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When to Watch Birds in Costa Rica

One of the most common questions about watching birds in Costa Rica is when to watch them. The short and most honest answer is “whenever you can”. Honestly, the birds are here, the resident ones all year long and most can be seen just as well during the winter months as during July and August. Most, but not all…

“When to watch birds in Costa Rica” depends on what you would like to see the most.

If you wouldn’t mind checking out the avian moves of summer birds from the north, bird from November to March and you will get your fill of Baltimore Orioles and Yellow Warblers. Want to add some exciting shorebird migration to the Costa Rica birding mix? Check out shorebird hotspots in April, May, and from September to November.

Who doesn’t love a shorebird hotspot?

Want to listen to Yellow-green Vireos, a few other summer migrants and resident species?

Take a birding trip to Costa Rica in May or June. If resident birds are your main cup of tea, then you really could visit any time of the year and do well. For much of the rainy season, high bird activity in cloudy weather tends to make up for birding time paused by precipitation. Bird in the winter months and it will be sunnier in many places but wind and sun can also put temporary dampers on bird activity.

Any and every time of year is great for birding in Costa Rica but what about some of the tougher targets?

What about the cotingas, the ground-cuckoos, the birds in the book and on the app that seem mythical, the dream birds. In general, it will always be good for those birds too, you just need to know where to look for them. Take the umbrellabird for example, it can be seen any time of year but is far more likely in lower elevation and foothill forests during the winter months, and more likely in middle elevation cloud forest from March to July.

The bellbird is especially seasonal and certainly easier in Monteverde and other breeding sites from March to July. At other times of the year, look for it in the Pacific lowlands although it can also show elsewhere (check eBird!). As for other cotingas, although the Lovely can migrate to lower elevations from August to February, they are possible in pretty much the same areas any time of year.

Regarding certain crakes and other birds that act like them (hello senor Masked Duck), once again, know the right places and you can find them.

BUT, water levels in summer and fall do make them much easier. I assume there are pockets of wetlands that host Masked Duck, Spotted Rail, and Paint-billed Crake during the dry season but who knows how much those species move around? I mean, once the rice fields are harvested, they have to go somewhere.

A Yellow-breasted Crake sneaks off into a patch of marsh grass.

I suspect they retreat to remnant wetlands but I bet some also head further afield. Given the natural born wanderlust of those birds, they could go anywhere. As for the global wandering nature of birders, whether you feel the need to explore some corner of Angola while listening to Kashmir by Led Zeppelin, or would rather bird closer to home, I can say that anytime is a good time to be birding in Costa Rica. The birds are here, the birding is always great, and no matter when you visit, it’s much easier to bird in Costa Rica than you might think.

But quetzals, when is the best time to see quetzals in Costa Rica?

Although they breed in February and March, bird the right habitat and know where to go and you can see them any time of the year.

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What to Do When You Want to Go Birding in Costa Rica But Can’t…Yet

Want to go birding in Costa Rica? I do and I live here! I usually start the day with some “lite” birding from the back balcony every morning, today a Ringed Kingfisher perched nearby for the first time as a Barred Antshrike, White-eared Ground-Sparrow, and Cabanis’s Wrens called from the vegetation.

When I get the chance to do so, I travel further afield and submerge myself in the tropical birding experience. That bird immersion means venturing into tropical forest or other habitats just around dawn and taking it all in; parsing out the distant mournful calls of Collared Forest-Falcon, listening for the first hints of woodcreepers, and watching the avian scene come to life.

It’s a natural show that requires, demands attention, I like to lose myself in it but I also love to share it with visiting birders. These odd days, although some birders are in Costa Rica, the number is much less than it would be; its the same for so many other places and understandable. The dynamic will eventually change but for those who would love to be here now, especially during these frozen days of February, here are some ideas for things to do when you can’t bird in Costa Rica (or elsewhere for that matter):

Study a field guide

Get out a field guide or buy one and start studying. Read it from start to finish even if it takes a few months. Pick out the birds you like the most, study field marks, and keep doing that because some day, you will be here and you will be better prepared for birding in Costa Rica.

Ready to see a Baird’s Trogon.

Listen to birds sounds, play with a birding app for Costa Rica

Studying bird sounds isn’t for everybody but with plenty of time to kill before the trip, why not? Even if you don’t feel like memorizing the differences between Little and Great Tinamous, its still fun to listen to their tremulous calls, listening to birds that occur in Costa Rica helps you get ready for that eventual birding time in Costa Rica.

The best way to listen to and study sounds is with the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app. I know, I am a co-founder of the app and work on it but since it now has sounds for more than 900 species and images can be viewed while listening to vocalizations (unlike a few other apps), I stand by that statement. The app can also be used to help prepare for a trip by studying and checking out birds filtered by region, habitat, family, and other factors.

Learn about the habitats in Costa Rica and the best sites for birding

Learn about tropical rainforest, cloud forest, tropical dry forest, and other habitats in Costa Rica. What are those habitats like? Which birds live there? Where can you experience the fantastic birding in those amazing places? There’s a lot of information out there but given the tendency for Google to turn up results biased for SEO, searching will turn up some answers but maybe not the best of information.

Books like the Neotropical Companion are always a good read, there is information about bird habitats on the Costa Rica Birds app, and you just might find a thing or two at this very blog. If you want to know about the best sites for birding, and how and where to see birds in Costa Rica, you will find more than enough information to prepare for any birding trip to Costa Rica in How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica.

Check out a virtual birding tour for Costa Rica

Virtual live birding is an exciting, new way to give a hint of what the birding is like in Costa Ric and help you get ready for a trip. Not to mention, its also a great way to support local guides, many of whom are also involved in conservation in Costa Rica.

Think about doing a trip

Its never too early to start planning a trip to Costa Rica, and its definitely not early to start thinking about one now. The best birding trips are planned months in advance and even if you aren’t sure of the exact dates for the trip, the planning will eventually pay off. Look into plane tickets, think about dates, pick your target birds, and think about the pros and cons of group tours versus small tours versus birding on your own.

Support organizations and policies that protect bird habitat

Because intact ecosystems are good for birds, biodiversity, and people. There are several to choose from including The Children’s Eternal Rainforest and the Cerulean Project.

Costa Rica might seem impossible or far off but the birds in Costa Rica are closer than you think. As the travel situation improves, coming to Costa Rica will take shape and before you know, you might find yourself looking at tanagers, motmots, and quetzals.

And Squirrel Cuckoos!

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Birding Costa Rica

Why Now Might be a Good Time to go Birding in Costa Rica

In normal years, times just a year ago and before then, this would be the high season. There would be a good number of people birding in Costa Rica, quite a few birders visiting for their first quetzal, to watch toucans in the treetops, and soak up the spectacle of tropical birds.

We do have some birders here now but as with every place, out of country visitors are the exception. I don’t blame anyone, I wouldn’t be traveling either because why take the chance? Why not wait for a vaccination and travel then? However, given the safety of airline ventilation systems, protection from double masks, and follow careful protocols, now might actually be a great time to visit Costa Rica.

And see birds like a Violet Sabrewing.

I know, right, are you crazy? But hear me out, this is why right now really is a good time to go birding in Costa Rica, at least for the following reasons:

Air travel is pretty safe

Despite the worries of sharing an enclosed space on a plane, modern ventilation and air filtration systems keep the air very clean. With everyone on board also wearing a mask, the risk of transmission should be pretty low. I would be more worried about the airports but even there, if everyone is masked and you are careful, chances of catching someone should be minimized.

Health protocols in Costa Rica

But what about Costa Rica, what about mask wearing? Well, although you may have seen some places requiring masks and others not so much, in Costa Rica, health protocol are very much enforced. Mask wearing is required for most or all enclosed places, and from what I have seen, hotels have been especially careful about social distancing in their restaurants, mask wearing, hand washing, and so on. Supermarkets and other places also count and limit the number of people in the store. They have to because if they get caught breaking protocols, they get shut down.

You of course still have to and should be careful but it certainly helps when most people you interact with are seem to be doing the same.

Plane ticket prices

Get this, there are some pretty cheap flights to Costa Rica! Especially if you are coming from the USA. I have never seen them so cheap (like $300 or even less for round trip from NYC) and there are of course obvious reasons for that but it’s still worth mentioning it.

You still need to buy certain health insurance and then get the pcr test in Costa Rica before returning home but those might be worth it if you can fly at half the normal price.

Plenty of space in hotels and plenty of space for birding

With fewer people, there is lots of rooms at every hotel and lodge and more than enough elbow room for birding too.

You might see a Yellow-eared Toucanet.

High quality birding

Not to mention, as always, the birding in Costa Rica is a top notch world experience replete with Resplendent Quetzals, dozens of glittering hummingbirds, mixed flocks, and so much more.

Local birders are taking selfies with a Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo

Even better, right now, local birders have been getting close look at super cooperative Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos (!). A few days ago, a few were spotted at an Army Ant swarm at the Pocosol Station in the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. Luckily, this ground-cuckoo family has stayed around to continue foraging at the swarm and several local birders have enjoyed some super rare moments with this rare and unpredictable species.

It’s a bird that’s always out there and at various sites but the main word here is “unpredictable”. That and “sneaky”. Based on years of looking for them, reading about them, hearing about reports, and my limited experiences seeing and listening them, I think I’m correct is saying that they are somewhat like cats. If ground-cuckoo don’t want to be seen, you aren’t going to see it! After seeing a ground-cuckoo quickly move through the understory without moving a single leaf, I figured that likely happens much more than we realize.

It seems that they can be a bit more tame in a family setting, and perhaps just because the juvenile is so much less experienced. In any case, there are some being seen at Pocosol, I wonder how long they will stay? On another note, two very experienced birders also recently saw this mega species at Rincon de la Vieja. Their account gives an idea of the challenges and strategies that can be used to find and see one.

If you go visit Costa Rica for birding these days, I’m not sure if the ground-cuckoos at Pocosol will still be around but it wouldn’t hurt to try. There are plenty of other birds to watch there too and in so many other parts of this beautiful, warm, tropical nation.

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Birding in Costa Rica is Exciting in Ciudad Neily

Ciudad Neily is a town situated in southern Costa Rica not all that far from the border with Panama. Named after a Lebanese immigrant who opened a store to accommodate the workers of nearby banana plantations, “Neily” has grown to become a small center of commerce for the southwestern corner of Costa Rica. In recent years, thanks to increased local birding coverage, it has also become a beacon for some exciting birding opportunities.

Although the rainforests that grew there a century ago must have been downright amazing, present day birders visit Neily to look for waterbirds in an extensive complex of seasonally flooded fields. Used for growing rice, it is there that a birder should spend time and not in the monotonous oil palms. The rows of palms can have owls and Common Potoos at night but it’s more exciting out there in the wetlands.

In common with so many other wetland areas, the rice fields of Coto-47 (also known as Las Pangas) tend to attract birds that move around in search of such habitats, some of which are lost because they should be in Panama or even South America.

One such vagrant bird recently seen at Las Pangas was the White-cheeked Pintail. Also known as the Bahama Pintail, this lost duck may have come from northern South America or maybe even the Galapagos. Either way, it’s a fantastic bird for Costa Rica and was joined by several other ducks that are common in northern climes but rare in Costa Rica. Those would be ducks like Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Cinnamon Teal, American Wigeon, and Green-winged Teal all mixed in with several thousand Blue-winged Teals and Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks.

On a recent trip, try as I did, we did not see the South American duck but we still had fun looking at most of the rare ducks from the north along with droves of herons, egrets, a scattering of Glossy Ibis and other birds.

Shorebirds were present too and with so many places to forage and hide, you have to wonder what might be out there in Las Pangas. Maybe a super mega Temminck’s Stint? Maybe a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper? Given the habitat, Las Pangas would certainly be a good place to hit the mega bird lottery. The other day, we got lucky enough with a Ruff!

The past few years, Ruff has been found each winter. I doubt it’s the same bird but more a result of having increased numbers of dedicated, careful birders in the field. Even so, any day with a Ruff in Costa Rica is a fantastic day of birding. This Ruff, the only one I have self-found, was hanging with a handful of Pectoral Sandpipers. Comparing and ticking both dowitchers for the year in the same spot was a bonus.

Another bonus of birding in Las Pangas and other sites near Neily is seeing local species like Red-rumped Woodpecker, Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Veraguan Mango, Sapphire-throated Hummingbird, Crested Oropendola, Blue-headed Parrot, Streaked Saltator, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, and other species. Although the dry season doesn’t seem to be the best time for crakes, visit during the rains and Paint-billed Crake is also fairly easy (!).

Although we dipped on the woodpecker, we saw all the other birds mentioned above along with a Ruff, killer looks at Mangrove Cuckoo, and another cuckoo that is likely a Yellow-billed but just might honestly be a Pearly-breasted Cuckoo. Yes, and that would be new for Cota Rica and I’m not kidding. I’m not sure yet, I’m not sure if Yellow-billed can be entirely discounted but we got good looks, we did not see any rufous in the wings, and I am presently studying the photos.

So, yes, Ciudad Neily is a pretty exciting area for birding in Costa Rica. Add nearby forest to the mix and it only gets better.