CENTRAL AMERICA 
Not only have observers paid little attention to shorebirds in Central America until 
recently. Red-necked Phalaropes are largely pelagic, placing them beyond the reach 
of most. At minimum, they should be fairly common off El Salvador, as large num- 
bers vacate North America for South American wintering grounds each fall. Yet there 
have been surprisingly few records — until now. This individual was among 556 seen 
off Acajutia 24 September 2008. Photograph by Stef any Henn'quez. 
Like Red-necked Phalarope, Sabine's Gull winters in South 
American waters and should occur regularly in the 
nearshore waters off the Pacific coast of Central America 
during passage. However, such has not been the case, at 
least in the northern part of the region, almost certainly 
due to poor coverage of birds at sea. This individual was one 
of two seen in El Salvador off Acajutia on 24 September 
2008. Fifteen more were seen in the same general area on 
21 October. Photograph by StefanyHenriquez. 
only recently been recorded. 
Establishing a first record for Darien, sever- 
al Gray-breasted Crakes were heard calling 3- 
7 Aug around the airstrip at El Real (EC). A 
Uniform Crake was observed along the War- 
rie Trail, Cockscomb Basin, Stann Creek 26 
Aug QB), near where one was observed 17 
months earlier. There are few records of this 
species from Belize. Providing the first record 
for Honduras, a Yellow-breasted Crake was 
seen 11 Aug at L. Yojoa, Cortes (tMC, RG, 
KL), and a Spotted Rail observed on Caye 
Caulker 3 Nov (]B) provided the hrst record 
for Belize away from the mainland, where it is 
presumed to be a rare resident. 
PLOVERS THROUGH TERNS 
Unusual was an inland occurrence of Black- 
bellied Plover at Fresh Catch Fish Farm near 
La Democracia, Belize 2 Nov (PB et ah). Also 
at Fresh Catch Fish Farm on 
2 Nov were 2 American Av- 
ocets; another was at Estero 
de Toluca, La Libertad 16 
Nov (ph. RI). This species is 
reported less than annually 
in Belize and El Salvador. 
Three Wandering Tattlers 
seen 12 Aug at Los 
Cobanos, Sonsonate (vt. JF, 
LA) appear to be the earliest 
fall reports for El Salvador. 
Long-billed Curlew is an- 
other rare shorebird in most 
of Central America. This 
fall, 3 were observed in Be- 
lize on Caye Chapel 28 Sep 
(ST), with one remaining 
until at least 3 Oct (ph. JB). 
In Costa Rica, one was seen at Colorado de 
Abangares, Puntarenas on the relatively early 
date of 14 Sep (AD, PM, LV, GM), 
and in Panama, one was on the 
mudflats at Panama Viejo in e. 
Panama City 5 Oct (ph. IF), 
where one or 2 have been winter- 
ing almost every year since 1998. 
Two Surfbirds were at Los 
Cobanos 12 Aug OF LA), provid- 
ing the 2nd earliest fall record for 
El Salvador. Although there are 
only about half a dozen records 
for the country, continued shore- 
bird studies will likely show this 
and a few other “rare” shorebirds 
to be annual in occurrence. Two 
Baird’s Sandpipers at a small 
roadside puddle at 3000 m in Ojo 
de Agua, San Jose 20 Oct (JZ) 
were at high elevation, typical of 
migrants of this species but not of other peep. 
Providing the first record for Panama and one 
of the few for the Region was a juv. Curlew 
Sandpiper seen foraging with Willets, West- 
ern Sandpipers, and dowitchers on the mud- 
flats at Panama Viejo 27 Oct (tTH). Very 
rarely reported in Costa Rica, though possibly 
overlooked, 4-6 Buff-breasted Sandpipers 
were seen in a muddy field at Chomes farms 
along the entrance road into Chomes Shrimp 
Farms, Puntarenas 3 Sep (ph. SE, KEa et al); 
2 were still present 7 Sep (ErC, JS et al.). 
Among the pelagic species reported off 
Acajutia this fall were 556 Red-necked 
Phalaropes 24 Sep (RI, ph. SH) and 4 on 21 
Oct (RI). Although the species migrates along 
the nearshore Pacific all the way to s. South 
America, it is rarely reported in El Salvador. 
Also present were 2 Sabine’s Gulls, another 
transcontinental migrant in the nearshore Pa- 
cihc, on 24 Sep (RI, ph. SH) and 15 on 21 Oct 
(RI). El Salvador’s 8th record of Brown Noddy 
came 26 Aug, when 20 birds were seen in 
front of Acajutia (ph. RI, MeR, LP). Four 
weeks later, on 24 Sep, 10 were seen in the 
same area (RI, ph. SH, LP). Prior to last 
spring, there were only three El Salvador 
records. Another Brown Noddy was found on 
the beach at Puerto Viejo, Liinon 16 Oct (ph. 
SE, KEa, MS). It is only occasionally reported 
from the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica; typi- 
cally these are, like this one, storm-blown 
birds found resting on a beach. Seldom seen 
in s. Belize was a Forster’s Tern in with other 
terns, including 2 Common Terns, at Punta 
Gorda 30 Nov (ph. LJ). A juv. Parasitic Jaeger 
found on tidal mudflats at Chomes 31 Aug 
(ph. SE, BB, MS) was not only out of place on- 
shore, but any jaeger, and especially Parasitic, 
would be rare inside the Gulf of Nicoya. And 
at sea, this species is usually outnumbered 3 
or 4 to 1 by Pomarine. 
DOVES THROUGH VIREOS 
while the invading Eurasian Collared-Dove 
has swept across North America with un- 
precedented speed since it was introduced 
into the Bahamas in the mid-1970s, the same 
cannot be said for Central America, at least 
not yet. In Costa Rica, for example, it has only 
occasionally been seen in San Jose, and these 
may be escaped cage birds rather than birds of 
wild provenance. Tbits, one seen near the Pa- 
cific coast at Liberia, Guanacaste 14 Nov (BS) 
was noteworthy as the first recorded in Costa 
Rica away from San Jose. The only other re- 
ports of birds in Central America believed to 
be of wild provenance are two reports from 
Belize, which are now a decade or more old. 
Observers are encouraged to be on the look- 
out for this species, which is increasing and 
spreading rather rapidly in Mexico. 
An estimated 40 Great Green Macaws seen 
flying over San Miguel de Grecia at the mouth 
Providing one of the few records for southern Belize was this Forster's Tern 
found in a flock of terns and gulls at Punta Gorda on 30 November 2008. 
Photograph by Lee Jones. 
VOLUME 63 (2009) 
NUMBER 1 
169 
