We have arrived to September, year of the Super El Nino (2026) and here in Costa Rica, the weather has lived up to the meteorological predictions; heavy, flooding, landsliding rains where it should be drier, and very little rain where it should be awash with precipitation. It’s like someone flipped a tripswitch to push the Pacific rains over to the Caribbean, and that someone in question is the Pacific Ocean. Way too warm, something’s gotta give, something already gave and it’s gonna keep on giving, the weather sages say into 2027.
It’s a flipped deal from the expected, one that makes me wonder how it’ll affect the local avian scene.
In Costa Rica, lots of birds take advantage of the wet season to raise young, especially on the Pacific slope and Central Valley. The same goes for the Caribbean slope but it’s much more pronounced on the west side of the mountains. Evolution has keyed the birds into this rain regimen for thousands of years; nest when the rains start, higher productivity means more food and a better chance at raising broods. It’s why the Yellow-green Vireos show up in spring en masse, singing from every park and foliaged area of green space on the Pacific side.
Swallow-tailed Kites are another species that arrives for the rains, perhaps in part, benefitting by depredating nests that resident species build. But what happens if the rains don’t arrive like they should? What happens if it rains early and goes back to a pseudo dry season deal replete with moisture wicking winds and hour after hour of the natural sun lamp beating down from the blue?
The same goes for Piratic Flycatchers, the latter here to commandeer the bird nests other species are building so they can raise young of their own (!).
How’s that for some weird cuckooish bird vagabond activity? If fewer birds nested, the naturally “lazy” Piratics must have had fewer broods but, it looks like a fair number of birds successfully nested after all. I doubt as many as normal but, I do know quite a few seemed to nest early. Like, they got the memo, knew something we didn’t- unsurprising for birds far more in cue with the happenings of their natural surroundings than most people are.
Back in February, it seemed like the early rains triggered a nesting response; hopefully those species succeeded in raising young. I can’t imagine many birds nesting later on did as well.
With migration kicking into gear, I can’t help but likewise wonder if the change in rainfall affects food availability for migrants. I would think so for the Pacific slope but maybe those birds that land on the dry side of the mountains can somehow move over to the wetter side? I hope so and it’s not out of the question, those wetter forests are pretty close. In the meantime, at least it has been raining a bit more on the Pacific, hopefully that trend will continue to give resident and migrants birds some respite. Here’s some other news from Costa Rica:
Umbrellabirds at Centro Manu and a Way to Help this Endangered Species
The Bare-necked Umbrellabirds are back at Centro Manu! Although these crow-sized megas aren’t exactly abundant, at least you can know that a few are frequenting the forests of Centro Manu. In keeping with the timing of their elevational migrations, there are probably more in nearby, similar areas but Centro Manu is one of the most accessible spots.
Once in a while, one shows up right around the cabins or parking area but usually, you need to hike into the back part of the forest to see them. That means wearing rubber boots and being careful because it’s a wet, muddy trail with roots and other slippery factors but, if you can handle that and hang out in the back part long enough, you have a fair chance of seeing this special bird.
You’ll see lots of other good birds too, maybe Snowcap, manakins and more. This spot is possible as a day trip from the La Selva and San Jose area, if interested in a guided day trip, contact me at information@birdingcraft.com
A few of my eBird lists from guiding clients at Centro Manu:
One of the main reasons it’s so hard to see Bare-necked Umbrellabird is because the big cotinga is endangered. Their populations need more foothill and adjacent lowland rainforest than is available, about all we can do is reforest as much as possible. That and support this organization: the aptly name Umbrellabird Conservation Action Network (UCAN). This NGO has been doing more to help this rare species than anyone, check out their site and please consider lending your support. They have some great inside information about umbrellabirds in Costa Rica and can also arrange an ethical visit to the only known lek!
Migrants Have Arrived in Costa Rica
What I mean to say is that the first wave of songbird migrants has arrived. It seemed to happen on August 31th, after a couple days of rainy weather. I had been checking the tiny areas of green space in my urban Central Valley neighborhood for some days before then but had few birds. One day, there was a movement of swallows including a locally uncommon Purple Martin (most move through the Caribbean lowlands) and one or two Red-eyed Vireos but nothing else.
That changed this past Monday when my morning walk revealed several migrants foraging in a small riparian zone. I hadn’t expected them, before reaching that spot, I hadn’t seen any pewees nor any other migrants. However as I approached the streamside vegetation, I heard a chip and saw a small flash of yellow. The first Northern Yellow Warbler of fall migration! Then I saw a second and wondered if there might be another bird or two around.
Waiting by the mix of tall trees and low, thick vegetation, I began to notice some movement in the leaves and saw a small bird zip by. Oh yes, some birds were there alright! Most turned out to be Red-eyed Vireos but there was also an American Redstart and, when two small warblers flipped into view, I quickly realized i hit the jackpot with close views of female Cerulean Warblers! I had hoped to connect with that bird, knew that they were moving through but seeing them in the Central Valley is always hit or miss. Luckily, that morning, I was in the right place and enjoyed watching them forage down low for some time. I suspect three were actually present but can’t say for sure.
I took that as a cue to stay put and keep watching and although no cuckoos popped into my field of view, I did see quite a few REVIs, one Blackburnian, and a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher along with Cliff Swallows flying overhead and three more Purple Martins. More birds should be on the way with each coming day.
Puntarenas Birding Pays Off
The port of Puntarenas is off the regular beaten birding track but, go with a scope and seawatching often pays off. On Sunday, we took a morning trip there and even though the warmer than usual waters looked like they had a bit of a red tide going on, I still saw birds.
It was a bit weird but I guess that’s normal for less than normal conditions. There weren’t as many pelicans nor frigatebirds as I usually see, nor as many Royal Terns but, some other birds were passing by. I had hoped to catch Least Terns as they pass through Costa Rica and, sure enough, it didn’t take long to see some flying towards the inner gulf. Over the course of an hour and a half, I might have had a dozen along with a scattering of Black Terns, and some Elegant Terns too.
Most were fairly far out but, as is typical for this spot, several flew in from the sea to fly fairly close to the point. I could see a feeding flock way out on the horizon, looked like most birds were in the outer gulf but, I also picked up a not so common, Common Tern, had one of each of Cocos Booby and Blue-footed Booby and, as I was on the verge of leaving, noticed the best bird of the day.
It’s hard t leave Puntarenas because birds can occur at any time, flying in off the ocean. Sunday was no exception as my last binocular scan picked up a pale bird that looked slightly different. I put the scope on it and was pretty sure it had flashing black and white wings. After some playing with the zoom, I was able to follow it long enough to know I was seeing two Sabine’s Gulls!
Although this high Arctic species is regular in pelagic waters, you have to be lucky to find them from shore, even in the Gulf of Nicoya. Even better, one of those same birds or another one ended up flying rather close to the point. It was a pleasure to get such good views of this beautifully patterned gull, one normally associated with ice, eternal summer days, and the high seas.
Book Rooms Now for the High Season
On the future birding front, just a reminder to book your stay in Costa Rica now before it’s too late. For a lot of the most visited places, it might be too late already, don’t wait any longer. If you can’t stay at a preferred lodge, at least there’s other options along with a plethora of excellent birding sites to choose from.
“How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica” 2026 is Available!
Speaking of those birding sites, you’ll find nearly 300 of them in my bird finding guide for Costa Rica. Recently updated for 2026, here’s some reasons why this 1,000 page ebook will enrich any birding trip to Costa Rica:
-Unlike a recent AI “written” itinerary guide I’ve seen, my ebook wasn’t crafted from random and erroneous information online.
-I wrote it based on decades of experience and studying birds in the field, and what I’d like to see in a bird finding guide including accurate information that stems from firsthand knowledge.
-Updated and edited accounts for nearly 300 sites, many of which aren’t on eBird. However, there are also links to eBird hotspots.
-Tips and ideas to help you find unfamiliar birds like puffbirds, tinamous, and antthrushes along with information about and honest chances at the rarest species in Costa Rica.
-Identification tips for woodcreepers and everything else.
Not to mention, purchasing this book also helps support this blog.
Birding Apps and Field Guides to Enrich the Upcoming High Season
A field guide is another essential for any upcoming birding trip to Costa Rica. Yes, you could get the free Merlin app and that’s great (although it’s vocalization ID is still limited for Costa Rica) but, there are other publications with more in depth information written by local birding experts.
The main app to get is the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app by Birding Field Guides. This digital field guide includes:
-All the birds on the Costa Rica list and a bunch more that could turn up (more than 1,000 species total).
-Many images for most species including birds in flight and others to help with identification.
-Vocalizations for most species.
-Field maps and detailed information including tips for seeing each species in Costa Rica.
-Information about habitats, regions, and other aspects of Costa Rica.
-Free updates and works offline.
-Can be customized to show target birds, birds from certain regions, habitats, family, and more.
As far as field guide books go, come October, you’ll also want to get the new edition of the Garrigues and Dean “The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide“. Having seen some of the new illustrations and other features, I can’t wait to get this book! From what I’ve seen, it promises to be a must have field guide and addition to every birder’s library. I know how much they’ve been diligently working on this book, it’s going to be top notch.
To help local birding initiatives, especially ones to teach young people, I also recommend donating “Aves de Costa Rica” published by Ensifera to organizations that promote birding in Costa Rica. This small illustrated book acts as a good teaching device and gateway for Ticos to get interested in birds; I’m sure it will work well for this purpose because a friend of mine, David Rodriguez, was involved with creating this book and works at connecting young people with nature and reforestation alongside his spouse, Lily Briggs, the founder of the Finca Cantaros Environmental Association. This excellent NGO helps engage local people with nature and birds through reforestation and other means around San Vito area and possibly other areas as well. To help them promote birding and nature engagement in Costa Rica, please contact Lilly or David at this email or here.
