high elevation birding in Costa Rica

Costa Rica birding covers a wide range of avian experiences. There are dry lowlands with Turquoise-browed Motmots and Double-striped Thick-Knees, backyard Blue-gray Tanagers, and toucans yelping from the tree tops.

This is a thick-knee. I know, what an odd, orthopedic sounding name for a bird!

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

There’s a whole lot of birds up in here, even uncommon species or ones that are hard to find no matter where you bring the binos. That’s what this post is about and although I’ve written a similar thing or two about birding on Irazu Volcano, here we go again.

Irazu is the name of this 11,000 foot volcano that rocks its way up the east side of the Central Valley. If you find yourself looking over that way while watching Crimson-fronted Parakeets, notice the big hulking mountain with distant antennas on top.

That’s Irazu and way up there on that natural behemoth, you can bet there are some quality birds. Here’s how things went on a recent Sunday morning of birding on Irazu.

Maroon-chested Ground-Doves

Irazu continues to be a reliable spot for this little mega dove. You will probably have to trudge uphill for it but don’t be fooled, the birds are there.

Often, I hear them as soon as I arrive at the Nochebuena but not this past Sunday. Things were actually a bit quiet for morning birding. Maybe the birds were feeling cold too? Could be, once the mist burned off and the sun came out, they eventually started calling.

Two, maybe three ground-doves hooted or cooed from the dense foliage. That’s par for the course for this pretty little dove. It vocalizes from a tree and if it thinks you see it, the bird pulls a shy woodpecker and moves to the other side of the trunk!

We kept watching and eventually got some brief looks of a perched male. Better views were had of two males in flight, one of which zipped low over the ground. I can still picture its dark, wine-colored chest contrasting with the dove’s ghost-pale head.

Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl and Buff-crowned Wood-Partridge

While we looked for the doves, another Irazu specialty called; the Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl. They are up there and it’s a good spot for them! However, they don’t always come out to play.

Sometimes, like this past Sunday, you only hear them from a distance.

What the Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl looks like when you see it.

Quiet often, that’s also the case for the wood-partridge. However, on Sunday, after hearing their hoarse calls echoing around us, we got brief but nice views of a couple creeping through the undergrowth!

Resplendent Quetzals

What do you know, Irazu is also good for quetzals. Seriously, I see Resplendent Quetzal on pretty much every visit. On this recent trip, I wasn’t hearing them, I wondered if I would finally miss the spectacular birds while birding Irazu.

But nope, they still showed up, at least four different birds including one wildly displaying male and another male that perched and called between bouts of feeding on avocados.

Long-tailed Weasel!

No, not a bird but Mustelids are mega too! Irazu seems to be a good place for wildlife, and I mean even on the side of the road. I have seen Coyotes several times, Gray Fox, and, on Sunday, we had perfect looks at a Long-tailed Weasel.

The elusive mammal bounded across the road in front of us, it was a treat!

Peg-billed Finch and Timberline Wren

After an early morning at the Nochebuena, we drove up to the paramo area just next to the national park. It was sunny, it was a bit windy, and it was bird quiet.

However, we still saw a pair of Timberline Wrens, one Peg-billed Finch, and other species easier to see. We did not see the junco but we weren’t really looking for it. They are around, hang out long enough up that way and you’ll probably see them.

Lots of Hummingbirds at the Nochebuena

Back at the Nochebuena, we stopped for lunch and enjoyed close views of the four expected hummingbird species. These are Volcano Hummingbird, Talamanca Hummingbird, Lesser Violetear, and Fiery-throated Hummingbird.

We had also see them on the trails but close, leisurely looks were even nicer!

An Irazu Sunday also Means People

Oh yeah, and we saw a lot of humans. Irazu is a big Sunday destination for locals. The Tierra de Suenos restaurant and other places were jam packed. That didn’t affect us because I’m partial to the Nochebuena anyways. Good food, nice people who support birds and birders…yeah, I’ll be dining at the Nochebuena.

Other people sightings included roadside picnics and selfie shots against spectacular above-cloud backdrops, a line of determined hikers walking up a high-elevation hill, a few cyclists, and too many motorcycles, a few of which were pulling wheelies while riding uphill.

If you aren’t into watching people, you might opt for another day to visit Irazu. However, if you gotta do the trip on Sunday, you’ll still see birds!

Birding in Costa Rica on Irazu is pretty easy but it’s still worth knowing where to go. If you’d like more details on where to go birding in Costa Rica on Irazu and pretty much anywhere else in this small birdy nation, get “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”.

You’ll also be supporting this blog while learning how to see tinamous, more trogons, and all the other birds in Costa Rica. I hope to see you here!

Birding in Costa Rica is like birding everywhere; better habitat means better birding. In Costa Rica, the best habitat translates to large areas of mature tropical forest; the principal vegetation cover in much of this birdy country for thousands of years, the habitat that provides the complex structure and ecological connections that boost bird diversity.

Primary forest might not provide the easiest of avenues for birding but it does open the door for more raptors and the full complement of expected and rare species. While a birder will see more bird activity in young second growth, they won’t see nearly as many species and won’t have nary a chance at seeing dozens of birds that require the shade, vine tangles, and peculiar situations found in mature forest.

In the highlands of Costa Rica, the most intact, large areas of mature forest occur in the Talamanca Mountains. Check out satellite maps of southern and eastern Costa Rica and you’ll notice that big swath of deep green covering ridges and mountains from near Cartago on into Panama. As inviting as all that habitat looks, unfortunately for us birders, much of it is simply inaccessible. We shouldn’t complain though, that inaccessibility is why so much of that primary highland rainforest still stands.

On the fortunate side of the coin, thanks to protection being given to mature forests in Costa Rica, there are some places in the highlands where intact, fantastic forest can be visited. The following are the most accessible of those sites.

Quetzal National Park and Other Sites on Cerro de la Muerte

The main road that links Cartago to Perez Zeledon is also the primary conduit to the largest area of mature high elevation rainforest in Costa Rica. It only reaches a corner of the large forest block but it is enough to get you birding in groves of massive tropical oaks draped with lichens, moss, and bromeliads.

There are several places where such forest can be experienced but the most accessible spots are roads to and near Providencia. These roads pass through mature forests of Quetzal National Park and true to its name, yes, this is a good area to see that spectacular species. Roadside birding is excellent and can turn up all possible species (including Silvery-throated Jay). Trails are also present, to use them, visit the national park headquarters where the road to Providencia meets the main road between Cartago and Perez Zeledon.

If not using the trails, the public roads can be birded for free and at any time of the day or night.

Santa Elena Forest Reserve in Monteverde

Although an entrance fee is charged, this reserve has a number of good trails accessing excellent cloud forest in the Monteverde area. You will see some other people on the trails but not nearly as many as in the Monteverde Reserve or in Curi-Cancha.

The trails in this reserve can be especially good for Highland Tinamou, Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, and other shy species.

Bajos del Toro

Roadside birding in mature forest is possible on the main roads from Zarcero and Sarchi to Bajos del Toro. Be forewarned, they can be steep and narrow in parts but do pass through excellent habitat offering chances at rarities like Black-banded Woodcreeper and Azure-hooded Jay along with more common species like Flame-throated Warbler and Collared Redstart.

Honorable Mentions

In terms of easy access, entrance fees, and quality habitat, the three sites and areas mentioned above offer the easiest access to the best highland habitats. That said, many other sites are also possible, including these ones.
-Roble Trail at Savegre: Excellent forest at Savegre accessible with an entrance fee and hike or ride uphill. Inquire at the Savegre reception desk.
-La Georgina: Somewhat steep, free trails through excellent forest can be found just behind the La Georgina cafe on the highway through Cerro de la Muerte.
-The NocheBuena area on Irazu Volcano: Although the forest here is more fragmented than in the Talamancas, the trails at the NocheBuena do pass through quite a bit of good high elevation habitat. Most species are present, notable misses being Silvery-throated Jay and Ochraceous Pewee (although maybe they will eventually occur too?). A small entrance fee is charged.
-Tapanti National Park: This national park has excellent birding on the road through the park and on a few trails. The road to the park is also good and suitable for any vehicle but, as with most national parks in Costa Rica, Tapanti is only open from 8 to 4 and thus not during optimal birding times. Entrance fees must also be purchased online.

The sites mentioned above are particularly suited for DIY birding in Costa Rica. To learn more about where to watch birds in Costa Rica, support this blog by purchasing, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”, a 900 plus page ebook that covers every corner of the country. Happy birding in Costa Rica, I hope to see you here.