COSTA RICA
19th March - 5th April 2009
Logistics
I travelled to Costa Rica as the seventh member of a Birdseekers tour. The option to go via an organised tour company, was two-fold - firstly for the logistical ease and secondly, for the very fact that my Neotropic birding experience was nil, so the advantage of guides with the experience and knowledge of the birds and the calls was considered overly beneficial! Flying out from Heathrow on the morning of 19th March, we travelled to San Jose with Iberia Airlines via Madrid. What followed was a 16-day whistle stop tour taking in as many of the key birding spots in the country. It was an immensely successful tour with my personal species list for the 16-day period being 570 species (of which 559 were actually seen, 11 heard only). Birding in Costa Rica was an incredible experience largely courtesy of the extreme diversity. Every different habitat or different part of the country had it’s own unique selection of birds, and what we had was a constant stream of new birds throughout the two-weeks.
What follows is a day-by-day account of the trip.
19th March
A sleepless night saw me travel to Heathrow for an early morning flight to San Jose, via Madrid with Iberia Airlines. An acceptable flight and with no delays, we arrived into San Jose just short of 5pm with the sun starting to set. A party of Cattle Egrets scuttling around the airfield, and numerous Turkey Vultures overhead were my first impression of Costa Rican birding - and in fact neither species were very far from view for the entire duration of the rest of the trip! Equally numerous were the many Great-tailed Grackles - large flocks of which were flying out to roost sites as we headed to our first stop at the Hotel Bougainville on the outskirts of San Jose.
20th March
After falling to sleep, I woke at some ungodly hour - 03:10am to be precise - not awoken due to jet-lag but more due to the persistent calls from a singing Ferruginous Pygmy-owl in the hotel gardens! Managing to get some more sleep, I was up and ready for dawn and was stood in position in the hotel gardens as the sun rose. The first birds of the day were a small group of Clay-coloured Robins, somewhat fittingly being the National bird of the country. More exotic was the day’s first Blue-crowned Motmot which was quickly located in a fruiting tree, followed by a singing Rufous-collared Sparrow and then a Great Kiskadee - all lifers, but very common birds throughout Costa Rica.
Being joined by the rest of the crew, and with the arrival of Jason, we headed off into the garden to do some proper exploration and to get acquainted with some of the commoner, and less common, Costa Rican birds. Getting a crippler out of the way early is not a bad way to start a trip, so we ambled over to a patch of bamboo and watched a dozing Tropical Screech-owl at it’s day roost. The scrub nearby was full of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Tennessee and Yellow Warblers, and a pair of stonking Rufous-naped Wrens. Further round the gardens and a pair of Squirrel Cuckoos posed nicely, alongside the first of several Greyish Saltators, Hoffmann’s Woodpeckers and a Masked Tityra. Overhead, Blue-and-white Swallows and a single Vaux’s Swift and Northern Rough-winged Swallow passed through. A gorgeous Yellow-throated Vireo performed admirably as it made sallies between bushes covered in Baltimore Orioles and the odd Summer Tanager. We caught up with our first Montezuma’s Oropendola, a flock of 20 Crimson-collared Parakeets, Red-billed Pigeon, White-tipped Dove, Southern House Wren, Tropical Kingbirds and many Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds. A bit of luck towards the end of the wander was provided by the appearance of a pair of White-eared Ground-sparrows, a scarce species and a good bird to have on the list so early in the trip. Equally notable, was our first (and as it turned out, only!) Rufous-browed Pepper-shrike of the trip which was whistled right in above our heads. A stunning bird!
Making a foray outside the garden, we checked the orchard ‘round-the-back’ for Spotted Bobwhite, but there was no sign of the birds. A few more ‘urbanised’ species were noted however and included several Inca Doves, a Groove-billed Ani and a pair of Bronzed Cowbirds.
After a hearty breakfast and a bit of a run-down as to how the day’s birding would unfold, we packed the bus and headed off out of San Jose. Our journey across the mountains to the small town of Orotina was punctuated by a scan of the sod fields near the airport for several Eastern Meadowlarks, whilst the appearance of a couple of Short-tailed Hawks and at least six Grey Hawks at the roadside enlivened the journey.
Orotina is a name synonymous with birders all over the world for a pair of very special Black-and-white Owls. The birds have been resident roosting in the tall trees of the tiny town park for at least ten years, and many birders across the globe will have ticked the species here. Given such, we could not allow such a pilgrimage to not be undertaken, and we parked the bus, walked a few metres and looked up at the pair of Owls blinking down at us in the late morning sunlight. These birds were on my world hit-list of birds, and they did not disappoint ! An amble around the rest of the park revealed a couple of Orange-chinned Parakeets scuttling overhead, and our first Social Flycatcher. A distinctly inactive Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth was located in the far corner of the park, and caused a bit of a stir amongst the birders and local public alike! Another peek at the Owls, and we headed out of Orotina, only to put the brakes on just outside town as a Zone-tailed Hawk appeared overhead amongst the countless Turkey and Black Vultures.
Heading off down the Guanacaste Road, we made many stops for a range of specialist dry country birds. Our first stop brought our first experience with the ‘Pygmy Owl’ tape. Apparently many small passerines will respond to this tape as they will come in to pester the Owl they believe is making the call. With the tape blasting we suddenly noticed a lot of activity upon a small bush on the side of the track, and quickly found the reason for the bird’s agitation - an actual Ferruginous Pygmy-owl had responded to the tape and was now being bashed by all and sundry! A tiny but deadly little owl, and our third owl species of the morning! A pair of White-lored Gnatcatchers, a female Scrub Euphonia and a Nutting’s Flycatcher were the other highlights here as Jason searched vainly for another elusive bird, a calling Lesser Ground Cuckoo. One of the more notoriously difficult species to catch up with in Costa Rica - we didn’t expect great results as Jason had been having real trouble with the species this year. A distant call was enough to satisfy us that birds were in the area, until suddenly a call came from right by the road! A quick scuttle and I happened to be in the right spot as Nick found the bird in the ‘scope and I had good views for a few seconds, before it leapt to the ground and disappeared! The rest of the group were left hoping that we would find another and that this wouldn’t remain a blocker!
Further along the road, and we stopped at a more open area, and whilst watching another pair of White-lored Gnatcatchers, we located a superb perched Plain-capped Starthroat in the trees above us, and then a skulking Gray-crowned Yellowthroat was ‘scoped at a greater distance. Another short drive and a stop again to ‘scope some ground-doves at the roadside revealed a party of four Plain-breasted Ground-doves, the scarcer of the ground-doves in this stretch, which was soon followed by views of both Common Ground-dove and Ruddy Ground-doves. Moving on and we stopped again for a migrant Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher perched in a dead tree, a White-throated Magpie-jay and a Northern Jacana at a small pool, before descending down towards the coast at the Tarcoles River mouth.
As we made the descent to the coast, the sky darkened as squadron after squadron of Magnificent Frigatebirds piled past. As most of the party scanned the shoreline, I kept an eye on the landward side, and reaped huge rewards with a stunning, yet tiny, Pearl Kite perched on wires by the roadside. This soon turned out to be raptor central with our first Yellow-headed & Crested Caracaras, Mangrove Black-hawk and an Osprey notched up. Stopping to scan the mudflats at the river mouth we were able to ‘scope a good number of fairly familiar North American birds. A group of 15 Roseate Spoonbills skimmed the shallows alongside White Ibises, Great White & Snowy Egrets, several Tri-colored Herons, three Great Blue Herons and a Little Blue Heron. A flock of 100 Brown Pelicans were resting out on a sand-bar, whilst we scanned through the ranks of waders, which held 15 Wilson’s Plovers, 50 Semipalmated Plovers, 30 Least & 50 Western Sandpipers, 20 Sanderlings, Short-billed Dowitchers, Hudsonian Whimbrels, three Greater Yellowlegs, two Willets, numerous Spotted Sandpipers and 20 Turnstones. Star turn was a migrant Pectoral Sandpiper loafing with the plovers - a rare bird in Costa Rica, and the first our guide who has been birding the country for seven years had seen!
Heading a bit further to the river mouth, we made our way to where a large group of gulls and terns were roosting at close range. Good numbers of Laughing Gulls were lined in ranks, whilst a mass of some 200 Royal Terns held a few Sandwich Terns, a Common Tern, at least four Elegant Terns and three Black Skimmers in their midst. Another grand find was a fine male Snowy Plover on the shoreline - yet another country bird for our Costa Rican guide! More appreciated by those who had not travelled in Central America were a fishing Green Kingfisher and a couple of Mangrove Swallows low overhead, whilst an Anhinga loafed on some dead tree roots.
Heading off, we made for the small coastal town of Caldera via a roadside Turquoise-browed Motmot en route. A small lunch pit-stop at a restaurant overlooking the river meant that we had another good selection of waders, gulls and terns (again including a few more Elegant Terns) to peruse whilst we dined. Fed and ready to depart, we just had time to note a party of three Wood Storks circling overhead before heading off to our next port of call!
Final stop of the day was at Colarado and specifically the salt pans. Turning onto the road and we were in raptor central as we spotted first a perched Harris’s Hawk and then had fantastic views of a hunting White-tailed Kite - very much a larger and more impressive version of the European Black-shouldered Kites. The drive to the salt pans took us through an interesting brushy area, and a stop to check a couple of small passerines flying across the road found us in an immense amount of activity as scores of birds were mobbing an unseen snake on the ground! Within seconds we had clocked up a splendid male Black-headed Trogon, a Yellow-streaked Oriole, several Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, three Brown-crested Flycatchers, a small group of White-collared Seedeaters, three Stripe-headed Sparrows and an assortment of hummingbirds that included our first Canivet’s Emeralds, Green-breasted Mangos and Cinnamon Hummingbirds of the trip. With time moving on, we scuttled off down to the end of the road, where our only shot at Spot-breasted Oriole came up trumps with a male showing superbly in some stunted trees. A Merlin tore through the sky above us. Walking out onto the salt pans adjacent produced an excellent assortment of herons and waders, with 20 Black-necked Stilts, a Semipalmated Sandpiper and a few Lesser Yellowlegs being new for the trip. As dusk fell, the first of a number of Lesser Nighthawks winged their way low overhead, and a Pauraque was hawking from the road. The nearby calls of a Pacific Screech-owl has us walking the road a short way to where our fourth owl species of the day was spotlighted giving superb views, and rounding off a fantastic first day!
21st March
We started the day at the Hotel Laguna where we had stayed the previous evening. A short wander to a small landscaped pit in the grounds produced a flock of c.120 Blue-winged Teal, c.10 Semipalmated Plovers, a few Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, two Greater Yellowlegs, three Spotted Sandpipers, a Solitary Sandpiper and a flypast by a Ringed Kingfisher. The scrub around the car-park produced a few Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Red-winged Blackbirds and three Streak-backed Orioles
With the day upon us, we made for our first destination at Palo Verde. Although the reserve does not open until 08:30am we had a very productive morning scouring the fields and scrub en route to the entrance track. The first of three pairs of Double-striped Thick-knees were quickly noted at the start of the track, and upon exiting the vehicle to watch these, we had good views at a first-winter male Orchard Oriole and our first Boat-billed Flycatcher of the trip. Several groups of Orange-fronted Parakeets were ‘scoped and we had numerous fly-pasts by noisy groups of Orange-chinned Parakeets. We stopped the bus to watch a pair of White-fronted Parrots atop a large dead tree, and as we did so, a pair of gaudy Yellow-naped Parrots flew past. The scrub here seemed worthy of a scour and after a bit of effort, a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet was called into a tape, whilst both a male Blue Grosbeak and a skulking male Rose-breasted Grosbeak entertained. Further-in and we stopped the bus for a stonking Mangrove Cuckoo and for the first of several Black-throated Trogons. Stopping for various raptors at the roadside produced lots of Crested Caracaras, Ospreys and both of the common Vultures, whilst our first Swainson’s & Roadside Hawks, a couple of American Kestrels, another Merlin and an unexpected Sharp-shinned Hawk (scarce in Costa Rica) were more appreciated!
Entering the reserve itself, we continued along the access track to the visitor centre. One momentous stop was a speculative stop for Spectacled Owl, which was pretty fortuitous in that a pair were present along with a nearly-fledged immature! Stonking creatures! The visitor centre area overlooks the wetlands, which were a teeming mass of birds. Black-bellied Whistling-ducks dominated the scene with literally thousands scattered over the pools and floods. Careful scrutiny revealed a single Fulvous Whistling-duck, a few Muscovy Ducks and Blue-winged Teals amongst the hordes. Searching through a massive flock of 300 Wood Storks picked up the speciality of the area, with at least eight hulking Jabirus located in their midst, whilst the usual herons, egrets, ibises and spoonbills, also held a couple of Limpkins, two Bare-throated Tiger-herons and three Glossy Ibises. Attention away from the throng of birds, we managed to note a Neotropic Cormorant, a large flock of Black-necked Stilts, several Gull-billed Terns and several Snail Kites.
Driving further into the forested area of the reserve, we stumbled across our first feeding party of White-nosed Coatis, whilst our first troops of both Mantled Howler and White-faced Capuchin Monkeys were noted at close quarters. Walking into the forest, a couple of Scarlet Macaws announced their presence overhead. Very quickly we got into one of the first frustrations of Costa Rican birding - that being that most forest birds have a tendency to congregate in mixed and very intense feeding parties. So suddenly we found ourselves surrounded by new birds! The flock was dominated by Tropical Gnatcatchers, but scouring through the ranks of birds appearing and disappearing from view around us gave up several Streak-headed Woodcreepers, a pair of Banded Wrens, a Swainson’s Thrush, several Rufous-capped Warblers, a Philadelphia Vireo, an unexpected Magnolia Warbler, Great Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-olive Flycatcher, several Lesser Greenlets and our first Long-tailed Mannakins - all in a matter of seconds! Following such an intense period of activity, things quietened down significantly, with good views of a Turquoise-browed Motmot and a couple of additions to the mammal list in the guise of a White-tailed Deer and a corking Northern Tamandua for our efforts.
With the afternoon getting on, we had lunch and then made our way away from Palo Verde. Birding activity had become very slow in the heat of the day, and we made very few stops on the way out - with just a few raptors to grab our attention. Travelling yet again, we headed back towards our hotel of the previous night, and stopped at a nearby sod-farm. Much scanning for our stake-out species proved fruitless to start, with just a Double-striped Thick-knee of note. Then one of the party located an excellent Collared Plover in one of the fields, and whilst watching this, our quarry in the guise of a pair of Southern Lapwings flew-in. These birds are very much a recent addition to the country’s avifauna, as it is only in recent years that the species has started to appear and nest regularly in the country.
Having had success with two difficult waders, we decided to head to Chomes to see if a few other species might fall. En route, we stopped at a roadside pond to have a look at six Least Grebes. Onto Chomez and disaster struck as the bus drove over some debris and we were soon stopped with a punctured tyre! Fortuitously for the birding contingent, we were close enough to the pools and the coast to be able to walk the rest of the route, whilst the unfortunate driver was left to fix the tyre! Walking out through the mangroves, we noted several Ringed Kingfishers, a couple of Northern Waterthrushes and our first views at several male Mangrove Warblers - the distinct local red-headed race of Yellow Warbler, and perhaps a future split? Scanning off the beach produced a mass of waders, with the highlights amongst their ranks being several Marbled Godwits and apparently an American Oystercatcher - yet another Costa Rican rarity! A flock of some 300 Black Skimmers were slightly more impressive, whilst even better value was provided by a day-roosting Lesser Nighthawk in the adjacent mangroves that gave crippling close views. Returning the way we came, we were reunited with our bus back intact, and decided to call it a day, noting several parties of Blue-black Grassquits in the roadside ditches as we made our way away from the site and headed off on the long journey to our next stop at Monteverde.
22nd March
We stayed overnight at the Hotel Sapo Dorado in Monteverde. The Monteverde area must be one of the more well-known birding areas in Costa Rica and I was awake at first light to start birding around the hotel. One of the amazing things about Costa Rica was that every area that we visited held a new and diverse range of birds, and so it was as I ventured out into the hotel grounds this morning, that a wealth of new species crossed my path. A White-throated Thrush was feeding on the drive-way as a party of Brown Jays passed through. A pair of Yellow-faced Grassquits showed superbly, and a fruiting tree by the reception lodge held an Emerald Toucanet and a pair of stunning Golden-browed Chlorophonias.
Summoned by the group, we took the short drive up the mountain road to the start of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. Shortly after leaving the hotel, Jason gave a shout and we were quickly reversing the bus to take in a pair of stunning Chiriqui Quail-doves that were sedately ambling along one of the side-tracks off the main road! A stunning encounter with a not only rare, but incredibly elusive resident., and an excellent start to the day! Down the road and local information had that the fruiting trees opposite the Monteverde Visitor Centre might be worth a look, and so it proved with at least five Resplendent Quetzals showing admirably above our heads! These birds are a major tourist attraction to even non-birders and a mass of very excited camera-totting individuals were enjoying the spectacle! A pair of Black Guans and several Mountain Robins were also enjoying the bounty of fruit, and the general area came up trumps with a pair of very localised Golden-bellied Flycatchers, a Golden-crowned Warbler and our first Slate-throated Redstart.
Nearby, we wandered over to the adjacent Hummingbird gallery, where the feeders had been filled shortly before our arrival. The feeders were thronged with the very impressive Violet Sabrewings, as well as numerous Green Violet-ears and Green-crowned Brilliants. A pair of Green Hermits entertained, whilst several Coppery-headed Emeralds, Purple-throated Mountain-gems and Stripe-tailed Hummingbirds made infrequent appearances. Unfortunately the star of the show - a male Magenta-throated Woodstar appeared and then disappeared before a number of the group could be summoned, and an inquisitive Bananaquit proved little consolation! As the unfortunate Woodstar dippers grilled the feeders with some futile hope the bird might reappear, the rest of us were distracted by a strange grating above us, and it didn’t take long to located a pair of Prong-billed Barbets perched in the canopy above us. Heading out, we stopped at the roadside and had a quick bash for Gray-throated Leaftosser, but with no joy, we opted to try again later! The dip was not in vain however as a male Orange-bellied Trogon was giving crippling views, and a Yellowish Flycatcher appeared by the path, as our first Mountain Elaenia perched above the bus!
Returning to the Hotel Sapo Dorado, we breakfasted overlooking the mountain valley, and noted a party of three Black-crowned Tityras and a male Townsend’s Warbler during proceedings, and the first rising American Swallow-tailed Kites of the day entertained as they sparred overhead. With breakfast done, and dusted we headed off to the Santa Elena Cloud Forest reserve. Reports that the road might be impassable proved unfounded, and we headed to the reception area, before heading off in search of some of the key Caribbean slope specialties. Into the forest and within minutes we were into a spectacular flock that instantly gave up such goodies as Red-faced Spinetail, Ruddy Treerunners, Spotted Barbtail, Lineated Foliage-gleaner and a number of gorgeous Spangle-cheeked Tanagers. As the flock moved through, we raced ahead of it and managed to catch several Smoky-brown Woodpeckers, as well as numerous Common Bush-tanagers and Slate-throated Redstarts, and the first Wilson’s Warblers of the trip. A shrill call had us racing up the path and our leaders were soon salivating at the mouth at the sight of a pair of Brown-billed Scythebills at what appeared to be a nest hole! Keeping with the difficult birds, we soon stood mesmerised as with the aid of a tape, an exquisite Silvery-fronted Tapaculo was called in, and proceeded to amble along the forest floor just a few feet away! Awesome views of a difficult bird, from an extremely elusive family. Feeling on a roll, we proceeded down the path and a calling Slaty-backed Nightingale-thrush was our target, though as we soon as we had located the bird perched just a few feet away, we rolled backwards as a party of Grey-breasted Wood-wrens came through and demanded our attention! Still working the trails hard, we watched an obliging pair of Tufted Flycatchers, and noted alternating flocks of Triple-striped Warblers and absolutely gorgeous Collared Redstarts. The song of Black-faced Solitaires resonated around us, and several showed admirably close to the path. An Ochraceous Wren played hide-and-seek with us, before eventually giving itself up. We retired to the lodge for lunch, noting our first Silver-throated Tanager of the trip en route!
Returning from lunch, we hit the trails hard once again and the birds kept coming! The upper loop was where we invested our time, courtesy of the gen for a reported roost site for Bare-shanked Screech-owl. The gen came good, with two birds noted in exactly the position where they were promised to us! We had planned to stay till dusk to get the owls, but with the birds on the cards early, we were free to bird our way out off the trails and head elsewhere. Birding out took some time however as a very diverse flock had our attention for some time! First up were a pair of Yellow-thighed Finches, then a pair of Slaty Flower-piercers. A Chestnut-capped Brush-finch teased the group as it kept to thick cover, whilst several Sooty-capped Bush-tanagers, an Olive-sided Flycatcher and an assortment of American Warblers including a couple of Black-throated Green Warblers and a Golden-winged Warbler proved more obliging. A pair of Barred Becards had been calling constantly, and it was only as we headed out that they finally showed themselves, giving awesome views in the process.
With our work done at Santa Elena, we returned to the Monteverde access road, and once again headed off down a random trail to search for the staked out Leaftosser! No sign at first, and the forest was ridiculously silent, but persistence paid off and after about thirty minutes, the Grey-throated Leaftosser kicked into gear, and with some fancy spot-lighting work, we all had fantastic views of this very elusive critter as it called from the forest floor. On a high, we tried the hummingbird gallery again for the wood-star, and although we had no joy on that front, we did score an even better mammal tick as an Olingo was noted in the trees above the buildings. A couple of Black Guans flew to roost, and ended another superb day. A brief attempt at finding Mottled Owl en route back to the hotel ended in miserable failure!!
23rd March
We started the day by heading out from our hotel to the small reserve of Finca Ecologica. Here our target was Black-breasted Wood-quail. Exploring the narrow trails, I found myself towards the back of our party as the rest of the group took a left turn. As they did so, I stared down the track and wondered why a wood-quail wouldn’t be kind enough to just wander across the track… and within seconds one did! Followed by four more! Unfortunately only those of us at the back of the party got views (though proof that being in front doesn't always grab the birds!). Heading down to the river to search for Sunbittern proved unfortunately fruitless, with just the first of several Orange-billed Nightingale-thrushes of note. Back to the car-park area, and we had excellent views of a pair of Rufous-capped Warblers, and our first Steely-vented Hummingbirds obliged. A good flock of warblers moving through the car-park area included a male Golden-winged Warbler and a couple of Black-and-white Warblers. We started off down the trail, noting a stonking male Long-tailed Mannakin at lek on route. The trail proved very hard work with virtually nothing moving until we turned a corner and suddenly could hear birds! We had stumbled across an ant swarm. One of the easiest ways of birding in Costa Rica appears to involve finding such a swarm, and then the birds just flock to it and glean off the hapless victims forced away from the swarming ants! Within a few seconds we had engrossed ourselves in two extremely good birds - a pair of Red-crowned Ant-tanagers and a Ruddy Woodcreeper. Equally notable was a gorgeous male Kentucky Warbler, a Rufous-breasted Wren, a pair of Rufous-and-white Wrens, a Dusky-capped Flycatcher and a plethora of other species taking advantage of the bounty!
Returning to the hotel, we consumed breakfast at a leisurely pace, and then had a quick look at our first Piratic Flycatcher and several more White-eared Ground-sparrows in the hotel gardens, before collecting our stuff and heading off out. Driving out along the winding road leading to Monteverde, we noticed several groups of up to 30 Broad-winged Hawks migrating through over the mountains. We stopped at a cultivated area with a couple of targets to find. First up were a pair of Olive Sparrows which were showing admirably on arrival. Then we had a second shot at the elusive Lesser Ground Cuckoo for those who had missed the previous bird. This time there were no tears, as a calling bird was found perched on a fallen log and showed excessively well for the next ten minutes or so, allowing the whole group fine views of this very elusive bird.
We carried on driving, stopping briefly for lunch, before heading to the Tarcoles River for our mangrove boat tour. The tour was an all afternoon trip, and provided excellent close range views of many of the wetland species seen on previous days with a good suite of Herons, Egrets, Brown Pelicans, waders etc. We had been on the boat for only a few minutes when a Yellow-billed Cotinga flew past us - a superb start with one of the rarest birds in Costa Rica, though sadly missed by some on the boat. Sailing through the mangroves allowed us to get good views of many small passerines from the boat and we clocked up Common Tody-flycatcher, a superb male American Redstart, several Mangrove Warblers, six Northern Waterthrushes, a couple of stunning Prohonotarys, a Northern Scrub Flycatcher, excellent views of Panama Flycatcher and a pair of Barred Antshrikes. Key species for me was the endemic Mangrove Hummingbird, of which at least two showed very well. Kingfishers were well represented, with numerous Green Kingfishers and several Ringed Kingfishers noted. Our first Belted Kingfisher of the trip did a fly past, and we had outstanding views of an American Pygmy Kingfisher perched motionless on the riverbank. Overhead entertainment was provided by a swirling mass of Costa Rican Swifts, whilst Mangrove Swallows were in abundance. A small roost of Boat-billed Herons were greatly appreciated, and both adult and immature Black-crowned Night Herons were found, but no sign of the commoner Yellow-crowns! As the evening drew on, we returned to shore noting a low-flying Plumbeous Kite and a couple of American Purple Gallinules, whilst as dusk fell, large numbers of Lesser Nighthawks took to the wing and starting hawking overhead.
Heading to our hotel for checking in and for dinner, we did the log, before heading out after dinner. Driving towards the small town of Jaco, we quickly located our quarry with two separate Striped Owls sat on wires overlooking the road, and illuminated superbly by the street lamps!
24th March
I started the day at dawn exploring around our dwellings at the Hotel Villa Lapas. The tall fruiting trees outside the rooms were full of birds as soon as dawn broke, with Baltimore Orioles and Summer Tanagers making the bulk counts! Several Palm Tanagers showed well, whilst both Red-legged and Shining Honeycreepers were noted, along with several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, a male Scarlet Tanager and numerous Chestnut-sided Warblers and Philadelphia Vireos. Joining the rest of the group, we wandered along the river noting a pair of Buff-rumped Warblers, several Rose-throated Becards, a male Yellow-throated Euphonia, lots of Grey-capped and a pair of Streaked Flycatchers, a male Black-throated Trogon, a mightily impressive Pale-billed Woodpecker (the closest living relative to the Ivory-billed) and our first Scaly-breasted Hummingbirds of the trip. As we ate breakfast, a pair of Chestnut-mandibled Toucans entertained, whilst a pair of Riverside Wrens and a couple of Yellow-green Vireos were visiting a leaking water tap to drink.
After breakfast, we headed to the Carara park headquarters to obtain permits. Whilst this was being done by our leaders, the rest of us scoured the car-park noting a pair of nest-buildingYellow-crowed Euphonias, a female Scrub Euphonia, a male Black-headed Trogon and three White-crowned Parrots overhead.
Permits safely processed, we made our way for a lap of the first trail. Birding here was very good, especially as we found ourselves in Trogon central! In just a short stretch we found a female Black-throated Trogon, a pair of Baird’s Trogons, three Slaty-tailed Trogons and a pair of Violaceous Trogons! Joy of this site was that there was a very wide roadway running through the forest which enabled a large number of birds to be seen in the open, many of which were thus scopable. We slogged this track for several hours and reaped major rewards, with a constant stream of new birds - several pairs of Grey-headed Doves, a few Long-billed Hermits, a calling Rufous Piha, several pairs of Chestnut-backed Antbirds, several Dot-winged Antwrens, a Cocoa Woodcreeper, a Plain Xenops, four Black-hooded Antshrikes, a Dusky Antbird, Greenish Elaenia, female Orange-collared Mannakin, a difficult Slate-headed Tody-tyrant, Orange-billed Sparrows, several Blue-black Grosbeaks, a Cherries Tanager, a small flock of White-shouldered Tanagers, a Bay-headed Tanager, a noisy Bright-rumped Atilla, Yellow-olive, Ochre-bellied and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, a discreet Northern Bentbill, a pair of Buff-throated Saltators, a Long-billed Gnatwren and several Variable Seedeaters! Phew!!! We also had a couple of bigger highlights with a Crested Guan showing nicely, and by far exceeding the lot, an awesome Collared Forest-falcon flew in and landed at the side of the track and perched looking down at us for some moments. An exceptional bird!
Having had such a good morning, we headed back to the hotel for a well-deserved lunch, and even had a very brief siesta (well some did, I continued birding!). Our plans to head out to the Riverside Trail in the afternoon were slightly scuppered by our ill-fated bus having fan-belt problems! We solved this problem by trying the trails out the back of the hotel, but with the exception of a Bare-throated Tiger-heron, a pair of Dusky Antbirds and an entertaining lek of displaying Orange-collared Mannakins, things were a bit quiet.
Knowing that we had to get to the Riverside Trail, we managed to coax one of the other tour groups bus drivers to give us the lift up the road! Birding was hart work in the dark forest, but what we lacked in quantity we certainly made up for in quality, as we focused on those elusive critters that live on the forest floor! First up was the first of six Black-faced Ant-thrushes which were bizarrely more rail-like than anything else, strange birds! A Tawny-crowned Greenlet worked it’s way through the scrub, before the first of several Ruddy Quail-doves crept in and out of view. A Tawny-winged Woodcreeper appeared and showed well, along with our first Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, before we tracked down a calling male White-whiskered Puff-bird perched at low level just above the path. We spent a lot of time tracking down a calling Stub-tailed Spadebill which eventually showed very well in low scrub, whilst in the next small section, a Streak-chested Antpitta lurked in the leaf-litter. We made our way to a small stream and several small pools which are used as a bathing site for many species, and here we add extremely good views of a male Blue-capped Mannakin and at least three Red-capped Mannakins as well as many of the previous species. Time was not on our side though, and soon it was getting dark, so we headed out of the woods, noting yet another Streak-chested Antpitta feeding on the trail in the half-light.
25th March
The morning again saw us at the Hotel Villa Lapas where we had spent a second night. Many of the species that had been around the lodge the previous morning were again seen today, with another male Scarlet Tanager perhaps of note. One major addition was our first Fiery-billed Aracari of the trip.
Heading out before breakfast, we took a short trip down to the former Tarcoles Lodge. The boat ramp produced the hoped for Yellow-crowed Night Herons with an adult and two immature birds instantly visible, alongside a Bare-throated Tiger-heron and several American Purple Gallinules. Out in the mouth of the estuary a fishing boat was hauling in it’s nets and the boat was literally swarming with Magnificent Frigatebirds. Scanning through these found at least three Brown Boobies perched on the rigging, but the distance involved could hardly show the views as inspiring!
Checking out the mangroves produced no sign of the hoped for Mangrove Vireo, so we birded along the road noting a pair of Grey-necked Wood-rails in one of the small pools at the roadside, numerous Yellow-headed Caracaras, a Mangrove Black Hawk and a couple of Ospreys overhead. An area of scrub on one embankment was full of birds with particular highlights including a Black-striped Sparrow, a pair of Olive Sparrows, a Gray-crowned Yellowthroat, three Yellowish Elaenias, a female Rose-throated Becard, several Yellow-green Vireos and our first Melodious Blackbirds of the trip. Both Yellow-naped and White-crowned Parrots showed along the road, and a Ferruginous Pygmy-owl appeared atop a dead tree leaving a score of mobbing passerines in it’s wake!
We returned to the hotel for a quick breakfast, and then headed up the mountain to try and catch a few raptors hitting the first thermals of the day. Along the road we stopped to watch a couple of Crested Guans, and Grey Hawks were numerous from the outset. Staking our place overlooking two valleys, we sat and waited, with a Double-toothed Kite appearing almost immediately. Time kept ticking, and eventually we got the boy we were after as the first of at least three King Vultures took to the air - absolutely awesome looking beasts. A number of Swainson’s and the odd Short-tailed Hawk kept the vultures busy on the same thermals, whilst we took a double strike of luck with excellent views of a circling Zone-tailed Hawk and then a crippling White Hawk was watched, albeit at some distance. Whilst most of our attention was turned to the raptors overhead, we couldn’t help but notice the comings and goings of a good number of passerines into a small fruiting bush below our position - mostly the usual species, but the arrival of our only Western Tanager of the trip kept us looking, and we eventually scored with a pair of Blue Dacnis and then both stunning male Painted and Indigo Buntings in full breeding plumage. With time moving on, we headed back down the mountain, stopping to watch a migrating thermal of Wood Storks, which were rising in a kettle with three Plumbeous Kites! In the scrub adjacent, our first Thick-billed Seedfinch made for slightly less gripping watching!
The rest of the day was spent travelling to San Jose, from where we caught an internal flight down to the Osa Peninsular. A White-tailed Kite was hunting the airport as we departed, and our rather bumpy but dramatically scenic flight arrived on schedule. We transferred from plane to an array of awaiting taxis, and drove to our next very remote destination at the Bosque de la Rio Tigre. The journey was punctuated by several Pale-vented Pigeons and a family party of Lineated Woodpeckers. Several more Fiery-billed Aracaris were seen, and Roadside Hawks were common, at the roadside bizarrely enough! Our arrival at Bosque de la Rio was a real experience, and as a bonus a Collared Forest-falcon flew over with the setting sun as a backdrop! Fantastic.
26th March
We awoke at dawn to spend a whole day on the property of our lodge. Wandering out, we started with the hummingbird feeders in the grounds of the lodge attracting our first Charming (Beryl-crowned) Hummingbirds, with the first of many Passerini’s Tanagers and a couple of Spot-crowned Euphonias nearby. Out on the trails, one of our very first birds was a Scaly-throated Leaftosser which was aptly living up to it’s name as it shuffled leaves from the path ahead of us! Both Northern Barred and Black-striped Woodcreepers appeared by the path, as several Red-capped Mannakins showed nicely. A long track bisecting the forest turned out to be the key site for our morning’s activities, with the birding proving very intense here. A pair of Turquoise Cotingas were noted in a fruiting tree, and focusing our attentions to the general area soon found us noting a score of good birds including a male Bay-breasted Warbler, several Golden-hooded Tanagers, a pair of Thick-billed Euphonias, Western Wood-pewee and a Paltry Tyrannulet. The first of several Golden-naped Woodpeckers showed tremendously, as we scoped an obliging pair of Red-lored Parrots in an adjacent tree. A pair of Black-crowned Tityras posed admirably, and it was soon obvious that Red-crowned Woodpeckers were the common woodpecker in the south of the country, taking over from the similar Hoffmann’s Woodpecker in the north.
Returning along the track we had just taken, we took in several mixed flocks which produced an array of new birds. An elusive Green Shrike-vireo toyed with us, as Scarlet-rumped Cacique, Russet Antshrike, Rufous Mourner, Eye-ringed Flatbill, Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, a Ruddy Foliage-gleaner and a male of the endemic Black-faced Ant-tanager were added to the trip list. A series of flowering trees were proving productive for hummingbirds and it was pleasing to note several Band-tailed Barbthroats, a female Blue-throated Golden-tail and a tiny female White-crested Coquette. A Bright-rumped Atilla was noted at it’s nest by the path, and then a pair of rather vocal and rather superb Rufous-tailed Jacamars showed well - the South American equivalent of a cross between a Kingfisher and a Bee-eater! Further along the track, and suddenly a large raptor appeared overhead amongst the vultures - a Black Hawk-eagle! For those of us who could run, a race down the hill got awesome views as the bird drifted overhead and disappeared into the far distance. Waiting to see if it would reappear proved futile, though several Lesser Swallow-tailed Swifts showed overhead amongst the many White-collared and Costa Rican Swifts. As we waited for the no-show from the hawk-eagle, we were entertained by a pair of Yellow-bellied Tyrannulets, a very difficult bird to see in Costa Rica. An Eastern Wood-pewee was showing at the side of the track, before we headed off to look for Uniform Crake. The Crake site was a difficult to work area and with a small group, we proceeded to only get very brief glimpses of the three birds present. However, once the majority of the group had moved on, a couple of us lingered behind and had awesome views as one bird decided to feed unconcerned at our feet. An interesting looking crake, being all chocolate-brown but with the most ridiculous pair of bright red legs possible! Moving on, we were in time to join the rest of the group as a pair of Little Tinamous walked out into a clearing and gave some crippling views as they ambled about. We returned to the lodge for lunch, and afterwards we had some time to amble about, during which time I notched up a Mourning Warbler along the Crake trail, as well as a pair of Boat-billed Herons and an Amazon Kingfisher at the small lake. Back at the lodge, and several Blue Ground-doves were visiting the well maintained rice ground feeders.
In the afternoon we headed out for one of those adventures that only birding could provide as we hiked for about a mile through a knee-high stream to look for a very unique hummingbird, and as reward for our exploits, excellent scope views were had of a single White-tipped Sicklebill. The bizarre walk also produced several small parties of Sulphur-rumped Flycatchers, whilst back in the village area and a Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet showed well as a number of Southern Rough-winged Swallows showed overhead. Another awesome discovery was at a small marshy area along the road where we peered into the marsh and had crippling views as a pair of White-throated Crakes wandered into view. We headed back to the trails and as dusk fell we eked out very poor views of a Scaly-breasted Wren as it went to roost off of one of the paths.
27th March
We started the day again at our accommodation at Bosque, and once again we did a circuit of the trails. Many of the birds were similar to the previous day but with some notable exceptions. A small flock along the lower loops of one of the trails held some quality birds, firstly a Bicoloured Antbird appeared, followed by a stonking pair of Great Antshrikes, and then a staggeringly obvious Black-bellied Wren. Several parties of Brown-hooded Parrots flew overhead, before we returned for a final breakfast and then we walked out of the grounds to the bus, passing through the village area where only Jason and I managed to get onto a Scrub Greenlet that appeared whilst the bus was being loaded and caught most unaware!
Heading away from Bosque, we had a long journey ahead of us to our next accommodation, but there were a good number of birds to be looking for on the outward journey. We made several stops en route, firstly for a party of Fiery-billed Aracaris, and then for a couple of Double-toothed Kites. Bonus birds that occurred during these stops were lots of Smooth-billed Anis, a superb pair of Yellow Tyrannulets, and then courtesy of a bit of crafty tape luring, a superb Striped Cuckoo was lured in! The latter proceeded to give fantastic views as it hopped between the tops of several small bushes. Preparing to leave, we jumped in the bus, only to stop again as we rounded the next corner due to a party of six prehistoric-looking Grey-headed Chachalachas in the middle of the road!
We made our way to the river bridge at Rincon which is known as a site for Yellow-billed Cotinga. Fortunately for those that had missed the brief fly-past on the boat a few days previously, we were treated to views of at least two male and a single female Cotingas as they fed in the fruiting riverside trees. The same trees also produced a female Turquoise Cotinga, whilst a few other bits and pieces included both Green and Amazon Kingfishers fishing on the river, and several Yellow-headed Caracaras and Ospreys overhead. With some heavy showers looming, we decided to make a move! Heading off, we stopped pretty sharply a short while later as a rather bedraggled shape on a dead tree transformed into our first Bat Falcon! Not very impressive when viewed perched and rather soggy, but much better value when it leapt off it’s perch and tore across the sky overhead - like a Hobby with the power of a Peregrine, a very neat falcon! Nearby, another brisk roadside stop was made to take in our first pair of perched Blue-crowned Parrots, and shortly after another group of eight were taken in, along with a Lineated Woodpecker, several Roadside Hawks and a flock of eight American Swallow-tailed Kites.
Our lunch stop was taken on the La Gamba road, a site well known in Costa Rica for it’s attraction to invading species from southern America. We were unable to find the Wattled Jacana that was known to be in the area, but we did manage to find a perched Rusty-margined Flycatcher - a species not recorded in the country before 2004. Also in the same vain were several flocks numbering well over 30 Brown-throated Parakeets, another species new to the country, and an even more recent colonist, a pair of Shiny Cowbirds. The agricultural fields along the road were very attractive to many birds, and we found lots of feeding flocks which close scrutiny revealed a good number of specialist species including many Giant Cowbirds and Red-breasted Blackbirds, as well as several Ruddy-breasted Seedeaters and a pair Yellow-breasted Seedeaters. Commoner species in the same fields included many Variable Seedeaters, Blue-black Grassquits and Thick-billed Seed-finches. We stopped on the far side of the village and checked some rather tasty looking fields, noting a couple of Muscovy Ducks, a flock of eight Southern Lapwings, a Solitary Sandpiper and several dazzling Fork-tailed Flycatchers. A bonus White-lined Tanager, a female American Redstart and a Mourning Warbler were in the trackside bushes, and we tracked down an elusive Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet which proceeded to show incredibly well. Raptors seemed to be a feature of the area with three White-tailed Kites, a distant perched King Vulture and our first Laughing Falcon of the trip being of particular note. With time moving on, we decided to call things a day and headed towards our next stop at San Isidro, noting several Lesser Nighthawks along the road as dusk fell.
28th March
Our day started in the hotel grounds of the Talari Lodge outside of San Isidro. The trees around the reception area and lodgings were alive with birds from dawn, and we had an amazing first hour with birds all around. A pair of Grey-headed Tanagers visited the reception bird-tables at dawn, whilst key species in the trees around were a male Turquoise Cotinga, male Scarlet Tanager, many Golden-hooded Tanagers, several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, a couple of Red-eyed Vireos, Yellow-throated & Yellow-green Vireos, Green Honeycreepers, a Black-and-white Warbler, Yellow-bellied & Yellow-olive Flycatchers, at least four Lesser Elaenias, four Buff-throated Saltators, Mourning Warbler and several Orange-billed Nightingale-thrushes. We headed down to the river area, noting our first female Garden Emerald and a Long-billed Star-throat, whilst a party of three Black Phoebes fed along the rocky boulders in the river. We staked out the feeders at the rear of our cabins, and eventually everyone had excellent views of a pair of Streaked Saltators and a Speckled Tanager. Several individual Scaled Pigeons were flying overhead, and we had a very surprise view of our second Black Hawk-eagle of the trip overhead, as well as another Bat Falcon!
With breakfast out of the way, and having checked out of the room, we headed down the road to a small section of flowering bushes which were attracting a wide variety of hummingbirds. The key species here were our only Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds of the trips, whilst a pair of White-necked Jacobins and another Long-billed Star-throat were highly notable. A semi-residential area nearby was visited (via a flyover Fork-tailed Flycatcher), and we quickly noted a pair of Tropical Mockingbirds around the garden of a rather grand gated house!
The rest of the morning was spent travelling upwards as we headed towards Savegre. We stopped to lunch at the Vista de Valia Restaurant which overlooks a rather extravagant feeding station, which held an excellent array of Tanagers with many Silver-throated, Streaked, Golden-hooded and Cherries Tanagers fighting over the fruits on offer. A stonking pair of Red-headed Barbets were the undoubted highlight, although a Chestnut-capped Brush-finch was appreciated by those who had not had good views the previous day. After working for it, we eventually managed to get very fine views of a rather mobile White-tailed Emerald on bushes at the entrance of the restaurant.
Fully satiated by lunch, we climbed ever higher, stopping at another restaurant. Here a range of hummingbird feeders were on offer, and were proving very attractive to lots of Fiery-throated Hummingbirds, and a few Magnificent Hummingbirds. Evidence of the height that we had now climbed too was provided by the numerous Sooty Robins around the car-park area. With our success here we headed up to the radar station on the Tower Road. A pair of rather obliging Volcano Juncos were noted on the road on the way up the mountain. At the summit, we checked the scant vegetation very carefully, and finally amongst the many Slaty Flower-piercers and Sooty-faced Bush-tanagers we found our target in the guise of a pair of the very localised Peg-billed Finches. A vocal Black-billed Nightingale-thrush was noted, and we were being constantly buzzed by Volcano Hummingbirds. A Red-tailed Hawk of one of the Central American subspecies eyed us suspiciously from it’s lofty perch on one of the radar towers. Descending the road further, we explored an area for the elusive Timberline Wren and scored immediately with a very showy bird. A calling Hairy Woodpecker added further diversity to this interesting area.
As the afternoon progressed we made our way down into the Savegre Valley, and made numerous roadside stops for a range of interesting birds! First up were a pair of absolutely corking Long-tailed Silky-flycatchers, which were every bit as extravagant as the name implies! A male Flame-coloured Tanager appeared whilst we watched these birds, and we then moved down to a lower elevation to look for Buffy-crowned Wood-partridges. No joy apart from calls on that front, although an excellent range of birds were available with Acorn Woodpecker, a pair of Yellow-winged Vireos, several Black-cheeked Warblers, a pair of Large-footed Finches and a singing Flame-throated Warbler on the cards. Exploring an adjacent forest trail as dusk neared provided very brief views of a Buff-fronted Quail-dove as it ran away from us. Finishing the day overlooking the rocky river, we were lucky to get views of an American Dipper, but a party of 20 or so White-chinned Swifts overhead were far more appealing in terms of rarity value!
29th March
Today we spent the day exploring the grounds of the Savegre Mountain Lodge. Birding here proved to be surprisingly hard work, and was perhaps the hardest birding of the trip all told. Things began well at dawn as we gathered near the reception centre and found a couple of our early morning targets rather easily, with several Yellow-bellied Siskins in the trees above the lodge, and a number of Sulphur-winged Parakeets overhead. The very active hummingbird feeders scored us new species in the guise of numerous White-throated Mountain-gems and a few Scintillant Hummingbirds, whilst the more numerous Volcano and Magnificent Hummingbirds, and several Green Violet-ears showed well. Walking out onto the trails, we searched hard for a couple of species, but the birding was instantaneously recognised as being difficult! Several Ruddy-capped Nightingale-thrushes were tracked down, and we had our first decent views of a party of perched Band-tailed Pigeons. Searching the river adjacent took lots of effort but was rewarded as we eventually found a rather splendid little group of three Torrent Tyrannulets acting like Dippers as they fed from large boulders and chased around in the rapids looking for insects. Not much else could be found along the river, so we returned to the lodge for breakfast, via scoped views of a Resplendent Quetzal. Breakfast was undertaken, but instantly interrupted by the appearance of a Dark Pewee in the car-park, and then I abandoned breakfast altogether to wander up the hill in search of an unseen singing male Black-thighed Grosbeak, which proceeded to show very well along with a small group of Long-tailed Silky-flycatchers. Unfortunately it disappeared before the rest of the group emerged from the food hall, so went down as another species which we needed to find another of!
Breakfast out of the way, we had a van that drove us up the steep track to the trails at the top of the hillside. A few parties of migrating Broad-winged Hawks powered through overhead as we ascended the hill. We were dropped at the top, and a large party of Acorn Woodpeckers entertained us by the turn-pike. We wandered off into the forest, but birding here was as slow as any of us had ever witnessed! We struggled on and spent several hours seeing very little! A couple of fighting Ruddy Pigeons were noted, and after a bit of searching we tracked down a calling male Collared Trogon (seeing another one shortly afterwards!). The other specialities of the hillside could however not be tracked down, and we had to make do with a large flock of commoner species (mostly Flame-throated, Wilson’s and Black-throated Green Warblers, Collared Redstarts and Ruddy Tree-runners) for entertainment. With things not looking very exhilarating, we decided to head back down the hillside, after a futile scan over the adjacent forest in the hope that a calling Oriental Hawk-eagle might show itself! It didn’t and the few American Swallow-tailed Kites and Red-tailed Hawks overhead were little compensation! Descending the hill we came across a few groups of birds at the lower elevation, and did here manage several good birds in the guise of a couple of Brown-capped Vireos, three Black-capped Flycatchers and a totally unexpected and very difficult Streaked Xenops. We also had good views of perched Sulphur-winged Parakeets very close views of Hairy Woodpecker and a few other bits and pieces, but heavy rain soon started and we made a dash for the comfort of the food hall and lunch!
Venturing out again around the lodge in the afternoon proved very quiet again, and we struggled to have much to see other than a Spangle-cheeked Tanager around the reception area. Taking this as a sign, we piled into the bus and headed out to bird the entrance road. Several stops were made, firstly stopping at an area of gardens which produced several Golden-browed Chlorophonias, Flame-coloured Tanagers, Yellow-bellied Siskins and a pair of Large-footed Finches. Further along the road and we stopped to have a shot at one of the more legendary of difficult Costa Rican birds, the mythical Zeledonia! Incredibly we managed to track down a pair and after throwing ourselves (well some of us did!) and lying in the undergrowth, we had excellent views of these skulkers as they moved through the undergrowth above our heads. Pleased with this result we headed up the road as dusk fell, and stopped to watch an area of scrub where several Dusky Nightjars were soon calling, and quickly one appeared flying through us and excellent spot-lit scope views were had of it perched on a dead tree nearby. Returning back to the lodge for dinner, we made one further stop for a very accommodating Bare-shanked Screech-owl on the roadside, before calling it a day!
30th March
Our morning was again spent at the Savegre Mountain Lodge, where a wander around the trails produced largely the same variety of birds as the previous morning. A male Black-thighed Grosbeak and prolonged views of a Dark Pewee were the most appreciated of the mornings fare, as both birds had been missed by most of the group the previous day. Kicking ourselves into action early, we headed out from the lodge and started the long journey towards La Selva with a few stops en route. Heading along the entrance track we suddenly got the shout to ‘Stop! From Jason in the front seat, who excelled by hearing the calls of a Streak-breasted Treehunter from within the bus, and we proceeded to get excellent views of a pair of these extremely difficult birds in some scant trees on the hillside. Making our way down Providencial Road, we stopped the bus and walked a good distance. There were a fair few birds around to sort through, though most were now reasonably familiar to us all! An Ochraceous Pewee gave the briefest of views as it sallied across the road, but our search for this was cut short by the appearance of a group of three Black-and-yellow Silky-flycatchers which were showing superbly well in the fruiting trees. A good warbler flock came through, with a couple of Paltry Tyrannulets, Mountain Elaenias and a Black-capped Flycatcher tagging along, whilst a Black Guan crashed around nearby. With time in our favour, we managed another visit to the Towers Road to search for a reported Slaty Finch, but we found no sign of this bird, although a pair of Zeledonias made the visit more than worthwhile by showing down to a few feet!
Much of the rest of the day was spent travelling, with a couple of brief stops near the town of Catargo. Firstly wandering across a field of sedge, and taking our lives into our own hands with the fear of the dreaded chiggers, we were successful in flushing a single Sedge Wren. Nearby, a small marshy area was less successful with our target of White-throated Flycatcher, although a nearby pond helped us with a few additions to the trip list - namely a few American Coots and a Moorhen! A Least Grebe, a few Black-bellied Whistling-ducks and 20 Blue-winged Teals were also noted.
Continuing on our journey, we stopped just outside the Braulio Carrillo National Park at the Reserve Ecologica El Tapir (more regularly known as the ‘Old Butterfly gardens’). We saw the day out here and had excellent views of a couple of Violet-headed Hummingbirds, a stonking Green Thorntail and a minute Black-crested Coquette around the flower-beds. A short wander along one of the trails revealed an elusive flock, but with some real quality with a couple of Checker-throated Antwrens, a bunch of noisy Olive Tanagers and a Spotted Woodcreeper noted. A female Snowcap obliging perched for all to see, but we were somewhat disappointed not to be able to take in views of a mythical male! Back to the open gardens, and we spent the last part of the day noting a pair of Black-and-yellow Tanagers, a large flock of Black-faced Grosbeaks, a roosting Black-cheeked Woodpecker and a perched Double-toothed Kite.
31st March
We awoke at our hotel of La Quinta de Sarapiqui at a rather early hour, with most of the group somewhat disgruntled by a 4:45am breakfast! The early start was hugely worthwhile as we were to head to the world-class and famous biological station at La Selva. The research station was not due to open until 8am, so we left early to bird the entrance road. A series of lamps along the road were being attended by numerous birds, eager to glean any insects that had been attracted to the lights the previous night! Things were moving as soon as we arrived, and we quickly found ourselves working through a selection of very unfamiliar birds. A pair of Chestnut-coloured Woodpeckers were first up, and the fruiting tree that they were utilising quickly gave away further surprises in the guise of a male Crimson-collared Tanager, two Black-headed Saltators, a White-ringed Flycatcher and a pair of Tropical Pewees. A male Fasciated Antshrike was utilising the lights, as was a migrant Grey Catbird. We ambled along the road noting a flyover party of Olive-throated Parakeets, and a pair of perched Mealy Parrots. An obliging pair of Band-backed Wrens shared a tree with a Black-cowled Oriole and a Cinnamon Becard, whilst a singing Olive-crowned Yellowthroat put on a fine display. A scolding from the lower undergrowth showed up a pair of Red-throated Ant-tanagers, whilst a male Great Antshrike skulked at the same level. A Rufous-winged Woodpecker put on a fine display as we scoured the scores of Chestnut-collared and Grey-rumped Swifts overhead, which held several Lesser Swallow-tailed Swifts, and once our eye was in, we noted at least three Spot-fronted Swifts amongst the grey-rumps. A Violet-crowned Wood-nymph buzzed through, followed by a fine male Blue Ground-dove. Back towards the entrance and a pair of Olive-backed Euphonias gave themselves up, as a pair of Grey-necked Wood-rails walked the road. A pair of Crested Guans were feeding in a fruiting tree, as we walked into the entrance gates noting a Northern Barred Woodcreeper, a gang of raucous Chestnut-headed Oropendolas, a pair of Smoky-brown Woodpeckers and a female Blue Dacnis. A cane field produced good views of a skulking Canebrake Wren - currently lumped with Plain Wren, but sometimes considered a good species in it’s own right, and sometimes regarded as such.
Our guide at La Selva was waiting for us, and quickly put us onto a rather sorry-looking Spectacled Owl roosting at very close range. We headed off along the more open trail, where several mixed feeding flocks were encountered. A calling Black-headed Tody-flycatcher was flicking around over our heads and caused a bit of a scrum in order for most of the group to see it well! As we watched this a Cinnamon Woodpecker flew in, followed by the appearance of a party of Dusky-faced Tanagers., and then a Yellow-olive Woodpecker. A male Great Antshrike and a Black-crowned Tityra afforded good views before we got distracted by a pair of White-winged Becards, and then a stonking Black-throated Wren. Whilst most of the group got phased by the melee of birds surrounding us, both Miles and I independently latched onto a corking male Hooded Warbler - a rare migrant in Costa Rica. Further along the trail and a small lek of White-collared Mannakins entertained the whole group. Feeling pretty flush with our initial start, we opted to try the harder trails, with our run of luck holding as we managed to track down a pair of Western Slaty Antshrikes, and then showy White-breasted Wood-wrens and a Stripe-breasted Wren. We walked along a board-walk and were distracted at some flowering bushes by a Red-footed Plumeleteer. Better value was provided by our first Collared Aracaris, but these couldn’t compare to the crippling views we had of a absolutely tiny insect-like Black-capped Pygmy-tyrant - one of the smallest birds in the world!
Taking a breather from the hectic morning so far, we headed back to our hotel for lunch, with a short siesta for some, during which time I searched the hotel gardens with awesome views of Rufous-tailed Jacamar and a showy Northern Waterthrush being my rewards.
In the afternoon we returned to La Selva, where the quantity of birds was not comparable to the mornings action, but what we lacked in quantity, was more than made up for in quality! Staking out the area around the research station, I was the first to note a stunning male Snowy Cotinga as it flew into the top of a dead tree, and shared the first afternoon’s honours along with our first Keel-billed Toucans, and a perched Scaled Pigeon - a rarity for the site. We wandered back to the trails, noting several Short-billed Pigeons. Out on the first trail and a White-necked Puffbird was noted, and back out into the open area, and a pair of Pied Puffbirds entertained. We walked into another section of forest, and watched in awe as a pair of Great Tinamous scampered across the forest floor, but the raucous screams of a Great Green Macaw were unfortunately too brief for us to run to an open area in order to view it! Heading back to the research station, we passed two female Great Currasows feeding in a fruiting tree, and were then privileged to watch a pair strolling around the lawns at close range. The appearance of a Long-tailed Tyrant was welcomed as we ate a celebratory ice cream, watching several large parties of migrating Cliff Swallows overhead. The day was not over yet and La Selva kept it’s spoils coming right till the close of the day as Jason tracked us down a roosting Vermiculated Screech-owl, and we all took our position on the iron bridge as dusk fell, and a pair of Short-tailed Nighthawks appeared hawking low overhead - a fitting finale to an awesome day!
01st April
The dawning of Fools Day and we spent the first hour or two of light checking out a number of sites near La Selva for Sunbittern. Fools we were as we found no sign of any! Unfortunately the recent earthquake a few months previously had caused most of the known Sunbitterns to change their behavioural patterns, and we were unfortunately destined to dip this spectacular species on this trip. In fact not only did we not find a Sunbittern, we found very little of anything! So with this in mind we headed towards a small marshy area at the roadside where our fortune was slightly better with several Nicaraguan Seed finches singing from the stunted vegetation and a bit of fortune found us a male Common Yellowthroat feeding in a clump of sedge. Nearby, a drive alongside a fast-flowing river produced excellent views of a Fasciated Tiger-heron perched on a boulder in the rapids, and another was later seen at the roadside. We headed back to the Old Butterfly Gardens where we had been the day before, noting a swirl of ten American Swallow-tailed Kites and a pair of Long-tailed Tyrants en route.
Our arrival at the Old Butterfly Gardens coincided with what we were after as a startling male Snowcap appeared and dazzled us as it scuttled around the flowering plants. A bit of a mythic bird, it didn’t disappoint! The backup cast of Violet-headed Hummingbirds, Violet-crowned Wood-nymphs and both single Green Thorntail and Black-crested Coquette was equally rather good. We decided to wander the forest trails, and immediately after setting off, flushed a Great Tinamou from the path - a good start! The forest here was once again hampered by very quiet spells, followed by very intense waves of actions as a large feeding party would appear. A calling Scale-crested Pygmy-tyrant was tracked down, and whilst we were getting views of this, a small flock came through that contained several Checker-throated Antwrens, a Streak-headed Antvireo, three Wedge-billed Woodcreepers, a dapper female White-ruffed Mannakin and a pair of Buff-throated Foliage-gleaners. Into another section of woodland and we found ourselves amongst a large warbler flock with several Golden-winged Warblers, a single Black-and-white Warbler and a male Canada Warbler of particular note. High in the canopy we worked hard to pick out a couple of really scarce species in the guise of an Ash-throated Bush-tanager and a pair of Rufous-browed Tyrannulets. Several Tawny-crowned Greenlets worked the lower levels, along with a pair of Russet Antshrikes, and then a pair of Tawny-faced Gnatwrens. Having seen both a male Violaceous and a Black-throated Trogon, we headed off the trail slightly disappointed at our lack of luck with our only missing ’gettable’ Trogon, so it was a major bonus when a male Lattice-tailed Trogon flew in above the path as we exited the trail. Result!
The rest of the afternoon was spent heading north to the Cano Negro region, noting a couple of White-tailed Kites and Roadside Hawks en route. Stopping at a small marshy area at dusk on the final approach to our hotel at Cano Negro, we counted 13 Crested Caracaras in some recently cut cane fields, and upwards of 30 Lesser Nighthawks took to the air and hawked back and forth over a field being burnt. As the light decreased evermore, we headed further down the road and stopped for a couple of Pauraques sat on the road, and then as we entered the village area, we had to stop suddenly for a smart Striped Owl perched at the roadside. We made for our hotel for dinner, and then afterwards, some of us had a post-dinner excursion to look for Potoos! Travelling back along the road we had come, kicking Pauraques left, right and centre, we slowly spot-lighted every possible tree and suddenly there came the shout - Great Potoo! Instantaneously it was bird of the trip! An absolutely massive creature perched atop a dead tree, we jumped out and ’scoped the beast for a good while, before a calling Mottled Owl distracted us. Unfortunately the owl was not prepared to give itself up, so we had to content ourselves with a perched Common Potoo as we drove back to the hotel!
02nd April
We got up early and headed out on our second boat trip of the tour. The wetlands here were absolutely jam-packed full of Herons and Wood Storks, whilst all the typical wetland species were in abundance. We were after a couple of key specialities from the boat, and it didn’t take long for us to find the first of a number of Nicaraguan Grackles - a Central American endemic with a very restricted range in Costa Rica. The many vultures over the boat were scanned carefully until we were all happy with views of an immature Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture low overhead. A Grey-headed Dove speeding across the river ahead of us completed the specialities we were likely to see in the area. Other highlights of the three-hour boat ride included three Boat-billed Herons, single Peregrine and Bat Falcon, a day-roosting Pacific Screech-owl, a few migrant Orchard Orioles and good views of Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet.
Back on Terra Firma, we returned to the hotel and booked-out before searching a few areas around Cano Negro village. Our first stop around some overgrown gardens scored us a family party of Spot-breasted Wrens showing nicely. Then we wandered up the track opposite the boat club, coinciding our visit with a massive raptor passage overhead. A three minute count saw well over 1500 Swainson’s Hawks pour overhead, along with a couple of hundred Broad-wings and a few Turkey Vultures. A real spectacle! The wooded scrub alongside the track produced a decent feeding flock with Rufous-winged Woodpecker, Black-headed Trogon, Cinnamon Becard, a pair of White-winged Becards, a Spot-breasted Wren and a Greenish Eleania all being of note. Our whistle stop tour of Cano Negro was soon over, and we were soon making our way to our final destination of the trip at Arenal. A couple of stops on the way out, the first unscheduled, to take in a group of four Green Ibises feeding in a flooded field by the roadside, and the second at the marshy area we had called in at the previous night. A vain scan for a Pinnated Bittern proved somewhat unsuccessful, though several Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures did prove rather showy as they hunted over the burnt cane fields nearby.
Arriving at our final hotel at the Arenal Observatory Lodge, we took a late afternoon lap of one of the closer trails and managed to dig out a few bits and pieces, with the highlights including a couple of singing Tropical Parulas and a couple of elusive Nightingale Wrens.
03rd April
An early morning start and we once again started on the trails closest to our rooms. A small mixed group of warblers demanded our attention, and searching through them we struck gold with a female Cerulean Warbler appearing in their midst. Heading out onto the trail itself, we put a lot of effort into finding a calling Thicket Antpitta, and after carefully positioning ourselves, some of us were able to watch in stunned silence as a bird flew in at our feet and proceeded to slink along in the leaf-litter. Some fruiting trees in a more open area warranted exploration, and we were pleased to find a pair of Hepatic Tanagers in this area. Casual birding allowed us to get great views of a number of Crested Guans, Grey-headed Chachalachas, Brown-hooded Parrots, Collared Aracaris, a lone Russet Antshrike and a male Kentucky Warbler. We wandered back for breakfast, noting a couple of Black-crested Coquettes in the flowering gardens, along with our first Purple-crowned Fairy of the trip.
Our destination for the morning was the Hanging Bridges down the road, and we birded our way off the grounds and boarded the bus. A couple of stops along the entrance track provided us with some quality birding, firstly we stopped and managed to entice a pair of Dull-mantled Antbirds to within a few feet of the road. A brief scan for Sunbittern along a rocky river was completely fruitless, but did allow us to score nice views of a skulking pair of Bay Wrens nearby. Further along the road and a raptor glided across in front of the bus with a gang of Swallows harassing it. We piled out of the bus and were amazed as a Bi-coloured Hawk reappeared over us and did a superb fly-past - a very difficult to see raptor in the country! Flushed with success, we decided to try a difficult stake-out bird. A Keel-billed Motmot had recently been in some roadside trees, and we wandered up and down the road. Jason played the tape, and suddenly within touching distance sat the Motmot! Tape lures may not always be the most ethical of things, but there is no disputing that they can work very well indeed!
We finally managed to reach the bridges, after taking in awesome views of a stunning White Hawk along the approach track, and then a scan from the reception area produced a pair of perched Laughing Falcons. A pair of escaped Blue-and-gold Macaws around the car-park were a surprise somewhat! Birding the bridges was not easy work, but we worked hard and we scored some cracking new birds for the trip. A pair of Rufous-winged Tanagers skulked under one of the bridges, whilst a male Plain Antvireo confused us by looking nothing like it’s depicted plate in the field guide! We all had good views of a Canada Warbler, before we clocked up in quick succession crippling views of Black-headed Nightingale-thrush, a calling Thrushlike Schiffornis and then a Broad-billed Motmot. Back to the car-park, and a male Great Currasow was being fawned over by the tourists!
We returned to the Observatory Lodge, noting a male Scarlet-thighed Dacnis at the feeders. We wandered the trails again, but birding was a little difficult in the dark afternoon conditions, though we still managed very good views of several Spotted Antbirds, and a Song Wren showed very briefly to a few of us.
04th April
The day had to dawn eventually where we would not see the sun set in Costa Rica! Still our late afternoon flight ensured that we had plenty of time to get to the airport and relax before heading off home. Obviously the only way to relax in Costa Rica is with some hardcore birding, and so it was yet another dawn start! We made for one of the trails and somehow we managed to luck-in on an area where there were obviously a few ants to be had, and thus there were some quality birds! By far the highlight were a pair of absolutely stonking Occellated Antbirds - a major target, and one that none of us thought we had a chance of seeing on this tour! As we watched these birds we constantly got distracted by the other birds utilising the same food source, with several Bicoloured and Spotted Antbirds, a pair of Song Wrens, a Scale-crested Pygmy-tyrant and a Tawny-faced Gnatwren of note. We all scrabbled down the path to see a superb Semi-Plumbeous Hawk perched at the trail-side, before we headed back out onto the open road to where several fruiting trees were proving popular with a number of birds. A Pale-billed Woodpecker, several Bay-headed, Scarlet and Hepatic Tanagers, female Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Tropical Parulas, Golden-crowned Warblers, a Gray-crowned Yellowthroat and a Kentucky Warbler all showing well. We headed back and into breakfast, having our last looks at several hummingbird species and both Brown-hooded and Red-lored Parrots. A quick check through a few warblers in the pines by the hotel entrance proved very worthwhile when a stunning male Blackburnian Warbler flicked into view!
Having packed our belongings and checked out of our rooms, we boarded the bus and made the journey towards San Jose and our flight to take us away from Costa Rica! We had a few short stops to make en route, the first at the nearby lakeside where we had brief flight views of a skulking Slaty Spinetail, and enjoyed better views of an Eastern Kingbird perched on an exposed branch. We also took the opportunity to watch several American Swallow-tailed Kites as they dip-fed over the adjacent lakes - most intriguing behaviour! Our final stop of the day was at a small hummingbird restaurant on the road back to San Jose where amongst several Violet-crowned Wood-nymphs, Coppery-headed Emeralds and Green violet-ears, we found three White-bellied Mountain-gems.