Results of the 5th Annual (2007) SalvaNATURA Bird-a-thon in El Salvador
During 13-14 October 2007, 6 birding teams (19 observers in all) took to the field to search for as many of El Salvador’s bird species as possible. They were handicapped by persistent rain and wind, but nonetheless were able to find 262 species, one more than last year’s total and the third highest total in the 5 years of the bird-a-thon. The record is 296 species, set in October 2004. This year was marked by many exceptional species, described below.
The bird-a-thon is a fundraising event that benefits SalvaNATURA’s permanent bird monitoring program. The proceeds help SalvaNATURA’s biologists operate five mist-netting stations in El Salvador’s national parks. The monitoring program depends on bird-a-thon donors to cover expenses, including purchase of color bird bands (for resident species, since the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service-Bird Banding Laboratory provides aluminum bands for the migrants), new mist nets, gasoline, and also stipends for a station coordinator.
Roseate Spoonbill was recorded this year, for the first time on El Salvador’s bird-a-thon. Photo: O. Komar/SalvaNATURA Archive.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FIELD
Every team contributed some unique species to the combined count of 262. In fact no less than 106 species were found by only one of the six teams (146 species were found by two or more teams). Eight species were found for the first time on a SalvaNATURA bird-a-thon. These exciting finds included: Muscovy Duck, Roseate Spoonbill, Ruff, Long-billed Dowitcher, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Eye-ringed Flatbill, Prothonotary Warbler, and Yellow-winged Cacique. The rare species were all documented by detailed field notes or in some cases, photographs.
The team with the highest count recorded 144 species, of which 34 were not found by any other team. Team members Oliver Komar and Guillermo Funes visited three protected areas in southwest El Salvador: Los Cóbanos (farmland, savannas), Barra de Santiago (estuary, mangroves, mudflats), and El Imposible National Park (tropical forest). Highlights included Yellow-winged Cacique perched on a wire, and an early-arriving Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Los Cóbanos; Collared Plover and Elegant Tern at Barra de Santiago; Blue-throated Goldentail and Fork-tailed Emerald at the Hostal El Imposible; King Vulture, Eye-ringed Flatbill, Long-billed Gnatwren, Golden-crowned Warbler, and Red-legged Honeycreeper in the forest at El Imposible National Park. Even the House Sparrow at the Kilo 5 gas station ended up as a highlight, as no other team reported it!
Alvaro Moises, Manolo Torres y José Roberto Santamaría formed part of the Cerro El Pital/La Palma/Cerrón Grande Reservoir team. Photo Luis Cristiani.
The Cerro Verde/El Manzano team during El Salvador’s Bird-a-Thon 2007. From left to right: Oscar Bolaños, Randy Pinkston and Jesse Fagan (both from United States), and Lety Andino. Photo: SalvaNATURA.
The next highest team species count was 139 species, reported by Alvaro Moises and his 4 companions. They visited Cerro El Pital (the highest point in the country), as well as the pine forests of La Palma and the wetlands of Cerrón Grande hydroelectric reservoir, which is renowned for the highest concentrations of ducks and other freshwater birds in Central America. As did the previous team, they recorded 34 species not found by any other team. Highlights included a Plain-capped Starthroat, Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird, and Blue-throated Motmot at Cerro El Pital; Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Solitary Eagle (¡!), and Great Horned Owl at La Palma; Anhinga, American Avocet, Ruff, Long-billed Dowitcher, and Yellow-bellied Elaenia at Cerrón Grande. These are only the country’s second records for the Ruff and Long-billed Dowitcher, although the dowitchers have surely been overlooked in the past.
The team of 4 led by Jesse Fagan to El Manzano (pine-oak forests) and Cerro Verde (cloud forest in the coast range) recorded 97 species, including 15 not recorded by other teams. Among their best finds were a Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird, Banded Wren (a new department record), and Scarlet Tanager near El Manzano, as well as a straggler Yellow-green Vireo (most have migrated to South America by this date). At Cerro Verde, they found Rufous Sabrewing and Eye-ringed Flatbill.
A team of 3 (Néstor Herrera, Ricardo Ibarra Portillo, Luis Pineda) did very well at Lago Güija and San Diego National Park (dry forest). They recorded 87 species, including 17 not found by any other team. These included Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Snail Kite, Limpkin, Yellow-naped Parrot, Amazon Kingfisher, Tropical Mockingbird, and Prothonotary Warbler.
White-faced Quail Dove was recorded by the Montecristo National Park team. Photo Lety Andino/SalvaNATURA Archive.
Esmeralda Martínez and René Vaquerano covered the Estero de Jaltepeque mangrove estuary, recording Muscovy Duck, Roseate Spoonbill, and Harris’s Hawk, which no other team encountered. At Montecristo National Park (pine-oak forest), Vicky Galán’s team was the only group to find White-faced Quail Dove, Collared Trogon, and Band-backed Wren, despite rain and heavy fog.
Notably absent in this year’s summary were several usually common species, that apparently were hiding behind the rain clouds. For the first time in the five years of the bird-a-thon, none of the teams could find White-bellied Chachalaca, Reddish Egret, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Collared Forest-Falcon, American Oystercatcher (the Jiquilisco team canceled due to weather), Western Sandpiper, Mottled Owl, Common Pauraque, Violet Sabrewing, Garnet-throated Hummingbird, Magnificent Hummingbird, Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Rose-throated Becard, Bank Swallow, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, Slate-colored Solitaire, Golden-browed Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Blue-gray Tanager, and Yellow-billed Cacique. Nonetheless, we all had a great time! And look forward to next year’s bird-a-thon.
PLEASE SEND IN YOUR DONATION
If you have not yet sent in your donation, please do so now. Attached to this email is the pledge form with the information for how to mail funds. We urgently need your support to keep our bird monitoring program running smoothly. Your support is much appreciated, and we have a beautiful wall calendar (produced by SalvaNATURA) to send to you in exchange for a donation of at least $50.
NEXT YEAR’S BIRD-A-THON
Next year’s bird-a-thon is set for 25-26 October 2008. Please consider joining a bird-a-thon team or forming your own. Teams can help raise funds for the SalvaNATURA bird monitoring program, even if they can’t physically come to El Salvador. You can create bird-a-thon events in your home state, too. But we’d love to have birders visit El Salvador’s birding areas. You can see great birds, and be contributing to increasing awareness of the importance of these areas for bird conservation. We now have 20 areas identified as Important Bird Areas too! If you are interested in coming next year, please let Jesse Fagan, our 2008 bird-a-thon coordinator, know. His email is heliomaster76@yahoo.com.
Many thanks to both the donors and the bird observers for supporting SalvaNATURA’s bird-a-thon,
Oliver Komar
Director, Conservation Science Program
SalvaNATURA
okomar@salvanatura.org