingfisher*
47. Buff-throated Saltator*
48. Variable Seedeater*
49. Crimson-backed Tanager*
50. Great-tailed Grackle
51. Yellow Tyrannulet (flycatcher)*
52. Black-faced Antthrush*
53. Scrub Greenlet (vireo)*
54. Yellow-headed Caracara*
55. Yellow-margined Flycatcher*
56. Green Kingfisher*
57. Little Blue Heron (juvenile)
58. Violaceous Trogon*
59. Great Ani*
60. Lesser Kiskadee*
61. Golden-fronted Greenbelt (vireo)*
62. White-vented Plumeleteer (hummingbird)*
63. Blue-black Grosbeak*
64. Spectacled Owl*
65. Yellow-backed Oriole*
66. Whited-Shouldered Tanager*
67. Black-tailed Flycatcher*
68. Dot-winged Antwren*
69. Rufous-breasted Wren*
70. Scarlet-rumped Cacique*
71. Fasciated Antshrike*
72. Long-billed Gnatwren*
73. Golden-collared Manakin*
74. Violet-crowned Woodnymph (hummingbird)*
75. Ringed Kingfisher*
76. Capped Heron*
77. Boat-billed Heron*
78. Blue Dacnis*
79. Great Elaenia (flycatcher)XXX
80. Red-capped Manakin*
81. Green Honeycreeper*
82. Tropical Gnatcatcher*
83. Anhinga
84. Yellow-green Vireo*
85. Thick-billed Euphonia*
86. Brown Pelican
87. Black-bellied Whistling Duck*
88. Striated Heron*


Day Three - May 19, 2015 - Full Day with guide Jacob Ortega
    Gamboa marsh area and Pipeline Trail - Soberania National Park

89. Rufescent Tiger-Heron*
90. Yellow-bellied Seedeater*
91. Black-striped Sparrow*
92. Barred Antshrike*
93. Yellow-billed Cacique*
94. Rusty-margined Flycatcher*
95. Common Tody-Flycatcher*
96. Wattled Jacana*
97. Buff-throated Wren*
98. Broad-billed Motmot*
99. Great Patoo*
100. Pied Puffbird*
101. Checkered-throated Antwren*
102. Bay Wren**
103. Short-billed Pigeon*
104. Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher*
105. Long-billed Hermit (Hummingbird)XXX
106. Violet-bellied Hummingbird*
107. Streak-chested AntpitaXXX
108. Black-throated Wren**
109. Olivaceous Flatbill (flycatcher)*
110. Black-striped Woodcreeper*
111. Ochre-bellied Flycatcher*
112. Western Slaty Antshrike*
113. Blue-chested Hummingbird*
114. Fasciated Antshrike XXX
115. Rufous Motmot*
116. Blue-crowned Manakin*
117. Cinnamon Woodpecker*
118. Purple-throated Fruitcrow*
119. Thrush-like Schiffornis*
120. Yellow-rumped Cacique*
121. Gray Hawk**
122. Short-tailed Swift*
123. Black-throated Trogon*
124. Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon*
125. Gray-headed Tanager*
126. Black-tailed Trogon*
 
Day 4 - on our own —Gamboa mudflats, Panama Canal; Panama City

127. Purple Gallinule
128. Mississippi Kite*
129. Chestnut-mandibled Toucan*
130. Rock Pigeon
131. Blue-black Grassquit*
132. Great Egret**
133. House Sparrow

Instead of saying Mexico, the locals say Mehico, and to me that is one of the most fun words to say. "Mehico." In Mexico we went to three different places. Cancun, Merida and Mexico City. Mexico was not my favorite. Merida was hot and a little run down, Mexico City seemed dangerous and my parents dragged us to a lot of museums. However, Cancun was enjoyable, but it's the kind of place where rich people vacation and sit around and be lazy. It's not the real Mexico.

We started in Cancun, and went to a Club Med which is an all inclusive resort with all sorts of activities. They have many watersports, a pool, the beach, and three restaraunts. But again, not the real Mexico. We didn't even see many Mexican people or eat much Mexican food. But it was still the most fun part. I was able to do whatever I wanted to and walk the property by myself. The property had some good birds such as this GREEN HERON.

One of the most common birds there was the GREAT KISKADEE, life bird 526!

This is a male GREAT TAILED GRACKLE, the most common bird I saw in Mexico. The males are quite large. The females are brown and much smaller.

If you know either of the two mystery birds below, please tell me in the comments section.

The most fun part about Cancun was jumping in the waves and playing soccer with other boys I met. Club Med is a french hotel, and I didn't meet a single boy who couldn't speak french. I took french class at school for three years, and maybe I should have payed closer attention.

After five nights in Cancun, we drove to Merida where we were supposed to rent this really nice house that was in the newspaper, but the place was not ready for us, with no air conditioning in the heat over 100 degrees. So instead we searched for a different place to stay and wound up at Rosas and Xocolate, a boutique hotel that is entirely pink. In keeping with the name, there was also a lot of chocolate such as chocolate body lotion, chocolate soap, a shop that sells chocolates, etc. We spent our time in Merida walking around in the small but lively center of town. Other than that, the town is sleepy and many of the concrete houses were crumbling.

Unlike Cancun, we had plenty of Mexican food and saw lots of Mexican people. We were in Merida for Mothers Day which is a big thing here. Everyone goes to church and then has brunch, and there were festivals in the evening. At dinner that night I ate the weirdest thing I have ever eaten - baked grasshopper. 

One day we did a day trip to Chichen Itza, an ancient series of temples built by the Mayans. The Mayans came here to worship. The main temple and the largest temple in Chichen Itza is called El Castillo. Inside this temple there is another temple, and inside that there is a jaguar made entirely out of jewels. The jaguar, the snake and the eagle are all sacred to the Mayans. The coolest part about Chichen Itza is the ball court. The game the Mayans played was called Pok Te Pok. I don't know everything about it, but I know the object of the game is to hit a hard rubber ball in a ring hanging off a wall very high from the ground. I would guess 15 feet. They can only hit the ball with their elbows, knees, shoulders or hips. It sounds impossible. What's more, the captain of the winning team would be executed, fast-tracking his ascent to heaven. Here is a picture of El Castillo.

This SOCIAL FLYCTCHER was the most common bird at Chichen Itza. It looks a lot like the Great Kiskadee, right? There are many birds that look literally exactly the same as this, such as the Rusty Margined Flycatcher and the Lesser Kiskadee, which makes them all tough IDs. I know its not the Great Kiskadee due to its small size, and not the Lesser Kiskadee or Rusty Margined Flycatcher because they are found further south.

We were walking around, when two of these YELLOW THROATED EUPHONIAS flew in. This bird's range stretches all the way down Central America from Mexico down to Panama.

This RED CROWNED WOODPECKER drums (pecking) on its territory and feeds mainly on insects. Surprisingly, once in a while it visits nectar feeders. Lifer!

At the end of the day, I approached a clump of trees, which held about 40 birds. GREAT TAILED GRACKLES and BRONZED COWBIRDS where everywhere. Then, I picked out a few lifers. A group of ROSE THROATED BECARDS moved in a dead tree above and soon another lifer, a MASKED TITYRA, flew in as well. Many YUCATAN JAYS were mixed in with the grackles and cowbirds. Then, an amazing GREEN JAY flew in! This stunning bird has a bright blue head, a light green body, and has black on the sides of the face and throat, with a yellowish green breast and a turquoise tail. Absolutely amazing, and a great lifer!

After Chichen Itza, we went to a nearby swimming hole where just outside the changing room I saw six unexpected GROOVE BILLED ANI!

Cannon ball! My dad and I jump into the swimming hole called a cenote.

While swimming, my dad and I spotted some interesting birds. After I got my binocs and camera, I identified the bird as a TURQUOISE BROWED MOTMOT. This is maybe the prettiest bird I have ever seen.

We went to Mexico City next. It was my second least favorite place on the trip, mainly due to Montezuma's Revenge. The city itself was a bit dirty and seemingly birdless. We went to so many museums. It was so painful me and my sister that Oona likened it to a day at Chuckie Cheeses and Pump It Up for my parents. I agree. 

One bird I did see saw this INCA DOVE across the street from our hotel. To give you an idea of the size, this dove is twice as small as the MOURNING DOVES back in Chicago.

Here is the view from our hotel room. The large building with the orange dome was one of the museums we visited. There we saw murals by Diego Rivera, one the most famous Mexican artists. The museum is called Palacio de Bellas Artes.

On our last day in Mexico we went to the Frita Kahlo Museam. Frida Kahlo was Diego Rivera's wife, and they lived here in Mexico City. Frida Kahlo had a tragic life. She got Polio at the age of six, and then when she was a teenager she got paralyzed in a bus accident. She was confined to her bed much of her life which is where she often painted. Nearly half of her paintings were self portraits. Sadly she died at the age of 47. It wasn't until after she died that she became really famous.

I have to say that Chichen Itza was the best part, because of the amount of birds I saw that day and also how incredible El Castillo and the Ball Court where the Mayans played Pok Te Pok. Cancun was fun and I was glad to meet some new people. The coolest birds were the amazing Turquoise Browed Motmots and the Green Jay. Stay tuned, because next is Panama, a place that we came to for birding. There are more birds native to Panama then all of the United States of America!

Bird List for Mexico                                          Life List 542 (17 life birds in Mexico)

Black Vulture X
Turkey Vulture X
White Winged Dove 5 life bird!
Groove Billed Ani 6 life Bird!
Turquoise Browed Motmot 4 life bird!
Golden Fronted Woodpecker 4 life bird!
Olive Throated Parakeet 2 life bird!
Social Flycatcher 8 life bird!
Masked Tityra 1 life bird!
Rose Throated Becard 1 life bird!
Green Jay 1 life bird!
Yucatan Jay 3 life bird!
Blue Grey Gnatcatcher 1 
Clay Colored Robin 4 life bird!
Tropical Mockingbird 2 life bird!
Great Tailed Grackle 45 life bird!
Bronzed Cowbird 7 life bird!
Yellow Throated Euphonia 2 life bird!
Osprey 1 life bird!
Inca Dove 2 life bird!
Yellow Warbler 1
Green Heron 1 
Great Kiskadee X
Brown Pelican X
Sandwich Tern 1 
Ruddy Turnstone 2

After Hong Kong, we went to Beijing for just two days. Beijing was not what I thought. I had not heard any good things about Beijing, but it was actually cool. The people were nice and the streets weren't small and congested like I had imagined. There are very few high rises, unlike Hong Kong. The bad thing though is that the pollution is so bad that if you live in Beijing your whole life you die 10 years earlier, and the sky is always grey. Our first day we went to the Great Wall, the coolest thing we saw on the whole trip. The Great Wall was built to protect China from Mongolian invasion, just like the Macau fort. I was walking along the Wall and spotted this GODLEWISKI'S BUNTING.

The Great Wall is very long, stretching for 10,000 miles.

Hey, is anyone familiar with this species of flycatcher?

Here is a shot of me and the wall. The wall is actually comprised of bricks and mud, and is wide enough to fit five horses in a row. 

On our second full day, we went to the Forbidden Palace where the former emperor of China lived. It's called the Forbidden Palace because for 500 years only the emperor and his guests could enter. If you stepped in uninvited, you would be immediately executed. Every building has at least one gargoyle on the roof. The more gargoyles on it, the more important the building.

We walked around the city for the rest of our day and I saw my life bird WHITE CHEEKED STARLING! This bird's closest relative is the Red Billed Starling I saw in Hong Kong. It feeds on fruit and insects such as Mole Crickets.

We did a quick stop at Wangfujing Snack Street before hitting our hotel. One stand sold starfish, seahorse and live scorpion on a stick. Blugh.

I was glad we came even though it was only for two days. The Great Wall was maybe the most amazing thing we saw on this trip!

Bird List For Beijing

Godlewiski's Bunting 1 life bird!
Azure Winged Magpie 1 life bird!
Eurasian Tree Sparrow X
Long Tailed Tit 1
Japanese Tit  4
Oriental Greenfinch 1
crow sp.
Rock Pigeon X
White Wagtail 1