Trip Leaders: Gilberto “Chito” Molina – Costa Rican bird guide; Brian Rapoza – TAS Field Trip Coordinator
Driver: Alberto Aguilar
Participants: Frances Doyle and Scott Spangenberg (NH), Maxine Long (FL), Anne and Charles Robshaw (FL), Debra Vergin and Wayne Spinks (FL), Jedda and Patrick Wong (FL)
Overview: Nine birders joined Brian Rapoza for this tour, which began and ended in Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose. We visited four distinct areas of the country: Sarapiqui in the Caribbean lowlands, Arenal Volcano National Park, located northwest of the capital, Tarcoles and Carara National Park on the Pacific coast and the Savegre Valley in the Talamanca Mountains southwest of the capital. By trip’s end, the group tallied over 300 bird species (including 28 hummingbirds!), more than a dozen mammals as well as untold numbers of reptiles, amphibians, insects and other tropical critters.
Daily Summaries (names in bold indicate our first encounter with that bird species)
Day 1 - Sunday, August 7
Five members of the group (Maxine, Ann, Charles, Jedda and Patrick) were on my flight from Miami to San Jose. We met the other four participants (Frances, Scott, Wayne and Debra) at Villa San Ignacio, our hotel in San Jose’s Central Valley. Though it rained for most of the afternoon after we arrived, we still managed to spot a few birds from our hotel balcony, including Red-billed Pigeon, White-tipped and White-winged Dove, Lesson’s Motmot, Hoffmann’s Woodpecker, Great Kiskadee, Blue-and-white Swallow, Rufous-naped Wren, Clay-colored Thrush, Yellow-throated Euphonia, Blue-gray Tanager and Buff-throated Saltator. Later that afternoon, we met our guide, Gilberto “Chito” Molina, who provided us with a tour overview after dinner.
Day 2 – Monday, August 8
This morning before breakfast, we birded the hotel grounds with Chito and found several species not encountered there yesterday, including Common Ground-Dove, Chestnut-collared Swift, Blue-vented and Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Keel-billed Toucan, Black Vulture, Crested Caracara, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Yellow-naped Parrot, Long-tailed Manakin, Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed and Social Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Yellow-green Vireo, Cabani’s and House Wren, Olive Sparrow, Yellow-billed Cacique, Great-tailed Grackle, Blue-black Grassquit and Cinnamon-bellied Saltator. Cabani’s Ground-Sparrow, a Costa Rican endemic now that it’s been split from Prevost’s Ground-Sparrow, was heard and briefly seen by Chito, but none of us managed to get on it. We also spotted our first mammal of the tour, a Variegated Squirrel.
After breakfast, a local bird researcher gave a presentation that provided the group with an introduction to Costa Rica’s amazing bird diversity. We then met Alberto Aguilar, our driver, loaded the bus and hit the road, leaving the comfortable temperatures of the Central Valley behind as we headed north and east over the continental divide to the hot and steamy Caribbean lowlands. Along the way, we stopped briefly at La Paz Waterfall for a group photo; our only Purple-throated Mountain Gem and Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush of the tour were seen while admiring the falls. Other birds spotted along the road included Gray-headed Chachalaca, Vaux’s Swift, Turkey Vulture, Crimson-fronted Parakeet and Mountain Elaenia.
We stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant overlooking mist-shrouded San Fernando Waterfall. This restaurant, which I first visited in 2018, has feeders that attract a dizzying array of colorful birds. While waiting for our lunch to be served, we tallied over two dozen species, including six new hummingbirds: Green Hermit, Brown Violetear, Green-crowned Brilliant, Violet Sabrewing, Crowned Woodnymph and Coppery-Headed Emerald, the latter a Costa Rican endemic. Other birds seen at this stop included Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, Prong-billed Barbet, Northern Emerald-Toucanet, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Mistletoe Tyrannulet, Yellow-winged Vireo, Ochraceous Wren, Common Chlorospingus, White-naped Brushfinch, Melodious Blackbird, Slate-throated Redstart, Bananaquit and Crimson-collared, Scarlet-rumped, Palm and Silver-throated Tanager. A Red-tailed Squirrel was also visiting the feeders there.
Continuing downslope towards the Caribbean lowlands, we came across a large family of White-nosed Coati (a neotropical relative of our familiar raccoon) along the road. Shortly after, we stopped in an area along the Sarapiqui River known as Virgen de Socorro. Birds found during our brief exploration of this area included Squirrel Cuckoo, Smoky-brown Woodpecker, Bay Wren, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Montezuma Oropendola, Tropical Parula, Bay-headed Tanager and Variable Seedeater.
Reaching the town of Sarapiqui (Chito’s hometown), we stopped in a remnant area of wet forest where Chito often found Boat-billed Herons. A couple of herons were flushed as we approached but only fleeting glimpses were obtained. While there, we also found Collared Aracari and Black-cheeked Woodpecker. White-collared and Gray-rumped Swifts were soaring overhead. A short while later, we arrived at our home base for the next three nights, Selva Verde Lodge and Rainforest Reserve. It began to rain shortly after we arrived, so plans to explore the grounds of the lodge were postponed until tomorrow. Before dinner, we gathered at dusk at the lodge’s dining area to complete the bird checklist for this very productive first full day.
Day 3 – Tuesday, August 9
We departed pre-dawn this morning for La Selva Biological Station, operated by the Organization for Tropical Studies and one of the top birding destinations in Central America. Before we left the lodge, a few birds were already coming to the feeders at the dining area, including Rufous Motmot, Orange-billed Sparrow and Red-throated Ant-Tanager. A Stripe-breasted Wren was vocalizing nearby but remained hidden from view. A few White-lined Sac-winged Bats were also fluttering about.
We passed a soccer field on the drive to La Selva, where we scored our first Green Ibis. Birds were starting to become active along La Selva’s forest-lined entrance road, so we started our exploration of the area there. Upon entering the station, we had breakfast at the dining hall, then spent the rest of the morning exploring various rainforest trails with Chito and one of the station’s bird guides. By the end of the morning, we produced a bird list of over fifty species. Birds seen during our visit included Crested Guan, Great Curassow, Groove-billed Ani, Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift, Long-billed Hermit, Purple-crowned Fairy, Long-billed Starthroat, Anhinga, Swallow-tailed Kite, Semiplumbeous Hawk, Middle American Screech-Owl, Gartered Trogon, Broad-billed Motmot, Yellow-throated Toucan, Pale-billed, Cinnamon and Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, Olive-throated Parakeet, Black-crowned Antshrike, Dusky Antbird, Wedge-billed and Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Snowy Cotinga, Gray-capped and White-ringed Flycatcher, White-breasted Wood-Wren, Black-cowled Oriole, Golden-hooded Tanager and Shining and Green Honeycreeper. Heard only birds included Bronzy Hermit, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Bay Wren and Slate-colored Grosbeak. New mammals encountered during our visit included Collared Peccary, Mantled Howler Monkey, Central American Agouti and Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth.
We returned to the lodge for lunch, then reassembled mid-afternoon to begin our exploration of Selva Verde’s extensive grounds. We began at the dining area feeders, followed by an exploration of open habitat along the Sarapiqui River, and ended at the botanical gardens across the road from the lodge. Among the birds we encountered were Neotropic Cormorant, Amazon Kingfisher, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, White-collared and Red-capped Manakin, Black-crowned and Masked Tityra, Black Phoebe, Olive-backed Euphonia, Chestnut-headed Oropendola and Scarlet-rumped Cacique. We crossed paths with a Nine-banded Armadillo towards the end of our walk. The mournful call of a Great Tinamou was heard by some as we assembled before dinner to review the bird checklist for the day.
Day 4 – Wednesday, August 10
This morning began once again at the dining area feeders, followed by a short walk along the river. Among the highlights of this walk was a flyover by three Great Green Macaws! Sarapiqui is one of the most reliable places in Costa Rica to see one of these spectacular yet highly endangered parrots, but to see three at once was special. Another nice sighting was a Fasciated Tiger-Heron, a neotropical heron typically found along swiftly flowing rivers. Other birds seen for the first time by the group included Muscovy Duck (they’re native here!), Ringed Kingfisher, White-crowned and Mealy Parrot, Cinnamon Becard, Yellow Tyrannulet, Bright-rumped Attila, Pale-vented Thrush and Buff-rumped Warbler. While we were having breakfast, we learned that a venomous Eyelash Pit Viper was hanging out on a tree near the feeders, so several of us went over to get photos of the bright yellow snake.
After breakfast, we visited Selva Verde’s rainforest preserve, which is across the river from the lodge. To reach the preserve, we had to cross a suspension footbridge over the river. While we were assembling at the bridge to begin the walk, Charles and Ann found a pair of flycatchers that Chito identified as Eye-ringed Flatbills. Soon after, Chito spotted the flycatchers’ nest. Once across the river, we hiked a loop trail through old-growth rainforest. Birds seen during the hike included Black-throated Trogon, Keel-billed Motmot, White-whiskered Puffbird and Plain Brown, Northern Barred and Cocoa Woodcreeper. A Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher was heard only. We also found a Helmeted Iguana as well as several poison-dart frogs along the trail.
In the afternoon, we took a boat tour on the Sarapiqui and Puerto Viejo Rivers that led us back into La Selva Biological Station. Birds seen during the tour included Pale-vented Pigeon, Gray-breasted Dove, Spotted Sandpiper, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Roadside Hawk, Green Kingfisher, Long-tailed Tyrant and Mangrove Swallow. Also seen along the riverbanks were a couple of Spectacled Caiman, a few day-roosting Long-nosed Bats and a playful Neotropical River Otter.
Day 5 – Thursday, August 11
Chito led us on a short walk around the grounds before breakfast, but the only new birds encountered were a Blue-black Grosbeak and a heard-only Rufous Mourner. After breakfast, we loaded the bus and departed for the tour’s next destination, Arenal Volcano National Park. As the bus was exiting the lodge, our first Gray Hawk of the tour was spotted across the road. Other roadside sightings included Green Heron, Red-winged Blackbird and Morelet’s Seedeater.
Just before reaching the city of La Fortuna, we made a birding stop at Ecocentro Danaus, a private nature reserve that protects about three acres of secondary forest and is home to about 150 species of birds. During our visit, we found nearly 30 species, many new for the tour, including Common Pauraque (flushed by Chito), Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Russet-naped Wood Rail, Boat-billed Heron (excellent looks at several individuals), American Pygmy Kingfisher, Rufous-winged and Golden-Olive Woodpecker, Laughing Flacon (heard), Plain Xenops, Northern Bentbill, Lesser Greenlet (heard), Southern Rough-winged Swallow and Red-legged Honeycreeper. Squirrel Cuckoo, Keel-billed and Broad-billed Motmot, Rufous-tailed Jacamar and Collared Aracari were among the “not new” species seen there. We also spotted a Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth as well as several colorful species of butterfly.
After lunch at a restaurant in La Fortuna, where we obtained our first cloud-shrouded glimpse of Arenal Volcano, we continued our drive to Arenal Observatory Lodge, located on the west side of the volcano and our home for the next two nights. Unfortunately, it began raining shortly after we arrived, forcing us to postpone until tomorrow plans to explore the lodge’s grounds and trail system. A few in the group settled for watching the birds coming to a fruit feeder visible from a small reception room on the top floor of the lodge. Even that option soon vanished when we learned that another group staying at the lodge had reserved the reception room for a marriage proposal ceremony. Birds seen before we had to vacate the premises included several previously seen tanagers as well as one of the lodge’s resident Great Curassow.
Day 6 – Friday, August 12
The rain ended and skies cleared overnight, so for a brief time this morning, we had views of the volcano unobstructed by clouds. The group met shortly after sunrise at the observation deck adjacent to the lodge’s restaurant and watched birds coming and going from the fruit feeder, then took a short walk around the grounds to see what else we could find. New birds seen this morning included Band-tailed Pigeon, Stripe-throated Hermit, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Red-lored Parrot, White-ruffed Manakin, Brown Jay, Tawny-capped Euphonia, Carmiol’s and Emerald Tanager and Scarlet-thighed Dacnis. A Long-billed Gnatwren and Hepatic Tanagers were heard but not seen.
After breakfast, we boarded the bus and drove to a popular tourist attraction called Mystico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park. We stopped along the way to admire three Broad-billed Motmots perched on power lines over the road; our first Yellow-faced Grassquits of the trip were seen there as well. Shortly before arriving at the park, a distant White Hawk was spotted along the road. We spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon hiking the park’s extensive rainforest trail system, which includes a few somewhat steep inclines as well as several hanging footbridges, the highest of which is 180 feet above the forest floor. Most of the birds encountered during our hike were in a mixed feeding flock that swarmed around us just after crossing one of the footbridges. New trip birds seen during our visit included Violet-headed Hummingbird, Yellow-headed Caracara, Russet Antshrike, Checker-throated Stipplethroat, Spotted Antbird, Spotted Woodcreeper, Sulphur-rumped, Ochre-bellied and Slaty-capped Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Rufous Piha and White-throated Shrike-Tanager. We also saw our first Central American Spider Monkeys, more Long-nosed Bats and another Eyelash Pit Viper.
After a late lunch and a break to recover from the hike, we met again mid-afternoon to look for birds at the lodge. We didn’t get very far when it began to rain, so we quickly returned to the lodge. Black-crested Coquette, among the smallest of Costa Rica’s hummingbirds, was the only new bird seen before we turned back. The rain continued for most of the afternoon.
Day 7 – Saturday, August 13
I was awakened this morning by Spectacled Owls, calling from somewhere in the forest near my room. Unfortunately, they remained heard only. Most of the group met before breakfast at the observation deck, then took a short walk on one of the trails. A Crane Hawk was seen briefly from the observation deck. Other birds seen this morning included Lineated Woodpecker, Dull-mantled Antbird, Golden-crowned Warbler and Black-and-yellow Tanager. Nightingale and Black-throated Wren were heard only.
After breakfast, we loaded the bus and began a long drive to the Carara National Park area on the Pacific coast. A white-morph Short-tailed Hawk was spotted over the road shortly after we departed. A few minutes later, we pulled over again so Chito could show us a Southern Lapwing on its nest. Our first Scarlet Macaws of the tour were seen later in the morning; we would see many more once we reached the coast. We made what was supposed to be a quick restroom stop at a roadside zipline attraction called Canopy San Luis, but once we discovered a variety of tanagers and other birds coming to tray feeders behind the restrooms, we ended up staying considerably longer than planned. A Speckled Tanager spotted by Chito while he was using the restroom was the only new bird seen during this stop.
It was mid-afternoon when we finally reached the coast and Cerro Lodge, near the town of Tarcoles and our home for the next two nights. Scarlet Macaws were among the first birds to greet us. New birds seen along the lodge’s entrance road included Inca Dove, Turquoise-browed Motmot and Stripe-headed Sparrow. After a late lunch at the lodge’s open-air dining area, we reboarded the bus and drove to Jungle Crocodile Safari, a tourist attraction that offers boat tours on the Tarcoles River. A couple of Streak-backed Orioles were seen on wires near the entrance. Among the highlights of our late-afternoon tour were several Double-striped Thick-Knee, a large shorebird that somewhat resembles a plover, a flock of about fifty Surfbirds, seen at dusk at the mouth of the river and a quick flyover by a Mangrove Hummingbird, a Costa Rican endemic.
We added several other shorebirds and wading birds to our trip list, including Collared and Semipalmated Plover, Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, Least, Semipalmated and Western Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Willet, Wood Stork, Great Blue, Little Blue and Tricolored Heron, Great and Snowy Egret, Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill. Other birds seen along the river included Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Lesser Nighthawk, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Common Black Hawk, Collared Forest-Falcon, Rufous-browed Peppershrike and a Yellow Warbler of the Mangrove race.
Day 8 – Sunday, August 14
We birded for a while around the lodge before breakfast, starting at the dining area and ending just outside the entrance gate. A Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl was heard by a couple of participants as they left their rooms. Other birds seen around the lodge included Cinnamon Hummingbird, Streaked Flycatcher, Rose-throated Becard, White-lored Gnatcatcher, Rufous-and-white Wren and Scrub Euphonia. A Barred Antshrike was heard.
After breakfast, we visited the headquarters area of Carara National Park. Bird activity was somewhat slow along the portion of a loop trail that we explored, but we still managed to find a few new birds, including Short-billed Pigeon, Blue-throated Goldentail, Black-hooded Antshrike, Dot-winged Antwren, Yellow-olive Flycatcher, Riverside Wren, Spot-crowned Euphonia and Gray-headed Tanager. Among the heard-only birds were Streak-chested Antpitta, Black-faced Antthrush, Green Shrike-Vireo and Rufous-breasted Wren. We then had an early lunch at a seafood restaurant across the road from the ocean, where Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans were added to our trip list.
After lunch, we returned to areas of mangrove forest near the Tarcoles River, where Brown-hooded Parrots and a White-winged Becard were new. We also had brief looks at another Mangrove Hummingbird here. The afternoon rains had begun by this point, so we decided to head back to the lodge. Later in the afternoon, when the rains ended, Charles and Ann took a walk down the lodge’s entrance road and saw, among other birds, a White-necked Puffbird and a Ferrugenous Pygmy-Owl. After dinner, we took the bus down the entrance road to search for more owls and were rewarded with great views of a Black-and-white Owl.
Day 9 – Monday, August 15
Another long drive awaited us today, this time taking us from sea level to an elevation of over 10,000 feet at Cerra de la Muerte (the Mountain of Death) in the Talamanca Mountains. Three new birds were added to our trip list before leaving the Pacific lowlands behind: Little Tinamou, heard (and briefly seen by Chito) across the road from the lodge, Black-headed Trogon, seen along the road shortly after we departed the lodge, and Bat Falcon, seen along the coast highway south of Tarcoles. A Laughing Falcon, previously heard but not seen, was also spotted along the highway during our drive down the coast. Once we reached the city of San Isidro del General, we visited a location that is often reliable for Turquoise Cotinga. We were unable to find any, unfortunately, so we moved on to our lunch stop at a nearby restaurant.
Following lunch, we began the drive up to Cerra de la Muerte via the Interamerican Highway. Our first high-elevation birding stop was at La Georgina, a roadside restaurant that also provides feeders for the resident hummingbirds. Three hummingbird species were present, all new: Talamanca, Fiery-throated and Volcano Hummingbird. Other birds were seen during a walk through the steep-sloped gardens behind the restaurant, including Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Wrenthrush (only seen by some), Large-footed Finch and Slaty Flowerpiercer. Next, we drove up to paramo habitat around communications towers at the summit of Cerra de la Muerte. It was cold and rainy at this stop, so jackets and rain gear were required attire. One of our targets at this location was found immediately; a couple of Volcano Juncos were hopping on the ground right along the road. Our other target, Timberline Wren, took a little more work to find and we only had fleeting glimpses as it hopped from shrub to shrub. Our first Sooty Thrush was also seen there.
Leaving the Interamerican Highway, we descended on a winding road into the beautiful Savegre Valley. Near the end of this road is Savegre Lodge, our home for the last two nights of our tour.
Day 10 – Tuesday, August 16
The Savegre Valley is one of the most reliable places in Costa Rica to see a Resplendent Quetzal, considered by many to be among the most beautiful birds in the world. Since this was the last full day of our tour, today would provide our only opportunity to search for this iconic Central American bird. We got an early start, leaving the lodge at dawn and driving up the valley to a location along the road where quetzals were known to feed early in the day. As we were crossing a bridge over the Savegre River at the entrance to the lodge, Chito spotted a Torrent Tyrannulet on a rock in the fast-flowing river. When we arrived at the location where the quetzals were known to feed, other birding tour groups were already present. One group had hiked upslope from the road to get closer to a tree that produced fruit favored by the quetzals. We debated hiking up there ourselves, but that proved unnecessary, as a pair of Resplendent Quetzals soon came out in the open at the top of the tree, visible even from the road.
Many other high-elevation target species were seen during our hour or so of early-morning roadside birding, including Lesser Violetear, White-throated Mountain-gem, Collared Trogon, Acorn Woodpecker, Spot-crowned Woodcreeper, Golden-bellied Flycatcher, Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher, Sooty-capped Chlorospingus, White-naped and Yellow-thighed Brushfinch, Flame-throated Warbler, Collared Redstart and Flame-colored Tanager. Closer to the lodge, we came upon another birding group that was focused on a bird perched in a tree close to the road, so we stopped to check it out. It was a male Resplendent Quetzal, which provided us with even better looks than the pair found earlier!
After breakfast, we spent some time birding in the lodge’s beautifully landscaped grounds, adding Scintillant Hummingbird, yet another new hummingbird. We then boarded a four-wheel drive vehicle that transported us to a trail system upslope from the lodge. Birds seen while hiking in this area included Sulphur-winged Parakeet, Spotted Barbtail, Barred Becard, Tufted Flycatcher, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren and Black-cheeked Warbler. A Golden-browed Chlorophonia was heard.
For lunch, we drove to a restaurant in the upper Savegre Valley, where we ate a traditional Costa Rican meal served to us family-style. This restaurant is a very popular stop for visiting birders, not only for the delicious food, but also for the abundant bird life in this part of the valley. The first bird we saw when we arrived was yet another male Resplendent Quetzal! Feeders in back of the restaurant (but visible from our table) attracted many hungry birds, including five hummingbirds: Lesser Violetear, White-throated Mountain-gem and Talamanca, Fiery-throated and Volcano Hummingbirds. Two new trip birds were spotted at the restaurant’s tray feeders: Hairy Woodpecker and Mountain Thrush. Other birds stopping by while we were there included Northern Emerald Toucanet, Acorn Woodpecker, Sooty-capped Chlorospingus, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Large-footed Finch, Yellow-thighed Brushfinch, Flame-throated Warbler, Blue-gray and Flame-colored Tanagers and Slaty Flowerpiercer.
We made a couple of roadside stops on our way back to the lodge, where we found Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush, Dark Pewee and Lesser Goldfinch. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing or birding the grounds of the lodge. Near sunset, large flocks of what seemed to be tiny birds, later identified by Chito as Barred Parakeets, were seen flying high above the lodge. This would be the last new bird encountered on the tour. Tomorrow, we would all have to say goodbye to Costa Rica.
Day 11 – Wednesday, August 17
Four participants were scheduled to fly home just after noon, while the rest of us were on a flight leaving mid-afternoon. Since our return drive to San Jose would take about three hours, we could only spend a few minutes to bird around the lodge before departing for the airport. Lesser Violetear, Great Kiskadee, Clay-colored Thrush, Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher, Rufous-collared Sparrow and Flame-colored and Silver-throated Tanagers were among the birds included on the tour’s final checklist. After picking up our to-go breakfast and snapping a few group photos outside the lodge’s reception area, we boarded the bus and began the long drive to San Jose.
I submitted fifty-two eBird checklists over the course of the tour; virtually all of these checklists were shared with the nine participants and all of the checklists may be viewed in this eBird trip report. All birds listed with a “0” were seen or heard by someone in the group other than me. These sightings are not included in the eBird trip report total. Charles Robshaw added many of his excellent photos to the various checklists. Thanks, Charles!
Special thanks to our guide, Gilberto “Chito” Molina, whose exceptional birding skills, constant attention to participant needs, knowledge of all things Costa Rica and infectious enthusiasm made him the perfect guide for this tour. Thanks as well to our driver, Alberto Aguilar, for his professionalism and outstanding driving skills; we always felt safe with Alberto at the wheel. Finally, thanks to the staff at Holbrook Travel, in particular Debbie Jordan, for organizing and handling all the logistics for this tour.
Banner photo - Resplendent Quetzal.