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Spots Open for Fantastic Southern Pacific Costa Rica Birding Tour

Black-bellied Hummingbird

Costa Rica is a small place. We’e talking the size of West Virginia or Wales. You’d think a nation that small would be pretty easy to bird, fairly easy to “clean up” after one birding trip.

For many places, it’d be normal to reach that conclusion but, while Costa Rica is small, this birdy nation also has a trick up its sleeve,; several factors that keep you coming back for more. Either because they love the place or, realize they still have lots more to see, many birders do repeat trips to Costa Rica.

They might want to see a White-tipped Sicklebill.

Basically, you can’t see all the birds in one trip to small Costa Rica because this southern Central American nation is a geographical biodiversity generator. Like a mini continent, Costa Rica borders two oceans, and has mountains running down the nation’s spine that separate dry forests in the northwest from the Caribbean slope rainforests in the east. Different life zones in those same mountains host their own avian suites and, on the Pacific side, south of the Tarcoles River, dry forests suddenly become wet forests, rare rainforests with a high level of endemism.

Throw in localized habitats like mountaintop paramo, wetlands, mangroves, and intermontane valleys and the result is an incredible wealth of biodiversity, more than 600 resident species birds included. Add the migrants and Costa Rica currently boasts a bird list topping 930 species.

It’s why, even though birders can enjoy a fantastic ten day or even two week trip to Costa Rica, they can’t see everything. It’s also why I have helped Hillstar Nature design a trip to connect with the wealth of birds that reside in southern Costa Rica; species many birders have not seen on the more regular Costa Rica birding circuit.

This tour runs from March 29 to April 9 and is aimed at seeing specialties like Rosy Thrush-Tanager, cotingas, Black-bellied Hummingbird (like the feature image), White-crested Coquette, and even Ocellated Crake. Tough birds indeed and seeing them does require some luck but, even more so, it requires birding in the right places with the right local guides. We’ll be doing that and some to connect with as many southern Pacific specialties as possible.

Check out this itinerary:

Day 1. Arrivals, night at Villa San Ignacio in Alajuela

Arrival days aren’t usually the best days for birding. Often, the plane touches down after dark and you are more concerned with getting a good night’s rest than spotlighting for owls. But, sometimes you do arrive in time for birding and that’s where Villa San Ignacio comes into play.

This friendly little place is just 15 minutes from the airport, has beautiful gardens crowned with huge figs, other vegetation that attracts a healthy variety of birds, and excellent service. It’s why I often recommend it as a great starting and/or ending point for any trip to Costa Rica.


Day 2. Transfer to the spectacular birding lodge, Hotel Quelitales

After some fine introduction birding to Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio, you’ll eventually make your way to one of Costa Rica’s newest and best birding lodges; Hotel Quelitales.

Owned by a local birder, it’s no wonder this special place has become a fantastic hotspot. The hummingbird garden can bring in uncommon species like Black-bellied Hummingbird, White-bellied Mountain-gem, Green-fronted Lancebill while other spots may turn up Scaled Antpitta or even Black-breasted Wood-Quail.

White-bellied Mountain-gem

Many. many other birds are also possible, right outside your door.


Day 3. Tapanti National Park and night at Hotel Quelitales

Although Quelitales is fantastic birding on its own, a visit to the nearby Tapanti National Park makes it that much better!

The mossy, beautiful middle elevation rainforests of Tapanti are excellent for mixed flocks and a wide variety of cloud forest species, many of which are uncommon. Some of the many birds to look for include Black-faced Solitaire, woodcreepers, Brown-billed Scythebill, barbets, and much more. With luck, you might even see an Ochre-breasted Antpitta, Streaked Xenops, foliage-gleaners, and other shy, uncommon species.

In sunny weather, this site and nearby areas can also be good for hawk-eagles, Barred Hawk, and other raptors.


Day 4. Drive over the mountains to the Talari Lodge in Perez Zeledon

buff-fronted-quail-do

After a morning birding and breakfast at Quelitales, you drive up and over the nearby majestic Talamanca Mountains. Lunch will be at the wonderful Casa Tangara dowii; a special reserve dedicated to birding and birders.

With luck, the group will be treated to wonderful views of cloudforest species at the feeder. These can include Yellow-thighed Brushfinch, Spangle-cheeked Tanager, Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, and, with luck, Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge!

Lunch will be followed by a scenic drive through and over beautiful high elevation forests and treeline habitats. You might make a few stops on the way or head straight to birdy lodging. Feeder action could host Speckled Tanager and other species and, at night, there might be Tropical Screech-Owl and Common Potoo.


Day 5. Morning birding and transfer to Mary Hotel in Buenos Aires

Today, you’ll explore the birdy forests at Talari and in the nearby General Valley. Specialties will include a first real taste of south Pacific birds, you may see Scaled Pigeon, Orange-collared Manakin, Streaked Saltator, Pearl Kite, White-crested Coquette, and even Turquoise Cotinga.

The General Valley can be especially good for this fantastic, uncommon cotinga and we will watch for it at our hotel as well as spots around Perez Zeledon. We will eventually make our way to the grass savannahs near Buenos Aires and end the day looking for the local White-tailed Nightjar.


Day 6. Morning search for specialties and drive to Esquinas Rainforest Lodge

After an early breakfast, we make our way to the savannah habitats of the General Valley where we will work with a local guide to look for uncommon and localized species like Ocellated Crake and Rosy Thrush-Tanager.

Eventually, we will make our way over the scenic coastal cordillera for some afternoon birding in wetland habitats near Ciudad Neily.

These open hábitats host several uncommon and local species for Costa Rica including Veraguan Mango, Sapphire-throated Hummingbird, Brown-throated Parakeet, Savannah Hawk, and Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture among others. With luck, we might also see Paint-billed Crake.

On the drive to Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, we will keep an eye out for nocturnal species like Striped Owl and Common Potoo.

Dinner and night at Esquinas.


Day 7 and 8 Esquinas Rainforest Lodge and Rincon de Osa

This area is wonderful, a birdwatcher’s paradise in the South Pacific of Costa Rica!

Several endemic bird species like the Black-cheeked Ant-tanager, Charming Hummingbird, Yellow-billed, and Turquoise Cotinga occur along with many other species. Needless to say, this is an excellent place to enlarge a birder’s life list.

birding Costa Rica

During our stay at Esquinas, the lodge’s very birdy gardens, trails, and edge habitats should keep us entertained. A huge number of species are possible including various flycatchers, manakins, Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager, Baird’s Trogon, Golden-naped Woodpecker, raptors, and more.

Some of the other birds we will watch for include Blue-headed Parrot, Tiny Hawk, Spectacled Owl, and the uncommon undescribed “Puntarenas Screech-Owl”.

On our first full day at Esquinas, we will spend one full day birding around the lodge grounds. On our second day, we will pay an early morning visit to Rio Rincon to watch for the endangered Yellow-billed Cotinga, Turquoise Cotinga, and other specialties, and then spend the rest of the day back at Esquinas.

All meals and nights at Esquinas.


Day 9. Drive up the Pacific coast to Tarcoles Birding LodgeDay 9-10. Central Pacific (Night at Tarcoles Birding Lodge or similar)

After a final morning of early birding and breakfast, we will drive up the coast to Esquipulas Rainforest Lodge for lunch and chances at seeing birds like White-crested Coquette and other rainforest species.

After lunch, we continue moving north for a bit of late afternoon birding at our hotel, the Tarcoles Birding Lodge. True to its name, this spot has excellent birding, especially from a tower that overlooks patches of dry forest and wetlands in a river valley.

We could see Crane Hawk among other raptors.


Day 10. Carara NP in the AM, birding by boat in the afternoon. Night at Tarcoles Birding Lodge

While walking the easy trails in the rainforests of Carara National Park, we will watch for a healthy variety of lowland rainforest interior birds including the likes of Great Tinamou, Black-faced Antthrush, Streak-chested Antpitta, Rufous Piha, manakins, and more.

The boat trip is an excellent way to get leisurely views of waterbirds and many edge species. We will also have a chance at various raptors, and good chances of seeing Scarlet Macaws and many parrots in flight. We also hope to see at least 3 species of Kingfishers and will have more chances at mangrove specialties like Mangrove Vireo, Mangrove Yellow Hummingbird, and Mangrove Hummingbird.


Day 11. Final birding in the morning and drive to Villa san Ignacio near the airport

This morning, we hope to catch up on dry forest species we have yet to see. We’ll look for everything from Crane Hawk to Spot-bellied Bobwhite, the spectacular White-throated Magpie-Jay, and Black-headed Trogon.

birding Costa Rica
Black-headed Trogon.

Night and dinner at Villa San Ignacio.


Day 12. Flights back home

Transfer to the airport for the flight back home.

One of the best things about this fantastic tour is that room is still available! To experience this wealth of uncommon mega birds in Costa Rica, please contact me at information@birdingcraft.com or contact Hillstar Nature directly at info@hillstarnature.com

You can also see more information about this carefully designed birding tour at Hillstar Nature.

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A Morning of Birding at Villa San Ignacio

I’ve written about Villa San Ignacio before, it’s easy to write about it again. For the visiting birder, this small hotel has more than nice rooms and great service. The place is a quick 15 to 20 minute drive from the airport and, even better, the hotel grounds are birdy habitat in their entirety.

Huge fig trees, mangos, and native “cedars” shade the gardens near the rooms while second growth covers a few short trails that approach a stream. Although you can’t reach the flowing water, you can get close enough to hear it. Bird there in the morning and you’ll also hear a good number of edge and moist forest species.

Today, I guided at Villa San Ignacio in the morning and it went a little something like this:

Five Wrens a Singing

In Costa Rica, wren diversity is up there. Bird any forested area at low or middle elevations and you’ll hear several of this vociferous bunch. Today at Villa San Ignacio, I had the usual five species that whistle from riparian zones and other vegetation in the Central Valley.

Rufous-backed Wren

Today, Rufous-and-white Wrens were singing the most and, unusually, we had good looks around the volleyball court. Rufous-breasteds also sang but, as per usual, kept to the dense vine tangles. Carolina looking Cabanis’s Wrens sang from the dense second growth while Southern House Wrens (fun to say that!) and played around buildings and Rufous-backed Wrens (also fun) did their babbleresque actions throughout the property.

Fair Hummingbird Action

Today, hummingbirds were alright especially considering the low number of suitable flowers. Porterweed bushes were the main nectar source along with a small number of additional flowering plants. Several Blue-venteds fed and chased each other at the Porterweed, especially around the volleyball court. By the main buildings, another Porterweed patch hosted a Cinnamon, and Rufous-taileds trilled and bounced around the rest of the property.

Cinnamon Hummingbird

In the dry season, flowering trees also attract Green-breasted Mango, Blue-throated Goldentail, and Plain-capped Starthroats. Fortunately, a couple of those starthroats were still around; we managed to see one on a high perch at the tail end of the morning.

No Manakins or Ground-Sparrows but a Yellow-billed Cacique

Despite plenty of whistling for manakins, I heard nary a response. Same goes for the ground-sparrows. Usually, I at least hear a White-eared but not today. I’m not sure where the Cabanis’s go either, hopefully just hiding back in the thick stuff.

I figure the manakins moved off to better feeding areas, I figure that was also why we didn’t see any tityras. The birds probably found better fruiting trees elsewhere but, they’ll surely be back. On a positive note, we did hear and see a Yellow-billed Cacique, a bird I rarely if ever see at Villa San Ignacio.

Lineated Woodpecker, Lesson’s Motmots, and other Common Birds

This morning also had a fair array of common edge and Central Valley species. We had nice looks at Hoffmann’s and Lineated Woodpeckers, Lesson’s Motmots, Boat-billed Flys, kiskadees, Blue-gray Tanagers, Chestnut-capped Warblers, Squirrel Cuckoo, saltators, Common Tody-Flys, and others.

We also enjoyed Gray-headed Chachalacas, Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Brown Jays, and Barred Antshrike among others.

High Flying Raptors

Once it warmed up enough, vultures soared overhead and were joined by Gray and Short-tailed Hawks. Those are the usuals at Villa San Ignacio but it pays to keep looking up. On other birding days, I’ve often seen Zone-tailed Hawk and other things can occur, even birds like Double-toothed Kite, Swallow-tailed, Kite and the odd Hook-billed Kite!

It was a fine morning of birding at Villa San Ignacio. In common with so many birding sites in Costa Rica, you never really know what you’ll see. There’s some seasonal variation and forested riparian zones and other green space have various birds wandering in and out of the area. In other words, it’s always good and a great place to start and end your birding time in Costa Rica.

Here’s the eBird list from today and a link to my Costa Rica birding site guide. I hope to see you here!

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Recent Birding Highlights from Varablanca and Cinchona

white-bellied mountain-gem

During a year of birding in Costa Rica, I usually end up visiting most major parts of the country. By “major”, I mean principal ecoregions like the dry forests of the northwest, lowland Caribbean slope rainforest in the east, high elevation oak forest, and other habitats that culminate in a fantastic variety of birds. Such visits typically boost my year list to at least 600 species by June (I’m at 620 now).

Amazingly, there’s still a bunch more to make it onto my birds of 2025 but that’s because although Costa Rica is small, this nation is big on birds. It’s the perfect place to go birding and proudly state, “Keep on a birding and them species keep on a rolling in!”, or, er, something along those lines.

In any case, it would be mildly fulfilling to see a tee-shirt extolling that happy virtue. I’d sure wear it, especially while guiding a tour and especially if it showed a calling bellbird topped with a “chonete” (a type of small, Costa Rican hat). I’d also accidentally model such an expression of birding joy at a mall, or a party, function, or any venue that presents itself for possible bird promotion (which is basically anywhere). I’d wear it because that bellbird would be speaking truth for most birding sites in Costa Rica, even areas an hour’s drive from San Jose.

Someone give that bird a chonete!

One of those easily accessible birding spots is also one of the places I visit the most. Seated just on the other side of the continental divide north of Alajuela, the Varablanca area has some of the closest quality habitat near the Central Valley. There’s some high elevation cloud forest, middle elevation cloud forest, and, if you drive just a bit further, the famous Cinchona Hummingbird Cafe.

This past weekend, I shared some fine birding in that area with a friend. Check out some of the highlights:

Ornate Hawk-Eagle soaring like a boss

An impressionist inspired shape of an Ornate Hawk-Eagle from another day and place. Dude still gives the hefty feels though.

I’ll put this highlight first. Seems like a fitting spot for it, especially with views of that hefty soaring raptor in mind. Mike spotted it and we eventually got fantastic, close looks when it soared right overhead!

This mega raptor species is regular on the Legua road but it’s still easy to miss. I was very pleased we saw this one and could marvel over its odd projecting head, getting dived on by Swallow-tailed Kites, and calling in response to my whistled imitation of the bird’s vocalizations!

Green-fronted Lancebill hanging at a clear, rushing stream

A lancebill from another time and place.

The hummingbird with the needle beak is also regular at Varablanca but, like the eagle and so many other naturally uncommon birds, you just never know if you’ll see one! Thankfully, upon checking one of the streams, we had excellent views of a lancebill perched on a typical streamside twig.

Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl comes out to toot hello

It took a couple tries but yes, the rufous morph Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl revealed itself once again! It’s pretty nice to have regular views of thus uncommon bird especially because you never know how long it will be around that site (especially with a bit of illegal deforestation going on pretty much right in its territory).

More must occur at various spots on that road but the only one I regularly hear and see is the bird we watched on Saturday.

Scaly-throated and Lineated Foliage-gleaners

Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner is sort of rare in Costa Rica and the Lineated has become much less common. It was a right birding bonus to see both in the same morning!

Heard Only Bellbird and Quetzal

At one point, we both caught the faint, odd sound of a distant bellbird, one that must be a juvenile male. I figure its the same one I’ve heard in that general area a few times. Unfortunately, it’s always been too far off road to see but it’s still good to know that one’s around.

We also had one distant heard only quetzal. Although quetzal wandering makes them unpredictable, I still typically find and see one or more on this road. I sure tried on Saturday but nope, we only heard one calling from way inside the forest. I can’t blame it, if I was a natural denizen of that area, I’d be hanging way inside the forest too.

Nice Hummingbirds at Cinchona

Eventually, we made our way to Cinchona where we shared space with the typical bunch of weekend visitors. Happily, it was good for hummingbirds and we scored all the regulars except for Green Thorntail.

The male Black-bellied made several appearances and we had a few visit from a rare White-bellied Mountain-gem too! On another note, the folks at Cinchona made the feeder set up look more natural but also cut down part of a tree and removed some vegetation. The birds should still come in but I really hope they stop cutting trees.

Black-bellied Hummingbird could also be called, “Goofy Square-headed Hummingbird”.

After Cinchona, we also got in a bit of birding in foothill forests near San Miguel and the drive to La Selva but heavy rains had finally caught up with us. Even so, we still managed to identify 133 species for the day, more than 70 of which were near Varablanca. Not a bad total, especially with rain largely eliminating key afternoon birding time the list being “padded” with very few waterbirds.

I still need to get up to that Varablanca area before dawn, see if I can catch a whiff of a dawn singing Strong-billed Woodcreeper, maybe hear a Highland Tinamou or some other uncommon bird. Hopefully that will happen soon. I don’t have much of an excuse not to; it only takes an hour to drive up to that bird happy wonderland.

Where do you want to go birding in Costa Rica? Everywhere is a good answer! Even so, just like all places, Costa Rica has its set of better sites and hotspots. To learn about them while supporting this blog, get my 900 plus page ebook, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”. I hope to see you here!

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Fantastic Bird Photography in Costa Rica- 5 Easy Sites

Bird photography in Costa Rica is pretty darn exciting. There are literally hundreds of exotic, tropical bird species, dozens of glittering hummingbirds, beautiful tanagers, trogons, and more, always more.

Resplendent Quetzals too!

While it’s true that mature forests harbor the highest species totals, they aren’t the best places for bird photography. Yes, trails in rainforest can turn up rare and little photographed bird species but you’ll need the right equipment, time, and stamina.

I’m all for experiencing those forest denizens, I actually prefer that birding method. However, to capture images of birds to my heart’s content, I would go to places with better lighting, comfort, and easier bird access. Happily, in Costa Rica, many such sites exist, too many to mention. A handful of top contenders are Laguna del Lagarto, Maquenque Lodge, Rancho Naturalista, Hotel Quelitales, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Hotel de Campo and Cano Negro, and Quinta Galeon.

There’s lots more places I could mention but in this blog post, I’m going to focus on 5 of the easiest sites for fantastic bird photography. These are very accessible sites within easy striking distance of San Jose and the Central Valley, can be visited on your own, and have an awesome array of feathered subjects.

The Cinchona Hummingbird Cafe

This gem of a site is one of Costa Rica’s classic birding hotspots. If there’s any downside, it’s that the place has become very popular. However, even then, if you don’t mind loud talking and sharing space with a bunch of people, there’ll still be birds.

Situated around an hour and a half from San Jose on route 126, this spot is easy to access and is a wonderful place to enjoy a coffee and meal while photographing a fine selection of middle elevation birds.

The papaya feeders often have Northern American Toucanet, Prong-billed Barbet, and even the fancy Red-headed Barbet!

Although bird species vary, typical subjects also include Silver-throated Tanager, Scarlet-rumped Tanager, Crimson-collared Tanager, and other small birds. On the hummingbird front, this site also typically turns up 7 or 8 species including the extravagant Violet Sabrewing and the endemic Coppery-headed Emerald.

This cafe has gone by several names, the most recent might be the Cafe Colibri. It’s located on the eastern side of the road, around ten minutes north of the Peace Waterfall, and is the only spot on route 126 with a donkey corral on the other side of the road. They may charge for photos but as of September, 2024, folks who use the restaurant don’t have to pay anything extra. Even so, I encourage you to give these bird and birder friendly people a nice donation.

But wait, there’s more! The drive to Cinchona also hosts chances at high elevation hummingbirds and even quetzal. However, to see those, it would be much easier with a guide.

Nectar and Pollen

This is the best site for foothill rainforest bird photography near San Jose. It’s also one of the better sites in Costa Rica! Only an hour’s drive or less from San Jose, Nectar and Pollen has an excellent set up for tanagers, hummingbirds, and other rainforest species.

Cinnamon Woodpecker included!

They do have a trail but for bird photography, it’s better and easier to sit and enjoy a coffee while getting captures of Rufous Motmot, Collared Aracari, oropendolas, and much more.

Hummingbirds also visit the garden and can include Snowcap and Violet-headed Hummingbird among other species. On occasion, White-tipped Sicklebill also makes an appearance.

There’s also a pasture area next to rainforest that can be very good for raptors, the photogenic Long-tailed Tyrant, and various other species. In the wet season, you might even get flybys of Great Green Macaw.

Nectar and Pollen is a small private place situated on Route 32 just north of the Rainforest Aerial Tram. To visit, you must contact Miguel Delgado in advance. He can also update you on entrance fees.

The Tarcoles Area

Hoping for pictures of Scarlet Macaw? Tarcoles is the closest, easiest spot near San Jose. This small fishing village is around an hour and 20 minutes or so drive from San Jose, and offers access to easy roadside photography.

The macaws often feed in trees near the beach and even right in town. Black-headed Trogons, and various other lowland species are also accessible, and boat tours that focus on bird photography are also available.

On the way to Tarcoles, nearby sites such as the Ceiba Orotina area and the Guacima Road can also be good for Double-striped Thick-knee, White-throated Magpie-Jay, and many other species. There’s also the Cerro Lodge road along with Cerro Lodge and the Tarcoles Birding Lodge. Both of these sites can have good photo opps on their grounds. For access, you probably need to pay for a meal, both are worth contacting first.

I should also mention that although you can bird this area on your own, it will be much easer and productive with a guide.

San Luis Canopy

This fun spot is also around an hour and a half from San Jose and is located on the main road from San Ramon to La Fortuna. Officially known as “Parque Aventura San Luis“, this site mostly does exciting and popular zip line tours through beautiful middle elevation rainforest.

There are also several nice tourist shops there and a good local restaurant to dine at after a fine morning of bird photography. The draw for this special place is their tanager feeder set up. Banana and papaya pieces on and near natural perches bring in Emerald, Bay-headed, and other tanager species, often, too close for a long lens!

Even uncommon Blue-and-gold and Black-and-yellow Tanagers can show along with Black-cheeked Woodpeckers and other common birds. San Luis can also have rare birds on their trails, even Bare-necked Umbrellabird, and Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo!

Ask if these birds have been seen. If so, for $10, one of their guides might bring you to them! The entrance fee to explore the trails and hanging bridges on your own might be around $30. It costs $10 to just stick with the tanagers.

The Nochebuena on Irazu Volcano

This spot is a bit further from San Jose but it’s still close enough for easy bird photography. Reaching the Nochebuena area takes around an hour and 40 minutes driving up the main road to Irazu.

This site requires an extra early start to get past San Jose by 6, otherwise, you’ll get stuck in heavy, slow traffic. The Nochebuena is a small, cozy cafe with trails ($6) through high elevation habitats. At 9,000 to 10,000 feet, the trails can be tough on the lungs but that’s where you usually need to go to see the mega Maroon-chested Ground-Dove and Wrenthrush.

If you would rather not go hiking, fortunately, there’s good photo opps right at the cafe and just down the road. Hummingbird feeders attract Talamanca, Volcano, and Fiery-throated Hummingbirds along with Lesser Violetears while the riparian zone and adjacent forest next to it often has quetzal and various other high elevation birds.

Fiery-throated-Hummingbird

As a bonus, a short drive up to the paramo brings you to Volcano Juncos, Timberline Wrens, possible Peg-billed Finch, and other nice birdies.

Going birding in Costa Rica? Have an extra day for bird photography, like maybe at the start or end of a tour? You can’t go wrong with the sites mentioned above. To learn more about these and other birding sites in Costa Rica, prepare for your birding trip, and support this blog, get “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”. I hope to see you here!

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Highlights from Two Days of Birding in Costa Rica

What can you see in two days of birding in Costa Rica? Like anywhere, experience is a function of location. In the birding way of things, we also need to factor in weather, time, and local birding knowledge. Beyond that, what we see depends on how those birds want to roll.

In Costa Rica, how the birds roll is where a mixed flock happens to move (will it cross your path?), if birds feed within your field of view, and if the skulkers opt to come out and play.

During the past seven days, I was birding in the Poas and Cinchona area one day and at sites near San Ramon the next. There was some overlap but we saw a good bunch of birds. No surprise there, it happens when you visit quality habitats in Costa Rica.

In addition to sharing birds with a wonderful bunch of people, these were some of the other highlights.

Wrenthrush

Wren what? Thrush? Wren? What’s going on with that funny little bird! Wrenthrush is certainly unique but personally, I prefer using the one and only name for its genus, “Zeledonia”.

Wrenthrush.

It’s a snappy sounding name, a one of a kind word for a one of a kind bird. It really is one of a kind too, I mean, has its own familia and everything. Yeah, what used to be an aberrant warbler is the only member of a bird family endemic to the highlands of Costa Rica and Panama.

And we had perfect looks at one on the road to Poas.

the bird’s not rare, I often hear them along that road and many other suitable spots but whether they let you see them or not, yeah, that’s another birding story.

Luckily, we had wonderful close looks at the orange-crowned, stub-tailed bird known as the Wrenthrush. I look forward to subsequent trips to wet highland forest where I can experience more of this special little bird.

Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow near San Ramon

The skulky ways and scattered populations of the endemic ground-sparrow can present challenges to seeing one. You’ll do best if you look for them early, like 6 a.m. In common with all local birds, you also need to look for them in the right places.

One such place is a site just outside of San Ramon. In my Costa Rica bird finding book, this site is known as 4.1 a UCR Campus San Ramon. In looking at what I wrote, I think I need to edit it and say that you can see a surprising number of bird species on the dirt road along the southern edge of the campus.

This dirt road is also a great spot to find the ground-sparrow but in testament to its skills at hiding, we only saw one and it took some effort to see it. We eventually got great looks but it wasn’t easy!

This spot was also bouncing with other birds. Long-tailed Manakin, several wren species, various wintering warblers, a couple woodcreepers, and more, the birds kept us busy!

White Hawk at Close Range

After our successful date with the ground-sparrow, we checked some roadside cloud forest along the road that passes through the Reserva Valle de Los Quetzales. I was hoping we would see a quetzal but nope, instead, the birding was fairly subdued.

We still managed excellent close views of a White Hawk and saw some middle elevation species like Collared Trogon, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, and Scarlet-thighed Dacnis.

Coppery-headed Emerald, Black-bellied Hummingbird, and a Bunch of Other Mini Dazzlers

Between birding around Poas and sites near San Ramon, we had a good bunch of hummingbirds, 17 species in total. This included wonderful, detailed views of Coppery-headed Emerald, a svelte male Black-bellied Hummingbird, and miniscule Scintillant Hummingbirds among other species.

As usual, on Poas, the Fiery-throated Hummingbirds entertained while Volcano Hummingbirds did their bee-like thing. Crowned Woodnymphs also dazzled at the Cocora, and we took in the bright beauty of a Purple-crowned Fairy near Varablanca.

Cinchona

Speaking of hummingbirds, this classic spot delivered several species including Violet Sabrewing, the aforementioned Black-bellied, Coppery-headed Emeralds, and some other species.

Black-bellied Hummingbird

It was also good for the other usual suspects along with a hungry Black Guan and occasional looks at Buff-fronted Quail-Dove down below. Northern Emerald Toucanet ghosted but maybe it will be there next time? Consolation happened with both barbet species, Crimson-collared Tanager, and other sweet birds in beautiful surroundings.

Despite poor weather on Poas and Cinchona, and windy, sunny weather near San Ramon, we still identified 150 species. Check out the eBird trip report. Two days birding is always good in Costa Rica, just about anywhere you bring the binos. Headed to Costa Rica soon? Practice using those bins and get ready for some major bird action!

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Costa Rica Birding Highlights- Nectar and Pollen

White Hawk Costa Rica
Find more birds in Costa Rica like this White Hawk.

Where to go birding in Costa Rica? Where to see birds in Costa Rica? These are pertinent question for any birder, and, for some, all important concerns. The right answers vary; they wholly depend on what you would like to see. Walk outside and look around, as the Urban Birder says, “Look Up!”, and you will see birds, even in the concrete byways of San Jose. However, if you carry out that same action in and near primary rainforest, you could see ten times as many birds.

If “quetzal” is in your personal birding equation, any number of forested sites in the highlands will work. The same goes for many of Costa Rica’s near endemics including birds like Yellow-thighed Brushfinch, an arboreal towhee with legs that sport yellow pom-poms.

Yellow-thighed Brushfinch

As you can see, I wasn’t kidding!

Looking for tanagers? Well of course you are! The best sites tend to be in quality foothill and middle elevation rainforest. How about hummingbirds? Yes please and with sabrewings on top! You’ll find those and much more at various middle elevation sites.

Violet-Sabrewing-male

Nothing like seeing a massive purple hummingbird to get the birding blood flowing!

Now if you would like to see lots of cool, choice tropical birds, all at once, there are good birding sites in Costa Rica for that fast and furious happiness too. One such place is Nectar and Pollen, these are some recent highlights and birds to look for at this easily accessible, gem of a spot:

Raptors

Some of best places to see raptors in Costa Rica are sites with good views of the canopy and sky over extensive primary rainforest. Walk into the pasture at Nectar and Pollen and you’ll see what I mean, especially during a sunny morning, right around 9:00 a.m. This is high time for raptors to take to the skies and if you hit a good day at Nectar and Pollen you could see several of these species:

King Vulture

Hawk-eagles, even the rare Black-and-White

White Hawk

Barred Hawk

Great Black Hawk

Gray Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Short-tailed Hawk

Double-toothed Kite

Rarely, you could also see Hook-billed and Gray-headed Kites

Scan the canopy at an early hour and you might also get lucky with finding a perched Tiny Hawk, Bicolored Hawk, Laughing Falcon, or other raptor species.

White-tipped Sicklebill and Other Hummingbirds

Plantings can attract sicklebill, hermits, and several other hummingbirds. A recent visit turned up:

White-necked Jacobin

A male White-necked Jacobin.

Blue-chested Hummingbird

Violet-headed Hummingbird

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

Crowned Woodnymph, and

Green-breasted Mango.

On other visits, I have also had Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Green Thorntail, Black-crested Coquette, Brown Violetear, Long-billed Starthroat, and that minute mega, the Snowcap.

A Flurry of Birds

If you do pay a visit, be prepared, the birds often happen fast and furious! One after another and sometimes, all at once. So as not to miss anything, your best bet is to let go and do what the guide says. A good guide will get you on the birds that need to be seen at that moment instead of looking at species more likely to be seen later the same day or on other days.

Be forewarned, whether birding with a guide or not, sensory overload is likely! Just try to stay focused, try to recall field marks, and wait until a lull in the bird action to check your birding app for Costa Rica or field guide book. Trust me, if you try to look up each bird as you see them, you could miss a lot.

As with any site, the fast birding at Nectar and Pollen varies but often includes troops of Black-faced Grosbeaks and Carmiol’s Tanagers, other tanagers in fruiting trees, euphonias, hummingbirds, parrots doing flybys and more. It’s bird action at its best!

Red-fronted Parrotlet and Other Uncommon Species

Although you can’t expect it on every visit, this is a perfect site to see the rare Red-fronted Parrotlet fly past in the morning and late afternoon. Watch for them from the small hill in the pasture while also enjoying views of Long-tailed Tyrant, Cinnamon, Rufous-winged, Black-cheeked, and Smoky-brown Woodpeckers, and other species.

If you walk the forest trail, keep a close eye out for Olive-backed Quail-Dove on the ground, Dull-mantled Antbird in the ravines, and White-flanked Antwrem and other small birds in understory mixed flocks. The umbrellabird and other rare species are also always possible!

Tanagers and White-vented Euphonia

The number of tanagers can vary but fruiting trees usually attract Green and Shining Honeycreepers, Scarlet-rumped and Crimson-collared Tanagers, and various other species. Emerald, Silver-throated, Speckled, and Bay-headed are regular and once in a while, Rufous-winged, Black-and-yellow, and even Blue-and-Gold Tanagers occur! On a recent visit, although the tanager scene was somewhat subdued, we still had uncommon White-vented Euphonia and several other nice birds.

As you may have surmised, the birding at Nectar and Pollen can be pretty darn good. The same goes for bird photography, especially for hummingbirds, Rufous Motmot, and tanagers. Visits must be arranged in advance but that’s easy enough to do. Just send Miguel a message at the Nectar and Pollen Facebook page and give him the date of your visit. A visit for one to two people costs $25 per person, $20 per person for groups of three or more. If you go, please leave a comment with your sightings or link to eBird list at the end of this post. I hope to see you there!

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Easy Going Birding in Costa Rica = 14 Hummingbirds, Black Guan, and More

Silver-throated Tanager1
The Cafe Colibri is a fantastic, reliable place for getting good shots of Silver-throated Tanager.

Some of the best birding in Costa Rica is easy-going, relaxed birding. Although a definition of “best birding” is subjective and related to (1) what a birder wants to see and (2) how they want to do their birding, when the results of an easy morning of birding include several hummingbirds and various regional endemics (including uncommon and threatened species), that’s pretty darn good.

When birding in Costa Rica, you really don’t need to take long jungle hikes to see lots of great birds. To see a fantastic variety of species, visiting remote areas isn’t vital, nor is testing the limits of a rental vehicle’s suspension. It does help to know where to go birding in Costa Rica, know the best places to visit, and how to see those birds but you won’t have to buy any trekking boots.

Don’t get me wrong, expedition birding has its advantages too and I love being immersed in remote forest birding but Costa Rica offers much easier options. One of the best is the Poas and Cinchona area. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again; roadside birding from the Central Valley to Poas and along Route 126 can turn up an astonishing number of birds (a quick tally of birds that have occurred resulted in 500 species!). More than 100 are rare, various elevations are involved, and 50 of those birds are only present during the winter but that still leaves lots of birds to look for on any visit, any time of year. On a recent morning of birding with very limited walking, some birding highlights included:

14 Hummingbird Species

All were seen from the vehicle or at the Mirador San Fernando (the Cinchona Hummingbird Cafe). They included such sweet birds as

Fiery-throated Hummingbird

Fiery-throated-Hummingbird

Scintillant Hummingbird

scintillant-hummingbird

and the uncommon Black-bellied Hummingbird.

Black-bellied Hummingbird
At least you can still see Black-bellied Hummingbird and other hummingbird action in the rain.

14 hummingbird species are a good total but amazingly, on the route we took, further effort can turn up at least 7 or more additonal species.

Large-footed Finch and Other Highland Endemics

In the high elevation areas of Poas Volcano, bird activity was somewhat hindered by cold rain. Even do, we still had excellent looks at regional endemics like Large-footed Finch, Sooty Thrush, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, and Flame-throated Warbler along with various other montane species.

Large-footed Finch doing its foraging thing in the leaf litter.

The Large-footed Finch is a towhee-like bird that needs cool, wet forest habitats. Like so many other bird species on Poas, it only lives in Costa Rica and western Panama.

Coffee with Black Guan, Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, and other Great Birds

We spent around two hours at Cinchona and had excellent birding. Most of the usual species came to the fruit feeders including “the Cinchona trio” of Northern Emerald Toucanet, Prong-billed Barbet, and Red-headed Barbet.

The hummingbirds were also very active and gave us multiple close views of species like Green Thorntail, Green Hermit, Violet Sabrewing and others.

As a bonus, a Barred Hawk soared into view, Black Guan showed at the feeder, and two juvenile Buff-fronted Quail-Doves occasionally appeared on the ground below the feeder.

There’s nothing like accompanying quality coffee with constant tropical birds at Cinchona!

Costa Rica is made for birding. Whether taking the easy birding route or exploring remote locations, fantastic birding is in the cards. See “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica” to learn about the best sites for seeing more birds in Costa Ricaa nd prepare for your trip. I hope to see you here.

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Fine Birding on the Slopes of Poas

In Costa Rica, Poas looms to the north of the airport. A big mound of a mountain, the roomy crater hidden in the clouds. It can be seen from the window of a plane, the turquoise, unwelcome water in the big hole briefly glistening in the sun. The rocky crater is framed in textured green, for folks on the plane, a distant, unreal broccoli carpet. There’s no indication of the true nature of that forest way down below, nor the other rivulets and waves of tropical forest that reach down the northern slopes of the volcano. The riot of life going on down there, Pumas and Ocelots doing their stealth dance beneath the wet canopy. Bright and sunny Collared Redstarts singing from the bamboo understory, bush-tanagers and Yellow-thighed Finches rummaging through the bushes and trees.

Bright and beautiful, one of many highland species endemic to Costa Rica and western Panama.

Quetzals are there too, whistling and cackling from the misty forests. But, as with any scene from a plane, it’s just a distant natural portrait, the only soundscape one of humming motors and occasional requests for coffee, the hiss of sugary carbonated drinks poured over ice in a plastic cup. We only truly experience the forest on Poas and anywhere else with boots on the ground, can only get lost in the quick variety of mixed flocks, fluttering of quetzals, and the air scything ability of swifts by walking with those trees.

On Poas, it’s easy to walk near the oaks and wild avocados. The road up there is a good, quick hour or 45 minute ride from the San Jose area and after the village of Poasito, the birding improves. The national park itself has also been good for birding but ever since eruptions put access on hiatus, I’m not sure if the same trails are accessible. It has just re-opened though, I hope to assess the birding situation at some point. In the meantime, I can attest to the quality of roadside birding on the road up to the national park as well as along Route 126 (the Via Endemica), a recent day of guiding was no exception. Some of the good stuff:

Resplendent Quetzal

The sacred bird is up there on Poas, according to locals, not as common as it used to be but it’s still there. I was surprised to see one after another flutter between trees until I had counted six including the male pictured above!

Fasciated Tiger-Heron

Not in the high parts of the mountain but present along a roadside stream much lower down. The heron of rocky Neotropical streams posed nicely for us as it blended into the dark gray river stones.

Hummingbirds

 

Brown Violetear

Talamanca Hummingbird

Purple-throated Mountain-gem

Coppery-headed Emerald

From Fiery-throated in the high parts to glittering Crowned Woodnymphs past Cinchona, hummingbirds are a welcome mainstay on Poas. Including a Steel-vented near Alajuela, we had fifteen species.

Northern Emerald Toucanet

Visit the Soda Mirador de Catarata (aka Cafe Colibri, aka the Hummingbird Cafe) to spend quality time with this exotic beauty.

Buffy Tuftedcheek

Not so common but this bromeliad bird us indeed present along the higher parts of the road. If you see a silhouette of one, this image shows what to expect.

Nightingale-thrushes

Not rare but skulky and always cool to see four or even five species in a day, most at different elevations. We had good looks at four and without too much trouble. This is a juvenile Slaty-backed N.-Thrush that was visiting the Cafe Colibri.

Black-thighed Grosbeak

A few were singing and showed nicely.

These were some of the one hundred plus species we saw on the slopes of Poas the other day, each stop adding more birds to the list. Many more were still possible and some calling birds remained unseen but any day spent birding is a good one. A day with more than a hundred species is even better especially when the birder can walk within reach of old, mossy trees frequented by quetzals, treerunners, and other cool birds with fantastic names.

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Five Tips for Better Birding in Costa Rica, December, 2017

Another end of the year is nigh. Although the keeping of time is a subjective endeavor, putting a name to the end of another solar cycle is still a good excuse to get in more birding. I know, like any of us birders require a reason to put the focus on birds. We do it anyways, most of the time, so why try and get more busy with digging nature now? Although we don’t really need to watch more birds now than say June, with Christmas counts on the near horizon and year lists coming to an end, I guess we just better get out there and put the binos to an end of year, smash bang kung-fu birding test!

Test them on a Double-toothed Kite.

If you happen to be in Costa Rica these days, there are few better excuses to carry on with some non-stop birding. Literally hundreds of species await including more than a few with some seriously fancy looks. Here are five tips to see more of those cool birds in Costa Rica right now:

The Arenal Christmas Count– Ok, so you need to see this blog tonight or tomorrow to make it happen but if you are in Costa Rica on November 30th and want to participate in an awesome count in a super birdy area this weekend, contact the count organizers now at conteoavesarenal@gmail.com I’m going and I can’t wait to see what we find. Hopefully a rare migrant warbler or two (although I guess I would trade them for a Crested Eagle).

Visit Cope– Some time with Cope is especially well spent if you are into photography. If not, roosting owls, fine feeder displays, and a chance to purchase excellent bird art might also float your boat. Since he is in the lowlands, and the lowlands have lots of trees in fruit right now, there’s always the chance that Cope also has some good frugivores staked out.

Scarlet-rumped Cacique at Cope’s.

Hire a guide for a day trip– If you don’t have a guide for the entire time, consider hiring one for a day or two. If he or she is experienced, you will see more birds than on your own and a better chance at more of your target species.

Don’t shy away from “new” sites– There are a lot of good birding sites in Costa Rica, “hotspots” if you will, and some are on par with or even better than more established birding locales. Keep in mind that although eBird gives an indication of what can be found at a site, places that have been eBirded much more also tend to have more species on their lists. This doesn’t mean that those sites shouldn’t be visited or anything like that, but just to keep in mind that some of those species might have been more common in the past. The more birding that takes place in an area, the more species also eventually make it onto the list. I guess the only thing I’m really trying to say with this ramble is to not be afraid to check out spots off the regular birding circuit. If the habitat is there (lots of primary forest), that’s where the best birding is. Some sites that come to mind are Albergue del Socorro, the Finca Luna Nueva area, Volcan Tenorio, and Laguna del Lagarto.

Hit different elevations– When birding in Costa Rica, it’s well worth it to include sites or visits to the lowlands, foothills, middle elevations, and high elevations. Each elevational section has different habitats and forests with different birds. Leave one of those elevations out of the birding picture and you eliminate chances of seeing whole suites of bird species.

Purple-throated Mountain-gem awaits in middle elevations.

I hope those five tips help your birding trip to Costa Rica, especially if you can go to the count on Saturday! If I don’t see you there, I hope to see you somewhere else in the field. To learn more about birding sites throughout Costa Rica as well as how to see more birds, see my 700 plus page e-book, How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica.

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Some Birds to Expect at El Tapir

One of the most interesting things about birding in tropical habitats is the unpredictable nature of the endeavor. It seems like the more biodiverse a place is, the less predictable the bird species encountered. When venturing into rainforest with binoculars at the ready, the end result of this bio-trick is eventually ticking off species after species with careful, patient birding. After wondering where the other bird species were, you go back out that same afternoon and find some, and then a bunch more the following day. Keep visiting and you keep seeing more wondering where the heck those birds were the first time around.

As with most rainforest sites, this is the status quo at El Tapir. You never know what will show at the edge of the forest, and never know what will pop into view beneath the trees, but you do know that just about anything seems possible. “Just about anything” is code for a bunch of rare bonus species like umbrellabird, Sharpbill, the ground-cuckoo, maybe a Strong-billed Woodcreeper, maybe even Black-eared Wood-Quail. Since those birds are rare, no, they hardly ever show at the site but they always can, and on any visit.

During two recent visits, I had hoped that the cards would fall into place and give us an umbrellabird. After all, the big endangered cotinga has been seen near there recently, it occurs at that elevation at this time of year, and I still need it as a year bird. Although those cards didn’t play out, we were still dealt a deck with various other nice species. With the caveat that nothing there is guaranteed on a one day trip, these are a few things to sort of expect when birding this foothill site:

Lattice-tailed Trogon: El Tapir is a good site for this uncommon, localized foothill trogon. I do see it on most visits and that makes El Tapir one of the best places for it anywhere in its small range. Bird any of the trails the whole day and there’s a fair chance it will show. You still need to know what it sounds like though, because the big trogon hides exceptionally well in its extra-vegetated habitat.
lattice-tailed-trogon

Snowcap: Sounds like candy. Looks like candy. This is avian eye candy! The Porterweed bushes usually harbor several of these wonderful little hummingbirds. If you don’t see it here, or want to see it in more comfy settings where fantastic meals are served, give it a shot at Rancho Naturalista.

snowcap

Black-crested Coquette: These guys come and go but one often shows up. Last week, two eventually turned up, the male at one point sharing perching space on a  bare sapling with a Green Thorntail and a Snowcap.

black-crested-coquette

Mealy Parrots and toucans: They can also be seen in many other places but these usually show quite well at El Tapir.

toucans

King Vulture and other raptors: The site is still pretty good for this condor of the jungle. If it’s sunny, watch the skies from the parking area between 9 and 12. Other raptors often show too, including Ornate Hawk Eagle this past Sunday.

Antwrens and antvireos: The heavy forests at El Tapir are usually reliable for Streak-crowned Antvireo, and Checker-throated and White-flanked Antwrens. These uncommon little birdies are tough to see at many sites because they need lots of mature forest but are regular at El Tapir to the point of seeing them on most visits. You have to bird on the forest trails but they usually, eventually show up, and often have other small birds with them.

Tanagers: As with other quality foothill sites, this is a good one for tanagers. Numbers vary and a lot can be around if there are fruiting trees. Most possible tanagers can also be seen if you connect with a big mixed flock “led” by White-throated Shrike-Tanager.

emerald-tanager

Keep looking and don’t be shy about birding El Tapir for more than one day!