April is just around the corner and with it comes one of Costa Rica’s biggest avian waves; a massive movement of birds that starts in South America and flows all the way to Canada. On the way, the birds ebb through Costa Rica, sometimes in trickles, other times in fantastic streams and rushes. These spring migrants include many of the birds that winter in South America, warblers, tanagers, cuckoos, flycatchers, and others that make their home in tropical forests shared by utterly fantastic avian diversity.
After having spent the winter in dry forest and mangroves in northern South America, like flying mangos, flocks of Prothonotary Warblers brighten the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. Keep watching and you’ll also see Tennessee Warblers, plenty of Blackburnians, and smaller numbers of Ceruleans. Flocks of Eastern Kingbirds join millions of Purple Martins, and Barn, Bank, and Cliff Swallows heading north while groups of Baltimore Orioles and Scarlet and Summer Tanagers decorate the trees.
We don’t get the cornucopia of songbirds that sing in Central Park but the show’s still pretty darn good. Highlights also include rivers of raptors, and a fine host of resident birds.
Visit Costa Rica soon and you’ll have a chance to witness some of this bi-annual birdiness. Here are some other things to be aware of.
Poas National Park is Closed Indefinitely
First and foremost, if you plan on visiting Poas, you can’t and probably won’t be able to for some time. After volcanic activity picked up these past few weeks, the national park has been closed indefinitely. I’m not sure if they also closed part of the main road there but that wouldn’t be surprising, that’s what happened the last time Poas threw rocks out of its crater.
Lately, the volcano has been shooting up plumes of ash, vapor, and gases, and vulcanologists have also warned that it could have even more explosive eruptions. In the meantime, I’m not even checking to see if the main road is open up to the park gate. It just seems too risky!
If you have bought tickets for Poas, you can get a refund by visiting the same government website where you purchased them.
No More Feeders at La Georgina
Back before feeders were demonized in Costa Rica, this high elevation site offered close views of Fiery-throated and other high elevation hummingbirds at close range. Although you can still see smaller numbers in their garden, it’s nothing like the fantastic, tourist magnet displays we used to see.
I’m not sure when they took their feeders down but I can say that none were there in late February and probably won’t be up again any time soon. I suspect that authorities required or pressured the place to remove them because that’s how they interpreted the law and/or believe that such feeders keep hummingbirds from pollinating local plants.
Yes, seriously. There’s no real basis and it’s a shame but at least they haven’t been making as many businesses take down feeders lately.
The ones at La Georgina were likely removed some time ago but I figured I would mention that here as a reminder especially because I probably mention that they have feeders in my Costa Rica bird finding book and site guide.
Excellent Photo Opportunities at Hotel de Campo, Cano Negro
On another, more accessible note, the Hotel de Campo at Cano Negro has upped their game for bird photography. The bird photo action in their large gardens has always been impressive but recent improvements kick things up a notch.
The hotel now also offers a covered bird photography area that has seating and excellent views of a water feature as well as natural perches that attract a variety of species. Expect lots of quality captures from this site soon! That’s in addition to boat tours in the wildlife refuge that give good chances at Sungrebe, a host of beautiful kingfishers, and lots of other birds.
Excellent Urban Birding in Los Chiles
The excellence in birding continues near Cano Negro at Los Chiles. After a few bouts of quality birding in this northern town, I’m tempted to call it the best urban birding in Costa Rica. Granted, Los Chiles is small and isn’t exactly surrounded by concrete but it’s still a town, one with a heck of a lot of birds.
On a recent trip, in addition to a Great Potoo that serenaded us during dinner, we also had fantastic views of flyover Jabirus, Black-collared Hawks, a fine stream of river raptor Swainson’s Hawks, Broad-wingeds, and TVs, and other species, right from the parking lot of our small hotel, the CyC Cabinas.
After a short drive to the main river dock, two hours of morning birding consisted of constant, fantastic birding activity. Dozens of parrots and parakeets of 7 species perched in adjacent trees and flew overhead, kingfishers zipped by (including at least one American Pygmy Kingfisher), Green Ibis posed, Spot-breasted Wren sang, woodpeckers perched in perfect light, and so on and so on. This bonanza of birds mirrored my experience there in October, one that also included an excellent array of birds in a short period of time.
Not to mention, Los Chiles is also very close to the wetland hotspot known as Medio Queso.
Nice Birds on the San Rafael Varablanca Road
Heading up to higher elevations, a recent morning trip to the San Rafael (or La Legua) road turned up several quality species. Although we only had one brief view of a quetzal (I usually see more), we had great looks at Great Black Hawk, Northern Emerald Toucanet, several Prong-billed Barbets, various hummingbirds including Coppery-headed Emeralds (they seemed to have moved upslope), and other expected upper middle elevation birds.
Best of all, we heard a Three-wattled Bellbird, likely a young male, calling from forest where the asphalt ends. Each year, a few bellbirds are reported from this area; likely a remnant of a much larger historical population that probably declined in synch with forest destruction in their Central Valley wintering grounds.
Check out the eBird list: eBird Checklist – 29 Mar 2025 – san rafael road – 69 species
Shorebirds Coming Soon
Being on the cusp of April also means that shorebirds will be here soon. Actually, they already are and lots of them but April seems to be the height of shorebird migration and a good time to find less common species like American Golden Plover and Hudsonian Godwit.
In April, I wish I could go shorebirding every day because that would increase my chances of finding much rarer species that surely occasionally pass through Costa Rica. If you are shorebirding in Costa Rica and see any funny looking shorebirds, any suspected Sharp-taileds or weird looking stints, please take pictures and ask questions later!
Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow Habitat Destroyed in Heredia
On a sad note, part of the Central Valley around Heredia continue to lose green space. It’s no surprise but it’s still shocking and tragic. Around Heredia, the demand for housing is so high, it seems to only be a matter of time before every tree and last speck of vegetation on most coffee farms is obliterated. They do it to turn former farms and other green space into treeless housing areas decorated with overpriced concrete boxes.
Yesterday, while driving past on a street where a rare shaded coffee area has hosted many migrants, Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrows, and other birds, I was greeted with a large area shorn of trees. As befitted the destruction, smoke was in the air and no birds were present. No more singing Yellow-green Vireos, no Brown Jays, no wintering birds or migrants. How many ground-sparrows were essentially eliminated? A bird for which we have no accurate population estimate but one that is not commonly seen in most of its extremely restricted range? I have seen similar destruction on the road above Finca Rosa Blanca (who thankfully protect a lot of important habitat), and at various other sites.
I fear the same thing will keep happening to most of the last green spots in much of the Central Valley, everywhere from between Curridabat to Alajuela. What this means for visiting birders is that even though you see eBird sightings of Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow around Heredia, know that most of those sites are under threat. Go and look for the bird and it might be there or, you might visit and find smoking vegetation or a bunch of concrete houses.
I’m sorry to end that news on a low note but I won’t shy away from reality. On a higher note, there’s still lots of great birding waiting for you in Costa Rica. I hope to see you here!