CENTRAL AMERICA 
This Black-legged Kittiwake, perhaps the same bird found 100 kilome- 
ters down-coast near Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, was photographed the 
following day, 26 March 2009, at the mouth of Rio Tortuguero. Photo- 
graph by Nicole Michel. 
suitable habitat is plentiful. An American 
Golden-Plover at Cocos 1. 27 Apr (ph, KE, ph. 
JH et al.) was noteworthy for its location 
nearly 500 km off the Pacific coast of s. Cen- 
tral America. A rare winter visitor not report- 
ed every year in Costa Rica, an ad. Snowy 
Plover in breeding plumage was found on the 
n. side of the mouth of the Rio Tarcoles 2 Mar 
(SE, ph. KE). An American Oystercatcher was 
in Dangriga, Stann Creek 1 Mar (BE). Dangri- 
ga appears to be the only reliable spot in Be- 
lize for this species. 
Three Upland Sandpipers at Cocos I. 27 
Apr (ph. KE, ph. JH et al.) were noteworthy 
for their remote island location, and one near 
Quamina Creek bridge along the Manatee 
Rd., Stann Creek 10 May (PB, JR, CC) con- 
tributed to the rather short list of records of 
this species from Belize. Providing the hrst re- 
port for Ahuachapdn was a Surfbird observed 
at Barra de Santiago, Bocana El Zapote 4 Apr 
(OK, ph. RJ). With fewer than 10 records 
from the Pacific region of Nicaragua, 2 White- 
rumped Sandpipers seen feeding on a salt pan 
at Salinas de Nagualapa, Rivas 26 Apr QT) 
were noteworthy. The status of Red Phalarope 
off Costa Rica remains poorly known, 
so 10 seen 4 Apr and one seen 5 Apr 
off the Nicoya Pen. (]Z, RG, BY, PM, 
JW) are worth mentioning. All were 
still in basic plumage, although the 
bills of some were turning yellow. 
GULLS THROUGH JAEGERS 
Having only recently been added to the 
list of birds in North America, Swal- 
low-tailed Gulls continue to be seen off 
Costa Rica. At sea, an ad. in breeding 
plumage was observed about one hour 
before dawn on 5 Apr 72 km sw. of 
Puma Guiones (]Z. RG, BY, PM, JW), 
and an ad. in nonbreeding plumage 
was seen 30 km nne. of Cocos 1. 27 
Apr (ph. JH, KE et al.). At Cocos I., 3 
ads. in breeding plumage were seen 
standing on rocks near the shoreline 
on Rocas Dos Amigos 29 Apr (ph. KE, 
ph. JH et al). A migrating Rock of 350 
Franklins Gulls at Cocos I. 29 Apr 
(ph. JH) was unexpected, although the 
species is known as a migrant well out 
to sea off the Pacific coast of Mexico 
(Howell and Webb, 1995, A Guide to 
the Birds of Mexico and Northern Cen- 
tral America). A second-cycle Ring- 
billed Gull observed at the mouth of 
Rio Jiboa, La Paz 4 Mar (OK, ph. JVD, 
RJ) constituted the 3rd record for El 
Salvador and the hrst in 16 years. El 
Salvador’s and Guatemala's hrst Lesser 
Black-backed Gull was found at L. 
Gtiija 20 Mar (ph. LP, NH). The bird was rest- 
ing on mud flats in El Salvador and then flew 
across the border into Guatemala. At least 3 
hrst-cycle Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen 4 
Apr at Costa del Este, Panama City (GA, ph. 
JAC, KK, RM, DM, VW) were the hrst report- 
ed from Panama since 1998; one was seen 
again 11 Apr (DM). A third-cycle Kelp Gull at 
Costa del Este 4 Apr (GA, ph. JAC, KK, RM, 
DM, VW) provided the 2nd record for Pana- 
ma and the hrst since a group of 5 was seen in 
Nov-Dec 2001 at the same locality. What was 
certainly the same bird was reported regular- 
ly until 10 May, when it was seen together 
with an apparently hrst-cycle bird (BA). 
Only 2 Black Noddies were seen at Cocos I. 
27-30 Apr, both in Wafer Bay on the 28th. It 
has variously been reported in the literature 
as abundant (Stiles and Skutch, 1989, A Guide 
to the Birds of Costa Rica) and as periodically 
either abundant or absent (Slud, 1967, The 
Birds of Cocos Island (Costa Rica), Bulletin of 
the American Museum of Natural History 34, 
Article 4) at the island in Apr and May. As the 
subspecies diamesus breeds only on Cocos 1. 
and Clipperton 1. off Mexico, its status on Co- 
Black-legged Kittiwakes made news in Central America and elsewhere 
this spring as far south as northern South America. Costa Rica's first 
kittiwake was this weakened individual found on the coast south of 
Puerto Limon on 25 March 2009. Photograph by Ernesto Carman. 
On 3 April 2009, Panama recorded its first Black-legged Kit- 
tiwake, this first-cycle individual photographed at Costa del 
Este. Prior to this spring, the only Central American record 
was of an adult photographed at Caye Caulker in Belize 9 
January 2000. Photograph by Ghislain Rompre. 
Prior to the discovery of this individual at the mouth of Rio 
Jiboa on 4 March 2009, it had been 16 years since a Ring- 
billed Gull had been seen in El Salvador. This bird provided 
only the third record of this species from the country. Pho- 
tograph by John van Dort. 
It is not often that a single bird can establish the first 
record for two countries, but such was the case when this 
first-cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen on both sides 
of the border between El Salvador and Guatemala on Lake 
Giiija 20 March 2009. Photograph by Luis Pineda. 
cos 1. sbould be closely monitored. Records to 
date indicate that Sooty Tern is quite rare in 
Costa Rica, although seasonal coverage off the 
Pacific coast, where it would be expected, is 
heavily skewed toward spring. An ad. was 
seen on Roca Gissler in Wafer Bay, Cocos 1. 
27-30 Apr (ph. KE, ph. JH et al), and anoth- 
er was seen 186 km nne. of Cocos 1. on 1 May 
(KE et al). A Bridled Tern observed ca. 10 
km off the coast of Los Cobanos, Soiisonafe 28 
Apr (ph. RI, LP) provided only the 3rd record 
for the country and the hrst from w. El Sal- 
VOLUME 63 (2009) • NUMBER 3 
515 
