Costa Rica: January 3 to 15, 2011
Photos by leader Mark Garland
To download a copy of the trip species list in pdf format, click here.
Monday, January 3: Most members of our group gathered for a stroll through the gardens of the Bougainvillea Hotel this morning, followed by a few other garden walks throughout the day. Blue-crowned Motmots were the highlight for many, as these flashy birds gave us plenty of good close looks. We enjoyed a mix of tropical residents and migrants from the north, including Rufous-naped Wren, Yellow-throated Vireo, Grayish Saltator, and Baltimore Oriole. Perhaps most memorable was a full rainbow that appeared on our morning walk. An omen for the upcoming travels?
January 4: We headed up into the Talamanca Mountains this morning, stopping at Miriam’s Restaurant, high in the Savegre Valley, for a bit of birding from the balcony. We enjoyed good, close looks at Flame-colored Tanager, Large-footed Finch, Yellow-thighed Finch, Sooty Thrush, Volcano Hummingbird, and others, while White-collared Swifts and rusty-bellied Red-tailed Hawks of the Central American race circled overhead. We continued to the Savegre Mountain Lodge and enjoyed an afternoon stroll along trails through the lodge. Sulphur-winged Parakeet, White-throated Mountain-Gem, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Torrent Tyrannulet, and Tufted Flycatcher were among the memorable sightings.
January 5: Our day began with a search for Respendent Quetzal; while these gorgeous birds were proving elusive this year, a male Quetzal was spotted amidst dense vegetation, and soon we all were enjoying good looks at a male and then a female Quetzal. The rest of the morning was filled with walks along the ridge behind the lodge, where the forest is a cathedral-like setting of towering oak trees, festooned with bromeliads and dangling epiphytic mosses, orchids, heaths, and other plants. Here we were lucky enough to spot two rare species, White-winged Tanager and Ochraceous Pewee. Flame-throated Warbler, Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager, Collared Redstart, and Ruddy Treerunner were among the other memorable finds. Midday saw a break to enjoy five species of hummingbirds at the lodge feeders (and/or to take a siesta), and then we made the short drive up out of the valley back to Miriam’s. This time, however, we walked through the woods, staying out until dusk. While we saw Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Paltry Tyrannulet, Black-capped Flycatcher, and other birds during the afternoon, the highlight for most were great views of Bare-shanked Screech-Owl and Dusky Nightjar after dark.
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Rainforest Trail |
January 6: We had to drive over the highest point on the Pan-American highway this morning, so we made a short stop at about 11,000 feet of elevation high on the Cerro de la Muerte, successfully finding two species restricted to the highlands, Timberline Wren and Volcano Junco. A quick stop at La Georgina, the highest restaurant in Costa Rica, gave us perfect views of Fiery-throated Hummingbird and other hummers of the highlands. The next hour and a half was dominated by downhill driving, as we descended more than two vertical miles to sea level near the Pacific Ocean. Quick roadside stops gave us great looks at Swallow-tailed Kite, Roadside Hawk, Tropical Mockingbird, and our first sloth, a cooperative Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth. Lunch was at La Foresta, but our plans to take a walk along the trails here was thwarted by the discovery of a colossal mixed flock right next to the parking lot. Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Bay-headed Tanager, Golden-hooded Tanager, Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet, and a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl were all seen well. On the way to Villa Lapas, our base for the next three nights, we stopped for photos of the scenic coastline and were delighted with views of Scarlet Macaws.
January 7: This morning we headed out by boat onto the Tarcoles River, searching for birds along the river bank and in the mangrove forest near the river’s mouth. Several species are restricted to the mangrove habitat, and we got views of Mangrove Vireo, Mangrove Hummingbird, Northern Scrub-Flycatcher, and the “Mangrove” Yellow Warbler, a distinctive subspecies. American Pygmy-Kingfisher, Boat-billed Heron, Collared Plover, and Barred Antshrike were among the other finds, along with some huge American Crocodiles. Next came a stroll along the quiet Bijagual Road, just uphill from our lodge. Great views of King Vulture, White Hawk, and Zone-tailed Hawk were certainly highlights. Most unusual, however, was the sighting of a Mountain Elaenia, well below its normal elevation range. After lunch we walked the Skywalk, whose high, long suspension footbridges provide a view of the rain forest canopy (and an increased heart rate for those with a bit of acrophobia). Here we saw Chestnut-backed Antbird, Dusky Antbird, White-whiskered Puffbird, Double-toothed Kite, and a nice sunset.
January 8: We had pre-dawn breakfast (complete with spotlit views of Spectacled Owl at the lodge) in order to be out birding just after dawn, about 6:00 am. Our destination for the morning was the Sendero Quebrada Bonita at Carara National Park, which translates to the “beautiful stream trail.” This trail winds through spectacular, pristine rainforest. The weather in this region is typically quite hot, so we planned to wrap up the morning’s walk by about 10 am, but this day was unusually cool and pleasant, the forest enchanted us, and we stayed out until around noon. Our list of sightings was quite lengthy, and included Great Tinamou, Riverside Wren, Tawny-crowned Greenlet, Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher, Black-faced Antthrush, and Dot-winged Antwren. A highlight for many was simply the opportunity to walk through this unspoiled forest and to see some of the ecological inter-workings of the pristine tropical rain forest. After a good midday break some of us headed out for a shorter visit to another section of Carara National Park, where point blank views of Pale-billed Woodpecker and Orange-billed Sparrow were memorable.
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Jan 09 - Near Hacienda Solimar |
January 9: We packed up and headed north this morning, with the midday hours dedicated to a stop at Hacienda Solimar. This private ranch offered a tasty lunch and some great birding. Highlights would have to include two active nests of Jabiru, easily the largest stork of the Americas. Spectacular birds, with two chicks at each nest. We also enjoyed a perfect view of Pacific Screech-Owl, a crazy number of Bare-throated Tiger-Herons, and an assortment of other birds: Plain-breasted Ground-Dove, Lesser Nighthawk, Black-headed Trogon, White-lored Gnatcatcher, and Peregrine Falcon come to mind. A cooperative Mantled Howler Monkey was waiting above the bus as we got ready to leave. From here it was a short drive up to Hacienda La Pacific, home for the next two nights.
January 10: Another day of birding in the hot lowlands meant another pre-dawn breakfast. Right around sunrise we were on the road heading to Palo Verde National Park, a mix of tropical dry forest and the largest freshwater wetlands in Costa Rica. We glimpsed a few interesting birds on the road into the park, including Crested Bobwhite, Stripe-headed Sparrow, and Grasshopper Sparrow. When we arrived at the wetlands we delighted at the sight of a Crane Hawk peering down ominously at us. Snail Kites hovered over the wetlands, where Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Purple Gallinule, and Northern Jacana were conspicuous. We also tallied Muscovy Duck, Limpkin, and a bevy of herons and egrets. Next we climbed a ridge into the dry forest and birding took a back seat to a lively group of Central American Spider Monkeys. We did find birds here, too, including Long-tailed Manakin, Greenish Elaenia, and a small group of bathing Philadelphia Vireos. After a picnic lunch we returned to the lodge, where afternoon birding yielded a mixed flock with 4 species of orioles: Baltimore, Orchard, Spot-breasted, and Streak-backed.
January 11: Some early morning birding at the lodge brought more looks at the 4 orioles, along with White-fronted Parrot, Mangrove Cuckoo, Black-headed Trogon, Plain-capped Starthroat, and Banded Wren. We next drove across a low pass in the mountains and around Lake Arenal. We found birds in a drizzle at a rest stop in Nuevo Arenal: sightings here included Keel-billed Toucan, Golden-olive Woodpecker, and Tropical Parula. We stopped along a back road near the Arenal Dam and found White-collared Seedeater, Gray-crowned Yellowthroat, Thick-billed Seed-Finch, and others while a pair of Bat Falcons performed aerobatics overhead. After an elegant lunch we arrived at the Arenal Observatory Lodge, home for the next three nights, in mid-afternoon. Strolling around the grounds proved productive, as we enjoyed great looks at Crested Guan, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Violet-headed Hummingbird, and a young Great Black-Hawk.
January 12: The Arenal Observatory Lodge has extensive property, which is a mix of mature forest and carefully manicured, wildlife-friendly gardens. We spent the morning on the trails here, beginning from the main lodge balcony before breakfast. A Chiriqui Quail-Dove was a happy surprise here, and we also spied Crimson-collared Tanager, Little Hermit, and many others. A fruiting fig tree in the garden was loaded with birds, including two normally found only at much higher elevation, Black-faced Solitaire and Emerald Toucanet. Fruit seems to be scarce in the upper elevation forests this year, driving many birds out of their normal ranges in search of food. This illustrated the need to preserve forested corridors between highland and lowland parks; Costa Rica’s conservation community has had a lot of success establishing many of these corridors in recent years. Mid-morning found us deep in the forest when heavy rain began; only the most intrepid continued on to a waterfall, while the rest of us returned to the fruiting fig tree and thence back to shelter. We had some breaks in the rain during the afternoon hours, so we made the short drive down to the old entrance road to Arenal National Park, now almost devoid of traffic, and therefore great for birding. We had some great finds here, including Keel-billed Motmot, Broad-billed Motmot, Yellow Tyrannulet, Olive-crowned Yellowthroat, Black-headed Saltator, and Nightingale Wren. We returned to the lodge right after dark, seeing a nocturnal Boat-billed Heron hunting along a creek and a gorgeous Black-and-white Owl sitting on a roadside lamppost.
January 13: Even more rain this day; I guess that’s why they call it a rain forest. We found plenty
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Jan 13 - Bicolored Antbird |
of birds nonetheless, exploring the lodge grounds again all morning. White-throated Thrush, Great Currasow, Black-striped Sparrow, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Buff-rumped Warbler, and Collared Aracari were all in the garden, along with several hummingbirds not seen previously on our trip: Black-crested Coquette, White-necked Jacobin, Green Thorntail, and Violet-crowned Woodnymph. Charlie led some of the group along another forest trail, and while their search for a vocal Rufous Motmot was unsuccessful, they did find a swarm of Army Ants. These hungry ants will devour any insects or other small animals found in their path. Many of the little critters try to flee, but flocks of birds usually follow the ants and feed on the creatures that are trying to escape. We enjoyed the phenomena and saw a good variety of birds, including Spotted Antbird, Bicolored Antbird, Ocellated Antbird, Dusky Antbird, Northern Barred-Woodcreeper, Stripe-breasted Wren, and Golden-crowned Warbler. After lunch we spent some time watching the feeders near the main lodge building; at one point there were six different species of Tanager on a single platform feeder: Passerini’s, Blue-gray, Palm, Silver-throated, Golden-hooded, and Emerald Tanagers put on quite the show. Montezuma Oropendolas (the males raising their golden tails and calling loudly in display), Olive-backed Euphonia, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, and several other species all made appearances. We drove back down to the old park entrance road again this afternoon, skipping our planned visit to the hanging bridges due to the heavy rain and wind, but even in the sheltered forest the weather kept bird activity to a minimum, and we decided to head back to the lodge earlier than planned.
January 14: A few minutes of early morning birding yielded glimpses of White-collared Manakin and White-ruffed Manakin, along with the continuing tanager show at the feeders. Shortly after breakfast we were packed up and headed out on the roads for our return to San Jose. We made a long lunch stop at the beautiful Bosque de Paz lodge. The multi-day rainstorm continued, but before and after our elegant lunch we could watch feeders from under the shelter of a good roof. We added a few interesting birds to our lists, including four new hummingbirds: Violet Sabrewing, Green-crowned Brilliant, Magenta-throated Woodstar, and Purple-throated Mountain-Gem. Black Guans were conspicuous, and we also viewed Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch, Common Bush-Tanager, Yellow-thighed Finch, and a few others. We made a short stop at the village of Sarchi for a bit more birding (and souvenir shopping) before returning to the Hotel Bougainvillea. Just before we reached the hotel, a big, bright, complete rainbow appeared – our trip both began and ended with a rainbow! We gathered for a festive farewell dinner and bid farewell to our Costa Rican friends, Charlie Gómez and Niño Morales, and to each other.
--- Mark Garland