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Month: May 2024

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Costa Rica Birding News- June, 2024

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Coming to Costa Rica in June? It’s gonna be good! More elbow room, lots of bird activity, I’m already looking forward to it. For me, it’s a good time of year to search for nesting birds, fruiting trees, and enjoy fresh, cloudy weather.

Yeah, fresh, cloudy weather in June. Who would have thought? It’s June but you gotta remember, Costa Rica doesn’t have any summer. No winter either. Just wet or dry, and high, middle or low elevations with some vacillations in local temperatures.

It’ll rain in the afternoon but I like it. Just before the storm, swifts reveal some of their waterfall mysteries and birds are active, all morning long. Partly rainy? Birds are moving all day!

It’s the good birding stuff. Here’s some birding news to whet your palette.

Mega Hummingbird near Boca Tapada!

The biggest local birding news has been the occurrence of a White-bellied Emerald in northern Costa Rica, near Boca Tapada. This plain looking hummingbird is common in Mexico and northern Central America. In Costa Rica, it’s another story!

Known in Costa Rica from a handful of old sightings, a couple of which might actually have been Mangrove Hummingbirds, local birders have long hoped for one to come back for a visit.

Earlier in the month, while birding near Boca Tapada, birding guide and owner of Lifer Tours Juan Diego Vargas had a brief look at one while guiding clients. Although he was pretty sure of its identification, since he didn’t get a picture, Juan Diego opted to hold off on announcing it until he could absolutely confirm such a rare bird. Check out his account here!

Not long after, Lisa Erb (the owner of Rancho Naturalista), Harry Barnard, and Meche Alpizar (top birding guides based at Rancho) had good looks at the hummingbird and could confirm that yes indeed, the White-bellied Emerald was back in town!

Since then, dozens of local birders have pilgrimaged north to see this mega in some roadside Verbena (Porterweed). Although the landowner started charging people $20 a person (a fair sum for Costa Rica) to leave the road and walk on his property, lots of birders have still gone to see it. He has also installed a plastic green “wall” to prevent non-paying birders seeing it from the public road.

I can’t help but wonder if drought caused the bird to vacate its typical range? I also wonder if a few more are around. I bet so! If you see any hummingbirds that have mostly white underparts, please take pictures! The same goes for Blue-vented Hummingbirds with rufous in their wings. Those might be another vagrant bird that could be around; the Blue-tailed Hummingbird.

This is a Blue-vented Hummingbird. If you see one of these with rufous wings, take those pictures!

More Sightings of Buff-collared Nightjar

Wait, Buff-collared Nightjar? In Costa Rica? Yep! A few years ago, a small population was discovered in Santa Rosa National Park. Recently, Guanacaste based birders turned up few more at a site just outside of the park!

This is exciting for two reasons. For one, we now know of another population in Costa Rica. The other big reason for celebration is that this new spot is not within the park and therefore much more accessible.

I don’t know how the road is and expect it to be rocky rough but the birds are there and several people have gone and seen them. Hopefully more birders will check additional suitable spots in that area. It seems like more should be out there.

White-tailed Tropicbird in the Caribbean Basin

Another fun sighting was an adult White-tailed Tropicbird in the Caribbean Sea! This good bird was seen during pelagic bird monitoring off the coast of Tortuguero. Not unexpected but still pretty rare for Costa Rica.

We actually have all three tropicbirds on the country list but Red-billed is the only regular one (and is still pretty uncommon).

A Good Time for Pelagics

I would rather take the ferry than this boat.

Isn’t it always? Yes, I suppose so but, to me, the wet season months have always seemed better for pelagic birds. Or, maybe it’s just better in the Gulf of Nicoya.

Rains bring more nutrients into the Gulf and that brings in the birds. At least that’s my theory. Past ferry trips during these months have always been good, it’s time for some more!

Preparing Updates for the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide App

On another birding note, I have been gathering new images and getting ready to update the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app. I might include another bird or two that are not on the bird list but that could certainly make an appearance.

Altamira-Oriole-Costa-Rica-birds-app
Altamira Oriole from the Costa Rica Birds app. Nope, hasn’t been seen yet but it’s very much expected!

I’ll definitely include more images in general to help birders identify more birds in Costa Rica, learn about them, and be fully prepared for their birding trip. No, we won’t have any automatic identification tools like Merlin but there will be accurate, localized information to help find and identify well over 900 bird species in Costa Rica, and the usual features that help people customize the app to their needs (making a target list, marking birds as soon or heard, and more).

June birding in Costa Rica’s gonna be good. I hope to see you here!

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Is Summer a Good Time for Birding in Costa Rica?

You might see a Three-wattled Bellbird around there.

Summer is here! Yeah, it’s still May but why beat around the bush? On the northern breeding grounds, a bevy of warblers are singing from fresh-foliaged woods. Ruffed Grouse are mixing it up with sub-sonic beats, Scarlet Tanagers are blazing through the woods, and Eastern Kingbirds are back on their royal territories.

An Eastern Kingbird pausing in Costa Rica on its way north.

I haven’t been up that way in many summers but the memories play easy. Mental recordings of American Goldfinches potato-chipping as they bounce through the air over sweet June hayfields. Chestnut-sided, Canada, and Mourning Warblers singing from Southern Tier thickets.

Warm weather was back and with it came baseball parades and the many other hallmarks of the grateful summer respite. It’s a fun and relaxing time up north, a fine span bereft of ice scrapers and eerie polar whispering. The weather is so generally welcome, travel can take a back seat and why not?

Why fly south when you can sip cold drinks in the warmth of your own backyard? Why travel when home is a bastion of garden beauty?

Whether you get on that plane or not depends on priorities. For example, unless you live in Monteverde, you can’t see Three-wattled Bellbirds at home. Can’t catch a glimpse of the secret glittering on Fiery-throated Hummingbirds, scan for soaring hawk-eagles, or stalk antbirds.

An antbird worth stalking.

Get on that plane to Costa Rica though, and you’ll be in range of those birds. Those and 100s of other species, even in the summer months. The resident birds don’t leave and summer might even be a better time to see them! Hundreds of bird species should be reason enough but of not, here’s some additional benefits of summer birding in Costa Rica:

A Time for Swifts

I know, maybe not the most colorful birds, perhaps not the birds that look like living feathered jewels. Birds nonetheless though, not easy to see at other times of the year, and with their own set of amazing abilities.

The swifts are always here too (at least as far as we know) but trust me, some species are far and away easier to see and identify than the winter months. “To see and identify” is key for these high-flying birds.

Let’s say you are birding Costa Rica in the winter and hit gold with a high wheeling King Vulture. As way up there as that jungle condor flies, you might pick up a few other birds above it. No, probably won’t spot them with the naked eye but in your binos, there they are, specking way up there, unidentified although you figure they must be swifts.

They are indeed swifts but which ones? Unless they call, no way to tell. Sorry, swift sp. they are and nope, that doesn’t help any but what can you do?

It’s not right but short of a super telescopic lens or mega focused listening device, those are the birding breaks.

The good news is that it’s not that way all year long. Once the rains start, all the swifts fly lower, even close enough to see actual, honest to goodness field marks!

Where do they fly you may ask? Oh, in lots of places, like even above my urban neighborhood. Just today, during post lunch relaxation on the couch, I swore I heard the pip pips of a Black Swift. At first, I thought I may have been tricked by some odd, distant calls of a Great-tailed Grackle but I went outside, looked up, and sure enough, yes!

There they were, swifts scything through nearby skies, even swooping low over houses. Black Swifts! Chestnut-collared Swifts zip zipping and either Spot-fronted and/or White-chinned Swifts higher up. Although they didn’t give away specific identification by calling or flying lower, they have on many other days. I’ve even seen both species flagrantly courting right over non-natural rooftops and urban streets.

Summer is a good time to connect with these birds, a nice bonus after watching a wealth of other, easier birds to see.

Bellbirds Anyone?

Summer is a darn good time to see bellbirds, and I mean ones with three crazy wattles. Although these mega cotingas are always present in Costa Rica, they aren’t always easy. During their non-breeding season (September to March), Three-wattled Bellbirds are mostly in less accessible areas.

Visit Costa Rica in winter and you might get lucky and see one but you’ll really be taking your chances. Go birding in Costa Rica now and it’s some pretty easy birding pie. Sure, you gotta go to the right places but that’s easy enough.

Try Monteverde, give the San Ramon cloud forests a shot, check out a few other breeding areas. The males are calling, put in some time and you should see them!

Male Three-wattled Bellbird.

Crakes and Masked Ducks

In these modern, connected birding days, we’ve got a lot of crake action locked in, all year long. Even so, the skulky ones are easier in the wet season. In Costa Rica, that would be summer.

Boat ride with a guide in Medio Queso and you’ll probably see Yellow-breasted Crakes. You might also see them in Coto 47 near Ciudad Neily. If not, save the birding at that big rich site for Paint-billed Crake and Gray-breasted Crake. Summer is a really good time to look for these challenging birds!

The rice fields are wet and those birds can be pretty common. With some effort, they can also be pretty easy to see! Same for Spotted Rail in Guanacaste rice fields.

The Zorro Duck is out there too, always a pain and unfriendly to birders but summer is a better time to see them. Check seasonal lagoons with lots of emergent vegetation, especially in Coto 47. Check them well too because Masked Ducks are aquatic, web-footed ninjas. Don’t worry, they don’t carry throwing stars or sharp knives but these masters of stealth can still cut in other, less visible ways. Scan carefully to bring the joy and avoid missed lifer pain.

Masked-Duck

What About the Rain?

All those birds sound nice and dandy but aren’t we missing something. Isn’t it going to rain all the time? Yeah, probably not.

Yes, there will be rain and it’ll probably be heavy. But, them sky torrents won’t be rushing 24/7. The natural tap doesn’t usually get turned until the afternoon. Morning is typically good and if it rains on and off, you’re in luck! Expect avian action all day long.

Yes, heavy rains can affect some roads and cause other issues but it shouldn’t be an entire wash out. Bird here in summer and you should connect with a good number of birds, uncommon and challenging ones included.

Thinking of birding in Costa Rica soon? It is summer and there’s rain but I wouldn’t worry too much. Instead, study field guides and birding apps for Costa Rica. Get “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica” to prepare for birding in Costa Rica and pick the best birding sites for your birding needs. Get ready because the birding in Costa Rica is excellent and exciting, even in the summer.

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Global Big Day- May 11th, 2024, Costa Rica

Another Global Big Day is in the books! if we birders had an official holiday, I’m pretty sure it would be Global Big Day. In a sense, it already is. After all, we put other things aside to celebrate, commemorate, and rejoice by going birding.

I almost wish we weren’t so busy birding on Global Big Day so we could likewise commemorate it with cake, special liquid refreshment, and a fun, phat and friendly party.

We could mix some of those factors with GBD birding but when you got 24 hours to work with, a full day to give yourself over to avian connection, the birds take precedence.

It’s always nice to share some time with birds like this Northern Emerald Toucanet.

Better to make it a two day holiday; Global Big Day (GBD) followed up by post Global Big Day of Rest (GBDR). If you bird 24 hours, you’ll need some recuperation and maybe some therapy too. If so, no problem, there’ll be plenty of free advice at the after GBD party. Share birding stories over quality cake (there’s a lot of bad cake out there, stick with the real butter deal), extoll birding achievements, and maybe even chase a bird or two your birding peeps found on GBD.

Hopefully, we can get GBD recognized as a holiday, or at least encourage celebrating it in double holiday fashion. In the meantime, here’s some of what went down in Costa Rica this past May 11th, 2024.

Good Totals

As of writing, birders in Costa Rica collectively identified 680 species and a few more are probably awaiting eBird review approval. I daresay that’s pretty darn good. 90 percent of the wintering birds already flew north and birders in Costa Rica found most of the rest of what’s possible.

I was also pleased to see that 1,094 ebirders in Costa Rica participated. Even if I didn’t run into fellow birders in the field, it’s still cool to know that we were all watching birds at the same time.

Heavy Rains

Those totals also stand out when you take the weather into account. The morning was sunny but the rest of the day was extremely wet. I recall a few drops happening around noon and then massive curtains of constant water for the rest of the afternoon.

Instead of counting birds, I was driving north on the coastal highway, hoping to make it to Tarcoles before the road maybe flooded. Luckily, that didn’t happen and we actually did manage to see a handful of final birds during a late afternoon break in the weather.

Such heavy rains weren’t surprising by the way. In Costa Rica, the wet season has most definitely started.

Some Highlights

Overall, we did really well. Despite very little if any pre GBD organizing, enough local birders targeted the tough ones to find most of them! I felt like the following were worth mentioning.

Masked Duck– Outside of late summer and fall, in Costa Rica, this reclusive little duck is seriously hit or miss. Unreliable by nature, I was pleased to see that someone found one in the Cano Negro area.

Paint-billed Crake– We got a fair handle on this sneaky species but it can still be tough. Someone had it at the Las Trancas rice fields.

Hudsonian Godwits– This one wins the prize! Late April and early May are the time to get lucky with this mega wader in Costa Rica but it’s still a lottery bird. Thanks to a local birder checking the Colorado salt pans, he found 8!

His numbers go way past the previous country high count of 1. I wonder what convinced the Hudwits to come to shore? Did they sense storm clouds a bit too dark and grainy? Maybe they’ve stopped there before, just for a few hours or a day. In any case, they weren’t there on GBDR.

Christmas Tahiti Parkinson’s– Amazingly, determined birders managed to do a pelagic trip! I say “amazingly” because it was so darn rainy, I don;t want to imagine what it was like offshore. I guess not too bad because they found and added a bunch of birds to the GBD country total. They even managed a trio of tougher birds. Tahiti Petrel is normal but Christmas Shearwater and Parkinson’s Petrel are much more of a challenge.

All three hawk-eagles– None of the hawk-eagles are common but if you get enough birders in the field, some of them will notice Black and Ornate Hawk-Eagles. Black-and-white is another story.

A truly rare bird in Costa Rica, if we’re lucky, there might be 20 pairs in the country (or maybe much less?). Fortunately, one was seen in Caribbean foothill forest in the Guacimo, Limon area. This is the same good area where a Crested Eagle was recently seen.

Tiny Hawk– These pint-sized raptors are present in many places but always tough to see. One was found at La Marta; a good site for it and another tough one that was found there too- Lanceolated Monklet!

Unspotted Saw-whet Owl– I’m pleased to say that I found this one. I’m guessing one or two other people also specifically looked for and found this special little owl but we certainly had the first one for the day.

It happened in pretty unexpected fashion during dawn birding at Lilianas Quetzals (aka Myriam’s Cabins). While attempting to see a Dusky Nightjar instead of just hearing them right around dawn, I couldn’t help but whistle like a Unspotted Saw-whet Owl. I knew the bird is heard there once in a while but didn’t really expect a response. However, as birds will do, one fricking called back!

The nightjar and screech-owl were quickly pushed aside to try for this highland mega but try as I did, the owl didn’t really come in, nor did it call enough to locate it. Still awesome to hear it and at least I know where to look for it next time I’m up that way…

Pewee and the Jay– Sounds like a movie or show from the 70s but nope, this is a pair of high elevation, Talamancan toughies. They still deserve their own show but it would be tough to make them come to the studio.

The Ochraceous Pewee and Silvery-throated Jay are two of the more evasive high elevation endemics from Costa Rica and western Panama. Getting them on any day is outstanding, finding them on GBD is cakeworthy.

One of the other sweet highlights was Speckled Mourner. Before a few were found at the Pitilla Biological Station, this bird was basically a no-show for the country. Awesome to have them on the Costa Rica GBD list!

Odd Misses

After a quick review of GBD sightings in Costa Rica, I didn’t notice too many expected birds. I suppose one might be White-chinned Swift. Unless we are still waiting for approval or a latent list, I do think it would be weird not to find this one.

White-chinned Swifts aren’t exactly abundant but there is at least one known nest site, and the rainy season is the best time to see them. As expected, recently, local birders have been seeing some at the edges of rain clouds, sometimes quite low over their houses.

Veraguan Mango and Sapphire-throated Hummingbird are two more species that should be on the GBD list. Since they are pretty easy to see in the Ciudad Neily area and Lesser Kiskadee is likewise missing, I’m guessing that no one covered that part of the country. That, or they just haven’t submitted their lists yet.

Not Surprising Misses

Birders found most expected species in Costa Rica but a few were unsurprisingly missed. The main three birds that come to mind are Bare-necked Umbrellabird, Black-crowned Antpitta, and Gray-headed Piprites. Yep, those three are always tough. These days, thanks to the people at Vista Aves Lodge, the piprites is a bit more manageable but the other two are always tough.

Both seem to get rarer by the day but if you go to just the right places, you can find them. We probably didn’t have folks in those particular spots.

As for my GBD, it was a day of guiding that took us from beautiful high elevation forest at Myriams Cabinas down to Vista del Valle and then on through Perez Zeledon and up the coast to the Tarcoles Birding Lodge.

Like I mentioned, heavy rain knocked out a fair part of the day but we still managed 108 species including birds as varied as Resplendent Quetzal, Unspotted Saw-whet Owl, Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl, and Scarlet Macaw. Check out the trip report!

I hope you had a fun and exciting GBD in good company (along with a relaxed GBDR). You can learn more about the Costa Rica birding sites mentioned in this post in my Costa Rica bird finding ebook. I hope to see you here!