2007 Tour Narrative
In Brief: The lush cloud forest of Tapantí National Park greeted us on the first morning with gorgeous skies, not a drop of rain (in one of the country’s wettest locations) and flocks of birds. While seeing Green-fronted Lancebills uncommonly well was a highlight, it was on day two near the peak of Cerro de la Muerte that something most unexpected happened. A Wrenthrush, the most unusual and enigmatic member of the wood-warbler family, a bird that normally sticks to a dense, mossy, bamboo-choked understory and utters its dog-whistle high notes in taunting invisibility hopped out in the open just a few feet from us and showed us field marks that few ever get to see so well. Getting exceptional views of other elusive species was a hallmark of this year’s tour, as a Scaly-breasted Wren walked back and forth on a log, then uttered its whistled, chromatically descending opus. At Monteverde it was a group of lushly colored Azure-hooded Jays at eye-level in the cool, dark forest. Extended views of a Keel-billed Motmot near Mount Arenal and the volcano actually showing its peak for the first time in days were rare sights. And at our last hotel’s grounds, a Great Potoo perched at dusk on an exposed branch and gave forth its haunting yet comical growl. Not to be forgotten are indelible impressions of a male Snowcap, shocking and thrilling outbursts from duetting pairs of Bay Wrens hidden near our sides, a sullen White Hawk perched in the rain near Cinchona and a feisty American Pygmy Kingfisher daring us despite his size in the Tárcoles River mangroves.
In Detail: Our first day at Tapantí was lovely, surprising us with great views of a Brown-billed Scythebill, Emerald Toucanet, Black-faced Solitaire and Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush, while more expected were numerous mixed flocks including Red-faced Spinetail, Lineated Foliage-gleaner, Barred Becard and Spangle-cheeked Tanagers. The good looks at Green-fronted Lancebills came as they fed from flowers in the Erica family. Most amazing was that it didn’t rain at all by the time we had left this location, which is amongst Costa Rica’s rainiest. We also had a chance to bird a moist field near Paraíso, where White-throated Flycatcher put on a nice show and a first-fall male Cerulean Warbler was a nice surprise, and another stop higher in the mountains resulted in great Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Slaty Flowerpiercer and Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager.
In the Talamanca Highlands near Cerro de la Muerte, our first morning began with a bang near the hotel with hyperactive flocks that included eye-level Flame-throated Warbler, Slaty Flowerpiercer, Ruddy Treerunner, Yellow-thighed Finch and Sooty-capped Bush-Tanagers, a tree full of Sulphur-winged Parakeets, a blur of hummingbirds including gorgeous male Scintillants, Magnificent, White-throated Mountain-gem and Green Violet-ear, a treetop Acorn Woodpecker, Flame-colored Tanagers and ultra-tame Collared Trogons. We then worked our way up in elevation, with every stop revealing new and exciting birds. First Mountain Robins, Gray-cheeked Thrush and Emerald Toucanet, then Resplendent Quetzals and Black Guan feeding on aguacatillos, on up to Timberline Wren, Volcano Hummingbird and Large-footed Finch. But the peak experience came when a Wrenthrush responded to tape by hopping out on the ground in the open only a few feet away, fiery crown raised on this very unwarbler-like parulid. Rarely is this species seen so well. Birding was great even after midday, and we nearly cleaned up on the rest of the regional specialties, including Yellow-winged Vireo, Black-billed and Russet-capped Nightingale-Thrushes, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Black-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Flycatcher.
The long drive from Cerro de la Muerte to the Carara area meant maximum number of hours in the field and the largest daily bird list of the trip. While a Volcano Junco appeared at our feet in blowing cold fog and mist (as if the bird took pity on us by finally showing up so we could take refuge in the bus), the rest of the day was mostly overcast with perfect conditions for ensuring high bird activity all day. Feeders at the Mirador del Valle restaurant were hopping, and while we saw our first of many species here such as Blue-gray Tanager, Cherrie’s Tanager and Red-headed Barbet, this was the location of our only White-tailed Emerald, a scarce hummingbird. A short stop on the way out of San Isidro resulted in Southern Lapwing, an invading species from the south. The Dominical bridge was also exciting, with Spot-crowned Euphonia, Blue Dacnis and Charming Hummingbird showing up amidst a busy flock. Then came the drive north on one of Costa Rica’s worst highways, but the slow pace allowed for frequent stops and many wildlife sightings. Multiple Bare-throated Tiger-Herons, a Double-toothed Kite, Laughing Falcon, Purple Gallinule, Chestnut-mandibled Toucans, Olivaceous Piculet, Pale-breasted Spinetail and Tropical Mockingbird were some of the highlights that resulted in over 130 species this day. Another highlight was two Brown-throated Three-toed Sloths next to the road.
With two full days and a morning near Carara National Park, we were able to rack up a huge number of species in this area, 168 in all. Some of the more memorable highlights were a Great Tinamou quietly feeding at close range, Scarlet Macaws screeching overhead and feeding in sea-almond trees, the Black-and-white Owl in Orotina, Pacific Screech-Owls taped in at night, Costa Rican Swifts, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Fiery-billed Aracari, Golden-crowned Spadebill, an amazingly cooperative Scaly-breasted Wren in full song and several good wintering warblers including Prothonotary, Kentucky, Hooded and Mourning. Another highlight was our boat trip through the Tárcoles River mangroves where we saw the endemic Mangrove Hummingbird as well as an American Pygmy-Kingfisher and our only Roseate Spoonbill.
After a short visit to the lowlands of the northwest, where we saw several specialties such as Streak-backed Oriole, Stripe-headed Sparrows, Scrub Euphonia and White-throated Magpie-Jays, we did the famous drive up to Monteverde. After dinner our driver spotted a Mottled Owl on the wire, which stayed for excellent views, while the wind did not prove a deterrent for a very territorial Bare-shanked Screech-Owl. The weather in Monteverde can be quite bad, so we were very lucky to have blowing mist only right at the Continental Divide, where we also had one of our most special birding moments when a pair of Prong-billed Barbets, buried in the dense elfin woodland, appeared in a window and duetted on a branch just a few feet away. Otherwise it was only overcast, and bird activity was quite high all along the trails, with one mixed flock containing several amazingly tame and gorgeous Azure-hooded Jays, Streak-breasted Treehunter, Spotted Woodcreeper, Collared Redstarts and Three-striped Warblers. The Hummingbird Gallery was virtually overrun with Violet Saberwings this year, but we still saw all nine usual species along with the old, tailless Olingo that has been drinking the feeders empty for years. Crossing the road one-by-one just below here was a covey of nine Black-breasted Wood-Quail, rarely seen so well out in the open. Highlights from near our hotel and in the town of Monteverde included a stunning male Townsend’s Warbler feeding on the lawn at lunch, an Orange-bellied Trogon on a power line, a very rare Blue-headed Vireo, several White-eared Ground-Sparrows, a very surprising Hepatic Tanager and more Emerald Toucanets. The Santuario Ecológico in the slightly drier forest was home to an amazing number of North American migrants, including Philadelphia Vireos, Wood Thrushes and a Kentucky Warbler, while local Orange-billed Night-Thrush and White-throated Robins, Gray-headed Chachalaca, Black Guans, a close soaring Short-tailed Hawk and even more Emerald Toucanets reminded us where we were.
Our afternoon and full morning in the Arenal area was well spent, the main highlight being a rare Keel-billed Motmot paired with a Broad-billed Motmot. Both sat together on an open branch for extended views, as did our first Crested Guans and Collared Aracaris, while a Fasciated Tiger-Heron posed by some rapids as we paused on a small bridge. A soaring immature Great Black-Hawk was a nice surprise. The dense undergrowth hid several prizes from our prying binoculars, including singing Thicket Antpittas (one very close but never visible), a Nightingale Wren, singing its unmistakable song of tone-deaf attempts at whistling a tune, Bay Wrens suddenly blasting their explosive duets, causing a sudden reaction in us every time and blooming Calathea prayer plants, food for both Band-tailed Barbthroats as well as a beautiful butterfly that perched in the morning sun, the green-eyed and golden-footed Blind Sheenmark. A pair of Black-striped Sparrows gave us very close, extended views, and range-restricted White-ringed Flycatchers were a welcome addition to our stripe-headed tyrant list.
Rain beleaguered us most of the morning at La Selva Biological Station, but we still managed a respectable day list with many of the area’s specialties. We started off with some gorgeous Snowy Cotingas feeding in a tree with Montezuma Oropendolas and tanagers on a nearby side road. We watched a Laughing Falcon laugh, and many Red-lored Parrots flew over and perched. At La Selva we saw the gorgeous Semiplumbeous Hawks that have been resident for some time, as well as the day-roosting Great Potoo, something we don’t always count on. We also saw Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, a huge flock of Black-faced Grosbeaks, Pied Puffbird, Bright-rumped Attila, our second Hooded Warbler, our only Gray Catbird, countless Olive-backed Euphonias and among the throngs of tanagers and honeycreepers in the fruiting melastomes planted by the cafeteria a busy flock of the local specialty, Plain-colored Tanager. In the afternoon back at the hotel, the sky cleared up beautifully after our siesta and we walked to the far patch of forest, seeing two Great Green Macaws fly over. As dusk fell, we had a very memorable encounter with another Great Potoo, this one uttering its haunting growl for several minutes as it was silhouetted against the evening sky. Then if flew off, giving its odd yelping flight call. On the way back we had a strangely unwary Common Pauraque on the trail, while the stars overhead were stunning.
It looked like our day at Braulio Carrillo National Park might be a replay of the previous day’s rain, with showers having started up again over night. In the drizzle we watched a brilliant male Snowcap at El Tapir gardens, one of the world’s most stunning hummingbirds: a wee thing with burnt iridescent burgundy body and a pale grayish, flat, wedge-shaped helmet of a cap that flashes a white more brilliant than white when turned towards the observer, even in a dim, rainy sky. We also added Violet-headed Hummingbird and Violet-crowned Woodnymph here while a busy mixed flock began moving through the trees. First a flock of Brown-hooded Parrots flew in, then several Pale-vented Thrushes, followed by a troop of Chestnut-headed Oropendolas and Scarlet-rumped Caciques and then several tanagers including the eye popping Black-and-yellow Tanager. But it was on the Las Palmas trail that we scored big on tanagers, with a total of 13 species in only three mixed flocks, including the very missable Blue-and-gold Tanager, vibrant Emerald Tanagers and a rare Hepatic Tanager. Additional birds on the trail were unusually cooperative Tawny-faced Gnatwren, Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush, Stripe-breasted Wren and super handsome White-ruffed Manakins. Interesting was seeing the related Olive-striped and Ochre-bellied Flycatchers eating berries in the same tree. While a female Lattice-tailed Trogon was a nice surprise, stealing the show was an adult Ornate Hawk-Eagle first whistling in the canopy, then perching on an exposed branch for wonderful scope views. Back at our hotel we took another afternoon stroll, where the enchanting songs of invisible species rang throughout the air: Great Tinamou, White-throated Crake and the ever elusive Uniform Crake. We did manage views of Olive-crowned Yellowthroats, a pair of Cinnamon Woodpeckers and a lovely male White-collared Manakin, and right at dusk a Short-tailed Nighthawk swooped over our heads and two ridiculously noisy Green Ibis searched for a tree to roost in.
Once again, the third morning in a row, we awoke to rain, but this time it did not let up for a second and birding was nearly a bust until we arrived at the extremely productive feeders in Cinchona. But at breakfast we did enjoy watching Lesser Swallow-tailed Swifts and roving flocks of Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and a roadside stop provided the enigmatic Nicaraguan Seed-Finch. And thanks again to our driver, we paused at a perched raptor, hopelessly soaked in the persistent drizzle, to find out that it was a Bicolored Hawk, rarely seen anywhere in the country, let alone along a busy highway. At the Cinchona feeders were fruit trays right by the windows, and Prong-billed Barbets, Red-headed Barbets and Emerald Toucanets vied for positions at arm’s length. Crimson-collared Tanager was a nice bird here too. Then the Disney-like atmosphere of the La Paz Waterfall gardens was worth it for the hummingbird feeders where we added three new species to our list: Brown Violet-ear, White-bellied Mountain-gem and the amazing Black-bellied Hummingbird. The Central Valley was being spared rain, and we arrived at our pleasant hotel on a gorgeous afternoon. Not to end the tour too suddenly, we added an extra hour the very last morning in the hotel’s superb gardens, adding a rare Willow Flycatcher and reacquainting ourselves with Blue-crowned Motmot, Grayish Saltator and noisy flocks of Crimson-fronted Parakeets.
Rich Hoyer
Updated: January 2008