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Birding Costa Rica

Chasing Common Pochards in Costa Rica

Like all people, birders have hopes and dreams too. Some of us dream of seeing glittering tanager flocks or laying eyes on the wacky Bornean Bristlehead (yes, that is a real bird, check it out!). Others hope to see cool species in uncommon places with good friends, or chancing upon a fallout at our favorite birding spots. Years ago, I was fortunate to have that latter dream come true on more than occasion but one September morning in 1984 stands out. I was on Goat Island, right above the Cataracts of Niagara, and it seemed like every bush and tree was full of warblers. On that dreamy day of yore, it was birding madness, I got my lifer Prairie Warbler without even using binoculars.

Us birders also literally dream about birds; amazing dreams of multicolored species that don’t actually exist, of birds that talk, or finding a shrike in Costa Rica (I had that dream once, it was incredibly vivid, I suppose a reflection of how much I would love such an unlikely occurrence to take place). The title of this post sounds like one of those dreams because ha, how could you ever chase a Pochard in Costa Rica? A Pochard is basically a Redhead-Canvasbackish bird that lives in Europe. It’s pretty common there but it doesn’t usually fly across the Atlantic.

Well….it looks like one might have done just that in recent times. On April 21st, one of the excellent birding guides at Rancho Naturalista, Steven Montenegro, found a duck of great interest at Lago Angostura. It looked like maybe a Redhead, or maybe a Canvasback, or maybe a hybrid of the two. When bird photographers Adrian Alvarado Rivera and Danny J Alvarado got much better images of the bird, two other top guides at Rancho; Meche Alpizar and her husband Harry Barnard, thought of another possibility; the Common Pochard. Since Harry had seen plenty of those, I thought, “Well, I suppose it just might be one of those ducks!”

After taking into account that there have been a couple records from the Caribbean Sea, and that the color of the head and, especially, the pattern on the bill looked very much like that of a Common Pochard, we couldn’t stay home. No, not when a crazy possible Costa Rica first was within range!

Check out a photo of the bird here.

On Sunday morning, dreaming of Common Pochards, we ended up making the hour and 45 minute, very scenic drive to Turrialba. It was a beautiful, sunny morning of roads winding through pasture on verdant volcanic slopes above Cartago. We surely passed through territories of the uncommon Grass Wren, but not wanting to waste any time, we made a bee-line for the lake. This involved passing through the town of Turrialba, driving past the entrance to CATIE, and taking the road by the new hospital. This road then continued through fields of sugarcane before reaching a wooded area on the left. At the first rocky road through the woods on the left, we drove on in and down towards the lake.

Our hopes weren’t exactly lifted when a local birding couple mentioned that they had NOT seen the duck and that perhaps the birds had been scared by a kayak moving back and forth, in the open waters between the water hyacinths. However, they did tell us where to look and already being in the area, we of course decided to do just that. On we went, reaching the lake overlook where we also met Adrian Alvarado, one of the bird photographers who had seen the bird, had taken a key photo. Adrian told us where to look and where he and other local birders have seen ducks, marsh birds, and other interesting species over the years.

Unfortunately, he had not seen the duck on that bright Sunday morning. American Golden Plover, yes (!) but no duck. Not ready to give up, we moved along the road near the lake and carefully scanned as many nooks and crannies of hyacinth that we could, eventually even paying a small entrance fee to check for ducks from an overlook.

The overlook would have been great, I bet there are rafts of ducks on other days but the birding at this choice spot was likewise marred by watersports; in this case, by a loud and very obtrusive jetski. Our Pochard dream nearly became a nightmare as a man zipped around the edge of the lake. He was taking his three or four year old for a ride, she was surely enjoying it but also literally hanging on to the handlebars for dear life. Thankfully, the only tragedy was an absence of birds but at least we didn’t leave that part of the lake empty-handed!

We managed to see a year Limpkin, and, after hearing several birds fussing over something, I found a Bird-eating Snake in a tree!

We got to watch the snake as long as we wanted before heading back to the first spot to see if the jetskis had scared any birds over that way. Alas, no dice on the ducks but at least a Snail Kite flew into view, and we also briefly met Diego Ramirez (Mr. Birding) teaching a group of local birders before we made the trek back to the other end of the Central Valley.

The possible Pochard hasn’t been seen again and it may have moved on but I hope it’s nearby, I hope we or someone else finds that fantastic and unexpected mega for Costa Rica. I mean, that’s the sort of stuff birding dreams are made of.

The bird in question hasn’t been accepted yet for the official list, it may still end up being a hybrid. No matter what it is, hopefully it will be found again!

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4 Good Reasons to Start Planning a Birding Trip to Costa Rica Now

Plan a birding trip to Costa Rica now? Isn’t it still the high season? Why start thinking about visiting Costa Rica for birding now when you probably won’t visit Costa Rica until 2024? Valid concerns but just as its worth listening to the tremulous dawn song of a tinamou, it might also be worth it to hear me out.

The Great Tinamou has a mystical, whistled song. You’ll probably hear it and might see one while birding in Costa Rica.

The High Season Gets Busy and Booked Far in Advance

First and foremost, even though 2024 is a long ways off, in terms of hotel reservations, the next high season is just around the corner. I know, it’s crazy but that’s how reservations roll for popular global destinations like Costa Rica. In 2022, Costa Rica registered well over 2 million tourists. I bet this year even more flew to these beautiful shores and next year, the numbers will go up.

A Crowned Woodnymph from Rancho Naturalista, one of the most popular, classic birding sites in Costa Rica.

A lot of birders will be visiting on tours, some on their own, and many will want to stay at various birding hotspots. There’s only so much space and you can bet that a lot of rooms are already being blocked and booked by agencies and tour companies, even into 2025. Based on years of experience, if you want to do your own birding trip and are set on staying at the popular spots, I suggest picking dates ASAP and making those reservations now.

There’s a Heck of a Lot of Birds- More Time Studying Translates to a Better Birding Trip

Another major advantage of starting to plan a trip to Costa Rica today is giving yourself plenty of time to study for what’s in store. No, seriously, birding in Costa Rica won’t be anything like birding at your local refuge. For example, as I write, I know for a fact that there are at least 500 bird species (and probably more) living within two hour’s drive from my home.

speckled tanager

Check out the tanagers in Costa Rica to get psyched about your trip!

Yes, that many, including trogons, Resplendent Quetzals in nearby mountains, flocks of glittering tanagers, dozens of hummingbirds, and lots more. Trust me, with such a big avian treasure trove waiting to be seen, it will be worth your while to study for birding in this major birdy place, the more the better. When I say “studying”, although that could mean trying to learn field marks for hundreds of bird species, it could also just be reading the must have “The Birds of Costa Rica” by Garrigues and Dean, and checking out images and sounds for common species on a complete birding app for Costa Rica.

Costa Rica- a Small Country with the Birding Options of a Continent

Costa Rica might also be a small place but don’t be fooled. This country is a complex place where the driving is naturally slow (it’s mountainous), and there are several hundred bird species, many of which only live at certain elevations and in certain regions.

If you had all the time in the world, yes, you could stay for a couple months and try and see everything but since most of us vacation for a couple of weeks, we have to figure out exactly where we want to go. Costa Rica has more options than you think. There is tropical dry forest where Turquoise-browed Motmots perch on fence posts, rainforests replete with tinamous, antbirds, and woodcreepers, and high mountains beckon with the calls and views of a bunch of endemics shared with western Panama. Then there are other endemics restricted to southern Costa Rica, specialties of the northern marshes, the seriously underbirded, fantastic birding south of Limon, and more…

The Fiery-throated Hummingbird- one of those cool montane endemics.

There’s a lot to consider, I suggest picking out some favorite target birds and working the trip around that (contact me, I’m here to help). My 900 plus page bird finding book for Costa Rica will also help you get an idea of possible birding routes in Costa Rica, and what to expect at popular places as well as the better birding sites located off the regular beaten track.

You Just Might Want to Visit Costa Rica Sooner than 2024

Who says you have to wait until the high season to go birding in Costa Rica? This place is off the cuff for birds all year long and the ones you want to see the most might even be easier during the so-called “off season”. Yep, although you’ll see lots of birds any month of the year, I believe that the best birding in Costa Rica might be from April to July. This is when a lot of birds are breeding and the cloudy weather also boosts bird activity.

Yes, it will rain more but guess what? If I had to choose between birding with occasional rain, and birding in Costa Rica in dry and sunny weather, I would choose that cloudy day every single time. The birds are way more active on cloudy days with occasional rain, and in the high season, the Caribbean slope sees a lot of rain anyways.

buff-fronted-quail-do

You might have better chances at the Buff-fronted Quail-Dove.

Other benefits of visiting Costa Rica during the next few months are probable lower prices for accommodation, more ample options for reservations, and still seeing lots of birds.

If you are hoping to visit Costa Rica next year or sooner, start planning now. You’ll have a better trip experiencing the avian delights in one of the top birding hotspots on the planet.

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Introduction

Highlights of Recent Back Road Birding in Costa Rica

The best birding in Costa Rica depends on what you are looking for. If that translates to an abundance of great looks and photos of beautiful common birds, you’ll find that personal paradise in many a hotel garden. If shorebirds are your thing, high tide at Punta Morales is a good bet (along with checking Puntarenas for random megas like Pacific Golden-Plover). However, if your most wanted birds are the rare, the uncommon, the challenging members of the local avian kingdom, then the search can get complicated.

To know where to go for birds like Blue-and-Gold Tanager, Song Wren, or cotingas, eBird gives good hints. However, the true key to seeing them is knowing how to find them, and knowing the best places to visit, especially when many such places are well off the regular birding routes. Such little visited and less accessible places often have better birding than popular hotspots (and is one of the reasons I include many of them in “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”}.

birding Costa Rica

A Blue-and-Gold Tanager high on a perch in misty weather.

What?!? Better than eBird hotspots? Well…yes and that’s probably the case for any place lacking major eBird coverage (in other words, most nations). Don’t get me wrong, eBird is a huge help and fantastic birding tool but, birds are always where the habitat is and if such places aren’t visited by many birders, they can’t get much coverage on eBird.

This is why, when guiding for custom, target bird trips, I often visit sites off the regular birding map. These are places that don’t fit into regular birding tour circuits because of location or access but can be an excellent fit for small birding groups in Costa Rica doing their own birding thing.

Recently, I enjoyed some of that fine back road birding in Costa Rica. Here are some highlights from three such sites:

The Road to Manuel Brenes Reserve

What can I say? Quality habitat is where the birds are and this road fits the bill. It can be rough and is best done with four-wheel drive but if you can bird this road, you’ll have chances at common, uncommon, and rare birds. In late March, during a brief, hour or so early morning visit, we seriously lucked out with one of the kings of Costa Rica birds, the Bare-necked Umbrellabird.

This crow-sized cotinga can be seen at this and other suitable places but, thanks to their random, quiet behavior, and low numbers, umbreallbirds in Costa Rica are always a challenge to find. As is often the case with this species, we saw one by pure chance, just as we were trying to locate a calling Barred Forest-Falcon.

As we peered into the dense forest, the cotinga blasted into view and perched in a nearby cecropia. The female or juvenile male sat there looking around and ate some Cecropia “fruits” for ten minutes until it took off like a shot, zipping back into the forest. It flew like a big woodpecker and was surprisingly fast!

Not a bad way to start the birding day! We then focused on the forest-falcon and although we didn’t get the best of looks, we did manage brief views of the bird in flight and perched behind mossy vines.

After listening to the mournful whistle of a Northern Schiffornis, seeing some mixed flock action, and not noticing any signs of Army Ant swarms, we ventured on to our next little visited birding site,

Lands in Love.

After paying the $15 fee to use the trails, we ventured into the forest and found two of our main targets right away; Thicket Antpitta and Tawny-chested Flycatcher. The main entrance to the trails below the rooms is overgrown and not maintained but we still managed to get good looks and photos of the antpitta, and nice views (but not the best of shots) of the flycatcher.

Venturing onto the trails from a spot above the rooms (this trail entrance is maintained), a walk through beautiful, mature lowland-foothill rainforest resulted in good looks at Streak-crowned Antvireo, White-flanked Antrwren, and Golden-crowned Spadebill. Just as we were leaving the trail, we also ran into an ant swarm of small Labidus ants. These small black ants don’t attract as many birds as the classic, larger Army Ants but they can still attract birds nonetheless.

Their foraging gave us good looks at Ocellated and Spotted Antbirds and a few other birds. We didn’t have any sign of the ground-cuckoo but when I first noticed the bird activity, I could have sworn I saw something sneak off on the ground. Maybe one was there, hiding back in the shadows? The idea me eager to get back into that beautiful forest!

Our other main back road birding sites included:

The Road to the River Next to La Selva, and Roads That Loop Behind Selva Verde.

In the morning, birding next to La Selva, and especially down at the river, can be fantastic. Scanning high trees immediately revealed a female Snowy Cotinga and a White-necked Puffbird. We kept watching and the birds kept on appearing. Three Hook-billed Kites flew in and perched high in a fig. Pied Puffbird flew in to another high perch, Chestnut-colored Woodpecker showed, and we were entertained by additional birds. One of the best were a few Spot-fronted Swifts that flew low enough and at the right angle to see the gleaming white spots on their faces.

I heard Purple-throated Fruitcrows but they wouldn’t come close. Luckily, we caught up with that cool cotinga on the road behind Selva Verde. I don’t usually see it there so it was a nice surprise to hear one call and have it fly into view. It was hanging with a bunch of oropendolas, and as I figured, White-fronted Nunbirds.

As per usual, these choice puffbird species flew high overhead but, eventually, they did us a favor and moved much lower and into much better lighting. As is typical with such flocks, they were joined by Rufous Mourner, Black-striped, Northern Barred, and Cocoa Woodcreepers, and a few other medium sized bird species.

Black-striped Woodcreeper from another day.

We topped off that quality back road birding with close views of the one and only feathered bug, Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant, and calling White-ringed Flycatchers. After those views, it was time for us to move on but oh how it is worth it to bird the forests near La Selva and Braulio Carrillo! Yesterday, a fellow local birder told me about a verified sighting of a Crested Eagle from near there (near Poza Azul and Tirimbina) a day before we were in the area!

Hopefully, that super mega eagle will stick around but who knows, it was a near adult likely moving around in search of territory. It could be anywhere in northern Costa Rica by now but my bets are on it either using the forests at and near La Selva (that includes the places I visited and Tirimbina), the forests north of Quinta de Sarapiqui, or foothill rainforests near the Socorro area. I sure hope someone sees it again, it will be interesting to see where it is found. I know I’ll be keeping that mega bird in mind!