Target Birding in Costa Rica? Expect Fantastic Birding

Birding can be practiced in more ways than one might think. A lot of people just watch the birds that come to the backyard feeder and take a casual interest with identification. They are happy with the relaxed avian scene at home and leave it at that. Others try to identify whatever they come across but aren’t over concerned with finding new birds, lifers if you will. We also have people in the birding tribe who have goals of seeing many certain species and even take very necessary trips to outlying places like New Caledonia because crazy cool birds like Cloven-feathered Doves and the one and only Kagu don’t live anywhere else.

In Costa Rica, we see the closest relative of the Kagu on a regular basis.

Birders who visit Costa Rica fall into every category of birding. I have guided folks who just enjoy seeing whatever crosses their path be it a common Blue-gray Tanager or a less common Red-headed Barbet.

Both are nice to look at.

There have been people who would rather get stunner photos of Squirrel Cuckoos and Groove-billed Anis than feed the mosquitoes while waiting for an Agami Heron no show. I have also guided people with specific target lists, folks who have seen thousands of bird species. However, no matter how someone wants to watch birds, most of all, the majority of birders want to see lots of birds. I think most folks realize that there is little control over what occurs, what one can see during a day or two of birding, especially when many of the species are naturally rare or may seem to be part of the anti-birder conspiracy (such as Barred Hawk was and still seems to be with my partner).

This raptor is more nefarious than one might think.

Fortunately, no matter how adept a bird may be at avoiding birders, we always see a lot and this is because Costa Rica is fantastic for birding. Biased? Maybe but I would say the same about many other countries. Honestly, there are literally hundreds of bird species within easy striking distance and the logistics available to reach just about all of them. It’s easy to see a lot of birds here and even if I do focus on target species, mega specialties like Black-crowned Antpitta just don’t get in the way of seeing lots of other birds. This is because most target birds require quality habitats that also support many other species. For this reason, when I was guiding in the Arenal area a few days ago, while we did see target White-fronted Nunbird and Bare-crowned Antbird, we also had the joy of watching a pair of bullish Great Antshrikes at close range,

admired the shining beauty of a male Gartered Trogon,

the odd exotic appearance of Rufous-tailed Jacamar,

beautiful Black-cheeked, Hoffmann’s, Golden-olive, and Rufous-winged Woodpeckers,

and the babblerish behavior of Black-throated Wrens.

There were no Keel-billed Motmots on that day (we could always blame it on the overly wet conditions), but we did watch several Broad-billed Motmots and finished a century species morning with Yellow-throated Toucans perched in the fine light of the post rain.

It does help to know where and how to find every target species but in Costa Rica, even if the rare birds don’t show, you can always expect a lot of many other things. Hope to see you here!