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Month: March 2024

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bird finding in Costa Rica Birding Costa Rica where to find birds in Costa Rica Where to see birds in Costa Rica

Two Days and Two Mornings of Birding in Costa Rica = 254 Species

Birding in Costa Rica means a lot of birds. I often say something along those lines but hey, good news is worth repeating. But seriously, there really are a heck of a lot of birds in Costa Rica! Thankfully, a lot of places are home to lots of birds too but what makes Costa Rica stand out is the number of bird species you can see in a short amount of time.

During a week of birding in Costa Rica, you could easily see more than 300 species, maybe even 400. Heck, even during a few days of birding, you can see an impressive number of birds. You have to go to the right places, put in the time, and it helps knowing how to find birds in Costa Rica but seeing 100 plus species in a day isn’t that difficult.

Last week, one full day of birding yielded well over 100 species, and another morning turned up far less but included several rare species or regional endemics. Then there was the birding that yielded more than 170 species, all in one morning.

Where did I go? What did I see? Highlights? Lowlights? Check it out-

Sunday Morning on the Bijagual Road

This spot is the name I give to the road that goes from Villa Lapas to the village of Bijagual and on to Macaw Lodge. This birdy byway goes along and near the southern edge of Carara National Park. There are forests, second growth, fields, and 200 or so species (or more). I have wanted to do some dawn birding in that area for a while. Despite the early, night drive down to the lowlands, I’m glad we did it!

To be honest, I wanted to see how the road might work as a Big Day starting point. Would I hear some key Carara birds from the road? Might I find something else?

Although it didn’t yield the Big Day results I was hoping for, it was still a great morning of birding. In addition to expected macaws, trogons, and lots of other birdies, we also had a few less expected finds. I knew White-crested Coquette was possible but I also know it trends elusive. I can’t blame the bird, it’s just about bug size and has to constantly hide from the larger, more aggressive members of its family.

A male from another time and place. Females also have that orangey belly and a white throat.

BUT, at some flowering trees that were abuzz with hummingbirds, sure enough, we saw one! The bird was a female that popped in and out of view, not good for a photo but this was birding, NOT bird photography.

Other nice finds were hearing expected Marbled Wood-Quail, several Olivaceous Piculets, finding Pale-breasted Spinetail, and seeing the perched King Vulture shown above!

I can’t complain, in four hours of birding, we had 145 species.

eBird Checklist – 17 Mar 2024 – Road from Villa Lapas to Pura Vida Waterfall Gardens – 145 species

Then, we did some quick birding around Tarcoles, mostly checking the shore and taking a peak at roosting Black and white Owls. We ended the morning with 171 species. Bijagual road and Tarcoles – eBird Trip Report

A Morning on Irazu

A few days later, I birded the Irazu area for the morning. First stop was a stop for Bare-shanked Screech-Owl. As it often does, a roosting bird was calling in the early morning but try as we did, we just couldn’t find it. I think it roosts deep in some extremely vegetated high elevation bush.

While we scanned for the owl from different angles, a Maroon-chested Ground-Dove started calling! I usually see this bird at the Nochebuena but do sometimes hear them on the main road just south of there. The dove came closer and I did glimpse it once in flight but nope, it never perched where I could put it in the scope.

Next stop was a road next to the entrance to the national park. It didn’t take long to find our two main targets; the Timberline Wren and the Volcano Junco. After that, we went to the Nochebuena cafe and trails to look for another ground-dove. It took a little while but we did eventually have looks at a perched male!

The Timberline Wren.

We also enjoyed the other regular birds, had brief but good views of Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge, and fantastic looks at a Bare-shanked Screech-Owl. Since we didn’t need to see the quetzal or pygmy-owl, we didn’t spend much time looking for those quality species before driving back at 11 a.m.

Irazu area March 20 2024 – eBird Trip Report

A Full Day From Poas to Virgen del Socorro

The following day was a full day of birding in highland habitats at and near Poas. The varied habitats and elevations always make for a good selection of birds and March 21st was no exception. This day, we got our fill of quetzal views along with looks at other expected high elevation birds.

Wrenthrush was sadly quiet but we still saw a bunch of other birds in the Varablanca area and then at Cinchona and Virgen del Socorro. Of those 129 species, highlights included Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, Black-bellied Hummingbird, silky-flycatchers, Flame-throated Warbler, and Yellow-winged Tanager.

Of yeah, and there was also an antswarm at Virgen del Socorro! Nothing too crazy but close looks at a few Zeledon’s Antbirds was nice and singing Ocellated Antbird in full view was even better!

Poas, Cinchona, Virgen del Socorro – eBird Trip Report

On another day of birding that included some lower elevation sites, I had even more species (153)- March 13 2024 – eBird Trip Report

Overall, the total from two mornings of birding and one full day was 254 species. Like I was saying, within a short amount of time, you really can see an incredible number of birds in Costa Rica!

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Quail-Dove Identification in Costa Rica

buff-fronted-quail-do

Quail-doves seem to herald from the realm of birding dreams. The plump birds aren’t quails but you could be excused for believing it. They are indeed doves but are a far cry from those everyday, easy-peasy Mournings.

Instead of sitting in the open or easing on down the middle of a road, quail-doves lurk in the shadows. Shy by nature, quail-doves are careful. I can’t blame them. I mean if I had to walk the same forest floor as hungry Ocelots, boas, and other animals that couldn’t wait to devour me, I’d be pretty darn timid too!

Most forest floor birds are careful but quail-doves take it to another level of caution. They have to because unlike somberly plumaged wrens, antbirds, and Swainson’s Warblers, quail-doves are downright fancy.

They got cool little face patterns and patches of iridescence that transform them into beautiful little birds. Quail-doves can still sort of blend in but not if they take bold steps, and definitely not in open habitats.

All of that cautious behavior makes quail-doves somewhat more challenging to see than other birds. You can still find them, sightings can happen (!) but only if you get lucky, or play by quail-dove rules.

Those would be:

  • Walking slow and careful like a quail-dove.
  • Keeping silence. Forget talking, better to not even whisper.
  • Keep an eye on the forest floor in mature forest, especially below fruiting trees.
  • Listen for and track down calling quail-doves.

Yeah, that’s especially challenging in group birding situations and requires a high degree of patience but what are you gonna do? Thems are the quail-doves rules!

Now that you have a fair idea of how to look for quail-doves, here’s some tips to identify them in Costa Rica. The two main problematic species are the first ones mentioned, I’ll mostly focus on them.

Buff-fronted Quail-Dove vs. Purplish-backed Quail-Dove

The Monteverde parking lot Buff-fronted Quail-Dove (aka “Super Friendly”)
Purplish-backed Quail Dove on the trail at Pocosol- a rough picture but it does reflect how they are often seen.

Way back when, in more ecologically healthy times, ancestors of these two species took two different paths. One preferred the high road, and the other, the not so high road. After long years of separation, one became the Buff-fronted and the other the Purplish-backed.

Despite their names, these two species can look a lot more similar than you think, especially when they give you typical, few second, quail-dove views The heavily shaded, understory conditions don’t help either!

Both have a similarly patterned, mostly gray head, dark back, and gray underparts. If you know what to look for, separating the two isn’t all that problematic. Confusion stems from the color of the back, and expecting to only see Buff-fronteds at high elevations.

Regarding their back, the Buff-fronted’s is maroon-brown, maybe with a hint of burgundy; a color that can easily make you wonder if it might actually be some shade of purple. Focus on that tint, especially if the quail-dove is in middle elevation cloud forest, and it’s easy to enter it into eBird as a Purplish-backed.

If you see a quail-dove like this at high elevations, yes, without a doubt, Buff-fronted. Purplish-backeds only typically range up to around 1,200 meters or so. But what about the adventurous Purplish-backeds that walk a bit higher? What about Buff-fronteds that commonly range down to 1.200 meters or even lower?

Oh yeah, they can overlap! Buff-fronteds stroll at lower elevations than you think. Perhaps they are limited to old second growth in such elevations? Maybe other odd situations such as the feeders at Cinchona?

Whatever the case, you CAN see these two birds in the same area. That just means that in places where foothill rainforest transitions to cloud forest, you can’t assume identification based on elevation.

Instead, if you see a quail-dove at Cinchona or other spot with similar elevation, focus on these main field marks:

  • See if the bird has a buff or just pale gray front- The Buff-fronted lives up to its name. The Purplish-backed has a pale gray front.
  • Look at the back- If the bird has a green nape, and the back and wings are the same maroon-brown color, it’s a Buff-fronted. If the bird has a distinct amethyst purple patch on its back that contrasts with duller brown wings, hello Purplish-backed!
A much nicer picture of a Purplish-backed Quail-Dove from the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app. This picture was taken by Josh Beck.

Ruddy Quail-Dove vs. Violaceous Quail-Dove vs. White-tipped Dove

A Ruddy Quail-Dove from Luna Lodge, Costa Rica, a place where it is common.

In general, these are pretty easy. Both Ruddy and the rare Violaceous have reddish beaks but Ruddy is more brownish or red-brown with pattern on its head while Violaceous has a more uniform grayish head and contrasting white underparts.

Based on its general plumage pattern, the Violaceous might remind you of a White-tipped Dove. However, if that “White-tipped” has a red beak , grayish head, and rufous tail, it’s a Violaceous Quail-Dove.

Chiriqui Quail-Dove

This hefty quail-dove is pretty easy. No other quail-dove in Costa Rica is brown with a gray cap.

Olive-backed Quail-Dove

Another easy quail-dove, at least to identify. It’s the only one that has mostly dark gray plumage and a white mark on its face.

Quail-doves are some of the tougher birds to see in Costa Rica. They require a special type of patience and can be especially tough on group birding tours. However, play by their rules and you can see them!

Maybe not the Violaceous but if you go to the right places, the other quail-doves for sure! Learn more about seeing quail-doves and other birds in Costa Rica with “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”. Use it to get ready for your birding trip to Costa Rica and see hundreds of bird species. I hope to see you here!

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Birding Costa Rica

Early Spring Migrants- On the Move in Costa Rica

Birds come and go with the seasons. When you get started in the ways of avian appreciation, it’s one of the first things you learn. As a kid, winter birding in Niagara was a freezing adventure where stark woodlands echoed with calling crows and the chattering of chickadees.

The rushing, ice-cold waters of the Niagara were a blizzard of gulls and diving ducks. There was a fortunate flock of January redpolls, maybe a few other things but where were the Baltimore Orioles? What about those pages of fancy warblers?

A lot were in Costa Rica of course but in my 80s universe, they were birds of distant summer months and wilder places than our street. Eventually, I learned how to catch up with them, to coincide May visits to old woods on Goat Island with waves of warblers and other migrating birds.

Birds in Costa Rica also come and go, not nearly as much as the northern places, but we do experience some avian changes. As far as seasons go, it’s mostly wet or dry but we have are times of transition too, weeks when birds pass through Costa Rica.

We have just started one of those transit periods, this is what’s happening now.

The First Raptors of the Spring River

The first of the raptors have begun to migrate through Costa Rica. Birders have been seeing whirling flocks of Turkey Vultures along with a scattering of Swainson’s Hawks. These birds are the initial trickles of a growing current in the biannual River of Raptors.

They flow north in spring, then back south in fall. It’s an absolute marvel, a wildlife spectacle that should be shown to all schoolchildren in its path.

“Look up! See all those flying birds? Get a closer look with these binoculars. Those vultures and hawks are flying to Pennsylvania, to Utah, and on to Canada. Where are those places? Here’s a map, look! Some will fly over Bison, others will hear the howls of wolves. Many will be watched by people in those places, even young people like you.”

Swallows

On one of my first sojourns in Costa Rica, back in 1995, I learned a word. I had probably read it somewhere but had never really said “Hirundines” out loud, had surely never deployed it in a sentence.

I learned (or relearned) the term from Steve, an English birder my friend Alec and I met while birding in Carara National Park, back when the River Trail was almost too birdy to believe and ended at an oxbow lake.

Dedicated Steve was carrying some heavy stuff, a scope and I don’t know what else but enough to generate waves of sweat. He was constantly wiping his glasses, cleaning off his personal coolant. That’s what he was doing when we asked Steve what he had been seeing.

“This and that, some Hirundines…”.

I thought, “What the heck is that bird?” and he surely noticed my confusion.

“You know, swallows. Martins.”

These days, the Hirundines are beginning to move back through Costa Rica, starting to fly back north to colonial nesting grounds for another season of bugs, mud nests, and youngster care.

I saw my first Cliffs of the year the other day, the pioneers of millions on the verge of flying over Costa Rica. A few Banks have arrived too while flocks of Purple Martins are already coursing along the Caribbean shore.

I hope I see some of those martins, am eager to scan the sky for Hirundines.

Prothonotary Warblers and Louisiana Waterthrushes are Leaving

Some birds are arriving to Costa Rica from wintering grounds in South America, others that wintered here are packing their bags. It’s no surprise that the early migrants of the north are birds that depart these mountains and mangroves first.

Recently, I watched Prothonotary Warblers in dry forest, away from their usual watery haunts. I suspect they were migrants soon to be joined by the ones that winter here. Like all nocturnal migrants, they make their departure in secret. No goodbyes, no final calls as they lift off and mark their way north.

A bunch in the mangroves one day, just a few the next, and then, before you know it, none at all. It’s the same for the Louisiana Waterthrush except that tail bobber departs from rushing mountain streams. You know, a lot like its nesting grounds but with cloud forest on the banks.

Costa Rica Summer Birds are Back!

Technically, our year round residents are summer birds too. Technically, we don’t really have a summer. And yet, we do have some birds that migrate to Costa Rica for the same months as baseball, fireworks, and other outdoor summer fun in the north.

Recent birding showed me that those birds are back. Yellow-green Vireos reminded me with constant caroling phrases. The first Piratic Flycatchers were whistling with anticipation for the upcoming breeding season, not to nest mind you, but to steal or pirate some other bird’s nest. I heard the squeak of my first 2024 Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher and have already been witnessing the elegant antics of Swallow-tailed Kites.

Wintering Birds Tuning up Vocal Chords

Another sign of spring in Costa Rica are the voices of wintering birds. We rarely hear warblers sing but, in March, a few can’t resist the urge. They haven’t sang for a while, the young birds haven’t sang at all. It shows when a Black-throated Green tries out a song or two, when a Wilson’s Warbler chatters or an Indigo Bunting lets loose with a bizarre mix of jumbling notes.

Their songs are weak and tend to be quiet, pretty much what you would expect from restarting the vocal chords.

Other birds can sing too, March and early April are the one time in Costa Rica when we might hear Chuck-will’s-Widows and Eastern Whip-Poor-Wills say their names. A few lucky birders have heard Chuck-will’s sing just before they leave, and I know a pair of very lucky birders who heard a Whip-poor-Will near Atenas.

That’s a rare bird for Costa Rica, we have no idea how many winter here but the number is surely low. They told me how, one April dawn, they heard the distinctive song of a Whip-poor-will, a species they were very familiar with. Their account makes me want to be out there around dawn these days, to be in green space and just listen as the day begins.

I want to see who sends their farewells, to see which birds are ready to fly back into the night sky and set the compass for the north.

Birds in Costa Rica are on the move. Migrants moving through the country, and Three-wattled Bellbirds and other resident species are tuning up too. Some are singing more to mark their territories. Whether you’re wondering where to see birds in Costa Rica for an upcoming trip, or are already here, it’s a good time to be birding in Costa Rica. Hope I see you here!