In Costa Rica, we just finished another Holy Week. As banal as that may sound, those who reside in Costa Rica are well aware of the weight that statement carries. It means traffic is back in the Central Valley, that the beaches and ways to and from the coast have suddenly become much less crowded, and that whatever places closed for the holidays have opened back up.
On the birding front, the end of Holy Week also translates to Spring’s final movements of Scarlet Tanagers, Eastern Kingbirds, and many other birds flying steadily north. Some will still be around for a bit; Canada Warblers in the woods and northward bound wood-pewees sallying from perches but, for the most part, migration will be petering off.
The one exception is shorebirds. Right now is a darn good time to go shorebirding in Costa Rica, a time when the last push of thousands of birds pass through the country. Sadly, other duties may keep me from having a chance to look for them but who knows, maybe I’ll still be able to get out there and scan some wet fields, deftly slap mosquitoes while scoping coastal salt ponds and mud flats.
In any case, there’s always other birds, always lots to look at and look for in Costa Rica. I thought the following were some of the more interesting recent sightings in Birdlandia.
Black-eared Wood-Quail Seen at Laguna del Lagarto
Although I’m pretty sure this elusive and handsome forest chicken has been recorded at and near Laguna del Lagarto in the past, there weren’t any eBird records for it. That finally changed when birding guide Henri Sandi Amador found one!
This is an excellent sighting and I don’t know if the bird will stick around but it’s a reminder of what can appear in areas with extensive, little explored forest.
Snowcaps and More at Centro Manu
Can’t make it to Rancho or El Copal? Luckily, Centro Manu continues to be a good spot for Snowcap. Last week, during a wet morning visit, we had at least three females and one male. Most were in the aptly named hummingbird garden but they also visit small flowers in shortish, bushy trees next to the parking area and in front of the office.
Great Potoo is still there too although it’s been using a less obvious perch and we did not manage to see it. The rain diminished the birding in general but we still managed to see Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer and some other birds in addition to the Snowcap. Local guide Kenneth also mentioned that they are still seeing Central America Pygmy-Owl by a nearby stream as well as other expected species for the area (which are many and always good).
Flowering Ingas in the Caribbean Foothills
Lately, while driving downhill from Cinchona, visiting Centro Manu, and passing through Sarapiqui, I noticed good numbers of flowering Ingas. This is great news for hummingbirds and us birders hoping to see them! The wispy white flowers produced by these guava relatives are some of the best natural feeders around and one of the better ways to see coquettes and Green Thorntails.
If you notice a bushy tree with wispy white flowers, stop and watch it for a while, you should eventually see some hummingbirds. With luck, you might also find something uber rare.
Ruddy-breasted Seedeater in Tarcoles
In Costa Rica, Ruddy-breasted Seedeaters can be unpredictable. For example, although I usually see them in the Cano Negro area, I had no such luck last month. They are also regular in grassy fields in the southern Pacific zone but even there, they can be common one year and seemingly absent the next.
If you’re taking any boat rides on the Tarcoles River soon, you might get lucky with this pretty little finchy bird. Lately, they have been regular from the boat, maybe there’s also some frequenting rice fields around Jaco? You might also see the rare Slate-colored Seedeater. From the boat, there has been a recent sighting or two of this nomadic, uncommon bird!
Seeding Bamboo in Montserrat de Coronado?
Slate-colored Seedeaters have also been spotted around Montserrat de Coronado; an excellent highland site at the end of a rough road in the upper reaches of the northeastern Central Valley.
I’m not sure if observers saw the seedeaters at Locos Por El Bosque or near there nor if bamboo is seeding but their presence is a fair indicator. Another good indicator is the presence of Barred Parakeets. Folks have also been seeing good numbers of those and even getting rare pictures of perched birds! That’s a major bonus because although I hear and often see them in flight, 99% of my looks are small parakeet silhouettes buzzing overhead.
Montserrat de Coronado isn’t on the main birding tour routes but it’s an excellent area to explore on your own or with a local guide. It’s also one of many lesser known sites covered in my bird finding guide to Costa Rica. If the bamboo is seeding up that way, it’s probably also attracting tough birds like Slaty Finch and Blue Seedeater too!
As always, I could mention more sightings, birds like the Palm Warbler near La Gamba, Turquoise and Yellow-billed Cotingas, and others. There’s always a lot more to say about birds in Costa Rica, the best thing to do is visit, get into habitat and watch them. I hope to see you here!