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A Reminder to see These Birds in Costa Rica

Who doesn't want to see a Snowcap?

Going birding in Costa Rica? I know, like you need a reminder to see birds! You’re gonna be looking for them, you’re gonna be seeing them, and you’ll be celebrating a fine cornucopia of lifers, photos, and priceless experiences. However, this being the high season, I figured it might be useful to mention a certain set of species, a group of avian taxa worth your while.

Yes, all birds are worth your while, all birds merit connection and you watch whatever floats your personal birding boat but, you might not be so aware of the importance of the birds I’m going to cover. If so, great! If not, check this out:

Streak-chested Antpitta on the Caribbean slope

If you see a Streak-chested Antpitta in Costa Rica, there’s a good chance it’s going to be on the Pacific slope, probably at Carara. That’s great, I hope you see one or more and I wouldn’t wish you otherwise. However, if you can, it’s also worth laying eyes on Streak-chested Antpitta from the other side of the mountains.

You see, that bird is not exactly the same as the ones from Carara or Panama or further south. It’s also just enough not exactly the same to be considered a separate species. Nope, no official study yet but, based on the same number of differences used to separate related species of antpittas, those Caribbean slope birds should be given species status too.

I’m pretty sure the Birds of Costa Rica by Dyer and Howell mention this along with several other likely splits. They don’t mention exactly where to see it but that’s not really the scope of a field guide anyways. It needs large areas of mature rainforest and one of the best sites is Quebrada Gonzalez. Although I haven’t had as many there as I used to, it still occurs.

Sharpbill

Like the antpitta mentioned above, this species also has disjunct populations in need of detailed studies. They don’t live near each other, sound different, and look different so, there might be 3 or 4 species involved.

If you saw one of those more common and easy ones in Brazil, I’m sorry but it’s probably not the same species. If splits eventually happen, the subspecies in Costa Rica and Panama will very likely be elevated to species status (and I’n guessing probably subsequently red-listed as Vulnerable).

Watch for this special bird in mixed flocks and fruiting trees in foothills and middle elevations, especially at Skytrek, the San Gerardo Station at Monteverde, and Tapanti.

Elegant Trogon

It’s worth seeing this bird because those Arizona and Mexican trogons were split from it. Yep, if you saw one from Cave Creek or wherever, that is currently known as a Coppery-tailed Trogon.

To see Elegant Trogons in Costa Rica, watch for them in dry forest on the Nicoya Peninsula and in Guanacaste. Rincon de la Vieja is a good spot as is Santa Rosa National Park.

Paint-billed Crake

I mention this cool looking little gallinulish bird because it seems to be more common in Costa Rica than previously believed. Nope, not exactly common and it moves around but, you go to the right place and do the work, you have a fair chance of seeing one.

Try wet rice fields just about anywhere but especially in the Ciudad Neily area. They can also occur in dense vegetation along ditches and other odd wet spots.

Ruddy Pigeon

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This one’s a bit debatable but, I think it’s still worth mentioning. Although the Ruddy Pigeon has an official big range in South America, most of those birds live in the steamy lowlands. So what are they doing in cloud forests and high elevations in Costa Rica and Panama?

Exactly, how come “our Ruddys” live so high and cold when the other ones aren’t? It might because they aren’t quite the same species. Yeah, they sound similar but then again, not exactly and, vocalizations aren’t everything so…even if you have seen them in the Amazon, it would be good to see this bird in Costa Rica too.

Volcano Hummingbirds on Poas and Irazu

If you do any high elevation birding, there’s a fair chance you’ll be living the bino/camera life on Cerro de la Muerte (The good old “Mountain of Death”). You’ll see Volcano Hummingbirds but, what you won’t see are Volcano Hummingbirds with pinkish or rose gorgets. That’s cause those little jammies live on other high mountains; one on the Irazu-Turrialba massif and the other one on Poas and Barva Volcanos.

They are still considered the same species but, it wouldn’t be surprising if more detailed studies split them into separate species. Fortunately, they are pretty easy to see. Watch any high elevation vegetation on Irazu and Poas and you should see both. Watch for large bugs that are actually tiny hummingbirds. Oh yeah, and make sure you watch for them above 2,200 meters to rule out the similar Scintillant Hummingbird (more or less).

Ochre-breasted Antpitta

Have you seen Shakira and those other dancing Ochre-breasted Antpittas in Ecuador or Colombia? I hope so but I also urge you to see the one that lives in Costa Rica. Yeah, it’s still the same species but, yet again, more detailed studies could easily split it.

I mean, it looks a bit different, sounds slightly different, and has quite the disjunction range so, it could be split. Unfortunately, it is not an easy bird to see in Costa Rica. Try quality middle elevation forests such as El Copal, Hotel Quelitales, and Tapanti.

Azure-hooded Jay and Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush

You’ll want to see these beautiful cloud forest birds anyways but, it’s also good to know that the ones in Costa Rica and Panama are waiting to be split from birds in other parts of their range.

The jay isn’t easy or common but, if you watch for it high quality cloud forest, you might see them. The nightingale-thrush is much easier in middle elevations, if skulky.

Ashy-throated Chlorospingus

This is an uncommon and cool bird to see, even if it’s not as brightly colored as the Emerald Tanagers it often flocks with. It might be a future split or, might not be but, since it only lives in quality habitat, looking for it is birding in the best of places. Nope, not the easiest of birding but, foothill rainforest with chances at uncommon species like Yellow-eared Toucanet and so on and so on.

There’s lots to see in Costa Rica and you don’t need to see these species but, if you want to see some likely splits, these are some good ones to go after. There’s also taking closer looks at Nutting’s Flycatchers to see if the very cryptic Salvadoran Flycatcher also occurs but I can’t blame you for leaving that ponderous task to local birders or another trip.

No matter what birds you look at or how you go birding, I hope to see you here!

To learn more about sites mentioned in this post and how to find these and more than 900 other birds in Costa Rica, consider supporting this blog by purchasing my 900 plus page Costa Rica bird finding guide, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”.

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The Most Biodiverse Areas for Birds in Costa Rica

Planning a birding trip to Costa Rica? You might be wondering which are the most biodiverse areas for birds. It’s a fairly common question and a good one. After all, what birder wants to go to the least biodiverse areas for birds? That high avian diversity is one of the main reasons birders visit Costa Rica, some other reasons being “quetzal”, “Wrenthrush”, “umbrellabird”, and “Snowcap”.

In general, the more birds the better and, in that, Costa Rica fits the bill. No, we aren’t the most avian diverse nation on the planet but, we do have a heck of a lot of birds per square kilometer (or mile or league). With most also being quite accessible, it’s no wonder Costa Rica is a top destination for birding tourism. So, which areas have the most bird species? Which areas outperform for avian diversity?

In a sense, I could just say “the entire country”. From the Central Valley, Costa Rica is small enough for me to drive an hour or two in a few different directions and reach vastly different avifaunas. Seriously, as I write, there are over 700 bird species within a radius of 50 miles. It’s true! In a show of obsession for accuracy or curiosity or getting carried away with playing with Google Earth, I measured a 50 mile line stretching from my home in San Francisco de Heredia and made a circle.

I discovered that I am still amazed by the short distances created by a straight line in Costa Rica and, that my 50 mile birding radius encompasses everything from dry forest habitats to Monteverde, Carara, Caribbean lowlands, foothill forest as far as Turrialba, part of the General Valley, and the near continental shelf edge offshore from Quepos. In other words, I’m, smack in the middle of a heck of a lot of bird species. Within this Google Earth area, I counted 598 resident bird species and 160 migrants. Since I left out non-annual vagrants including the Aplomado Falcon currently hunting south of Jaco, there’s probably a few more.

Yes, definitely 700 plus bird species within 50 miles so how come I haven’t recorded that many this year? That stems from a fair percentage of those birds being rare or hard to detect, and me not having visited certain areas long enough this year to see them (such as the open ocean and a few other choice spots).

With all those birds in mind within such a short distance, we could say that the most biodiverse area for birds in Costa Rica is Costa Rica itself but, since we can’t travel “as the crow flies”, we’re better off talking about much smaller areas. These are the ones that come to mind.

The Carara Zone

streak-chested-antpitta

The Carara area is arguably the most avian diverse area in Costa Rica. It’s got a trick up its sleeve but, there’s no other site of similar area in Costa Rica (or Middle or Central America) that harbors as many bird species.

The crazy bird numbers don’t come from the national park although the mature, protected forests do play a vital role. They stem from Carara being a massive ecotone that blends dry forest with rainforest, mangroves, second growth, and wetlands. Yep, all those habitats all very close to each other. The end result is massive bird diversity (along with other stuff).

Monteverde

Male Three-wattled Bellbird.

This famous and heavily visited area is also a major hotspot. Sort of like Carara, all those birds living there are explained by sizeable areas of mature, protected cloud forest, some slightly lower elevation forest on the Caribbean slope, and dry forest habitats on the Pacific side.

In other words, Monteverde is also an ecotone of sorts, one with hundreds of bird species. In the past, when we did Christmas Counts there, I think we routinely turned up more than 400 species.

Poas Route 126

While the high elevations on Poas Volcano don’t host as many species as other areas in Costa Rica, when we also consider a surrounding area that includes dry/moist habitat birds in the Central Valley and middle elevation and foothill habitats on the adjacent Caribbean slope, we’re talking a lot of bird species.

This general area also having some of the most accessible birding to the Central Valley also earns points.

Bijagua

The Bijagua/Volcano Tenorio area also racks up the bird species. Like Monteverde and Carara, it likewise acts as an ecotone where dry habitats meet mature, wet foothill rainforest. Throw in some small wetlands and a trail or two that reaches cloud forest and we have a huge number of bird species. There might be around 400 possible.

Sites with Foothill and Lowland Forest

The other main sites in Costa Rica with major bird diversity are any place that combines foothill rainforest with lowland rainforest and/or cloud forest. Foothill and lowland forest on their own are always high diversity. Combine the two and you’ll have more than enough birds to look for even during a week of birding.

Emerald Tanager

Sites that come to mind are Rancho Naturalista, Hotel Quelitales, Reserva Las Brisas, parts of the Osa, Esquipulas, the remote Pitilla Biological Station, the Arenal area, and the San Vito area.

Wait, but what about Las Selva or Tortuguero or the Osa and the La Gamba area? Yes, those areas have lots of birds too, are fantastic, and you’d be birding wise to visit them. However, when talking about similar-sized areas that have ecotones, those sites seem to have more species. No matter what, as long as you bird in good habitat when birding Costa Rica, you can’t go wrong!

To learn more about birding at the sites mentioned above and many others, support this blog by purchasing my 900 plus page ebook “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”. I hope to watch birds with you here in Costa Rica!

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Raptor Festival at the Refugio Lapa Verde, Costa Rica

Raptor Festival! Who doesn’t love the sound of a festive gathering that celebrates raptorial birds? Such venue are destined to be cool. And it was. We nearly missed the gig but thanks to a casual Facebook check Friday evening, I noticed a quick, short video that mentioned the second annual raptor festival taking place at Refugio Lapa Verde, October 18th.

That sounded fun and it was free but yikes! We were talking the following day and although the LapaVerde Refuge is straight line close, sans flying car, getting there would mean 2 hours driving up and over the Central Cordillera mountain range (a common situation in Costa Rica). That actually isn’t so bad, especially if you like watching birds; the route passes through a few different life zones that hide 100s of bird species.

It’s the getting back part that can be tiresome (and whoah nelly, read on to hear about that challenge) as well as the leaving early enough part to get there in time (if you like to sleep in). However, on Saturday morning, we shrugged off any worries about those potentially challenging parts of the trip and made our way to the festival. Here’s how that day went along with recommendations and other hopefully helpful tidbits.

The height of fall migration in Costa Rica

This is it, third week of October in Costa Rica, the major final push of birds headed here and onward to the rich wintering forests of South America. See them while you can, see if you’ll get lucky with a quick cuckoo sighting or ironic, non-red Scarlet Tanager flocks and kingbird movements.

There’s also the raptors, the thousands of TVs and Swainson’s Hawks and Broad-wings soaring overhead, many of which pass over the hawkwatch at the Refugio Lapa Verde. Those big winged flyers are the main reason for the raptor festival but there’s other birds too, hiding and foraging in the vegetation of the refuge.

Even before we left for our cross mountain drive, I went looking for those migrants. I did my usual brief walk in our neighborhood, one that passes near a rare adjacent farm and narrow riparian zone. The Traill’s Flycatcher sallying down to the cut grass, a few pewees, Dickcissel, my first Bay-breasted Warbler of the year and a few other birds were a reminder of peak migration happening. A quick message from another local birder who had heard tons of Swainson’s Thrushes passing over pre-dawn skies was another reminder as were the birds we saw later that day.

An important, multi-faceted refuge

The Lapa Verde Refuge is privately-owned protected land that encompasses some of the last sizeable remaining areas of Caribbean lowland rainforest in Costa Rica. Just across the road from the Selva Verde forests and northwest of La Selva, the habitat is also loosely connected to other patches of forest that eventually reach the Nicaraguan border.

These connections and location make the refuge an ideal area to help conserve the Great Green Macaw. We need more reforestation for better forest connections outside of the refuge but Ecovida (the organization that owns and manages the refuge) has certainly been doing an excellent job.

Since 2013, through active reforestation and just letting the forest grow back on its own, they have reforested more than 300 hectares. The remaining 1500 hectares protects older rainforest, swamps, and other wetlands. This wealth of habitats is of course ideal for maintaining the complex biodiversity native to northern Costa Rica including important second growth habitats used by warblers and other small migrant birds (the same type of habitat frequently eliminated for pineapple farms).

Great Green Macaws and more

Thanks to the forests in the refuge, Great Green Macaws are regular (we saw several during our visit), and most expected lowland species have been recorded. This includes Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon (rare), Tiny Hawk, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Snowy Cotinga, puffbirds, motmots, and more.

Although Agami Heron, Rufescent Tiger-Heron and some other birds aren’t on the list, I’m sure they are at least occasionally present too, probably just in less accessible spots.

On our visit, we didn’t see too much but our birding was also limited to sunny mid-day weather and a short tour mostly meant to educate visitors about the refuge. Even so, we still encountered several expected warblers (as well as a beautiful male Prothonotary), other migrants, some migrating kettles, King Vulture, and some other birds.

Raptor celebration

In addition to free tours to learn about the refuge, festival attendants also enjoyed everything from DJ’d music to face painting, story telling, and an honest to goodness magic show. There was a lot going on and it sometimes got loud but I was impressed!

Local kids had also submitted artwork, there were vendors selling arts and crafts, a Vortex optics stand with binos and scopes to sample, snow cones, and other raptor festival foods.

Although we didn’t stay until the finale, the festival ended with a concert and fire juggling! We made up for missing that by watching the fun folks from dance around in identifiable raptor costumes. As was befitting their aggressive nature, the Ornate Hawk-Eagle and Black and white Hawk-Eagle also chased a couple of kite flying kids around.

The Ecovida hawkwatch tower

Part of our tour included a visit to the refuge’s crown jewell; the hawkwatch tower. Situated on a hill, it provided a fantastic view of the surrounding forests and skies. It somewhat reminded me of canopy towers in the Amazon, I’d love to be up there pre and post dawn. It would also be the perfect spot to do a big sit and raise funds for refuge projects.

Although we weren’t at the tower at an ideal time, the counters do see many thousands of raptors during the migration season along with lots of other cool birds.

Visiting the refuge

The raptor festival was an open house, fun, celebratory event but that’s not the norm. It seems like the refuge is mostly there for research and protecting habitat. Although their site does mention ecotourism and they do receive visits, there’s not a lot of information about entrance fees and so on.

If interested in visiting, it would be best to contact them to get the full deal. I’ll also be doing that and including that information in the next update for my Costa Rica bird finding book. I’ve already got a list of other places to update and include, it’s amazing how many new birding sites pop up for well-birded Costa Rica!

What I can say is that if you do visit, you should have a fair chance at a wide variety of lowland birds while watching from their trails and the tower.

The insane drive back

On another note, the drive back wasn’t as easy going as the drive there. Not quite. Driving up and over the mountains in dry weather and daylight is another world compared to doing that at night and in pouring rain.

The problem with night driving there and in much of Costa Rica is the lack of illumination coupled with a concurrent lack of painted roads with reflectors. That’s bad enough in the driest of weather but when you throw in slick roads and constant rain, you’re faced with a potentially life and death situation.

Seriously. It’s hard to see the edge of the road and if you venture off of it, you’re vehicle will likely be rolling down the mountain. Luckily, the rain was too bad on our drive up and, by taking it slow and easy, we made it to the to without too much anxiety. However, from there, as we descended towards Alajuela, the rain got heavier to the point of deluge level craziness with some road flooding (albeit shallow enough to drive through). Add in other drivers, some of whom insist on passing and it’s no wonder we ran into an accident. Not us thank goodness but it did close the road and made us take a detour to get back on track.

The moral of that story is to avoid driving at night in Costa Rica, especially in mountains and during the wet season. Fortunately, you don’t really have to and it’s much easier during the dry season. Happy birding, I hope to see you here!

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Recent Mega Birds in Costa Rica

What’s a mega bird? Aren’t all birds intrinsically mega? Who invented the “mega” term anyways? Alas, as with much of the birding-associated lexicon, we’ll probably never know who that unintended mover and shaker was. Worse, we don’t know which bird species provoked them to coin the term nor, how they deployed it.

That doesn’t really matter but it would be nice to know. For those of us interested in birding history, we wouldn’t mind knowing if they said, “That Red-footed Falcon is a real mega”!, or if they were so beyond mind blown by focusing in on a choice elusive and unexpected species that they could utter nothing more than a hazy dazed and eye-glazed “Mega…”.

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This is my poor photo of a mega RVG Cuckoo. The blurry nature of the photo seems fitting for its highly elusive nature (at least that’s what I tell myself).

Whatever the case, we got the word and it must not be abused. Or, heck, birding is pretty much ruleless, use it however you want. This is your birding life after all, you bird how you do. However, if “we” were so inclined to define “mega”, in my opinion (decidedly not IMHO because that sounds too much like a dang pancake chain), I would say that the word refers to particularly unexpected, automatically rare, and/or especially elusive birds.

In other words, a surprise bird sighting to knock your birding socks off and give you a personal thrill. Megas would be birds like the Harpy Eagle, Yellow Rail, and the Bukidnon Woodcock (yeah, that’s real). On account of their elusive and ultra sneaky nature, the Neomorphus ground-cuckoos also fit the mega bill as do localized and ultra rare birds like the Cherry-throated Tanager (although that one might merit mega-mega or triple mega crown status, there’s like two dozen left).

The megaist of the mega birds would be species believed to be extinct, awaiting rediscovery, or that have never been previously seen. Kinglet Calyptura is a prime candidate along with maybe an unknown bird or two in remote parts of Bolivia.

As for Costa Rica, we got our own set of megas, a few of which have been recently seen.

Aplomado Falcon near Jaco

Although this lanky falcon isn’t rare on the global page, it’s always a mega for Costa Rica. We probably get a few each year and one or two might be briefly seen. They seem to be juveniles likely wandering in from the north and don’t usually stay long.

A few days ago, one of those choice cool falcons was found by Tina Van Dusen, a local birder in the Playa Hermosa, Jaco area. This isn’t the first mega she has found, we’re glad she keeps looking and reporting the birds she turns up around Playa Hermosa!

This falcon has been hanging out in the open fields near Mistico, a housing site near Playa Hermosa. Thankfully, a good number of local birders have seen it, I hope it sticks around long enough for me and Maryllen to see it too.

If you go, watch for it perched on posts, on top of lone trees, or flying around the fields. If you see a gaggle of birders, that might work too.

Crested Eagle at Pitilla Biological Station

Whoah! Yes! The just as difficult, slightly smaller version of the Harpy was seen by experienced local birders at Pitilla Biological Station. Although they don’t have a picture, their description is spot on and they have enough experience with other raptors to make the right call.

This isn’t just an automatic mega sighting by merit of the species involved, it’s also a fantastic mega sighting because we have no idea how many (few) Crested Eagles still occur in Costa Rica. One had never been seen in that area before but it’s the least bit surprising that they saw one where they did. Pitilla is one of the most remote, intact, accessible areas of lowland and foothill rainforest on the Caribbean slope. Not by coincidence, it’s also the only place where both Speckled Mourner and Ocellated Poorwill have been recently seen and not that far from a Harpy Eagle sighting in 2017.

All these species are indicators of healthy, intact habitat, the main question I have is where that Crested Eagle came from. Did it wander in from somewhere else? Are there a few hanging on in the remote forests of the northern volcanoes? Hopefully there are enough to maintain a small population.

Gray-headed Piprites at Rancho Naturalista

The piprites is another classic mega for Costa Rica. Although it used to be slightly more frequent, the mini pseudo manakin has never been common and is weirdly local. The reasons for its localization are surely not the slightest bit weird for the bird but they sure are evasive for us humans.

It has become very hard to predict where this bird might occur other than at its known and regular haunts. The best haunt seems to be a site near Turrialba where local guide Steven Montenegro regularly sees it. Other regular spots are in that same general region including one of the best known birding lodges in Costa Rica; good old Rancho Naturalista.

Yes, recently, one was seen there, hopefully, it will stick around for lots more birders to see it. If not, you could always contact Steven or try Vista Aves; the guide there also knows sites for this unassuming mega.

Migrating Swallows and other birds from the north

No, they don’t fit the mega definition but what can I say? Watching dozens of swallows fly over the house was a mega experience for me, especially after a short, successful hospital stay. I’m still alive and so are they; Cliff Swallows with deep chestnut throats, Bank Swallows looking svelte, and beautiful peach Barn Swallows zipping from the fields of Ohio straight on through Costa Rica.

Wood-pewees hawking bugs from perches, the first of many Baltimore Orioles and Summer Tanagers getting reaccustomed to their tropical side of life, and good numbers of cheerful chipping Yellow Warblers. In which forests did the flycatchers sing their lazy summer songs? Where did the orioles and tanagers flutter in June maples and oaks? Where did the warblers grace the northern willows?

I like to know but no matter right now. It only matters that they made it here and, if they stay, that they survive the winter in these tropical realms.

To learn more about birding at the sites mentioned in this post while supporting this blog, check out my bird finding guide for Costa Rica. I hope to see some mega birds with you here!

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News and Tips from Recent Birding in Costa Rica

A few days ago, I returned from a week of birding in Costa Rica. This wasn’t any old week of excellent birding at commonly visited hotspots like Arenal, Sarapiqui, and Cano Negro. No, this was a target road trip, a custom birding voyage structured around “the missing”. Those hallowed species would be any birds not seen on previous trips to Costa Rica.

As such, they could only be encountered at scattered locations, typically, places too far flung to visit on previous trips. But, we had already birded the close spots, had already seen most of what could be seen relatively nearby (and even then, not all!). Reaching the far off places had become necessary, at least if we wanted to see funny sounding birds like Stub-tailed Spadebill, Elegant Trogon, and Ivory-billed Woodcreeper.

In a birding nutshell, we went from the Sarapiqui lowlands to cloud forest in the central highlands, on to Liberia in northwestern Costa Rica, and then way south to the gateway to the Osa and Ciudad Neily (and then back, as well as a day trip to Centro Manu). The following reflects some of the highlights and tips from this custom birding journey, more or less following the timeframe of the trip.

Cerulean Warblers and some other migrants

I was hoping to catch up with the annual fall passage of mini sky-blue beauties. The height of their movements coincided with our birding days, I figured we’d probably see a few but, since this is birding, you just never know!

Fortunately, it all worked out, birding probability paid off in three places. There were the brief glimpses of pleasant greenish backed females and a neatly breast banded male in Centro Manu (where they consort with Lesser Greenlets- scandalous), the bold female that uncharacteristically showed in eye level vegetation at Tirimbina, and the fantastic, very welcome male that gave perfect views at Cinchona.

Although not quite so glamorous, other migrants were around too; a handful of Red-eyed Vireos, Blackburnians, Black and white Warblers, pewees, and a few others. In southern Costa Rica, there was also a bunch of Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers. It was pretty cool and birder dreamy to see a dozen doing their hefty flycatcher thing in one special tree!

Tirimbina- still great for Great Tinamou and antbirds

We spent a morning at Tirimbina to look for various fairly challenging lowland birds. Luckily, some made an appearance. One of the best was one of the birds that this private refuge is often good for- yee friendly whistling Great Tinamou. After a juvenile had flushed, we were pleased to see an adult doing us a favor by sticking around for great views.

Other nice target birds included antwrens, antvireos, and seriously lucking out with Ocellated Antbird. In roughly the same spot where I had encountered an antswarm nearly a year before, lo and behold, I see a couple streams of Army Ants trying to sneak by!

After careful investigation and whistling like an Ocellated, thankfully, two of the wonderfully spotted, blue-faced birds appeared for some fine looks.

Fair birding on the San Rafael de Varablanca road

The cloud forest next to Braulio Carrillo National Park weren’t quite as birdy as I would have liked but, then again, I probably expect too much. No quetzal but we did have excellent views of Black-breasted Wood-Quail, had a nice mixed flock, and heard White-fronted Tyrannulet.

This site always turns up some good stuff, I cover it and lots of other places in my Costa Rica bird finding ebook, “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”.

Visiting Santa Rosa National Park

Santa Rosa National Park is an excellent, big area of tropical dry forest in northern Costa Rica. It’s around 35 minutes north of Liberia and worth the visit!

We went there hoping for several dry forest species and indeed, lucked out with Thicket Tinamou on the main road, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, and Stub-tailed Spadebill among other birds. Although it was overall fairly birdy everywhere, some of the best spots were the old growth dry forest on the drive in, and the loop trail near the Casona.

You can stop on the main road but be very careful of speeding vehicles. Also, although the entrance road doesn’t have a gate, you still need to make reservations in advance and pay the fee at the park entrance (only with cards and only from 8 to 330). Reservations were easy enough and the park rangers were also very friendly and helpful.

Las Trancas- not as accessible, not as good

Las Trancas is the name for a farming area on the road from Liberia and the airport to the Playa Hermosa area. In the past, rice fields there have been excellent for Jabiru, rails, and more. Unfortunately, as I saw from this recent sojourn, most of the rice has been converted to unbirdy sugar cane and the side roads are gated.

Needless to say, we didn’t have much there. However, the other part of the farm that still has rice fields and birds can still be visited albeit with a local guide. We paid a brief visit and managed distant Jabiru and a few other birds. To check this great area out and maybe see Spotted Rail, contact local guide Javier Perez Chaves.

BONUS SNOWY PLOVER AT CALDERA!

As befits the find, this subtitle gets the big letters. During low tide, a sand bar forms in the lagoon at Mata de Limon (aka Caldera). Sometimes it has several birds, other times no but it’s always worth checking. On September 9th, that checking paid off with a very rare for Costa Rica Snowy Plover.

The bird was distant and the sun was hot but carefully scoping that bunch of Semi Plovs was worth the sweat and staring. Ghost pale, think dark beak and gray legs…year bird success!

I doubt it will stick around that spot but you never know. I hope it turns up again, might be in Tarcoles.

Cotingas at Rincon de Osa

In Costa Rica birding circles, Rincon de Osa is known as the place to be for Yellow-billed Cotinga. Thanks to two fruiting figs, it most definitely was on our visit. Belying their scarce and possibly critically endangered status, the surreal white birds swooped back and forth, sometimes near eye level. Most were males, I only saw one, maybe two females at most.

Turquoise Cotinga was also present but, amazingly, we missed it by an inch! As we watched the white birds, another birder was taking pictures of the blue one on the other side of the tree. He assumed we had seen it and, sadly, the birds snuck off and never came back, not even on the following morning.

Quiet birding at Rincon de Osa

On another note, overall, the forest birding at Rincon was pretty quiet. Yes, we still saw Crane Hawk, Gray-lined Hawk, and some other good birds but it was pretty quiet. I only hope that’s related to season and not fewer birds but, I worry. On past visits, I have easily recorded 100 plus species in a few hours.

An absence of owls and other night birds

In general, we had every few nocturnal birds. If we would have looked more, we probably would have found some but, checking a couple nights turned up nothing, not even a Pauraque.

Ciudad Neily rocks and birding rolls

This small city in southern Costa Rica was birdy as ever. The “hospital road” had Savannah Hawk and other regulars but no dice with Paint-billed Crake (maybe too wet to concentrate them?). Unfortunately, the Coto area was too flooded and muddy to access but the birding just outside of town was good.

Parrots and other birds flew over town at dawn and dusk and roadside birding in forest just outside of town was productive for a good number of rainforest species. As a bonus, we also had great looks at Central American Squirrel Monkeys!

After Ciudad Neily birding, we made the long drive back to San Jose, thankfully, with nary an incident. Speaking of incidents, lately heavy rains have caused local flooding near Fortuna and other places, and landslides on the Route 32 San Jose-Guapiles highway. Be careful and make sure you get your birding in during the sunny morning! By 1 or 2, the weather takes a drastic turn and pours down buckets.

Happy birding, I hope to see you here! Here’s a trip report to whet the appetite.

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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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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.

cabani's ground-sparrow

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.

birding Costa Rica
The Snowcap ranks pretty high on the cool hummingbird index.

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.

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5 Things Learned from Chasing American Avocets in Costa Rica

Recently, there have a few twitchworthy birds in Costa Rica. Lesser Black-backed Gull in Tarcoles- second country record, first chasable bird! American Avocet at Ensenada- a very rare vagrant scything the brine for several days! White-eyed Vireo also at Ensenada- rare vagrant, good bird to see in Costa Rica!

All present for more than one day, tempting for the Costa Rica birder, and all very twitchworthy. This past Thursday, temptation had its way and we found ourselves driving to Ensenada Wildlife Refuge. The plan was to see the avocet, maybe even visit the shorebird hotspot at Punta Morales, and keep tabs on the Tarcoles gull situation.

Ensenada is also a good spot for Spot-breasted Oriole.

At least that was the plan, here’s what happened, here’s what I learned. Even if you don’t chase vagrant migrants in Costa Rica, the following just might help your regular birding in Costa Rica too.

“Twitchworthiness” Doesn’t Guarantee Anything

When you start following the birding way, it doesn’t take long to learn some hard truths. Among those many birding facts of life, we quickly find that birders like to make a weird hissing noise referred to as “pishing”, that warblers look a lot nicer in spring, and that owls verge on being invisible.

It’s pretty nice when they become visible.

We also learn that just because we think we’ll see a particular bird species, noy an ounce of your confidence and faith will make that bird materialize. Beyond field skills, birding is sort of a game of chance. You can use weather, time of day, and other factors to nudge the odds in your direction but nothing’s guaranteed.

But hey, there are upsides to birding chance! You might find something rare! You might see the unexpected and if you pay attention, you’ll always learn a thing or two.

On our avocet chase, I was reminded that even if the bird was seen one day before, it doesn’t have to be there. Twittering flocks of Western Sandpipers were present. Wilson’s Plovers, yellowlegs, stilts, and other expected shorebirds rested and picked in the mud of Ensenada’s brine pools but nope, no neat bird with the extra fine, upturned beak.

We ran into other birding friends, notable our friends from Birding Experiences but even with more eyes looking and checking every pond, the avocet was no more. Well, we thought, at least we can check for the vireo a la white eyes! We knew just where another guide friend had found it, right where to pish and make pygmy-owl sounds. That little thicket dweller was destined for the birding bag.

But, no, the vireo didn’t want to come out either. I can’t blame it, if two-legged beings were making funny noises at me while the tropical sun baked the land, yeah, I would ignore them too.

Noon isn’t the Best Time for Birding on the Pacific Coast

Yeah, a better time to look for those White-eyed Vireos would have been much earlier in the day. You know, when birds are active and calling because it’s a lot more comfortable when it’s not a stifling, windless 90 plus degrees.

So right, why would we go birding in a natural oven at high noon? Our decision was based on upping the birding odds in our favor. On Thursday, noon was high tide and that there is prime time for shorebirds in Costa Rica. At low tide, most of the sandpipers and plovers forage way out on the mud flats in the Gulf of Nicoya. They spread out too and many are just too far away to watch.

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Distant mud flats at Chomes.

You gotta visit the shorebird spot at high tide, check the salt pools and other places where they congregate. In keeping with the no-guarantee rule for birding, they might not be at the pools you happen to be checking but hey, what are you gonna do? Stay home and not watch birds instead of being lasered by the long vertical hands of Helios?

Not necessarily! However, you could forget that noon birding stuff and stick to pleasant and productive birding efforts in the morning and late afternoon. You don’t have to stay home either. Like, you could find an ice cream shop or enjoy cold drinks in some shaded place until 3 in the afternoon. I mean, that’s sort of what the birds do anyways…

Slow Ride, Take it Easy…

Another benefit of leaving extra early is avoiding the traffic. You won’t be exempt from bumbling trucks and slow blocky vehicles and other oddities but there won’t be as many. It’ll still be better than driving at other times.

I can’t emphasize enough, on roads in Costa Rica, drive real early or give yourself some extra time! It really is slow going, especially on the highway between Puntarenas and somewhere around Limonal. I suppose at least when you drive slow, you have a better chance of spotting some perched raptor or maybe even finding a Northern Potoo. But please remember to leave that bird searching to the passengers. The driver has to constantly watch for pot holes, bad drivers, and other weird stuff.

Late Afternoon Dining in Puntarenas- a Big Yes!

We did not see the twitchworthy birds, and our extra side trip to the Colorado salt pans added on quite a bit of unexpected driving time but at least we visited Puntarenas!

We got there just in time for a late afternoon meal at the Isla Cocos Bar and Grill. Let me tell you, 4 p.m. could be the best time to visit this small seaside city. From our outdoor seating, we had a beautiful view of the gulf of Nicoya, Franklin’s Gulls picked at the shoreline, and other birds flew by.

While scanning the gulf from my seat, I even saw a distant storm-petrel sp.! Wish I would have had more time to scan for seabirds but we were hungry, we needed a real meal. Along those gastronomic lines, the Isla Cocos Bar and Grill delivered. I very much recommend it and not just because they support sustainable fishing. The food was good and the owner also offers boat trips into the Gulf!

Don’t Do Ensenada as a Day Trip

I used to visit Ensenada and Punta Morales as a day trip from the Central Valley. And yeah, you still could but it’ll just be a longer day than it used to be. Birding time has been reduced by traffic and the roadwork situation to the point where it’s hardly worth it to drive back and forth from that area.

I guess you still could if you left the Central Valley at 4 a.m. but even then, it’ll be a lot more fun and relaxing to bird the coast early and stay somewhere in that area for a night or two, maybe even in Puntarenas or at Ensenada Lodge. That way, you can have plenty of time to check shorebird spot, dry forest, and do seawatching and even boat trips from Puntarenas. There will also be plenty of time for mid-day siestas, cool drinks, and breezy tropical ocean views.

Ensenada, Punta Morales, and other shorebird sites also work well as birding stops as you make your way north to Guanacaste.

On Thursday, we dipped on the avocet and vireo, and we didn’t even try for the gull (which has also gone AWOL). However, we of course still saw other birds (a foraging Gull-billed Tern was a highlight), enjoyed a nice seaside meal, and learned a thing or two. It was also nice to end the birding portion of the day by listening to the rumbling gruff voices of duetting Spectacled Owls near Orotina.

There will always be more birds to chase and as I write, there’s certainly many more birds to find. Time to go look for them! Just not at noon…

To learn more about the birding sites mentioned and prepare for your fantastic birding trip to Costa Rica, get “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”, a 900 page site guide ebook for Costa Rica with accurate bird lists, tips for identification, finding birds, and more. I hope to see you here!

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October-The Most Exciting Month for Birding in Costa Rica?

Birding in Costa Rica is always good. No, it’s more than good, more like some birding wonderland. 24/7. All the time. Even so, you always hear that the best time to go birding in Costa Rica is January to March.

Yeah, that is the dry season on the Pacific and that’s always good. You can also skip out on some of those northern winter blues but honestly, it doesn’t really matter which month you want to see Costa Rica birds.

Head to Costa Rica in January and it’ll be awesome. Bring those binos to Tiquicia (local name for Costa Rica) in June and it’ll still be awesome. Come to this lovely land of hummingbirds, trogons, and tanagers any other month and you’ll still see a lot.

Cinnamon Hummingbird- one of the common hummingbirds waiting for you.

Yeah, in some places it rains more than other places but that’s always the case, even in the dry season. To see those birds, you just work with the precipitation any which way you can.

Now if you ask local Costa Rica birders about the best month for birding, you’ll probably get a bunch of different responses. The winter months could be a common answer, it’s when we can see wintering birds. The raptophiles among us might mention March or April but if you ask me, I’ll say that the best birding month in Costa Rica is any month.

However, if I had to pick the most exciting month, well, for me, that would be October. Halloween month is sort of like our May. It’s when migration hits full swing, it’s when we welcome birds back to these tropical shores.

There’s the common and expected birds like Baltimore Orioles, various warblers, Western Sandpipers, and other common species. I saw some of those this very morning, right here in the neighborhood.

Baltimore-Oriole
Baltimore Oriole- one of our appreciated wintering species.

Those birds are good, watching a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher in the same fig tree as Baltimores, Yellow Warblers, and a bunch of local birds was a sweet gift. However, some birds are more exciting simply because we don’t see them so often. October might be our best month for those choice birds.

As with all places where birds are funneled into the local viewing frame, on any given day in October, we might find one of those mega, unexpected species. These are the birds that result in white knuckle driving, leaning forward with anxiety, hoping to reach the mega in time.

October in Costa Rica is major birding, everywhere and at all times. It’s just getting started and yet we’ve already had some tantalizing sightings, some sweet birding experiences. Some of those birds were from late September but maybe they’ll be signs of things to come. Check it out:

Mega Migrants

It’s either a good year for migrants or we just got more birders in the field. Either way, the twitchworthy birds are turning up. You’ll laugh if you live in Pennsylvania but a bunch of us dropped everything and ran to see a Chipping Sparrow. Even better, this ultra rare bird for Costa Rica was sighted at Calle Viquez- a hotspot pretty close to home!

Marilen and I checked it out a day after the bird was found but so far, no dice. The small sparrow of northern pine-dotted parks was either a one day wonder or has yet to be refound. Hopefully, we’ll find it again.

Other, similarly local megas were Lark Sparrows in Sarapiqui and the Osa, and a Yellow-headed Blackbird near Cartago! These two didn’t stay around all that long but at least a bunch of birders got to see the Lark Sparrow.

It makes you wonder what else is out there? Some adventurous Clay-colored Sparrow down the road? Maybe a Nashville Warbler? A hidden Connecticut? Only way to know is to get out there and look!

Wonderful Warblers, Thousands of Swallows, and More

In more expected birding news, I have been enjoying daily movement of migrating swallows. Every morning, dozens of Cliffs, Banks, and Barns fly just over the roofs. If I could watch all day, I’m sure I’d see hundreds, maybe even thousands more.

They might seem like normal birds, and they are, but when you think of where they came from and where they are going, each and every swallow is a living sign of the incredible.

Warblers are also back in town. Not all of them yet but a good number of those much loved little birds. On Sunday morning, we figured we’d try out luck at the Rio Loro Park. This small park near Cartago can be good for migrants, and it’s also a nice place to walk. No luck with cuckoos or a Veery but we did alright with the Parulids.

While enjoying views of BOPish Long-tailed Manakins, had our first Golden-wingeds of the season along with small numbers of Wilson’s, Chestnut-sided, Blackburnian, Black-and-white, Mourning, Canada, and Tennessee Warblers. We also had Northern Waterthrushes and close, appreciated views of at least two Worm-eating Warblers.

Wilsons Warbler- the most common highland bird in Costa Rica from October to March.

Having grown up just out of reach of “Wormers”, I always love seeing them. Pretty uncommon but regular wintering birds in Costa Rica, the ones from Sunday were my year birds.

Possible Highest Ever Count of Least Terns in Costa Rica

On Sunday, we began the month with some warblers at Rio Loro. However, on Saturday., we ended September with morning birding at Puntarenas. It’s a good time to be at that birding hotspot and Saturday morning certainly delivered.

On the way there, we picked up year Surfbirds at Caldera. At Puntarenas itself, we scored with another bird, in far larger numbers than I had ever imagined.

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A Surfbird from another day in Costa Rica.

Least Terns usually pass through Costa Rica in late August and September, mostly on the Pacific coast. If you don’t see them then, you might have to wait until the following year. As luck would have it, as soon as we arrived at the lighthouse in Puntarenas, there went a small group of Least Terns zipping by.

I figured they might be the only ones we would see. Maybe a few more but not that many. I mean, that’s how it usually goes with that tiny tern in Costa Rica. But then I start seeing more flying way out there in the Gulf of Nicoya; tiny, fast wing beating terns, all with a smart black patch in their wings.

I get to scanning the birds on a distant sand bar and there’s a good scattering of egrets and shorebirds. Too far away to identify most of them, I envy the clam diggers and fishermen who are nearly within arm’s reach of those birds.

I keep scanning and notice a big group of terns on a sand bar. Really big group. Maybe a clam digger gets too close and suddenly, they take flight. And I can hardly believe my eyes. Every last one of them was a Least Tern! They were far but at 40 X, were still close enough to note that they were the same size as Least Terns foraging near them. They bank, I can see the black primaries, and I figure I better start counting.

To make sure, I had to count them twice. It just didn’t seem possible but yeah, 250 was the total number of Least Terns flying past and on the sand bar. Since that didn’t take the previous groups of Least Terns into account, I bet there at least 300 of them out there.

It was unheard of number for Costa Rica but that’s how many there were. For whatever reason, some big number of Least Terns were gathered in the Gulf of Nicoya on Saturday morning, September 30th. By 9 a.m., all of them had left. I wonder where they went, if they would cross over to the Caribbean in Panama? Or, maybe winter in the deltas of northwestern Colombia?

To top off the excitement at Puntarenas, we scored with a distant Sabine’s Gull, and saw a small group of Common Terns. It would have been a good day to take the ferry!

Snowy Plover and Bobolink in Tarcoles

That same day, we also visited Jaco and swung by Tarcoles. The tide was high and we didn’t see anything but oh we sure missed some good birds! That same day, a mega Snowy Plover was found! Granted, the only way we could have seen it was if we had hiked out to the river mouth but that bird was present when we visited, just beyond the scrubby mangroves, just out of sight.

A bunch of local birders saw it the following day and today, and one of them also found a Bobolink! This cool blackbird is a rare one in Costa Rica. I’m sure we get more than we realize but still in low numbers, likely scattered in several places.

Ruff in Guanacaste

Topping off the recent rare birds was a Ruff seen near Filadelfia in Guanacaste. It was seen near Buff-breasted Sandpipers and some other nice birds. It’s a good reminder that rare birds are out there, you keep looking and you’ll find them.

October birding in Costa Rica is indeed exciting. There’s lots more to come too including large numbers of thrushes, Bay-breasted Warblers, raptors, and so much more!

I suppose I’ll end by noting that several Upland Sandpipers have been seen in Guanacaste and at the airport. What will be next? Is a pipit or wagtail too much to ask for? Ha ha, probably but on a rare October birding day in Costa Rica, it seems like anything is possible.

FAQs

When is the best time to go birding in Costa Rica?

The best time to go birding in Costa Rica is any time of the year. However, most people prefer the drier months of January to March.

Can you still see a lot while birding Costa Rica on your own?

You can always still see a lot while birding Costa Rica on your own. However, as with any destination, you’ll always see more with an experienced local guide. My bird finding guide for Costa Rica will also help.

Which Costa Rica Birds can I see?

With a country list of 930 plus species, you can see so many Costa Rica birds, there are too many to mention. 400 plus species on a serious two week trip is likely. Toucans, macaws, parrots, tanagers, several hummingbirds, and more are even possible on shorter trips.

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5 Study Essentials for a Birding Trip to Costa Rica

Going birding in Costa Rica? Awesome! Epic! Boss! Or, as various overdressed, bespectacled folks used to say, “Splendid!”. I for one, certainly recommend birding in Costa Rica wholeheartedly and completely. While you are here, get up early, focus on birds, and the trip will be a memorable blast.

Orange-collared Manakin

But study for it? What? Wasn’t that like something we did when we were taking classes? Going to school and so on? I mean, in some circles, studying for a vacation could be interpreted as an odd form of torture. After all, isn’t a vacation all about relaxation accompanied by sunsets, cold drinks, and not worrying about responsibilities? Like, if you were gonna study, it would be about margarita flavors, picking the best beach sandals, and where to get a yoga massage or something.

However, that would be for ye olde regular vacation. The birding trip does not fall into such a sun-drenched, easy-going category. When we do birding trips, birding vacations if you will, we go with a different set of goals. The focus of the trip is birds, seeing them, probably taking pictures of them, experiencing them.

It’s a very specific type of trip, a special type of travel, one always better when you study for it.

So you can marvel over birds like this Red-lored Parrot.

Sure, yeah, you could go birding in Costa Rica without laying a finger on a field guide. You could bring those binos to this here birdable land without having looked at any birding apps for Costa Rica. Sure, you could do all that but check it out- birding in Costa Rica ain’t no joke.

We’re talking about hundreds of bird species. Up in birdy here, there’s literally centuries of possible lifers. Trust me, it’s not gonna be like home, not even like the slightest whit call of a Least Flycatcher.

Used to seeing what, 40, maybe 70 species on a really good day? Do some all day birding in Costa Rica and those numbers are nothing. Around here, the bird factory keeps on a rolling. We’re talking well over a hundred species in a day, regularly, in more than one region (even days with 150 plus species). Yeah, it’s some birding gone crazy in Costa Rica alright.

Costa Rica is a place worth getting ready for. It’s worth it to study before any birding trip but in Costa Rica, it’s not just worth it, it’s pretty much requisite. At least a necessity if you want to see more birds, if you want to make the most of your trip, if you want to have some of the best birding in your life.

If you come to Costa Rica for birding, you want all of the above so all I can say is start studying now, start studying as soon as you can. Taking a tour or not, your trip will still be ten times better if you train that mind, get yourself ready for some major birding.

There’s a lot you could study, here’s five main things I recommend:

Learn 50 Bird Vocalizations

What? I know, sounds daunting. I mean, right, you’re still trying to figure out those dang warbler songs at home and now you gotta learn a few more? Right, easy to Hall and Oates the situation with a, “No can do”. But trust me, you can, oh yes you can.

You’ll be surprised at how well you can learn some of those new bird songs. Go for ten at first, then kick it up to twenty, and shoot for fifty. Yes, you have to give yourself some time but you can do it! Try learning one a day before your trip, pick a bird and focus on it while waiting in line, or making dinner, or when your significant other insists on watching some show that gives you the cringes.

Put that smile on your face by listening to the barking song of a Barred Antshrike. Check out the whistles of a Chestnut-backed Antbird and learn how the Laughing Falcon got its name.

Getting ready to laugh.

But where to learn them? Xeno-Canto has more than enough bird songs to browse but, for more a more versatile, customized experience, I suggest using the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app. That way, you can use the filter to pick and show common birds for each region. Listen to the Olive-backed Euphonia and other birds from the Caribbean lowlands. Move on to common highland birds like the Mountain Elaenia, and then change the filter to the South Pacific and study Black-hooded Antshrike.

While you’re at it, don’t forget to listen to megas like the Resplendent Quetzal, Three-wattled Bellbird, and the macaws. You sure want to be ready for those ones!

Study Woodcreeper Heads

That might sound grim. It might seem odd. But honest to goodness, that is really what you need to study for woodcreeper identification. Don’t worry about those eye-catching reddish wings and tail. They all got those. Instead, focus on beak shapes and head patterns. That’s the ticket to woodcreeper identification, that’s what you need to look at to ID them in the field.

birding Costa Rica

On a side note, for woodcreepers, expect big birds with large beaks. Know that they might not give the best of views either. These guys aren’t exactly treecreepers.

Learn Birds by Region

See which places you will be visiting in Costa Rica and study accordingly. For example, if you won’t be birding in the dry forests of Guanacaste, you don’t have to worry about Elegant Trogons and Ivory-billed Woodcreepers.

However, if you are headed to the Sarapiqui lowlands, yeah, you should look into the three trogons, two main motmots, White-ringed Flycatcher, and other birds that live there.

Once again, the easiest way to study birds by region is with the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app. Filter for region and you’ll see the birds possible at Sarapiqui, or Monteverde, or wherever else you might be birding. With the app, you can also get more detailed and study birds in certain habitats, forest strata, and more.

Study the Hummingbirds

There’s lots of birds to study so yeah, why not study the hummingbirds? I could just as well say to pick any avian family to study but, in Costa Rica, you’ll have chances at dozens of hummingbird species. They also look nice and are much easier to identify than the small ones up north.

However, instead of solely focusing on identification, I suggest also learning where they live and something about their behaviors. Which are forest birds? Which are more likely in second growth? Which hummingbirds only live in southern Costa Rica? You’ll find answers to these and most other questions about the birds of Costa Rica in “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica”. Basically, I wrote this book to help answer questions spurred by my first trip to Costa Rica, and to prepare fellow birders for their trips to Costa Rica.

Learn About the Bird Families in Costa Rica

Before your trip, I also suggest learning about some of the bird families in Costa Rica. Some of them won’t be anything like birds from home! They won’t just look different, they will also act different and will most definitely throw you for a birding loop.

I’m talking about birds like tinamous, hawk-eagles, antbirds, manakins, puffbirds, and other Neotropical birds. Knowing more about these bird families will help you see more of them. That knowledge will also give you better appreciation for them, get you psyched for your trip, and just might turn your birding trip into a deeper, truly fantastic learning experience.

Tinamous are beings from odd birding dreams made real.

There are more things you could study for a birding trip to Costa Rica but you can’t go wrong by starting with these five suggestions. There’s nothing wrong with learning about margarita flavors either but, I would do that after the birding trip.

That way, you can make drinks to celebrate a successful, fulfilling birding trip to Costa Rica. When you get done celebrating, then you can start studying for your next trip to Costa Rica. You’ll need to, there’s a lot of birds around here.