The Chief, the newspaper of Squamish, British Columbia, has published a letter to the editor with twelve birds of (a Squamish) Christmas, riffing off of the famous song that Mike writes about here. What would the twelve birds of Christmas be where you live?
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.
The 12 Birds of Christmas in Costa Rica would be:
1 Spot-bellied Bobwhite hiding in the grass.
2 White-winged Doves.
3 Roosters crowing (at midnight no doubt- where’s an Ocelot when you need one!)
4 calling Clay-colored Thrushes.
5 Golden-browed Chlorophonias!
6 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks a laying (sorry, no geese here).
7 Muscovy Ducks a swimming (no swans either).
8 Cattle Egrets accompanying cows.
9 Manakins dancing.
10 Blue-black Grasquits leaping.
11 Stripe-breasted Wrens giving their “piping” vocalizations.
12 Antpittas drumming (no drummer birds here but antpittas are cool so they get to be drummers).