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Month: July 2025

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bird finding in Costa Rica Birding Costa Rica

Poas Volcano Reopens and More Costa Rica Birding News

How’s your July birding coming along? In the birding realm, this month seems to be dominated by the Bird Fair in the UK and the post breeding birding break (except when you look for shorebirds). At least that’s how I remember it. I have only experienced the Bird Fair via social media posts (would be nice to change that some day) but, have done my fair share of late July/August shorebird searching.

Friends would take me to the Lake Erie shore and other local shorebird hotspots in southern Ontario. We walked along humid beaches and scanned the algae patches on shore to see which migrants had stopped for much needed biofilm and small bug snacks. We didn’t have the huge numbers of sandpipers or plovers of lucky coastal birders but, we were always happy with the birds we found.

It was and is sort of mind-blowing to consider where the Ruddy Turnstones, Semipalmated Sands and Plovers and other shorebirds had spent the summer, the wild lands they flew over, and the bird neighbors they saw (and had to watch out for). Those same species make it all the way to Costa Rica, I hope to look for them here soon.

This one has already showed up, I’d love to include it on my year list!

On another note, if you’re headed to Costa Rica soon, here’s some birding news you may find interesting.

Poas Volcano National Park to Open Back Up

Yes! After months of shooting ash clouds and other unwelcome stuff from its crater, the authorities have deemed that Poas has calmed down enough to reopen the national park.

As long as the volcano doesn’t suddenly explode again, the reopening is scheduled for the final week of July. You’ll still need to reserve and buy tickets online (and I wouldn’t linger too long at the crater) but, the trails will be open.

On account of avoiding an active volcano, I haven’t been up there in a while and am curious to see if bird populations have been affected by the gases and other volcanic activity. Hopefully, not too much. One of these days, I’ll probably check out the entrance road and see if it still has the same number of silky-flycatchers, Fiery-throated Hummingbirds, and other highland species.

Although the park is heavily visited, it’s still a good spot to see Wrenthrush, Flame-throated Warbler, and various other highland birds. It can also be good for Peg-billed Finch.

Flooding May Continue in Some Areas

In some parts of Costa Rica, this wet season has been pretty harsh. I suppose that reflects the trend for extreme weather in many parts of the world. Lately, I know of flooding around Upala, at Medio Queso, areas north of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, around Limon, near Boca Tapada, and Golfito.

The ground is still saturated in many areas and more rain is expected. For the visiting birder, that translates to keeping an eye on weather, and staying in touch with your lodging to see if you’ll be headed to flooded zones. It also means using common sense. Like, if a road is a bit too flooded, don’t drive through it!

Other birding areas that commonly flood include the Coto 47 area near Ciudad Neily, parts of the Nicoya Peninsula, the road to the Pavona dock to go to Tortuguero, parts of Jaco, and towns near Playas del Coco.

Sueños de Irazu Burns Down

Sadly, an important restaurant and tourist complex on the way to Irazu Volcano has burned down. Thankfully, this is not the Nochebuena Restaurant but it’s still an awful blow to a place that employed a number of local people.

If you’ve been to Irazu, this the large place with a big sign that read, “Mongongo” (tripe), just after a forested stream. Roadside habitat on that same stream is also one of the better spots in the area to see quetzal and is also good for other highland birds. Hopefully, the habitat wasn’t affected.

Algae Bloom in the Gulf of Nicoya

There have been recent reports of algae blooms in the Gulf of Nicoya. So far, the blooms have not been harmful algae but, I wonder how they’ll affect marine bird communities that use the gulf. I fear not in a good manner although the only way to tell is by going there and checking it out.

With bird migration just kicking into gear and the gulf tending to be better for pelagic birds at this time of year, I look forward to doing some seawatching from Puntarenas or taking the ferry.

Road Work on the Tarcoles Crocodile Bridge

This is a big one. Yes, the time has come to refurbish or fix the famous crocodile bridge. Lane closures will cause traffic jams on this main coastal road but, better that the bridge collapsing and throwing people straight into the maws of huge American Crocodiles.

The works are scheduled to end in May and, starting in October, there will also be occasional nighttime closures from 9 pm to 5 am. This post gives a timeframe for the works (in Spanish).

With all of this in mind, once the night closures start, make sure NOT to plan on driving from San Jose to Jaco and further south on Route 34 between 9 and 5. There won’t be closures every night but, without knowing the dates for them, it’s better to play it safe. This route is going to see major traffic jams but, you might avoid the worst if you avoid travel on the weekends and during rush hour.

The Usual Awesome Birding Going On

Oh yeah, not mention but, there’s still the usual great birding going on in Costa Rica. Lots of fantastic resident birds to look at, skulkers to look for, and skies to scan. Go to the right birding sites and it’s always gonna be good!

To learn more about where to see birds in Costa Rica and support this blog, please purchase my 900 plus page ebook and birding site guide to Costa Rica. I hope to see you here!

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bird finding in Costa Rica Birding Costa Rica

Costa Rica Birding News, July, 2025

July birding in Costa Rica- is that a thing? Yes, it sort of is! Although the 7th month doesn’t see as many birders in Costa Rica as the winter months, it’s still an important month for birding in the nation of quetzals, Large-footed Finches, and hundreds of other species.

The finch with the large feet doing its foraging thing in the leaf litter.

To take advantage of the brief break in rainy weather, many a birding tour agency has scheduled a July trip to Costa Rica. It can still rain but it’s usually not near as much as other months in the rainy season. Although you won’t see many wintering birds, July is also still a great time to see our cool resident species. I don’t have a lot to report but here’s a bit of July birding news to whet the appetite.

Weather is a Bit Better

This July, we haven’t had as much of a break in the rains than other years but, recently, it has been drier. Given the saturated soils and localized flooding, any drier weather is a major bonus!

I’m not sure how long it will last but the birding will still be good. Keep in mind that the birds and ecosystems in Costa Rica are very much adapted to heavy and frequent rains. Not to mention, having adapted to overabundant moisture for thousands of years, they need it.

Time your birding right and be prepared for the rains and you’ll still see a heck of a lot.

Parrots in the Central Valley

The Central Valley (aka San Jose) is fairly impacted by people and urbanized but it’s still got parrots. Most days, even when not specifically birding, I usually hear three or four species from my concrete-abundant surroundings. The birds travel to and from riparian zones and patches of precious green space. They make do feeding on remnant trees and some roost in tall Eucalyptus.

Lately, I’ve been seeing more parrots, especially White-fronted Parrots but have also noticed more Brown-hoodeds flying through parts of the valley just uphill from the main urbanized areas. I’m not sure if these are post-breeding groups or what but there are pretty nice to see!

Could they be taking advantage of higher fruit abundance from earlier, heavy rains? Perhaps but, whatever the reason, I’m seeing more than usual. There could also be small groups of rare Red-fronted Parrotlets foraging in the valley. Keep an eye out for them, especially at big, fruiting figs.

Spot-fronted Swift Nest in Monteverde

One of the recent Monteverde highlights has been a viewable Spot-fronted swift nest. They might not be there for much longer but if you’re visiting the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve these days and want to give it a try, check the cascade on the waterfall Trail.

This species nests behind waterfalls, often just a nest or two behind small, mossy cascades. I wouldn’t say the bird is exactly rare in Costa Rica but it can be very easy to miss. On sunny days, it probably flies too high to notice and we know nothing about its movements (if it even makes any).

What I can say is that if you don’t see one at a nest, you might get lucky to see them fly low enough for identification during the early morning hours in Sarapiqui and other lowland forest areas. During the wet season (especially the early part of it and in front of storms), you can also see them courting, flying low, and calling over the Central Valley.

All the Usual Great Birding

As I was mentioning above, the same great birding is still happening in Costa Rica. Excellent mixed flocks at foothill forest sites, hawk-eagles in the more forested areas, Long-tailed Manakins whistling “Toledo”, there’s a wealth of birds waiting to be seen. If you are wondering exactly where to watch birds in Costa Rica, check out my Costa Rica birding site guide.

I’ll also mention that, at Cinchona, they modified the fruit feeder set-up so it has more natural perches and more light. On a recent visit, I saw the quail-dove sneaking around below the feeder, and all expected hummingbirds (including Black-bellied, White-bellied Mountain-gem, and Green Thorntail). I did not see as many fruit feeding birds but that might be related to more fruit being seasonably available in the forest.

618 Year Birds and Counting

On a personal note, my current year list has 618 or so species. I am pleased, I always hope to break 600 over a year of birding in Costa Rica! I’m not done yet and it will be tricky but, hopefully, I’ll hit 700 by the end of the year. Those totals hint at the sheer number of birds you can see in Costa Rica. Happy birding, I hope to see you here!

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bird finding in Costa Rica Birding Costa Rica birds to watch for in Costa Rica

Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo Surprise

In the realm of birding, we love surprises! At least, we love the good ones; unexpected happiness in the form of a Swallow-tailed Kite floating into view over the shaded streets of Buffalo or other places north of their usual range. Vagrant birds, skulking birds on an open perch, a Great Black-backed Gull that does not go naturally psycho on a rare stint or naive first year Ross’s Gull; we love avian surprises like these and more.

In Costa Rica, we had one such an avian surprise this past June. Well, we had more than one but the surprise bird sighting that stands out was a Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo at the Horizontes Station in Guanacaste. To see why this was a big surprise, check out where the station is located on this map, and where the nearest Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo sightings are in eBird.

To summarize, Horizontes is in tropical dry forest while all other sightings of this elusive bird come from expected humid forested habitats. The bird ain’t where it’s supposed to be! And if it weren’t for the trail camera that clearly captured images of the bird, we would have never known about it.

birding Costa Rica
Elegant Trogon is a much more typical bird of Horizontes.

In Costa Rica and elsewhere, ground-cuckoos showing up on trail cams is nothing new. It’s how we found that the species occurs in Cangreja National Park (which was well outside of their known range), and how they have been detected in other parts of their range. It’s also why it would be nice to have some trail cams in different parts of Carara. The bird has been seen there too but only on two occasions that I know of. However, I suspect small numbers occur in the more humid and inaccessible parts of the park.

Like this forest.

However, note that Carara is humid rainforest, sort of where one might expect a Neomorphus while Horizontes is tropical dry forest. What gives? How the heck did it get there!?! There’s a couple of possibilities. One is that this species has always lived in that area and came from the taller, more humid dry forests of Santa Rosa National Park. Since there have been zero g-cuckoo sightings in Santa Rosa despite decades of research having been carried out there, I don’t think that’s the correct explanation.

The second option is that the bird (or birds) have wandered from known haunts on Rincon de la Vieja all the way into the lowland forest habitats of Horizontes. Even though this seems unlikely at first, there’s no other good explanation and, when we look into a few factors, we can see how it could happen. Check it out:

Distance not incredibly far– Although Horizontes is not adjacent to Rincon de la Vieja, it’s not all far, especially for a ground-cuckoo. In a straight line, Horizontes is 15 to 20 kilometers to the nearest ground-cuckoo habitat on Rincon de la Vieja.

These birds don’t like to fly but they cover a heck of a lot of ground on foot! They have big territories and perhaps disperse over large areas.

Connected habitat– Looking at a map, there’s not a lot of forest connections between Horizontes and the slopes of Rincon. However, look closer and you can see some riparian zones snaking down to meet Horizontes or other forests connected to that area. We can only assume that the bird used these green trails to reach its destination (even crossing the Pan-American highway in the process).

Tropical Dry Forest?– This habitat is definitely not prime living space for a Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo. In Costa Rica and most of its range, they seem to only live in dense, primary rainforest that can supply the high variety of arthropods and other small creatures these apex understory predators feed on.

More typical RVG-Cuckoo habitat.

With that in mind, I have to wonder how long that bird is going to survive at Horizontes. Right now, with all that rain going on, it’s probably got plenty to eat but when the water stops and plants and bugs go into hibernation, it’ll be a challenge to survive.

However, it is worth mentioning that this species occurs in somewhat dry, intermontane valleys around Apolo Bolivia and may even be more common there than other sites in its range. Perhaps it’s a bit more adaptable than we realize? The bird surely still needs plenty of productive habitat to maintain a population but maybe there’s more of those smart and sneaky rainforest roadrunners than we think.

Coming back to option one– Could the bird have encountered Horizontes from the Santa Rosa area anyways? It could have and forest habitats are bigger and more connected from that direction but, if so, why wouldn’t it just stay where there’s more habitat? Like, why go all the way to Horizontes when you’ve already got more intact forested areas to play with? Could there actually be a small population in some part of Santa Rosa that we aren’t aware of?

Although that still seems unlikely, with this ultra sneaky bird, it seems like a lot more is possible than expected!

With that in mind, where else might ground-cuckoos occur in Costa Rica? At least one person hints at seeing one in the Osa and that would seem to make sense but what doesn’t jive is hundreds of other birders never seeing one there ever. Given that it occurs in Cangreja and Carara, might it also occur in some other parts of the Pacific slope?

Some places to look for it (which are also mostly underbirded) could be the Cambronero area and forests south of San Ramon, forests above Miramar, forests west of Monteverde, and maybe even habitats uphill from the Quepos area.

If you do some exploration birding in those areas, keep that in mind! Whether birding there or in dense rainforest (especially the foothills), if you think you hear some quiet clacks or snaps, or hear cowish/doveish vocalization, take a closer look. The understory might be hiding a mega avian prize.

To learn more about birding sites mentioned in this post while supporting this blog, get my 900 plus page birding site guide to Costa Rica. I try to keep it up to date and if I edit it soon, will also send you that recently edited version. I hope to see you in birdy Costa Rica!