Day Guide for Costa Rica

[birdinggal]

I'm new to Surfbirds, so hello to all of you birders out there!
I'm looking for a birding guide for the free day we have before the main tour we've booked starts (in March). Anyone know of a good local person with his/her own wheels in the San Jose area? We'll be staying at the Bougainvillea Hotel. Birdinggal

[AndyB]

Hi birdinggal, I'm sorry I have no personal recommendations but here are some contacts that have made themselves known to Surfbirds as willing to help visitors. Please check if there are fees and what they are beforehand:

Mathias Kummerlen, lives in San Jose. Biology Student, with 6 years of experience http://zekolla.stormpages.com

Rafael G. ticornis@earthlink.net Profesional bird guide, with over 2 decades of guiding in Costa Rica

Dennis Rogers cinclus@racsa.co.crProfessional guide, resident since 1994. http://www.cinclustours.com Write for info or call 506-268-1097

Also check Guided Birding (http://www.guidedbirding.com/) as they have 2 guides listed for Costa Rica.

Again, unfortunately, I do not have personal recommendations so hopefully other Surfbirds forum members do but these may be a good place to start. Have a great trip!

[birdboybowley]

Hi birdinggal
Just back from CR - don't know of anyone exactly but if you've got a spare day then visit Braulio Carillo. Excellent place and a great trail behind the ranger station at Quebrada Gonzalez, about 45mins from San Jose. Saw lots of mixed flocks here and scored with a female bellbird too. About 1km further up the road is the derelict El Tapir hummer garden. We turned up and the place is totally deserted so stood inside the fence and watched the purple-flowered bushes for about an hour. Most obvious were the very aggressive Rufous-tailed Hummers, but Green Hermit, Green Thorntail, Purple-crowned Fairy and Violet-headed Hummer all turned up, and, best of all, a male Snowcap zipped in and was soon chased off by the RT's but it was the only one I saw all trip. The only no-show was the Black-crested Coquette!
Hope you get there as it was great!!
Ads

[birdinggal]

Hi birdboybowley,
Thanks very much for the recommendations. We've found a guide, rented a car and we will be sure that we get to Braulio Carillo and trail behind the ranger station at Quebrada Gonzalez. Also the derelict hummer garden. We really appreciate your recommendations!

[birdinggal]

Hi Andy,
Thanks for your suggestions of a few weeks ago. I contacted all the people you mentioned. The one who responded was Richard Garrigues, coauthor of the new Birds of Costa Rica. He has been enormously cooperative and accommodating. We are set for what we hope will be a super day of birding with him in March. I will report on our experience. --Birdinggal

[AndyB]

Thanks for letting us know birdinggal. Please let us know how it was after your trip as your feedback on the guide could be helpful for other members looking for someone. Have fun!

[forktail]

Thanks for letting us know birdinggal. Please let us know how it was after your trip as your feedback on the guide could be helpful for other members looking for someone. Have fun!

The hummer 'butterfly' garden is about 1km past Quebrada Gonzalez, further down the caribean slope road and away from San Jose. This site is very good indeed. A family currently live there. The father has worked as a bird guide and cetainly knew his stuff. I spent a day there while hitching from SJ. The family children took me on some new and quite good trails behind the gardens and I was given a large and tasty cooked meal gratis for lunch. Extremely nice and kind people. Snowcap are guaranteed and Black-crested Coquette is a regular - it was my last bird in Costa Rica. :smile:

Note that the road around here has a reputation for gunpoint hold ups and car theft. Better to take the bus

F.

[birdboybowley]

Hey forktail

The hummer garden is totally derelict and uninhabited- trust me on that one!! It looks like the set of an old horror film...but at least the hummers were good to watch. How long ago were you there?

[birdinggal]

I've recently returned from a couple of weeks birding in Costa Rica. This post is to report to all about our experience with the man we hired to take us birding on our first day there, prior to our tour starting.

Richard Garrigues is the author of the new, compact and convenient Birds of Costa Rica. This is a true field guide as opposed to the older Stiles and Skutch book. Richard was very accommodating during the planning stage via email and he was a pleasure to bird with. He came with all equipment (scope, Bird Jam, pointer) and he knew the destination we picked and the birds we wanted to see. He was very enjoyable, knowlegeable and professional. His fee was $150 for the day (in US cash) plus expenses. His expenses were taxi from his home to our hotel and back ($20) and lunch. We did have to rent a car, but he was willing to drive it, so after signing him on as an extra driver at Hertz we were all set. All in all, my companion and I felt we had a great day of birding and we would highly recommend Richard for 1 day or for two weeks. His email is gonebirdingcr@gmail.com I'd be happy to answer anyone's questions about this experience. It was great!

[AndyB]

Many thanks for the follow up. Great info. Will be planning a trip there in the not too distant future.

[Jim McConnell]

Dear Andy, Thanks for your help with Thailand shorebird locations. Also thanks to Paul.

Glad to hear you are heading to Costa Rica. Richard Guarrigues has a son Leo who is also an exceptional guide who works at Rancho Naturalista and would probably contract anywhere. Also, Abraham who co-owns Bosque del Rio Tigre Lodge is an excellent guide.

I think the best places in Costa Rica for birding are (in descending order)
1. Bosque del Rio Tigre Lodge (also stop at bridge at Rincon somewhat prior to lodge for Red-breasted Blackbird, Pearl Kite, Cotingas, etc.)
2. Savegre Lodge
3. Rancho Naturalista
4. Monteverde area (Bellbirds and Long-tailed Manakins are most easily found
at the Bosque Eternal de Los Ninos tract in Monteverde)
5. Rara Avis
6. La Selva Research Station

Sincerely, Jim McConnell

[stoner]

Hello Birding gal do you have a list of what you saw and where you went with this gentleman. We want to head to nicoya peninsula area , Samara Nosara Maybe down to Cobano. Did you get over there?
Thanks
Stoner