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bird finding in Costa Rica high elevations

Birding Day Trips to Irazu- Challenges, Solutions, and Benefits

I am of course talking about the Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge.

When you arrive in Costa Rica, if there’s enough daylight to check out your surroundings, you’ll see mountains just about every which way you look. They don’t call it the Central Valley for nothing; this well populated and heavily urbanized area of Costa Rica is a draining ground for at least three mountain ranges.

If it’s not too cloudy, look to the north and you’ll see a volcanic range dominated by Poas and Barva Volcanoes. Turn around and the view to the south takes in the steep slopes of the Escazu Mountains. Look to the east and you’ll see the high Talamancas on your right and a big, obvious, towering mountain on the left, Irazu Volcano. On a clear day, take a closer look and you might also spot the antennas that crown it; transmission reaches far at 11,000 feet.

From the airport, optics can’t quite resolve birds foraging near those antennas but, if they could, you would spot European Blackbird looking Sooty Thrushes,

Rufous-collared Sparrows,

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and might see a grayish, sparrow-like bird with a fierce gaze.

Volcano Junco

Volcano Juncos have a right to look sparrow-savage; they live in harsh, high mountains conditions where windy, rainy weather is a given. It’s constant March or late October and amazing that insects can live in those conditions but some do and the juncos feed on them. Seeds and berries too but I wonder if the lack of insect prey and competition over them factor into their low density occurrence.

It seems weird that even though the juncos only occur on top of a handful of mountains in Costa Rica and Panama, they are still pretty uncommon but, that’s the way nature rolls. A species doesn’t need to be super common or prolific in its limited habitat. Although that helps, the bird or plant or other life form only has to be able to maintain a sustainable population until it can’t. Volcano Juncos are still present on Irazu Volcano and other paramo sites in Costa Rica but, we really have no idea how many are out there. We have no idea if they are “doing well” or being affected by their October realm shifting to a warmer September.

Since they seem to be harder to find and the fact that the climate is warming at a faster rate than maybe any time ever, I suspect they probably aren’t doing so well. In the meantime though, you can still see them on Irazu Volcano. It took us a little while but we eventually did and our sightings included a pair visiting a nest! We also saw another three birds, one of which was likely a juvenile along with Timberline Wrens and a few other species.

We saw these and other birds on a day trip to Irazu from the San Jose area. Although Irazu seems close, that’s only really true for soaring birds. For people, birding Irazu in a day comes with some challenges.

Traffic Issues

Visiting Irazu for a day from San Jose? You better leave by 5 or earlier. As in 5 in the morning and even then you can expect some trucks and other traffic but, you’ll probably get up there early enough for good birding.

It’s worth restating that traffic has become a significant issue around San Jose. If you aren’t driving on Sunday, expect stressful, time eating traffic jams and related situations, especially during rush hour times of 6 to 8:30 a.m., and 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

These facts make it sort of easy to get there but topped with traffic on the drive back through San Jose to reach your hotel. To deal with this, I have typically done morning visits to Irazu where we start driving back around noon. However, since that’s no longer working out so easy, you may want to try one of the solutions mentioned below.

Rough, Flippant Weather

Visit Irazu and you’ll meet with that junco worthy March/October climate. Hey, it might be sunny but, even then, get busy with the sun block and, you should still expect eventual mist or rain. It can also drop to 9 degrees (48 to 50) or even lower but, at least if you prepare yourself for it, you’ll be alright.

If you don’t see the birds, well, that will truly suck but that’s birding for you. Gotta roll with the punches. Gotta bring some chocolate or other treat to enjoy as the wind and rain blows against the side of the car. If you feel tempted to put on an angry junco face, remember that the junco’s not really mad. The fierce glare is probably an adaptation to protect its pale eyes from high UV rays.

Few Places for Dining

Irazu is patched with a number of farms and there are people who live way up there. Even so, there aren’t a heck of a lot of dining options. Very few actually, especially in the night because heck, sure people live up there but they aren’t stupid- like, who wants to keep a restaurant open in the cold and windy, customer-less dark?

If you want to eat out for dinner, you’ll probably have to descend to Grandpa’s (trust me, you’ll see the sign) or, go to the Bruma’s Hotel restaurant. However, for lunch, you can eat at the Noche Buena or the Suenos de Irazu on the other side of the road.

Some Birds are Always Tough

Irazu has some “good birds” but they aren’t always easy. In fact, some are pretty darn tough. Take the Maroon-chested Ground-Dove for instance. This challenging species occurs on Irazu, especially at the Noche Buena but, if it isn’t calling you’ll probably wonder where the birds are. I was wondering that yesterday as I hiked, (trudgd) up their trails. Have the doves moved to another spot with better foraging (I saw very few Mourning Doves)? Were they just skulking under dense vegetation in the dim forest?

I hoped the latter was the case and, I suppose it was in part because I did glimpse a female. No calling birds and she never responded and scurried off into darkness like a mousy quail-dove but, at least I know one dove was there. I bet more were too, just off skulking or feeding in some part of the property.

Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridges were also tougher than usual but that was probably due to the rough weather. Seeing them varies but, usually, if you spend enough time looking for them, you’ll see them. They aren’t rare up there, they just follow the usual, chicken-like bird scheme.

Other constantly challenging birds up there include Slaty Finch and Blue Seedeater and, Ochraceous Pewee and Silvery-throated Jay son’t seem present in most accessible spots.

However, despite any challenges above, there are solutions to reap the benefits of birding this hotspot.

Stay Until Night

One idea is birding Irazu until night. Yes, it makes for a long day but it’ll be a damn good birding day and, it deals with the traffic issue. Come with dinner, be dressed for the cold, and you can search for Unspotted Saw-whet Owls!

Before you get your hopes too high, know that that species is a tough one too but, at least while looking for it, you’ll have a good chance of seeing Bare-shanked Screech-Owl and Dusky Nightjar too.

You might see a Bare-shanked Screech Owl- a fairly common regional endemic.

Take a Day Trip from the Cartago Area

Another option is visiting Irazu while staying in the general Cartago area. The high elevations are a quick 20-30 minute drive from Cartago and further from birding lodges like Hotel Quelitales or Rancho Naturalista but, at least you”ll be staying in nice, birdy places and won’t have to deal with San Jose traffic.

Visit the Noche Buena Cafe and Trails

One of the main benefits is visiting the Noche Buena. This is the main spot with trails and is the best place to look for the ground-dove. The property also offers chances at lots of other birds even if the trails can be hard to maintain.

This spot is also an excellent place to have lunch and, who knows, you might also be able to coordinate having dinner there. The owners are wonderful people who support birding and are aware of and proud of the rare species on their property. It just costs 2,000 colones to bird the property, stay and have a coffee with home made pecan or lemon merengue pie.

High Quality Birds

Best of all, Irazu hosts several high quality species. In addition to the tough ones mentioned above (dove, owl, finch, and seedeater), we’re also talking Wrenthrush, quetzal, Buffy Tufted cheek, Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl, White-fronted Tyrannulet, the wood-partridge, and other birds! It’s worth a visit, just make sure you’re prepared and don’t get stuck in traffic.

Wrenthrush.

To learn more about birding Irazu, hundreds of other sites (including many “hotspots” not mentioned in eBird), and how to make the most of your birding trip to Costa Rica, support this blog by purchasing “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”. I hope to see you here!

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Birding Costa Rica Tips-Best Sites for Wrenthrush

Wrenthrush.

Going birding in Costa Rica? On your way to this fine bio-heavy nation for fantastic avian photography? I hope so. If I had a bouquet of wishes, one would be that all birders and would-be birders experience the avian side of Costa Rica. That you get a hefty, lofty positive, bird friendly dose.

If you haven’t been, get ready for a big change in birding scenery, be ready for living a birding dream. Macaws, parrots, trogons, toucans, a few dozen hummingbirds, and dozens of other bird species, most within easy reach.

This species (White-fronted Parrot) flies over my home most mornings.

There’s also lots of regional endemics, one of which is so unique, it got its very own family! Right, as in toucans and toucanets and aracaris all belong to the Toucan family, and Scarlet Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Northern Cardinals are in the Cardinal family, the Wrenthrush is in the Wrenthrush family.

Yep, it used to be known as an “aberrant warbler”, like there was something primally wrong with it. Stubby tail, dark plumage and that orange cap/crest? It sort of looked like a wren or a tapaculo or an Asian Tesia but it just refused to fit in. The deal with the Wrenthrush, the Zeledonia, is that its ancestors were an ancient lineage of songbird that eventually evolved to live in cloud forests restricted to Costa Rica and Panama.

It’s the only living, known member of that lineage and since it looks so different from other birds, the Wrenthrush is all Wrenthrush and nothing else. Instead of being “aberrant”, it’s wonderfully unique. There’s everything right about the Zeledonia, especially for birders hoping to see every avian family on the planet.

Whether interested in avian evolutionary history, taxonomy, or just hoping to see cool and different birds, the Wrenthrush is a must-see bird. If you can hear high frequencies, listening to one isn’t too difficult. However, the “seeing one” part of the equation can be a bit more challenging. Even so, with patience in the right birding places, you have a pretty good chance. Try the following tips to connect with this extra special bird.

Where do Wrenthrushes live?

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The Wrenthrush occurs in dense, wet understory vegetation more or less above 1,500 meters. They only occur in the mountains of Costa and Panama, north to Volcan Miravalles (but maybe not on Tenorio) and south to west-central Panama.

This pseudo wren likes dense bamboo and especially enjoys low, profuse leafy vegetation that grows in treefall gaps, along streams, or other perpetually wet areas.

That “dense” part of the equation translates to “very difficult to see” and is why, when I hear a Wrenthrush calling, I figure out which direction its moving and then see if there’s a coinciding spot where I can look into the understory/ground. You wait and watch for it to eventually pop into view but, don’t dare take your eyes off that spot!

One false move, one look around for other birds, or taking a picture of a nearby Fiery-throated Hummingbird and that’s when the Wrenthrush hops in and back out of sight. Not always but, quite often, that’s the way the Wrenthrush plays. Think of warblers flitting in and out of sight in the canopy but in dense undergrowth with few viewing opportunities.

Tempting but you’ll have lots more chances at Fiery-throated Hummingbirds than seeing Wrenthrushes.

The Best Places to See Wrenthrush

Now that you know the Wrenthrush range and its habitat, you also know more or less where they live. Sort of. But honestly, most dense, wet, herbaceous or bamboo understory in or at the edge of forest above 1,500 meters is a good place to check.

EBird sightings give a good idea but those hotspots aren’t the only places to see a Wrenthrush. As long as you bird in its range and habitat, you’ve got a chance at finding one. You probably won’t spot one in the open but, you can tune in to their calls and take it from there. Use the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app to learn its vocalizations before going birding in Costa Rica and, if you think you hear a high-pitched rising call issuing from low, dense vegetation, there’s a good chance you’re near a Wrenthrush.

That all said, these are some easily accessible sites that are good for the bird:

Poas Volcano National Park and nearby. If you enter the national park (by choosing and paying an entrance fee in advance), and slowly walk the cement trail to and near the lake, you have a great chance of seeing a Wrenthrush. Never mind all of those other people, the birds are there too. They also live in suitable habitat on the road up and around Varablanca.

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Paraiso Quetzal- I think most visiting birders get their Wrenthrush here. The species seems especially prevalent in high elevation shrubbery and this spot is perfect for it. Check out the entrance road and on their trails.

Dota Valley and Other Areas on Cerro de la Muerte– Wrenthrushes occur in the heavily visited Dota Valley and many birders also see it there, especially the first spot where the descending road sort of flattens out and runs next to a river. Other good sites are the Robles Trail at Savegre and anywhere with appropriate habitat.

Other spots on Cerro de la Muerte include the Providencia Road as well as just about any area or site up there with low, dense,m wet vegetation.

Irazu Volcano– Although there’s a lot of ag. fields on the drive up, there are a couple spots with forest next to the road, especially in the Nochebuena Restaurant area. Speaking of the Nochebuena, their trails are also very good for Wrenthrush, especially the part that goes along a stream (which may be a bit treacherous in places). Note that the bird can also live in shrubby paramo habitat in and just outside the national park.

Monteverde area– Wrenthrushes aren’t as common here as other, higher spots but they do occur. A couple good areas are the Santa Elena Reserve and the Continental Divide zone in the Monteverde Reserve (although your birding may be limited by recent strict visiting times and regulations where you have to pay a separate fee for each trail…).

There’s other places to see Wrenthrush too, remember, as long as you go above 1500 meters in dense, wet cloud forest, you’ll be in the skulking realm of the Zeledonia. Listen, have patience, and you’ll probably see one!

To learn more about the birding sites mentioned in this post, hundreds of other sites, and how to look for other birds in Costa Rica, support this blog by purchasing my Costa Rica birding site guide ebook. I hope to see you here!

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How to See a Quetzal, Wrenthrush, and 12 Hummingbird Species on a Birding Day Trip in Costa Rica

Birding in Costa Rica can be easy going, common birds in a hotel garden, hiking rainforest trails, taking a boat trip, visiting private reserves, and much more. There’s lots of options, when it comes down to it, how you want to experience birds is up to you.

However, with that in mind, to see some antbirds and other shy, rainforest species, you might need to take that rainforest hike. To see Three-wattled Bellbird and other local species, you’ll have to know just where to go at the right time of year. Knowing how to look for unfamiliar tropical birds also helps and, if you aren’t sure how to identify them, there’s nothing that compares with an experienced guide.

We also have a set of birds that most birders would sort of love to see more than other species. That’s not to say we should ignore or show less appreciation for birds like the Cinnamon-bellied Saltator, Great Kiskadee, or Blue-gray Tanager.

Not by any means. All birds are good birds; they help us reconnect, reenergize, and appreciate our natural world. There’s just some bird species you might want to see more than others, some birds that only live in or nearly within Costa Rica. There’s also a bird or two that look so incredible, it’s simply hard to believe they exist.

Resplendent Quetzal in Costa Rica

One of those ultimate unreal birds is the Resplendent Quetzal and yes, although I’ve seen them hundreds of times over decades of birding in Costa Rica, every single sighting is wondrous. Honestly, the sacred bird of the Mayans really is one of those species that must be seen to be believed.

I see one and still wonder how to describe that shade of green/gold/bluish. I see the red underparts and still imagine that the feathers should feel like plush velvet. I mean, they do look that way. A male’s feathers trail and quiver behind it in flight and it still blows my mind away.

It’s no wonder more than one birder I have guided has been moved to tears upon seeing one. I have seen the same emotional reaction at a major macaw clay lick in Peru and with good reason. Both experiences are natural world circuit overload in the best way; sights, sounds, and colors that surpass your wildest birding dreams.

It would seem that there’s an unwritten rule that such an incredibly surreal species as the Resplendent Quetzal should also be rare and tough to find. I’m pleased to say that nope, that’s not the case, especially not in Costa Rica. Although quetzals aren’t flying around like grackles or exactly simple to see, they aren’t all that rare either. The quetzal situation in Costa Rica is similar to so many other birds in so many other parts of the world.

Watch for them in the right habitat, know how to look for them, and you’ll probably find them. Yes, it might take some time but they are out there, feeding on wild “avocados” in cloud forest.

Wrenthrush

Wrenthrush.

The Wrenthrush is another one of those must see birds. Nope, it doesn’t have an iridescent coat, it’s not big, and its song is as high pitched and wiry sounding as they get. But, it’s one heck of a unique bird and that’s why I hope every birder sees one.

Wren? No. Thrush? No again. Wrenthrush? Yes!

What used to be an aberrant wood-warbler is so different, ornithologists figured the Wrenthrush deserved its very own family. Like the quetzal, happily, it’s not very rare either! I wouldn’t call the Wrenthrush very common and it may have declined in some areas but I still hear and see them quite often. Even better, they live in the same places as quetzals.

Like some wrens, Grasshopper Warblers, and other species with a strong aversion to open spaces, Wrenthrushes happily skulk in dense, wet vegetation. The good thing is that you can see them, at least if you know what they sound like and how to look for them.

Hummingbirds

There’s lots of hummingbirds in Costa Rica and who doesn’t want to see them all? I still enjoy seeing Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds in my urban neighborhood, even as ultra common as they are. Recently, we have also been seeing a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird wintering here and then there are other species, lots of other hummingbirds further afield.

It’s not much further afield either; I’m talking within an hour and a half drive from the San Jose area. There are four or five hummingbird species in the high elevations, 7 more or so in middle elevations, and a couple others here and there’ more than enough to see a dozen species in a day, probably more.

An Easy and Productive Birding Day Trip from the San Jose Area

There are mountains visible from the airport, also from my neighborhood and they are topped with cloud forest; Poas and Barva Volcanoes. Just on the other side, the weather and forest is wetter and the forests host another suite of species.

From the San Jose area (especially from Alajuela and near the airport), it only takes 45 minutes to an hour to drive up there on good roads. No hiking needed, only a vehicle that will get you up there, help you enter the realms of quetzals, Wrenthrushes, Fiery-throated Hummingbirds and lots more. Bird your way down to and below Cinchona and you’ll see more hummingbirds, probably find more than a dozen species.

I spend a morning birding this route and I routinely see quetzal, Wrenthrush, and several hummingbirds along with 70 more. Spend the whole day and 100 plus species is par for the course. You can’t go wrong with a day trip to the Poas-Cinchona area when birding Costa Rica. To learn more about doing this easy and exciting day trip, send me an email today. In the meantime, here are some FAQs about the Resplendent Quetzal in Costa Rica:

FAQs about Quetzals in Costa Rica

Is there a quetzal season in Costa Rica?

No, technically, there is no quetzal season in Costa Rica. Although various sources mention a “quetzal season”, they are referring to the quetzal nesting season that usually takes place from February to March. Yes, it is easy to wait at a quetzal nest but, in addition to needing to be careful to not disturb the birds, it’s not necessary.

Quetzals live and feed in Costa Rican cloud forests all year long.

Do Quetzals migrate in Costa Rica?

Quetzals do not migrate in Costa Rica, at least not outside the country. However, after nesting, they often move around in search of fruiting trees and some can migrate to lower elevations. The lowest I have seen quetzals is 500 meters, always females.

Do you need a guide to see a Resplendent Quetzal in Costa Rica?

No, you do not need a guide to see a Resplendent Quetzal in Costa Rica. However, as with many bird species, you’ll have a much better chance seeing one if you hire an experienced guide who knows how to find them.

Are quetzals rare in Costa Rica?

No, quetzals are not rare in Costa Rica. They are uncommon but regular species of cloud forest habitats from 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) to more than 3,000 meters (9,000 to 10,000 feet).