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Birding Sites in Costa Rica- Maximum Species in Minimum Time

Post author By admin
Post date January 17, 2025
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Good birding sites in Costa Rica are too numerous to count. Anywhere with habitat will have birds, often, more birds than expected, even in the semi-urban locales of the heavily populated Central Valley. Even there, even among coffee field flanked by treed hedgerows, remnant riparian zones, and patches of hang-on woodlands, the motmots, migrants, and fancy tail Long-tailed Manakins party in massive, aged figs.

Short-tailed Hawks kite above, Gray Hawks call and flap-glide through neighborhoods, and you may hear the laugh of a Lineated Woodpecker through heavy traffic. As with all countries, Costa Rica is of course much birdier in wilder areas with more habitat and less people. Those places are always best but some certain areas still stand out, especially in terms of the numbers of species possible in a limited amount of time.

If you’re looking for major birding bang for your birding time, you can’t go wrong with these birding areas. You’ll see a lot in a day but you’ll want to stay longer, at least to feel like you’ve adequately birded the various habitats. That’s one of the main things these maxibird sites have in common and a grand reason to include them on a birding trip to Costa Rica. Indeed, we see them featured on many a tour itinerary.

The Carara Ecotone

By definition, any ecotone should have a good number of bird species. More habitats equal more birds and when you mash a bunch together, it can be bird pandemonium in the best sense. We got that fine situation going on in the Carara ecotone.

I think that really is the best way to put it because, around Carara, we have south Pacific rainforest, tropical dry forest, wetlands, an estuary, and mangroves. Throw in open habitats and second growth and it’s no surprise that more than 500 species have been recorded from the general area.

A morning of birding can easily break 100 species and a long day can reach 160. However, instead of overdoing it, you’ll maximize species totals if you stay 3 to 4 nights so you can spend birding time in each habitat.

Sarapiqui Lowlands

The Sarapiqui lowlands include the La Selva area, La Quinta de Sarapiqui, and any number of other eco lodges in the area. A nice and birdy combination of lowlands rainforest, wetlands, rivers, and second growth result in a fantastic array of species, a few highlights being Great Green Macaw, Snowy Cotinga, Semiplumbeous Hawk, and Pied Puffbird.

Sarapiqui also acts as a good base for visiting Cope’s place, Centro Manu, and foothill birding at Nectar and Pollen as well as Virgen del Socorro. A day’s birding in the right places can easily have more than 150 species. I have had 170 with roadside birding!

The La Gamba Area

La Gamba is this village at the edge of Piedras Blancas National Park, a protected area that includes rainforests connected to the Osa Peninsula. They’ve got the same suite of species and because they are also just a bit closer than the Osa, many birding groups stay at Esquinas Lodge near La Gamba instead of driving all the way into the peninsula (which is also excellent birding).

The Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager only occurs in and around the Osa peninsula.

Like other max. species sites, La Gamba has this ecotone going on that generates constant avian action. You’ll need at least a few days to soak up open and second growth habitats, and forest action with local Black-cheeked Ant-Tanagers, Baird’s Trogons, mixed flocks, raptors, and more.

A bit further afield, you’ll find a variety of local species in wetlands, open habitats, mangroves, and other forest around Ciudad Neily and Rincon de la Osa.

Monteverde

Monteverde has become such a major destination, non-birding visitors have long outnumbered the true birders. I only mention that so you don’t become surprised at the number of buses and people you see in the area.

Even so, it still has wonderful birding and chances at large numbers of species. No, not as many as lowland areas but it comes close! As with any excellent birding site, Monteverde makes it happen with habitat. There’s a good amount of forest around town, at many of the hotels, and of course in the excellent reserves.

Bird dry habitat on the way there as well as the mature forests at Curi-Cancha, and other reserves and you’ll see a heck of a lot in an area replete with good restaurants and other tourism infrastructure.

Arenal

Like Monteverde, the Arenal area has become a major destination. It’s hard to believe that the first time I visited Fortuna, I exited a bus onto a dirt road pocked with large puddles and paid close to nothing to stay in some small, anonymous place.

Since then, the place has drastically changed but so have the birding opportunities. Numerous reserves, birding roads, open areas and some wetlands provide excellent opportunities to see literally hundreds of lowland and foothill rainforest species. Add on a trip up to Cano Negro from Arenal and you’ll leave the area with a huge number of species including a good selection of uncommon and local birds.

Ruta 126- Costa Rica’s “Via Endemica”

This birding area might not be as well known as the ones mentioned above but it can still turn up a similar number of species. Once again, it’s all about the extent and variety of habitats and on and near Ruta 126, you’ll pass through a bunch.

You have to know where to stop but there are chances at some dry forest and Central Valley birds, high elevation species on Poas Volcano, middle elevation species a bit lower down, and foothill birds below that. Although I typically show people birds from the higher and middle elevations, on longer days, I’ve found more than 150 species. Work the sites on and near this road over several days and you might see 300 species.

I don’t call it Via Endemica for nothing either; it’s good for everything from Fiery-throated Hummingbird to Sooty-faced Finch and Copper-headed Emerald (among many others), and, best of all, it’s one of the closest birding sites to the Central Valley.

These are some principal maximum species sites that come to mind but they aren’t the only ones in Costa Rica. Several other birding areas could also make it onto this list and then there are sites particularly suited for various target birds (see my Costa Rica bird finding ebook to learn about those and hundreds of other birding sites in Costa Rica). Suffice to say, go birding in Costa Rica and it’s gonna be good. Go birding at the places mentioned above and be forewarned, you might feel happily overwhelmed!

Tags Birding Costa Rica, Costa Rica birding, Costa Rica birds, where to watch birds in Costa Rica

Starting 2025 with Quality Birds in Costa Rica

Post author By admin
Post date January 8, 2025
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This is 2025. This is the latest of the “new years” and you can bet that 1,000s of birders are already working on their year lists. Or just keeping track of the birds they identify, or traveling to see birds, or simply watching and enjoying birds. Pausing to focus on a cardinal’s red plumage punctuating a snowy landscape. Hearing the echoes of crow calls as a cold breeze sneaks through quiet and suspended winter woods.

In Costa Rica, I have been catching the voices of chattering parakeets flying from morning roosts, interrupted by the shouts of Great Kiskadees, and seen a few hundred other birds. Yes, a week into 2025 and already more than 300 species and if you do enough birding in Costa Rica, that’s more than normal. Bird enough for a week in the right places and 300 plus birds are expected.

Thanks to guiding in some of the right places, I’ve also been fortunate to begin this year with several quality birds. All birds are good to see but, whether because of scarcity or anti-social behavior, some are more challenging or unexpected than others; such are the “quality birds”. Those are the pearls, emeralds, and aquamarines of our ongoing feathered treasure hunt and when you keep a year list, they are also the double and triple bonus birds. These are the some of the more polished avian gems I’ve seen during this first week of 2025. There won’t be many pictures but I’ll try and tell you what it was like to experience them.

Black-eared Wood-Quail

Misty, breezy mornings aren’t the best for birding but they’ll give you thought-provoking ambiance. I was doing my best to whistle in birds and eke them out of mossy cold front surroundings on the dead end road to Sensoria. Yeah, it might sound like a scene from a dystopian tale (especially with signs warning us of imminent volcanic danger) but no, literally, that’s what we were doing.

Such a road exists on the northern, forested flank of Rincon de la Vieja Volcano and, if you catch it right, you’ll have fantastic birding. “Right” being calm and dry weather, and us birding in waves of terrestrial clouds, the birding was rather challenging. However, we still saw and heard birds, uncommon ones too, birds like Black-eared Wood-Quail.

They never came close enough to see but it was rewarding to hear their voices rock and roll in our wonderfully forested surroundings. This is the rarest wood-quail in Costa Rica, one only seen in the more remote and intact rainforests of the Caribbean slope, especially foothill sites on the northern volcanoes.

Ornate Hawk-Eagle

I saw this bird just yesterday, I can still see the heavy raptor flap its way along a ridge line above Cinchona. Yeah, the famous birding cafe with feeders and photographers and smiling people is home to a pair of Ornate Hawk-Eagles. They might not pay a visit, might prefer to freak out their fellow forest denizens away from people but you can bet they check it out, at least on occasion.

With so many Black Guans coming to the feeders these days, maybe one of the hawk-eagles will make a play for one? They do eat them you know, those and even macaws and small monkeys. I suppose that’s unsurprising for a hefty, monster goshawk, that’s sort of what an Ornate Hawk-Eagle is.

I saw that choice bird thanks to Niall Keogh. While birding in “Old Cinchona”, he spotted it soaring at a distance, a non vulture using the same thermals as a Black Vulture. If you are ever in Ireland and wouldn’t mind some guided birding, Niall will show you more than you think was possible.

Lesser Ground-Cuckoo

The easiest ground-cuckoo is common in Costa Rica but it’s always a quality bird. How not with those Egyptian flavored eyes?

On January 1st, we had one while birding the Ceiba-Orotina road, more or less by accident. Stripe-headed Sparrows were high-pitch chipping from some brush. Common birds, easy to see but still nice to look at. Must have been why I automatically raised my bins.

I glimpsed a sparrow tail but found myself focusing in on the painted face of a ground-cuckoo! Happily, the bird stayed long enough for all of us to see it.

Bare-necked Umbrellabird

Whoah! Yes, that early in the year. Go to the right place for it, hang out long enough, and you might see one. At least that was my chance strategy. Unless you find the right fruiting tree in the right place, that really is about all you can do; I’m glad that birding gambit paid off!

Niall and had already been trudging through the mud-root trail at Centro Manu for a couple hours. We had heard and seen some manakins and a few other birds but not a whole lot else. I knew umbrellabird had to be in there but despite the bird’s silence and crow dimensions, it’s still a crapshoot. All you can do is stop every few steps, scan the forest and repeat, keep on and hope you notice something fly or a dark bird obscured by green that doesn’t end up being a toucan or an oropendola.

I had stopped and noticed palm nuts on the ground, food that can attract rodents and, in turn, snakes. I scanned the ground, wondering if I might discern a hidden serpent when I was interrupted by a large black shape flying past us at close range.

“Umbrellabird! There it is!”

Thankfully, this odd bird of birds perched nearby and stayed there, only 20 feet above the ground. It didn’t seem to be afraid of us as we watched it at leisure, watched the adult make Bare-necked Umbrellabird slowly turn its head back and forth, using its big obsidian eyes to peer into the forest.

We marveled in the rare moment and how much it resembled a goliath manakin topped with a pompadour, how its neck was touched with shining iridescence. A truly unreal bird, a reminder that our world, this natural place, is replete with living treasure.

The umbrellabird swooped to another perch to do the same forest scanning moves and then another, eventually moving out of sight although not before we saw it catch and eat a huge insect, one as big as a frog. I was reminded of Accipiters and owls that do the same act, moving from one perch to another, always stopping to carefully watch for prey.

We saw one umbrellabird but there’s more at Centro Manu. The local guide there, Kenneth, has also recently seen a female and immature (and Crested Owl and other birds). You might want to visit.

Snowy Cotinga

After the umbrellabird, we enjoyed lunch at Centro Manu and ventured onwards. Opting to look for lowland birds around La Selva, we enjoyed views of Chestnut-colored Woodpecker and some other key birds but no Snowy Cotinga.

Chestnut-colored Woodpcker is a quality, must-see bird too!

I figured we would check a spot near Chilamate where I have often seen the surreal things. That figuring paid off, that and maybe the luck of the cotinga because, amazingly, a male was waiting for us. As I pulled into the road, I noticed a bird perched on top of a bare tree. It looked small, it couldn’t be but, I had to of course check it.

It turns out it wasn’t as small as I had assumed. The perched thingee was a full white bird with the slightest hint of gray on its head, a short tail, funny shaped head and beady black eye. That’s what a male snowy Cotinga looks like, we hadn’t even stepped out of the car!

We had also arrived just in time, two minutes later it swooped off and away to hidden branches.

All motmots

Grainy Tody Motmot, near dark conditions.

Six motmot species reside in Costa Rica, not all of them are easy to see. As luck would have it, I was in the right places to see all six of them. Turquoise-browed was an easy, Rollerish and lapis, mosaic-pieced bird on wires near Orotina (more than one).

Broad-billed and Rufous were rainforest beauties in expected places. As per usual, the Rufous grandfather-clocked its tail back and forth, pausing before switching it back to the other side.

The tough ones were at Rincon de la Vieja, on that same mossy road where wood-quail rollicked and Nightingale Wrens enticed. Thankfully, the Tody Motmot responded to my whistling and perched within easy sight. It’s not like other motmots; more like a green puppet with a fancy face. Then again, all motmots got puppet attributes but the Tody would still be most at home on a children’s show.

The other tough one was the Keel-billed Motmot, another green beauty just up the road from where we took in the Tody.

Then there’s the final motmot, the 6th and easy, common one. No less beautiful, we saw a Lesson’s Motmot in an expected place and situation; perched on a concrete post next to shaded coffee.

Rufous-breasted Antthrush

If birders in Costa Rica see an antthrush, it’s usually the Black-faced variety. That’s still a great bird to see, still a forest-crakish creature that whistles far below crowns of massive trees. However, Costa Rica also has two other antthrushes, two other species less frequently seen, one of which is probably also endemic to Costa Rica and Panama (a classic, intriguing “future split”).

That would be the Black-headed Antthrush, a bird fairly easy to hear in several foothill spots and, not too tough to see at Pocosol and some other sites. The other antthrush is the Rufous-breasted, the toughest and least common of the three in Costa Rica. You’ll hear it at Tapanti and a few other spots but laying eyes on it is another story.

Cotinga luck being with us, we found ourselves in that other story on the track above Cinchona. It’s a slippery road, unless you are very fit and into hiking and fending off confused friendly dogs that become unfriendly, I can’t recommend it. But, the forests up there do have some good birds (see above for Ornate hawk-Eagle), tough antthrush included.

We heard at least three and one sounded close enough to give it a try. However, I knew it would still be a challenge as we still needed a view into the dense forest understory, a spot where we could see the ground to watch the bird walk into view (such is the antthrush way).

Fantastically, after a good deal of speaking with the bird in its whistle language, it gave us a break and popped into sight! It was just a moment but that span was enough to claim views of polished jasper, of a bird that brings me back to the Andes; a Rufous-breasted Antthrush.

Blue-and-Gold Tanager

It’s gorgeous, it’s a tanager, and it’s not easy to see. Well, these days, it is! Go to the San Luis Adventure Center and one might fly into your face. Not quite but close.

With such unruly cool and wet weather for so long, cloud forest birds are having trouble finding their favorite fruits. They’re moving to lower elevations and doing whatever it takes to survive. One of those actions is eagerly feasting on bananas or plantains or other stuff at the San Luis Canopy.

When the guy walked in with the fruit, tanager madness took place. There were maybe 30 Silver-throateds, a few Emeralds, and other birds that literally flew at us and perched within arm’s length. Two of those other birds were chunkier and bigger than the other tanagers and plumaged in yellow and dark, blackish-blue.

Yes, Blue-and-Gold Tanagers, uncommon Bangsia genus tanagers of fantastic mossy forest, just the type of habitat at the San Luis Canopy.

During this first week of birding, I also had other nice birds, lots, including Long-billed Dowitcher (it’s uncommon in Costa Rica!), two massive muppet Great Potoos, beautiful Bay-headed and Crimson-collared Tanagers and more. There’s always lots more birds waiting to be seen in Costa Rica.

To learn more about the sites mentioned in this post and how to see these and hundreds of other birds, support this blog by purchasing my Costa Rica bird finding guide, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica“. I hope you see these birds, I hope to see you here in Birdlandia.

Tags Costa Rica birding, Costa Rica birds

Birding Costa Rica

The Arenal Christmas Bird Count, 2024- Some Highlights

Post author By admin
Post date December 22, 2024
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Blinking lights and inflatable decor are waving in the breeze, the malls resound with Christmas-themed songs, and Yellow Warblers are chipping from the bushes. These factors and tamales can only mean one thing; it’s Christmas bird count time in Costa Rica!

Well, they mean other things too but in regards to the birding way of life, yeah, it’s count time. While birders up north are trudging over frozen grass and trying to stay warm as they count Buffleheads and American Crows, in Costa Rica, we’re sweating in the humid woods and watching Baltimore Orioles.

We’re also seeing trogons and listening to tinamous as we count hundreds of birds. There’s plenty of counts to participate in too although here, for most, you gotta sign up in advance and pay a participation fee. Since some counts happen on the same or similar dates, local birders also have to decide which ones to participate in. My partner Maryllen and I opted for one we usually do; the Arenal Count.

This classic count covers most of the excellent sites in the Fortuna area as well as the area we bird; at and near Finca Luna Nueva. Here’s some birding highlights from this year’s count:

Finca Luna Nueva Nightbirding

Thanks to the Hotel Finca Luna Nueva, we stayed at the hotel the night before the count. In addition to resting up in their comfy, peaceful rooms, we also had the opportunity to look for birds of the night.

Although it would have been exciting to explore this rich site’s organic farm and rainforest all night long, sleep took precedence. Instead, during the hour before dawn, our team (including Tyler Wenzel who also made several cool recordings) heard Crested Guan, the rumbling of Spectacled Owls, one gruff Crested Owl, and a juvenile Mottled Owl. As we walked towards the tower, we also heard and saw a smart Black-and-white Owl.

Good stuff and with more exploration in the area, I bet you could also find Striped Owl, Barn Owl, Central American Pygmy-Owl and probably Middle Amerian Screech-Owl.

Finca Luna Nueva Daybirding

We started at the hotel’s tower, a bamboo structure at the back of the property. This is a good spot to check the birding action in second growth, several tall trees, and listen to birds in nearby rainforest. Although it was a bit quiet on the count morning, we still had fun with raspy Red-throated Ant-Tanagers, chipping Bronze-tailed Plumeleteers, Dusky Antbirds, wrens, and several other species.

I should also mention that one of our first birds of the day was Scarlet Macaw. Several of this spectacular parrot have taken up residence at Hotel Finca Luna Nueva!

After the tower, we walked a trail through beautiful rainforest and picked up several deep forest species including Checker-throated Antwren, White-flanked Antwren, White-throated Shrike-Tanager, and other species.

Fer-de-Lance

The trails at Luna Nueva are nice but, as with all rainforest traiks, you have to be prepared for certain conditions. It’s typically warm and humid, birding can be challenging, and trails can be muddy.

Most of all, you have to be aware of snakes, especially one in particular. They aren’t abundant and you would be lucky to see one (or unlucky if you don’t like snakes) but Fer-de-Lances are present. This viper is actually common in many parts of Costa Rica, and even occurs in some parts of the Central Valley.

However, you don’t see many because they prefer to stay hidden in and near brush piles. Once in a while, though, they can sit right in the middle of a trail. During the count, one was doing just that! It’s precisely why I always watch where I step and why all birders in Costa Rica need to do the same. I saw it when I was pretty close and if I had taken one more step, I would have certainly walked right on top of it.

Thankfully, I saw the viper, it noticed us, left the trail, and we continued onwards. This doesn’t mean you should stay away from the trails at Luna Nueva (the same thing can happen at many lowland and foothill sites), it’s just a reminder to watch where you step, never leave the trail, and consider going with a guide.

Finca Luna Nueva Awesome Breakfast

After an early morning of 100 species, we enjoyed breakfast back at the hotel restaurant. And I mean enjoyed! One of the great things about birding at Luna Nueva is that when you aren’t focusing on birds, you’ll enjoy fantastic, healthy meals. I’m talking rice and beans made with turmeric, kim-chee, home made, dense breads, tropical fruits including jackfruit, and more.

The food is excellent but you don’t have to stop focusing on birds if you don’t want to. Sit at the edge of the open air restaurant and you can still watch wood-rails, tanagers, aracaris, and other birds while you sip your coffee.

Soltis Center

Our counting area also includes the Soltis Center; a field course station owned by Texas A and M. It’s an excellent site with Porterweed bushes and flowering trees that can attract Snowcap among other, more common hummingbirds, many tanagers and other foothill species, soaring raptors and more.

Speaking of raptors, we saw two of the official count species, King Vulture, from the parking area. In the forest, unfortunately, we didn’t do as well as past years. Recent storms had knocked down a few trees, one of which blocked us from reaching the waterfall. It was also rather breezy and birds were quiet.

With that in mind, instead of staying at Soltis, Tyler suggested that we check Chachagua Rainforest, a site that connects to Soltis and Luna Nueva.

Chachagua

After a short drive, we reached this classic site. The owners were happy to have us bird the grounds although ongoing construction limited where we could go and what we saw. Nevertheless, we enjoyed some common birds around the ponds and did especially well on the entrance road.

Thanks to a fruiting fig, we had close views of a dozen Bay-headed Tanagers, Emerald and Silver-throated Tanagers, and even two Rufous-winged Tanagers. While we enjoyed those beauties, our best bird of the day also hopped into view- Yellow-eared Toucanet!

As always, the Arenal Count was a fine day of birding. The other teams also had plenty of species, probably well over a hundred for each counting area. Despite several birds not sounding off, we still finished with 150 species. Check out the eBird trip report!

To learn more about sites mentioned in this post, where to watch birds in Costa Rica or giving a last minute gift to a birder headed to Costa Rica, support this blog by purchasing my 900 plus page Costa Rica bird finding guide. I hope you see Yellow-eared Toucanets, I hope I see you here!

Tags Arenal count 2024, Birding Costa Rica, Costa Rica birding, where to see birds in Costa Rica

Birding Costa Rica birding news

Costa Rica Birding News- December, 2024

Post author By admin
Post date December 11, 2024
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Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl from the side.

Are you going birding in Costa Rica? If you’ve never been, I hope you visit soon. If you’ve already been, you already know what to expect and I also hope you visit soon. No time to wait to bring the binos to this birdy place!

Whether your birding time in Costa Rica is nigh or in a few months, this information may help:

The wet season was rough but it seems over

We’re on the cusp of the high season and the birds are happening. That’s not really news, birds are always happening in Costa Rica but since some folks wonder if you can see birds in Costa Rica at other times of the year, well…yes you can.

Lots.

However, if you were birding Costa Rica this past November, you would have been watching them with an umbrella. Maybe a boat too. The rains were torrential, several lowland areas experienced flooding, and, tragically, a number of people lost homes and belongings. It was so bad, I’m guessing that quite a few roads in lowland areas now have large holes and other damage.

The good news is that the rains have ended, at least for the Pacific slope. It’ll probably still be pouring in the mountains and on the Caribbean slope but that’s normal from now to February. Be ready for it but you should also still be ready to see lots of birds.

Highland birds down low

In Costa Rica, we get a lot of altitudinal migration, especially during the winter months. These days, there’s been quite a few birds lower then usual, even species like Northern Emerald Toucanet. It makes me wonder what choice birds might be frequenting the foothill rainforests at Quebrada Gonzalez? I’m eager to check it out!

If you are birding lowland areas, give any fruiting trees a good check. There could be a rare Lovely Cotinga or two in the Sarapiqui region along with other species more typical of middle elevations.

Lowland owls high

Over the past ten years or so, owls more typically associated with warm, tropical forests have been appearing at much higher elevations. Spectacled Owl and Black-and-white Owl have been found as high as Irazu and the Dota Valley, and Middle American Screech-Owl has occurred at the Observatory Lodge.

Who knows what sort of effects these range expansions might have on Bare-shanked Screech-Owls and various other highland biota? In the meantime, don’t be surprised if you find these large owls at high elevations and if so, please eBird them!

Redhead in Guanacaste, Snowy Plover in Tarcoles, what else is out there?

Tis the season for rare birds too, at least for birders who reside in Costa Rica. Recently, a male Redhead was found at Hacienda Vieja Wetlands in Guanacaste, and a Snowy Plover was seen at the Tarcoles River mouth.

The Redhead is a major rarity in Costa Rica. I hope it’s a sign of other odd ducks on the horizon (might I wish for a country first Gadwall?). We’ll know soon enough as more local birders look for them.

The Snowy Plover is rare but much more regular than the Redhead. It has appeared at the Tarcoles River on other occasions but this year, it’s a lot more difficult to see. The river mouth has moved quite a bit and sadly, the best spots are only accessible by boat. Some good areas can also be viewed from near the end of the Guacalillo Road but it’s kind of a long and rather desolate drive.

With luck, that plover and other good birds will appear on the beach at Tarcoles, especially at the mouth of the small Tarcolitos River (more like a stream easily accessed from Tarcoles).

There have also been a scattering of sightings of rare warblers for Costa Rica and I’m sure there’s some other very rare stuff that has touched down on these birdy shores. I hope to find some.

A whole lot of traffic going on

Whether visiting Costa Rica now or soon, traffic is the current reality. All we can do is know when and where it’s worst and avoid those situations. Anywhere in the Central Valley is bad; if you are on the road from 6 to 9 and from 4 to 6, it won’t be pretty.

It’s also gotten steadily worse in other places, especially parts of the Pacific, mostly on roads to and from beach areas. If you can, do not drive up to the Central Valley on Sunday afternoon. If so, you’ll be wasting time in an ongoing, slow-moving parking lot. The same goes for driving down to the Pacific on Friday.

Bringing US Dollars? Make sure the bills are in perfect condition

Yes, the currency in Costa Rica is the Colon but pretty much all places will also accept US dollars. However, they might not give the best exchange rate and, now, more places probably won’t accept bills unless they are in perfect condition.

That’s sort of been happening for a while now but expect it to get worse. Recently, when I tried to deposit US bills into my bank account, the teller handed several right back to me! These bills weren’t dirty or defaced or anything, all they had were minute tears and one had a bit of writing on it. Nope, wouldn’t accept them. So, I don’t know if other banks act the same or how stores will act but I never had my bank refuse bills before.

I suspect it’s tied to announcements that big stores and banks can no longer accept damaged bills in the USA but whatever the reason, if you do have to bring dollars to Costa Rica, make sure they are in perfect shape. Of course, the easiest solution is paying everything with cards. That’s what locals mostly do, so much so, it’s gotten to the point where small places usually lack change.

The Costa Rica Birds Field Guide App is updated

Unspotted Saw-whet Owl Costa Rica bird app

Have you noticed that eBird now uses “Northern House Wren”, “American Barn Owl” and that Cooper’s Hawk has lost its Accipiter status? There’s been a bunch of taxonomic changes happening and several birds in Costa Rica have been affected. One of the happy changes was splitting Brown Booby into two species. See one of the Pacific? That’s a Cocos Booby my friend! Scan one from a Caribbean shore? You got Brown Booby on your Costa Rica list!

To keep up with those changes, in November, I helped update the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app. In addition to new bird names, the app also has a bunch more photos including several birds in flight, vocalizations for at least 870 species, some other edits, and now includes 1021 species and subspecies. It’s got a bunch more than the actual bird list because I wanted to also include various species that could show up in Costa Rica.

As always, I could say a lot more about the birding in Costa Rica. I’ll just mention that there’s always lots of birds to see, most are accessible, and get ready to have fun because this country is like a birding and bio wonderland! I hope to see you here!

To learn more about birding places mentioned in this post and hundreds of other sites to see birds in Costa Rica, support this blog by purchasing my 900 plus page ebook, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”.

Tags Birding Costa Rica, Costa Rica birding, Costa Rica birding news 2024

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Urban Birding in Costa Rica (and Walmart)

Post author By admin
Post date December 3, 2024
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Urban birding in Costa Rica? Does Costa Rica even have urban areas? Well, obviously yes but if all your conclusions about Costa Rica came from tourism marketing videos, that would be a valid question. According to images and videos, Costa Rica is (1) beaches, (2) zip lines through tropical forest, (3) volcanoes, (4) tropical wildlife like sloths, toucans (occasionally species that live in Brazil), and monkeys, and (5) everyone exclaiming “pura vida!”.

Hey, I don’t blame those marketers (except for using the wrong toucan species), after all, the goal is selling an experience, showing potential tourists highlights and reasons for vacationing in Costa Rica. They aren’t wrong either because this birdy nation is those things but, just like Niagara Falls, NY is more than the famous cataracts (to me it’s also family, DiCamillo’s bakery, a blizzard of gulls, and a lifetime of memories and fantastic stories), Tiquicia has so much more.

For the record, as with most countries, Costa Rica also has busy urban areas. For my nature-linked tastes, they are too busy but at least escaping them is pretty easy. Fly into SJO and you’ll experience that urban stuff pretty quick but, if you stay outside the metro area, you’ll also leave it behind just as soon as you arrive. However, if you do find yourself faced with urban birding in Costa Rica, don’t despair!

As the Urban Birder David Lindo reminds us, birds are everywhere, even in big cities, often more than you think and in places where you least expect them. With recent heavy rains and a mild cold keeping me from doing much birding, those urban birding concepts have been on my mind. These were a couple recent reminders that birds really are everywhere and they can even include rare and endangered species.

Yellow-naped Parrot at Walmart

Yes, sounds like an odd birding dream but it just goes to show that, in Costa Rica, birding dreams come true! The other day, I took a regular, random shopping trip to Walmart with my partner and her daughter. In Costa Rica, although one sees fewer “Walmart people” than in the USA, people watchers will be pleased to know there’s usually one or two folks shopping in would be pajamas, employees sport those same blue, Walmart vest things, and there’s always a couple of shoppers roving the store in motorized carts.

However, before you feel a bit too reminded of being back in the USA, you’ll notice many more differences. Forget about undercover security and shopping on your own. There’ll be a few security guards decked out with an impressive and potentially intimidating display of pseudo-military looking gear (stuff like tactical looking vests with too many pockets, maybe a flashlight and other random stuff but perhaps lacking weapons), and you’ll find yourself wondering how other shoppers manage to block entire aisles while being completely unaware that they do not have the entire store to themselves.

Actually, those aisles blockages are mostly because the aisles are too narrow but whatever. The worst thing, though, and the most different, will be the salespeople. These bastions of Costa Rica Walmart are invariably women who sport uniforms that represent what they want you to buy. You won’t help but notice them and not only because they stand in place and block the selections of tortillas or bread or sliced ham.

No, you’ll notice them mostly because as soon as you come within range, they will start talking to you, automatically telling you about this and that product in question or asking you what you are looking for. It doesn’t matter if you would rather look at those tortillas for yourself or check ham out on your own. It doesn’t matter if you stare straight ahead with a blank and unbecoming 1,000 yard stare. No, they will still want to “help” you.

I understand that’s their job, it’s good they have one, perhaps I should talk with them more? But the thing is I don’t go to Walmart to casually converse with people about ham discounts. I don’t really want to be there at all so I’m not keen on spending time to stand and listen to sales spiels. I’m not particularly anti-social, I would just rather not spend my time that way.

In an attempt to avoid the unwelcome conversation, I usually end up saying, “No, gracias” but then I invariably wonder why I thanked them for advice I didn’t ask for. My partner says to answer them in English and yes, that has helped. I have done that as well as occasionally answer in other non-Spanish languages and let me tell you, no matter how talkative, when presented with a classic language barrier, even the most gung-ho Walmart salesperson throws in the towel!

Now if you find yourself in a Costa Rica Walmart, in all likelihood, those organic, real life influencers will know you are a tourist and probably be too afraid to talk to you anyways. However, if not, and if you don’t feel like practicing Spanish or would rather spend time watching birds (because when birding in Costa Rica, every second counts), you can always smile and say something in English. Thanks to Duolingo and so many people wanting to learn English, it’s still a risk but what are you gonna do? You got birds to see (dammit)!

A word of advice; the coffee and tea aisle is especially challenging. It’s a veritable gauntlet of loquacious and determined coffee and tea influencing saleswomen so out of control, I never purchase coffee in Walmart for that very reason!

But so what about shopping in Walmart, like, isn’t this a birding blog? Yes but when birding abroad, you will likely need to step into a store, and Walmart is a common choice. It’s good to know what to expect. Also, when you step outside the store, at least the one in San Francisco, Heredia, you might see a Yellow-naped Parrot.

Yes! Insanely, when we exited Walmart yesterday afternoon, like magic, the laughter-like calls of Yellow-naped Parrots were somehow penetrating the urban din. Showing that nature must triumph (or that they had loud voices), a pair of these critically endangered species defiantly yelled over the nearby traffic. They were perched right on the tip of a non-native cypress and even without binos, the bright yellow on their napes stood out against their plumbeous sky backdrop.

It was a fantastic sighting! I mean, I almost ran back inside to confront the aisles influencers and tell them that no, I’m not interested in that block of Turrialba cheese but let me tell you all about the fantastic Yellow-naped Parrots at the edge of the parking lot! Oh, not interested? Well, I wasn’t interested in hearing about cheese either but you started telling me all about it anyways…touchee senora.

Now this doesn’t mean Walmart is a good place to see birds, in fact, I can’t recommend it. But, it is a reminder that birds can appear in Costa Rica in odd places, even rare species. When in Costa Rica, you stop birding at your own peril because even in urban areas, a Lineated Woodpecker may swoop into view, Short-tailed and Gray Hawks might be soaring above, and wood-rails are sneaking around the edges of polluted streams.

A classic view from Walmart except that there are two Yellow-naped Parrots perched in the trees on the left, and the mountains in the background have cloud forest with quetzals and tapirs.

Centro de Recreo SITET

Speaking of wood-rails, this undiscovered birding gem has them along with lots more. I thought I knew about most of the places to go birding in Costa Rica, I mean, I included hundreds of sites in “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica” and yet, after a random school trip, I realize have to edit the book and include this place, the Centro de Recreo SITET.

Located in Rio Segundo, rather close to the airport, this is a small but excellent oasis to see common birds in an urban setting. Forget about that ridiculous Walmart Woods eBird hotspot, this is the place to go! We went to this small, private park for a school picnic and wished we had brought binoculars! A combination of mature Caribbean pines, huge figs, second growth, stream and pond attracted a surprising array of species.

Need Boat-billed Heron? Several roosted over the pond, even good enough for pictures! How about Gray-cowled Wood-Rail? A few of these fancy rails fed near a stream also frequented by Lesson’s Motmot and other common species. Chestnut-capped Warblers and Cabanis’s Wrens called from the thick stuff, Black Phoebe wagged its tail, and Ringed Kingfisher flew overhead, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow is also present.

This overlooked site looks especially good for migrants and interesting wintering birds. I’m definitely going back to see what I find. If you want to check it out, this site has a 2,000 colon entrance fee ($4), is closed Mondays and open other days from 8 to 4. It’s located off a busy road but once inside, the birding should be alright and there are various picnic tables and grills. I bet it can get loud and busy on the weekend but other days are probably quiet. This is my eBird list, it also shows exactly where this spot is located.

Tags Costa Rica birding, finding birds in Costa Rica, urban birding in Costa Rica, where to see birds in Costa Rica

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It’s Rare Bird Time in Costa Rica

Post author By admin
Post date November 27, 2024
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The birding is always exciting in Costa Rica. Come on down, make an easy hour’s drive from the airport and you can take in the beauty of toucanets, barbets, seven hummingbird species and more without getting up from your seat. Make a little more effort and there’ll be tanagers, flycatchers, maybe a quetzal.

It’s like a birding wonderland up in here and us local birders are loving it. Even so, as with local birders everywhere, those of us in Costa Rica have our own set of wanted, rare birds that aren’t so rare in other places. That’s par for the birding course and why British birders jump to see a Scarlet Tanager, Canadian birders get excited over Great Kiskadees, and why Peruvian birders were super psyched to see a country first Scissor-tailed Flycatcher!

Rarity status has a heck of a lot to do with location and rarity opportunities are strongly related to time of year. Here in Costa Rica, that rare time of year is happening right now. We can get rare and vagrant species just about any month but November and December seem to be the best time for lost birds.

That’s right, I’m not talking about seeing monklets or other local rarities. I’m talking sparrows that fly a bit too far, wandering waterfowl, and shorebirds that took a wrong turn in Alaska. I realize these special species might not be high on the list of visiting birders but if you happen to see them, please let us know! You’ll make many a local birder happy.

You never, know, you might even find a new bird for the Costa Rica list. That’s been happening just about every year and is why I included several species in the BirdingFieldGuides Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app that are not on the list yet, but could occur. For example, in addition to making name changes to reflect eBird taxonomy, for our recent update, I also added Great Knot, Scopoli’s Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Hermit Thrush, Black-throated Mango, Terek Sandpiper, and Bar-tailed Godwit.

Although it would be a very rare and exciting moment to see any of these birds in Costa Rica, I do believe they can occur. After adding these species, the full version of the app now has around 1021 species (!).

Ducks and other Waterbirds

Yep, most ducks on the Costa Rica list are rare. Those would be common birds up north like American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, and so on. They come here too but only on occasion and usually in very small numbers.

Granted, we’ll have better chances of finding them as the dry season kicks into gear and limits their aquatic needs. However, some of those uncommon birds should be here by now, I hope I see a few before December 31st.

Oh yeah and there’s other waterbirds too, rarities to look for like American Avocet, maybe a Ruff, or other vagrant shorebirds. They are probably out there, I look forward to seeing what gets found!

Pacific Golden-Plover

Whoah! Yes, a species that should be hanging on far off islands and the other side of the ocean is here in Costa Rica. The past few years, this mega has been showing up in late winter and spring. This year, it arrived early!

As I write, birders have been ticking this cool bird on the beach at Puntarenas, pretty much in the same area as previous sightings. Where else does it go? Did it manage to convince a Red-necked Stint or Sharp-tailed Sandpiper to fly this way too? We can only wish!

Sparrows and Other Small Birds

Yep, the sparrows have also arrived. See, we got a whole bunch of sparrows on the official Costa Rica bird list but most are birds North American birders know all too well. We don’t know them very well though, hardly at all because Chipping, Savannah, Lincoln’s and various other sparrows are rare vagrants.

Very few make it all the way to Costa Rica, or, at least very few are found. I bet there’s more out there, the challenge is finding small birds scattered throughout any number of thousands of unbirded fields and pastures.

We do know there are though because Lark Sparrow showed up in Puntarenas as a one day wonder and several lucky birders got to see a Clay-colored Sparrow that appeared in the outskirts of Jaco! Sadly, neither have been refound but hopefully they are indicators of other sparrow kind having arrived to Costa Rica.

While looking for odd sparrows that don’t belong in Costa Rica, who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky finding other vagrant songbirds too. Orange-crowned Warbler and Pine Warbler would be super megas along with other birds that typically winter much further north. Will someone find Costa Rica’s first kinglet? Take a picture of a Hammond’s Flycatcher? Once again, we can only go birding, pay close attention, and wish!

Long-eared Owl in Honduras

Yeah, seriously! A first for that country and Central America! This species normally only makes it as far as central Mexico and even there it ain’t exactly expected.

So, what’s going on? Why one so far south of its typical range? Whether pure chance, lack of food in the usual spots, or weather, it would be a Costa Rican birder’s wildest dream to see one here!

The sighting is a reminder to keep an open mind when birding and to maybe check places Long-eared and Short-eared Owls might like. We’ll still see lots of other cool birds in any case.

Plenty of Rare Resident Birds Too

If you are headed to Costa Rica and would rather lay eyes on expected tropical birds, no problem there! The usual rare resident species are here and waiting to be seen, even tough ones like the Silvery-throated Jay pictured above. Recently, I saw two such species while guiding in the Sarapiqui lowlands. Near Chilamate, we had perfect looks at an adult Tiny Hawk as well as Snowy Cotinga and nunbirds.

A week later, I saw an Orante Hawk-Eagle soaring over near Virgen del Socorro and other birders have been seeing umbrellabirds, other cotingas, and other uncommon and rare species in the right places.

The birds are out there, as with any rare species, if you go birding in the right places, you’ll have a better chance of seeing them. Accurate information about where to find birds in Costa Rica also helps I hope to see you here soon, hundreds of birds are waiting!

Tags Birding Costa Rica, Costa Rica rare birds, rare birds in Costa Rica

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Should Birders Move to Costa Rica?

Post author By admin
Post date November 20, 2024
2 Comments on Should Birders Move to Costa Rica?

These days, there’s a lot of talk going around about moving out of the USA. After the recent presidential election, Internet searches for moving away abroad rose by 1,000 percent! Following any presidential election, folks looking into moving to another country is par for the course but this time, the interest in making the big move is unprecedented.

Make no doubt about it, it is a big move too, bigger than most folks realize. I won’t delve into reasons why someone might want to stay or leave their home country but will mention that folks have been retiring to Costa Rica for many years. I am friends with a number of those folks, and many of them are birders to one degree or another. I’m also one of those people and although I didn’t come to Costa Rica to retire, I’m still living here nonetheless.

What’s it like to move to Costa Rica? Even more importantly, what’s it like for a birder to move to Costa Rica? I’ll give some answers to these questions with insight based on many years of experience; personal and that of many friends.

Should You Move to Costa Rica?

I can’t answer that question and no one should except for the person making the move. It’s a huge decision and even if you are sure that moving will solve some of your problems, it might not. Certainly visit first, look into different parts of the country, and get opinions about everything from lots of folks who already made the move.

Not every person who moves here loves it, in fact, some move right back home. However, a good percentage of people who move to Costa Rica do enjoy it and wouldn’t have it any other way. These happy ex-pats are folks who enjoy or at least accept aspects of local culture that differ from their home country. They also tend to at least try to learn some Spanish, appreciate local customs, and make the most out of living in this beautiful country.

They also accept that there are things they can’t change and that they may need to travel back to their home country for certain medical procedures, to visit family, and for other reasons. For these reasons, it’s perhaps not surprising that most of the ex-pats I know in Costa Rica have already lived and worked abroad in other countries. Those prior experiences made moving to Costa Rica much less daunting than if they had never spent much time outside of their home countries.

That said, there are also people who have spent very little time abroad and love living here. In fact, I know one adventurous British woman whose move to Costa Rica was sparked by watching a presentation about the country. Yep! That presentation must have award winning material because she saw it, wanted a change in her life, and packed up and move here along with all of her stuff without even visiting Costa Rica beforehand! I should mention that Gillian had an interesting childhood living in Shanghai, China just before the Japanese Imperial Army invaded (a la “Empire of the Sun” although she got out in time) so that might come into play but, in any case, she ended up contently residing in Costa Rica.

Oh and if you are a birder in any sense of the term, yeah, that’s going to be exciting!

Live in the Central Valley and you’ll probably see this species; the Blue-vented Hummingbird.

Feasibility of Moving to Costa Rica

Before you start to consider moving to Costa Rica, first, you need to see if it’s even feasible to do so. Sure, you can visit Costa Rica as a tourist but that’s different than being a permanent resident. A number of folks do live here as tourists where they leave the country every 180 days but I wouldn’t recommend that as a constant strategy. There’s always the chance that on one of your reentries, you won’t be allowed back into the country and who knows how long this loophole will last or be tolerated?

Instead, learn about the different categories of residency and see if you are eligible. There’s a lot to say along those lines but let’s just say that to live and legally work in Costa Rica, you need to either be a citizen or a legal permanent resident because you are married to or have a direct Costa Rican relative. If not, you can live but not work in Costa Rica by being an investor or a retiree who receives a pension of at least $1,000 per month.

Benefits for Birders

What can I say? The birding is pretty darn fantastic. Even if you live in an urban area with some green space, you’ll probably still see Crimson-fronted Parakeets, Hoffmann’s Woodpeckers, and widespread neotropical species like Great Kiskadees, Social Flycatchers, Lineated Woodpeckers, saltators, Short-tailed and Gray Hawks, Blue-gray Tanagers, and more.

Live in a rural area with some forest and your feeder birds can include toucans, oropendolas, and motmots. Not to mention, there’ll be dozens of other birds to look at in your neighborhood, maybe even birds as fancy as Long-tailed Manakins.

Garden or patch birding will be exciting but even better, literally hundreds of bird species will also be within easy reach. For example, although I live in an urban area in Heredia, I can drive 45 minutes into the mountains on good roads and maybe see a quetzal. Yes! The other day, while doing that, I saw a quetzal and Wrenthrush along with Fiery-throated Hummingbirds and other highland endemics.

I can also drive an hour down to the coast and watch Turquoise-browed Motmots, Scarlet Macaws, trogons, and a hundred other species in a morning. Or, I can drive a bit more than an hour to reach rainforest with Emerald Tanagers, antbirds, woodcreepers, and King Vultures.

Live in Costa Rica and a wealth of fantastic birding is always in easy striking distance (my year list is approaching 700 species). Oh and we also have a few birding clubs too; I have been to every corner of the country with the Birding Club of Costa Rica.

General Concerns

Living in Costa Rica isn’t always about marveling over Green Honeycreepers and Snowcaps. I wish but nope, as with every place, there’s other, unavoidable, non-birder factors. They include:

Cost of Living- Costa Rica is still generally cheaper than the USA. Canada, and Europe but it’s not as low cost as it used to be. Imported items cost more, vehicles can be expensive, and even some food items are costly.
Stability- So far so good! Costa Rica is a stable and healthy democracy with many political parties. The army won’t overthrow the government either because Costa Rica doesn’t have one.
Infrastructure- Costa Rica is considered to be a developing country but it’s pretty darn developed. Roads have been much improved over the past 20 years, electricity, Internet, and water are reliable just about everywhere. Speaking of water, in Costa Rica, tap water is potable.
Healthcare- Costa Rica has a national health care system as well as private clinics and hospitals. Residents must pay into the healthcare system, the amount of which is determined by your pension and other factors. Overall, health care is good although I know people who have traveled back to Canada and the USA for complicated procedures or, because they were put on a long waiting list. There are also clinics in most parts of the country. With that in mind, when looking into places to live, I would check and see how far the nearest clinics and hospitals are.
Crime- Costa Rica is generally safe but as with any country, certain neighborhoods and situations are more dangerous than others. As with most places, it’s also pretty easy to know where those places are and avoid them. Generally, locals avoid crime with lots of prevention. For example, most houses have barbed wire even in places with very little crime, and gated, guarded communities are popular and common. I live in one and although there’s very, very little crime nearby, having security guards controlling who enters my neighborhood makes me feel even safer. For example, in my neighborhood, residents leave bikes, scooters, and all sorts of stuff in front of their houses and I’ve never heard of anything being stolen. I wouldn’t do that outside of my neighborhood though.
Tropical diseases and animals- Thanks to the healthcare system, we don’t have a problem with various tropical maladies that are a concern in some other countries. Dengue has been increasing but the healthcare system does their best to control it through education and spraying if necessary. I should mention that Dengue has also been increasing in many parts of the world, several places at much higher rates than in Costa Rica, and it could start happening in some southern parts of the continental USA. As far as animals, yes, there are lots of insects in Costa Rica and there are snakes but high numbers of insects also means more birds. Bugs are normal, as humans, we need to learn to live with them, at least in our gardens and wild places. As for snakes, sadly, I rarely see them. I have seen far more snakes while counting birds in southern Illinois and Colorado, and have heard about many more snake encounters in the southern states than Costa Rica.

Part-Time Living in Costa Rica

What if you can’t get residency status or just don’t feel like living in Costa Rica all year long? No problem! I know several people who spend the winter in Costa Rica, or live here on and off. They just make sure they leave the country every 180 days. Most have a house and have someone watch it when they are out of the country.

I could say a lot more but I’ll leave that for other posts. I hope to see you here, there’s a lot of birds waiting in Costa Rica!

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Which are the Best Sites for Birding in Costa Rica (Honestly)?

Post author By admin
Post date November 12, 2024
No Comments on Which are the Best Sites for Birding in Costa Rica (Honestly)?

Planning a birding trip? Aside from making sure you won’t be birding in unstable and dangerous places, a birder’s gotta know where to bird. When planning a birding trip to Costa Rica, you might wonder if it’s worth visiting that urban park you saw on a map? How about intriguing eBird hotspots like “Walmart Woods” or “Calle Viquez”? After all, they are official hotspots, must be good birding right?

Wrong! Take the fabled Walmart Woods for example. Those “woods” are a sliver of green space that meander along a polluted stream adjacent to a Walmart close to the airport. I wouldn’t recommend spending much of any time there.

Yes, you might get lucky and see the Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow but you just as likely will not, the other edge species can be easily seen elsewhere, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable wandering down that quiet urban street showcasing my optics.

So, no matter how eager you may be to watch birds upon arriving to Costa Rica, you are better off watching them away from Walmart Woods. Instead, for the endemic ground-sparrow, I would see about stopping at other spots in Heredia or Alajuela or even Cartago.

As for Calle Viquez, yes, that area can have some nice birds but no, I wouldn’t recommend birding there either. What eBird doesn’t mention is that the best birding is on a poor and frequently impassable road, and that it can take several hours to root out interesting species. So, not the best of birding sites in Costa Rica in part because access isn’t so easy.

Don’t get me wrong, eBird does have lots of valuable information and ideas for birding. Just remember that it doesn’t paint the entire picture for a site and, in Costa Rica, tends to be automatically biased to the most heavily visited sites.

So, how can we learn about the best birding sites in Costa Rica? The Internet is handy but, sadly, Google is seriously lacking. I realize the Google folks are trying to improve search results but sorry, when the first result for various Costa Rica birding-related queries says that Arenal is a good place to see quetzal, misspells Scarlet Macaw, and that you might see Harpy Eagle in the Osa, something’s not working.

Like some other websites, I could simply list several popular birding areas but that doesn’t really answer the question. To cut through the noise of Internet nonsense, based on years of experience, here’s my honest, local take on the best birding sites in Costa Rica.

Birding or Bird Photography

What? That’s not a birding site! Right, I’m not going to say that Palo Verde or some random hotel are the best birding sites in Costa Rica because that wouldn’t be accurate. Instead, before giving any answer, I would ask if you plan on watching birds or doing bird photography.

The best birding sites for a birder differ from those of a bird photographer. Just into taking pictures and maybe in the best of conditions? Stick to birding hotels and other spots with good feeder set-ups and boat rides. There’s too many to mention but some stand-outs include Laguna del Lagarto, Rancho Naturalista, Hotel Quelitales, Hotel de Campo in Cano Negro (which also do boat rides), the Tarcoles Birding Lodge and boat rides on the Tarcoles, Batsu Gardens, lodges in the Dota Valley, Ensenada Lodge, and Paraiso Quetzales.

As for birders, your best sites depend on the next question.

How do You Want to Watch Birds?

The best birding sites are subjective because not everyone watches birds the same way. That might sound strange but it’s true and factors into the birding trip equation. For example, I enjoy challenging birding in dense foothill rainforest. I like to open my awareness to the forest and see how much I can detect, especially by sound. I also strive to see as many birds as possible even when they are just bits and pieces, way up there in the mossy canopy.

Rainforest canopy, Heliconias, Costa Rica

I can detect and see some very uncommon and rare species but I understand why that’s not every birder’s cup of tea. Some folks would rather not silently creep through forest for glimpses of shy forest species, and patiently wait for quail-doves and antbirds to maybe pop into view. And that’s Ok!

We all experience birds in our own way and it’s all good. However, that means that if you would rather get wonderful views of lots of colorful, common birds, the deep forest might not be the best birding site for you. Forest edge, good hotel gardens, and boat rides might be your personal best places, probably ones in line with bird photographers.

With that in mind, the best birding sites for birders who like focused, targeted tropical birding are any place with extensive forest habitat (eBird hotspot or not) such as El Copal, Pocosol Station, sites in the Osa Peninsula, Manuel Brenes Road, and Veragua to name a few.

The best birding sites for folks who would rather take it easy and get looks at various birds without having to hike on forest trails include Quinta de Sarapiqui and any other number of hotels with good, on-site habitat, as well as boat rides, especially in the Cano Negro area.

Sites that work for folks who bird on trails while other birders in their party sit back at the verandah are available too. Rancho Naturalista, Arenal Observatory Lodge, the Tarcoles Birding Lodge, Villa Lapas, and Finca Luna Nueva come to mind.

Which Birds do You Want to See in Costa Rica?

This question is pretty important too. If you’ve already seen macaws but haven’t seen Sungrebe and Nicaraguan Grackle, then the Cano Negro area would be a top birding site. Hoping to see rainforest raptors, tanagers, and cool hummingbirds? Think about any foothill site with as much forest as possible, places like Arenal Observatory Lodge, Skytrek, El Copal, Nectar and Pollen, Pocosol, the La Gamba area and vicinity, the Osa Peninsula, and the north slope of Rincon de la Vieja.

How about seeing Jabirus and dry forest birds? Best birding sites include the Cano Negro area, and sites near Liberia. Bellbirds? Depends on the time of year but Monteverde is perfect for that species and many more.

La Resplendent Quetzal? Although they live in all the highland cloud forests (including sites just 45 minutes from San Jose), quetzal tours at Paraiso Quetzal, the Monteverde area, and the Dota Valley are the most reliable way to see one. I also see them regularly in the Poas area but not on every visit.

In Costa Rica, the Best Birding Sites are up to You

That about sums things up. In general, though, quality birding in Costa Rica is like most places; as long as you are in large areas of habitat, you’ll be in the right place. How you want to go birding and level of comfort are other factors to take into consideration. To learn about the sites mentioned above, hundreds of other birding sites in Costa Rica, and how to see more birds in Costa Rica, check out my 900 plus page ebook, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”.

If you have enough time, just make sure to visit these bio-regions/habitats and you’ll see a heck of a lot, probably more than 400 species:

Caribbean Lowland Rainforest

Caribbean Foothill Rainforest

Middle Elevation Forest (cloud forest)

High Elevation Rainforest

South Pacific Rainforest

North Pacific or Dry Forest Habitats

Mangroves and Estuaries

Wetlands such as the Cano Negro

Some FAQs about the best birding sites in Costa Rica

I’ll end this post by answering these commonly asked questions. I hope to see you here!

What are the top sites for birding in Costa Rica?

The top sites for birding in Costa Rica are sites with the most habitat. Some examples include the Osa Peninsula, Arenal area, Monteverde area, El Copal, the Carara area, the Dota Valley, Sarapiqui, Laguna del Lagarto, Veragua, Selva Bananito, and the San Vito area.

Which sites have the most bird species in Costa Rica?

Sites that have the most bird species in Costa Rica include reserves in the Sarapiqui lowlands, Pocosol station, Rancho Naturalista and nearby sites including Vista Aves and El Copal, and the Carara area.

Where can you see toucans, parrots, and other tropical birds in Costa Rica?

In Costa Rica, you can see toucans, parrots, and other tropical birds in lots of places! I even see toucans, parrots, and fancy Long-tailed Manakins just outside of San Jose. However, the best places for these birds are sites with lowland and foothill rainforest.

Tags best birding sites in Costa Rica, Birding Costa Rica, Costa Rica birding, planning a birding trip to Costa Rica

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Highlights from Two Weeks of Birding in Costa Rica

Post author By admin
Post date October 28, 2024
2 Comments on Highlights from Two Weeks of Birding in Costa Rica

Who doesn't want to see a Snowcap?

I slept in this morning, didn’t even go birding! That will change tomorrow when I awake before dawn for guiding in the Poas area. It’ll be good, in the highlands of Costa Rica, the birding always is. I experienced some of that memorable montane birding last week along with another week of birding in lowlands and middle elevations while guiding a couple of birders from one corner of Costa Rica to the next.

It was a biodiverse birding rush, an immersion into natural Costa Rica to see how much we could find on an itinerary carefully planned to experience as much of the Costa Rican avifauna as possible. There was a fair bit of driving, lots of walking, less rain than expected, wonderful hospitality, and great food in various, small, out of the way places.

The plan worked out because there were also more than 475 bird species seen along with 40 that were heard only. Highlights were a daily occurrence including that last bit of birding yesterday morning when we saw the elusive Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow (a suiting final bird for the list!).

I’m still wrapping my head around the trip, wondering which highlights to mention. Rolling up to the salt pans at Punta Morales and seeing dozens of roosting Black Skimmers along with hundreds of Marbled Godwits, Willets, and other shorebirds? Fantastic, glittering views of a male Mangrove Hummingbird at Caldera quickly followed by a Lesser Ground-Cuckoo hopping into view? Or, how about Resplendent Quetzals shining jade green in stately oak forests decorated with lichen and bromeliads?

Those are a few highlights that come to mind, here are some others.

Last Minute Birding in Los Chiles

After a long, unbirdy drive from Pocosol Biological Station, we made it to Los Chiles just in time for late afternoon bird action. As soon as we stepped out of the vehicle, new birds came fast and furious. It didn’t matter that people were chatting and walking around the river “dock” and nearby park.

Spot-breasted Wrens scrambling in the vines here! Flyover Red-lored Parrots, flyby Roseate Spoonbills, whoah…Black-collared Hawk! A quick Harris’s Hawk next, Lesser Swallow-tailed Swifts over the trees, Barn Swallows zipping, kingfishers rattling and flying, it was all around and all at once!

As dusk approached, a Bat Falcon followed the course of the river and nighthawks fluttered into view. That first one was an uncommon migrant Common Nighthawk! The others with the blunt wing tips and smaller patches of white were Lessers!

It was welcome birding after a drive and preparation for birding action the following morning.

Medio Queso Marsh Action

After a night at CyC H o t e l (much recommended for a night or two), we headed to the nearby Medio Queso marsh before dawn. I was hoping for Striped Owl, wishing on an Ocellated Poorwill. I suspect we almost got the owl; we did notice a pale owl fly up from a ditch. However, we didn’t see it well enough, never saw it again and couldn’t discount an American Barn Owl. No longshot poorwills either but we did have perfect looks at Pacific Screech-Owls before a fine morning in a flooded marsh.

Water levels were high and that likely kept us from seeing Snail Kite and Limpkin but we still saw lots of other birds. There were great looks at Pinnated and Least Bitterns, the pinkish-beaked Nicaraguan Seed-Finch, a distant Sungrebe, unexpected White-tailed Hawk, and more.

Yellow-breasted Crakes walked and fluttered into view without playback, a White-throated Crake swam across the channel, and a wintering Sora briefly flushed from the grass. Luckily, just before leaving, we focused in on Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures doing their harrier movements over the marsh.

Tirimbina

We had an afternoon, full day, and a bit of morning in Sarapiqui. That’s somewhat of an injustice for this birdy region but we had other places to visit, couldn’t afford more time in the Caribbean lowlands.

To bird the forest, I opted for the Tirimbina Reserve. This reserve has beautiful lowland rainforest, a “canopy” walkway over a ravine, rushing river, and a heck of a lot of birds. I also like Tirimbina because it is open to the public at 6. Walk in, pay the entrance fee and the birds are yours’ to see.

Our morning visit was more or less exceptional. Fasciated Tiger-Heron from the bridge, Gray-cheeked Thrushes, White-collared Manakins, and other birds in the gardens, and we hadn’t even reached the forest.

Once we got there, it didn’t take long before we lucked into that dream Neotropical birding situation; Army Ant swarm!

There were a bunch of birds including point blank Ocellated Antbirds, furtive Spotted Antbirds, woodcreepers, and more. Hard to pick a best bird but the three Olive-backed Quail-Doves are a good contender! We had perfect looks as they walked around the edge of the swarm, probably wondering if they should stick around or walk away from the biting ants.

There was also that Great Tinamou that walked towards us on the trail, White-fronted Nunbirds going crazy, Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant, puffbirds, and the Black Hawk-Eagle that wheeled over the river at eye level as we walked back across the bridge. Yeah, Tirimbina is a pretty good site!

An eBird list from that morning.

Paint-billed Crakes in Flight

Wait, what? Um, yes…maybe not like flying around normally but still in flight! On our morning visit to the rice fields and marshes south of Ciudad Neily, we came across a couple tractors preparing a field to plant rice. Noting that the mostly tractored field was already filled with egrets, caracaras, and other birds, I figured we should stick around and see what happens.

Sure enough, while watching one of the tractors, I noticed a Sora fly out of the old, marshy rice. We kept watching and much to our fortune, eventually saw at least 6 Paint-billed Crakes flush from the grass. Actually, we probably saw more. The birds would quickly flush and then hide although one flew right past us, close enough to see the red on its beak!

At a distance, they looked like chunky, dark grayish rails with red legs, and were more unform dark blue-gray than the white-bellied Soras. I also witnessed a small crake get flushed, might have been a Gray-breasted. But, in the few seconds waiting for a better look, an adult Peregrine suddenly snatched it from my view!

The raptor dispatched the small bird immediately, I can still picture its legs and neck dangling from the falcon’s talons as the master hunter carried the crake away.

We also witnessed Savannah Hawk catching something as well as egrets and a Wood Stork snatching rats, and a Crested Caracara unsuccessfully staking a Paint-billed Crake.

This night, we stayed at Fortuna Verde, certainly the best place to stay while birding this area. They have some forests out back and their hospitality is second to none. Very much recommended!

Snowcap and 36 other Hummingbird Species

I’m happy to say we did pretty good on the hummingbird front. Violetears, sabrewings, Blue-throated Goldentails. Coppery-headed and White-tailed Emeralds, Black-crested Coquettes, and more. However, the prize might go to the Snowcap.

After the briefest of looks at Pocosol, we were very much in need of much better views. We got them right at the end of the day at one of the few reliable sites for this species; Centro Manu.

It took some anxious waiting but just before 5 p.m., like fairies with headlamps, two males flew into our field of view. Even better, one of them perched and let us admire its deep wine, beetroot colors for several minutes.

Enigmatic Birds Heard but not Seen

This might not be as much of a highlight as other birding experiences but birders with an auditory bent may appreciate it. I enjoy the visual experience that birds bring, I always love seeing them but I also love hearing them. I might even listen for birds more than looking for them. I’m not sure if I can help it, I don’t think I could turn off my ears if I wanted to. Hearing birds shows me who and where they are just as much as visually noting them.

With that in mind, it was a special gift to hear the undescribed “Puntarenas” Screech-Owl calling near Mirador de Osa. We tried for it pre-dawn and eventually found one a few kilometers east of the cabins and small restaurant (great service, food and drink, also recommended). Unfortunately, the owl wouldn’t budge from its hidden spot but it was still magical to hear it give its brief vocalization as day broke over the rainforest.

Earlier in the trip, at Pocosol, we had another singing bird we would have loved to have laid eyes on. While hiking the beautiful yet steep Fumaroles trail, a Lanceolated Monklet finally decided to respond to my imitation of its call. Whenever I’m in monklet land (ravines and rivers in foothill rainforest), I call like one. They rarely respond but I still try because every once in a while, one of those shy little puffbirds does fly in.

At Pocosol, unfortunately, the monklet only called back somewhere way out of sight but it was still cool to hear. I should also mention that, as far as I have seen, I don’t think the monklets in Costa Rica sound quite like birds from the eastern Andes. I have still had them respond to recordings of Andean birds but, it might warrant further investigation.

The other notable bird heard but not seen was Unspotted Saw-whet Owl. Like the previous two birds, this one is also a tough one to find and doesn’t necessarily fly in and look at you. As in May of this year, just before dawn, one called from forest adjacent to Myriam’s Cabins. It called a few times but never flew in close enough to see. It’s a treat to hear that enigmatic owl, hopefully, we’ll lay eyes on it next time!

Well, those are the highlights that come to mind but they aren’t the only ones. As I was saying, the birding highlights were daily and constant; somewhat par for the course for Costa Rica. To learn more about the sites mentioned in this post and hundreds of birding sites throughout Costa Rica, support this blog by getting “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica“.

Get ready for your birding trip to Costa Rica, I hope to see you here!

Tags Birding Costa Rica, Costa Rica birding, where to see birds in Costa Rica

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A Big Morning on October Big Day in Costa Rica

Post author By admin
Post date October 13, 2024
No Comments on A Big Morning on October Big Day in Costa Rica

This past Saturday, birders celebrated another October Global Big Day. It was a day dedicated to birding, to be part of a massive birding collective and see how many birds you can find.

You don’t have to do October Big Day like that, the sole requisite is watching birds and recording your lists in eBird. However, with “Big Day” being part of the equation, a birder feels compelled to do a bit more, like maybe birding all day long, maybe starting before dawn and going well into the night.

Yeah, that is extreme but in Costa Rica, there’s so many birds waiting to be seen, it can hard to stop birding. Keep going and you’ll keep seeing more. Get carried away with birding here and you really got a check yourself before you birding wreck yourself.

On October 12th, more than 1,000 birders in Costa Rica did their part. Thanks to most folks birding all day long and several covering remote parts of the country, us birders in Costa Rica identified 716 species! My partner Maryllen and I were part of that effort, here’s how our day went.

A Good Plan but…Weather Happens

I can’t help but make Big Day plans. There’s so many birds concentrated in Costa Rica, crafting plans to see large numbers of them in one day is all too easy. There are roads that can bring you to quetzals, a wealth of hummingbirds, macaws, and more, all in one day.

If the birds cooperate, you’ve got a chance at identifying hundreds, all in one day. There’s always a chance of breaking a Big Day record, maybe even the biggest world Big Day of all! Those possibilities provide fuel for the imagination and drive to make calculated plans and bring them to fruition.

For this October Big Day, I made a fair plan. It starts with spending the night in the Caribbean lowlands so you can get plenty of rest and begin birding at 3 in the morning instead of midnight.

You’ll need that rest because you’ll be non-stop birding the rest of the day and into part of the next night. You’ll drive from the Sarapiqui lowlands up to Cinchona and Poas and then onward to the Pacific lowlands for shorebirds at night.

If all goes well, if most birds call at the right time, well, you just might identify 400 plus species. However, that’s a really big “if” because the birds aren’t the only thing that has to go right. Anything that keeps you from birding in the right places at the right times throws a wrench into the works. Road issues? Mixed flock somewhere else? Weather no cooperating? Any of those factors will do.

On Saturday, weather more or less thwarted the plan but we still had a fantastic morning of birding! Starting out, the weather was actually perfect, at least for birding. Cloudy skies and occasional mist kept the birds going all morning long. But, fog and rain were forecasted for the afternoon and night. A weather system would be arriving and in addition to likely seeing nothing at those times of day, we couldn’t risk potential flooding or landslides preventing us from driving home the following day.

They aren’t guaranteed to happen but, with heavy rains, they sure can and we couldn’t risk that. However, the biggest wrench in the plan happened much sooner, one that was caused by lots of heavy rains in the days before October 12th.

Good Roads Gone Bad

I had planned on hitting the dawn chorus on a road that passes through rainforest in the Pueblo Nuevo area. It’s a place where I’ve seen everything from nunbirds to all three hawk-eagles and more. Being one of the better areas for night birding, it also works in those regards too.

A bit after three in the morning, we were out the door and into the dark, quiet night. It didn’t take long to reach the forest but that was as far as we got! The gravel road I have driven many times was caked in wet clay mud, just the kind that can slip you right off the road. We might have been able to do it in a four-wheel drive but even then, I’m not so sure.

I was surprised as I had never seen that road in those conditions, even after rainy weather. Not being able to bird that road was an early blow to the Big Day plan but I’m just grateful we extracted ourselves before getting stuck!

At least we could still bird part of the road and hopefully get enough forest species. I figured we could also still do well with night birds.

Owls and Thrushes in the Night

We listened to the skies from a hill that overlooked marsh and forest. I hoped that owl voices would carry, that the potoos would respond. As soon as I stepped out of the car, the calls of Swainson’s Thrushes filtered down from the sky. Much to our good fortune, it didn’t take long to hear a couple Gray-cheeked Thrushes and a Veery; two uncommon species for Costa Rica!

Around the same time, owls started calling too. Not many, but one of each is enough! A couple Crested Owls called and kept at it until just before dawn, Middle American Screech trilled, and distant Spectacled and Mottled Owls sounded off. Oddly enough, I wasn’t hearing the owl I usually hear the most at that spot, Black and White Owl.

Eventually, one of those beautiful owls called too, a quiet sound, as if reluctant to participate in October Global Big Day. I also heard hoped for Short-tailed Nighthawk but despite whistling like them, Uniform Crake and Central American Pygmy-Owl were no shows.

I was also surprised that the potoos were quiet! I usually hear Great Potoo in that area and we had a Common Potoo near there in March but then again, those birds are usually further along that road, inside the forest.

The eBird list from that pre-dawn birding: eBird Checklist – 12 Oct 2024 – Pueblo Nuevo Lagoon – 14 species .

Good Birding Weather = Constant Birds

As the skies lightened, I was happy that it wasn’t raining and that the birds were calling. Cloudy skies stayed with us for the rest of the morning and made for excellent avian action.

From the same spot where we listened for night birds, we recorded most possible parrot species including a pair of Great Green Macaws that flew directly at us. A bit later on, we would find the other two missing parrots, one of which was Scarlet Macaw.

The birds made it onto out day list one by one and with quick succession; Olive-crowned Yellowthroat singing from the marsh, a calling Laughing Falcon, Barred Antshrike and dozens of other species.

Unfortunately, I was not hearing enough of the forest species we “needed”. We just weren’t close enough to intact forest but maybe we could reach that habitat?

We tried a few other roads in the area, ones I have often birded and found deep forest species but those roads had also gone bad! There was no way we were going to reach intact lowland rainforest in time for the plan to work. That was frustrating but at least the birding was great, there was still lots to see!

Migration!

October is migration month in Costa Rica and Saturday was a good day for it. From the start, roosting Turkey Vultures decorated the trees and we also picked out Mississippi Kites and Broad-winged Hawks waiting for better flying weather.

We quickly turned up Great-crested Flycatcher and had good numbers of Scarlet Tanagers, Summer Tanagers, Dickcissels, and other migrants throughout the morning. Eventually, the raptors took flight and etched the skies with swirling kettles as swallows and Chimney Swifts flew past.

In one of those kettles, we had our oddest bird of the day, a Magnificent Frigatebird! Although unusual, we do see frigatebirds flying over the mountains now and then. This one seemed to be moving with a group of Broad-winged Hawks that also had our sole Swainson’s Hawk of the day.

A Fine Morning of Birding in Sarapiqui

Overall, it was a great morning of birding in Sarapiqui. That’s no surprise, that area is typically nice and birdy. Some of the highlights were an adult Gray-headed Kite perched at the edge of forest, the aforementioned macaws, Gartered Trogons perched on roadside wires, Bat Falcon, the list goes on…

Oddly enough, one of our best birds was Yellow-breasted Chat. In Costa Rica, this species in an uncommon migrant that skulks in dense vegetation. Like some anti-social crake, they are out there but good luck seeing them!

On one of the only back roads we were able to drive (some roads behind Tirimbina), we found ourselves moving through an area of interesting, dense second growth. It looked perfect for a chat. I played its cat-like call without expecting a response but sure enough, one called back! It still refused to come into the open but at least one vocalized and I know where one might spend the winter.

At some point in the morning, we realized that we wouldn’t be able to access intact lowland rainforest in time for the full birding plan. With that in mind, we slowed down and enjoyed the rest of the morning birding in the Sarapiqui area. Our Global Big Day had become a Big Morning but we weren’t complaining. We still saw a lot! Check out the trip report: October Global Big Day 2024 – eBird Trip Report I hope it gets you ready for your birding trip to Costa Rica!

To learn more about birding around Pueblo Nuevo, Sarapiqui, and hundreds of other sites in Costa Rica, support this blog by purchasing my 900 plus page ebook, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”. I hope to see you here!

Tags big day birding, Costa Rica birding, global big day, october global big day