Volcanoes and hummingbirds – at least that’s what you’d think based on our photos, although we saw much more than that. This was to be a mixed holiday; not entirely birding, but primarily birding and nature based, with some diving for my partner Matt. Costa Rica Gateway organised this for us, arranging accommodation and transfers from one place to another, and in some instances transfers from our accommodation to docks for boat trips. This was very well organised, and in general our drivers were early, and we spent less time travelling than expected. I can thoroughly recommend Costa Rica Gateway as a company to organise birding accommodation and tours. We only had one hiccup - our transfer from Papagayo to Palo Verde, actually organised by the hotel where we were supposed to stay and which bumped us on to another hotel – and it was more of an adventure than a problem. Our accommodation varied from research stations to luxury hotels, but all were comfortable and well provided. Having transfers from place to place meant that we could avoid driving on some of the worse roads in hired vehicles and navigating along some largely un-signposted routes. However, having a car would have allowed greater freedom to visit some sites which I didn’t get to, such as further up the road from Bosque de Paz and the Bijagual Waterfall Garden. Overall it was a great trip, and we had a lot of fun experiences (perversely even including our cross country drive in search of Palo Verde) where we saw lots of interesting birds, plants and other animals, not to mention volcanoes. This was my first trip to the Americas and the Neotropics, so almost all of the birds I saw were new; overall I saw 404 species, with 388 of these being lifers (underlined below), and I heard a further 7 more.
Guides & Field Guide
I used Garrigues and Dean (2007) The Birds of Costa Rica. As a field guide it seemed adequate to me at the time. I have now seen the other guide available (Stiles and Skutch), which is weightier, but it has more detailed entries, and would be a good reference at home. Apparently, guides in the past have taken the plates from the book and bound these separately for use in the field, so Garrigues and Dean is perhaps handier in the field. I have heard some criticise the plates in Garrigues and Dean and suggest that those in Stiles and Skutch are more accurate as far as colour is concerned, although overall I found the illustrations to be accurate enough.
As far as guides went, we had a number of guides which were provided as part of the package where we stayed, at La Selva and Palo Verde; I can’t even remember all their names, but on the whole they were good, even allowing that some were better on birds than others. Costa Rica Gateway had tried to book us in with bird specialist guides at La Selva where possible, which was much appreciated. The guides on the three different boat tours varied in skill level and command of English, but offered a level of service that varied from fine to excellent. I wanted to make a short visit to Santa Rosa NP when staying in the northwest and Costa Rica Gateway put me in touch with Carlos Jimenez (ticomoklet@yahoo.com). As I’ve noted below in more detail, I just can’t sing his praises highly enough. His company Ecoexplorer runs a number of standard tours and packages, but Carlos himself is a skilled and passionate birder and clearly enjoys showing birders around.
Costa Rica Gateway’s site was also a great source of information.
Itinerary
17/1: -SYD-LA-Houston, staying overnight in Houston.
18/1: Houston- San Jose, staying outside of town at Hotel Bougainvillea, near Santo Domingo; afternoon birding around hotel.
19/1: Morning birding in grounds of Hotel Bougainvillea then transfer to La Selva OTS, and afternoon boat trip on Rio Sarapiqui.
20/1: Early morning birding near rooms then morning nature walk, followed by more birding by myself in the afternoon.
21/1: Birding near lodge then full day guided birding on a number of trails at La Selva.
22/1: Early morning birding then drive to Bosque de Paz; birding around lodge and on trails
23-24/1: Birding around lodge and on trails, Bosque de Paz.
25/1: Early morning birding at Bosque de Paz then drive to Arenal Observatory Lodge; birding on trails at lodge and nearby.
26/1: Early morning hot air balloon ride near Muelle, then birding on trails at lodge and nearby.
27/1: Walk up Cerro Chato, then birding on trails at lodge and nearby.
28/1: Early morning birding on trails at lodge and nearby, then drive to Hilton Papagayo near Playa Hermosa, birding around hotel.
29/1: Half day birding at Santa Rosa NP, stopping in at fish ponds near Coco, then birding around hotel.
30-31/1: Relaxing at hotel; birding on grounds and nearby.
1/2: Transfer to Palo Verde OTS, then afternoon boat trip on Rio Tempisque.
2/2: Morning nature walk around Palo Verde; afternoon birding near lodge.
3/2: Early morning birding around lodge then transfer to Villa Lapas; afternoon birding in grounds of hotel and trails.
4/2: Early morning birding around hotel grounds and trails, then boat ride on Rio Tarcoles; afternoon birding on Senderos Cemento and Quebrada Gonzalez, Carara NP
5/2: Morning birding on Sendero Laguna Meandrica, Carara NP; afternoon birding around hotel gardens and trails at Villa Lapas.
6/2: Early morning birding around hotel then transfer to Manuel Antonio, relaxing at hotel with incidental birding.
7/2: Most of day spent in Manuel Antonio NP.
8/2: Relaxing, with some incidental birding around hotel.
9/2: Morning walk to nearby Playa Espadilla Norte, afternoon transfer to Hotel Bougainvillea, with late afternoon birding around grounds.
10/2: Morning birding around grounds then transfer to airport and flying out to LA via Houston.
Sites
Hotel Bougainvillea
This was our first and last stop of the trip. On arrival after flying in to San Jose’s Juan Santamaria Airport (actually closer to Alajuela), everything was essentially new, although I saw few birds on the drive. I was anxious to get out into the hotel grounds to have a look, but had to stop for lunch first. There was a strong wind blowing which seemed to hamper bird activity and it was colder than I’d expected so the pool wasn’t looking so good after all. I didn’t rack up the hugest list for the hotel grounds on the first afternoon, but novelty and variety were both present, including Blue-crowned Motmot, Hoffmann’s Woodpecker, Blue and White Swallow, Crimson-fronted Parakeet, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and Clay-coloured Robin. The following morning I added more including Baltimore Oriole, Tennessee Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-billed Pigeon and Summer Tanager. Some birds, like Great Kiskadee, Tropical Kingbird and Great-tailed Grackle, I was to see everywhere or at least widely throughout the trip. Others were only seen here, such as Greyish Saltator, White-tailed Kite and Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush. Our return visit provided similar birding conditions and a similar suite of birds, excepting the addition of a few widespread species such as Social Flycatcher and Squirrel Cuckoo. I had hoped to see Prevost’s or White-eared Ground Sparrows, but I had not a whiff of either. Surprisingly, the last bird added to the list, also the last in the field guide, was House Sparrow seen not far from the hotel in the streets of Santo Domingo.
La Selva
La Selva is a reserve and biological station run by the Office of Tropical Studies (OTS), which also maintains Palo Verde OTS situated in Palo Verde NP. The reserve contains primary lowland Caribbean forest, secondary forest spanning a range of ages, and some cleared land, and is located at the junction of the Sarapiqui and Puerto Viejo Rivers. Although most of the buildings are located on either side of the footbridge over the Puerto Viejo River, we were in a lodge located 1.1km along another track, further downstream. This turned out to be a blessing, since there was some great birding around the lodge and along the trail. The rooms were comfortable, and we had a nice deck facing the forest on the back of the building. Birding here was excellent. Even when we had some apparently quiet days (the guides seemed quite surprised, and several blamed the unusually hot weather, unnoticed by us) I still saw more on average here each day than at most other sites.
Although we went on a guided morning nature walk and I had a full day of guiding, birding without a guide was our initial introduction to the site. Upon our arrival we walked across the river and stopped in the clearing near the labs. Here we saw a Slaty-tailed Trogon, then several other birds feeding in a fruiting fig tree, including Golden-hooded, Silver-throated and Plain-coloured Tanagers, Black-faced Grosbeak and Olive-backed Euphonia. Birding along the SUR trail produced Northern-barred Woodcreeper, Yellow-margined Flycatcher and White-shouldered Tanager. Across the stream in the Arboretum, we saw Baltimore Oriole, and then I caught a glimpse of a Bare-necked Umbrellabird followed by some Chestnut-headed Oropendolas in a fruiting tree near the small bridge. Near the cafeteria were Social Flycatcher and Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, the common hummer around the clearings, and Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures cruised overhead as they did everywhere.
Birding was good near our rooms and indeed one morning I decided to stay and just watch these after some neighbouring independent birders told me what they had seen doing just this the previous day. There was an interesting mix which included Passerini’s, Golden-hooded and Blue-grey Tanagers, Northern-barred and Cocoa Woodcreepers, Chestnut-headed and Montezuma Oropendolas, Black-cowled Oriole, Long-tailed Tyrant, Violaceous Trogon, Cinnamon and White-winged Beccards, and Brown-hooded Parrot.
We went on a guided nature walk, which is included with everyone’s stay, but there were quite a few of us and all the birders or the keener natural history seekers were grouped together which turned out to be a bonus. Not only was our guide (Lenin) excellent, but many experienced or keener eyes in the group meant more birds seen overall. We birded around the soccer field near the office and the edges of this clearing, with highlights including a pair of Pale-billed Woodpeckers, Fasciated Antshrike, Mealy Parrot, Grey-rumped Swift and Rufous-tailed Jacamar. Band-backed, Bay and Black-throated Wrens were all seen well here in the fringing heliconias and adjacent vegetation. We went a little way along the trail that lead to our rooms (SAZ) where we saw Yellow-margined Flycatcher and Rufous-winged Woodpecker. Back across the footbridge we saw Short-billed Pigeon and a soaring Double-toothed Kite, and then we moved on to the clearing near the labs. Here in the fruiting trees again was a mixed flock, with a few different species this time such as Bay-headed Tanager, Yellow-crowned and White-vented Euphonias, Green Honeycreeper and Scarlet-thighed Dacnis. Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer and Purple-crowned Fairy both obliged with great views near here, as did Cinnamon Beccard. Further along the SOR trails towards the river station we saw Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Collared Aracari, Olive-striped and Ochre-bellied Flycatchers, and Broad-billed Motmot. Along a branch trail near a small swamp we saw the tiny Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant, the smallest of the family in the country. Further along the SOR trail we found a group of White-faced Capuchins which were followed by a Double-toothed Kite, which landed on the ground only metres in front of us chasing insects disturbed by the troupe as it moved through.
I had booked us in for a full day of guided birding. It was a little less than a full day, and due to some doubling up of bookings, we did get a private guide but it was closer to 8:30 than 8:00 when we began. Things started a little quieter, and our guide Edgardo took us along the SAZ trial, almost back to our rooms, where we came across a couple of mixed flocks: these included Plain-brown and Streak-headed Woodcreepers, Smoky-brown Woodpecker, Plain Xenops, Yellow-bellied and Yellow-olive Flycatcher and Long-billed Gnatwren. Band-tailed Barbthroat males chased each other at a lek, and Crested Guan, Bright-rumped Attila and Black-throated Trogon were all here. We heard both Great Green Macaw and Grey-headed Kite but were unable to see either. Passing back over the footbridge to the clearing, seeing similar species to previous days, we then walked along the STR trail. By now things had quietened down considerably. A highlight here was our first views of Chestnut-backed Antbird, a species which I saw more readily near the soccer field later, then much more easily at sites on the Pacific slope. We were back by 11am, seeing 2 pairs of Rufous Motmots together along the way.
I met up with Edgardo again after lunch. Afternoon highlights began with my first views of a pair of Great Green Macaws flying over the river near the bridge, and a single Sungrebe on the river itself. We then went further along the STR trail. Birds were considerably quieter by then, but we did eventually find our target, Purple-throated Fruitcrow eventually. After this we birded back around the labs and soccer field, offices and a little way along the SAZ trail again and it’s branch, the FLA2. Many of the species seen were similar to those seen earlier, but we did get views of White-ringed Flycatcher in the clearing, and Olive Sparrow and Dusky Antbird near the FLA2 junction. Although it seemed as though I didn’t see too many birds and Edgardo thought birding was very slow, I had my second highest daily total that day.
We went on two guided night walks, and saw Vermiculated Screech Owl on one of these, but otherwise saw roosting diurnal birds such as Wood Thrush and Great Tinamou. We saw more nocturnal birds near our rooms, with Common Pauraques flying around the clearing and on the adjacent road after dusk. We found a Mottled Owl on the edge of forest near the rooms on our return from dinner one night, and the following night I was woken in the early hours by a strange noise rather like Rolf Harris’ famous wobbleboard (a wobbleboard is just a sheet of tin which is vibrated back and forth, Rolf is famous for this as musical accompaniment among other things). This turned out to be two Spectacled Owls calling from behind the water tank tower at the lodge.
We also went on a boat trip on the Rio Sarapiqui (actually it started on this river but then turned up the Rio Puerto Viejo, as far as the footbridge at la Selva). Highlights from this relaxed boat ride included Sungrebe, Green Ibis, a roosting Spectacled Owl, Anhinga and Olive-throated Parakeet, and non-bird highlights included perhaps the largest Iguanas seen on the trip, Caiman and Green Basilisk.
I birded by myself back on a number of occasions. Down the SOR and SUR trails one afternoon I had excellent views of Broad-billed and Rufous Motmots, Keel-billed Toucan, Black-throated Trogon and White-vented Thrush, and Yellow-billed Caciques in mid-storey growth next to the footbridge at eye level. I found many good birds along the SAZ trails, sometimes during morning or afternoon birding walks, but also just walking to and from our rooms, and these included a pair of Little Tinamous calling in open undergrowth next to the track, both Olive Quail-Dove and Blue Ground-Dove flushed from the track, Cinnamon Woodpecker and White-collared Manakin. On the adjacent FLA3 trail, nearer to our lodge, I saw Red-throated Ant-Tanager, White-breasted Wood-Wren, Rufous-tailed Jacamar and White-crowned Parrot. On the FLA2 trail I found Bronzy Hermit, a Slaty-breasted Tinamou crossing the track, and an Ovenbird in the dark undergrowth. I heard Great and Barred Antshrike here; the latter were more numerous and I heard these also on other nearby tracks, but couldn’t ever get a glimpse of them.
In retrospect, I would probably have had at least another day there if I could, just for La Selva without even going to nearby La Virgen or Braulio Carillo, there was just so much to explore. This was perhaps one of the best birding places of the trip.
Bosque de Paz
After a bumpy ride we arrived here at this private reserve which lies in a corridor between Poas and Juan Castro Blanco National Parks. The lodge is near the lower reaches, at c. 1480m, but the highest parts of the reserve are over 2400m. I had chosen this as a quieter alternative to Montverde, and quieter it was. There are only 8 rooms, but were only at most 2 other groups present during in our three night stay, and this is the only lodge on the reserve. I had hoped to organise a day trip up to Poas, partially in hope of seeing higher altitude species, but this just didn’t work out. I’m sure if the owner, who turned up later in our visit, had been their earlier this could have been done.
It was a beautiful place to stay, and the birding was great. If you want hummingbirds, this is a great place to visit. Violet Sabrewings and Green-crowned Brilliants were the most common and dominant hummers at the feeders, but others seen at the feeders (in descending order of abundance) were Purple-throated Mountain-Gem, Magnificent Hummingbird, Magenta-throated Woodstar, Green Hermit, Green Violet-ear and Green Thorntail. Individual Scintillant Hummingbirds fed regularly in the garden, especially on the Stachytarphetta in the Butterfly Garden nearby, but I only saw one once at the feeders. A Stripe-tailed Hummingbird also fed in the butterfly garden on one occasion and I also saw a single Volcano Hummingbird in forest edge near our room once (unusually low altitude for this species). Near the hummingbird feeders were feeding tables that were regularly supplied with cornmeal; these and the ground nearby attracted again some regulars, such as the Common Bush-Tanagers, Chestnut-capped Brush-Finches, Yellow-thighed Finches and a few White-naped Brush Finches. Black Guans were regulars here too, although more so in the early morning and late afternoon. Other seen near the feeders included Rose-breasted Grosbeak, White-tipped Dove, Rufous-collared Sparrow, and surprisingly, a single Chiriqui Quail Dove feeding on grain at the edge of the butterfly garden.
Some interesting birds were seen in the gardens and forest edge right near our room. Here a fig tree was in fruit and this attracted a range of birds including Prong-billed Barbets, the beautiful Emerald Toucanet, Mountain Robin, Flame-throated Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Slaty Spinetail was one of the last birds I saw for this site, skulking underneath this tree as we waited to leave. Black Phoebe was a regular inhabitant around the river near the gardens, as was Louisiana Waterthrush. I saw my only Golden-browed Chlorophonia from the restaurant at breakfast, in forest edge near the feeder table.
The reserve has a network of trails. I had expected more, but it seemed that some of the higher trails were closed. We walked up the only one that went for several km, to a beautiful waterfall. I asked about the altitude and was told by one of the staff it was about 2200m (It seemed less). It was scenic, but I saw few birds higher up including Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher and Collared Redstart, both of which I saw later at lower altitudes, and good views of soaring raptors with a single Great Black-Hawk, flying with Turkey Vultures.
The remaining trails wound up and down the slope and into some side valleys, through primary forest and second growth; the Galleria Trail was perhaps the best for primary forest. I birded these trails several times over during the course of our stay. Mixed flocks almost always included Common Bush-Tanager and Three-striped Warblers, but were joined at times by others such as Red-faced Spinetail, Spotted Barbtail, Black-and-White Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler and Golden-crowned Warbler. Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush were common in the undergrowth, more so than Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush which also made an appearance. Pairs of Slate-throated Redstarts were scattered at regular intervals along the trails and Grey-throated Wood-Wrens were conspicuous in the undergrowth.
Orange-collared Trogons made occasional appearances, with great views of a single female bird near the sanctuary by the stream. American Dippers foraged among the boulders in a couple of places, but no sign of Torrent Tyrannulet. Furnarids were particularly well represented – in addition to those already mentioned I saw Buffy Tuftedcheek, Ruddy Treerunner, Lineated Foliage-gleaner, Streak-breasted Treehunter, Spot-crowned and Spotted Woodcreepers. Interesting flycatchers were included Eye-ringed Flatbill, Mountain Elaenia, Yellowish Flycatcher and Tufted Flycatcher. Other interesting birds from the trails included Wrenthrush, Azure-hooded Jay, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (an unusual sighting) and Black-faced Solitaire. Bosque de Paz was a beautiful place to stay and offered a peaceful location to see some fascinating birds. This could be combined with higher altitude birding; I’ve also heard that there is good higher altitude roadside birding higher up the road which runs past the lodge, but hadn’t researched this carefully enough before going to try it.
Arenal
By the time we hit Arenal we entered back into the mainstream tourist trail. Bosque de Paz had been quiet and largely occupied by birders or at least people with bins, and La Selva was, in Matt’s words, ‘Ecogeek Heaven’, but Arenal attracted a much bigger and wider audience. To be fair many people sitting on the deck at Arenal Observatory lodge, where we stayed for three nights, had bins for volcano watching also had bird field guides, and some larger birding groups did turn up here, but it was also much more mainstream than the other places, and just plain crowded. It took a little while to adjust.
Arenal Observatory Lodge is said to be the only hotel in the area with views of active lava; in daytime it just seems to be persistent boulders rolling down the slope, but at night you see how hot these are as they glow and leave red streaks down the volcano’s cone. It is said to be one of the best bases for birding in the area. Whilst it is adjacent to the national park and has a couple of trail heads which go into the park from the lodge, these are currently closed in the park due to a higher level of danger. So I never actually birded in the park, but birding in some nearby forest on trails leading from the lodge or nearby was quite successful. I was subsequently told that also birding along the road nearby is also quite good, I just never managed to walk that far.
Fruit was regularly put out for birds to feed on near the observation deck, and birds were constantly hanging around. Dominant larger species included Brown Jay, Montezuma Oropendola and Clay-coloured Robin, but others which put in an appearance here included Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Palm Tanager, Blue-grey Tanager, Passerini’s Tanager, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Golden-hooded Tanager, Olive-backed Euphonia, Yellow-crowned Euphonia and Emerald Tanager. Many others were seen in the adjacent gardens and forest edge, and those near the pool and main building complex, including Tropical Parula (much more common here than at Bosque de Paz) Black-cowled Oriole, Collared Aracari, Keel-billed Toucan (I heard Chestnut-mandibled Toucan constantly but never saw these there), Blue Dacnis, Tawny-capped Euphonia, Crimson-collared Tanager, Summer Tanager, Crested Guan and Bananaquit. Hummingbirds were most commonly represented by Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, with Violet-headed Hummingbird coming a close second, but others found in the gardens included a pair of White-necked Jacobins, a Green Hermit and a male Black-crested Coquette. Flocks of swifts passed overhead and include White-collared, Black and Vaux’s Swifts. The most numerous raptors were Black and Turkey Vultures, but Broad-winged, Short-tailed and Grey Hawks were all seen here.
There were a number of trails on the lodge grounds which went into forest or secondary growth for at least part of their length. The Sainto Trail in particular, one of the shortest, was quite productive over a few visits, although at times it was dark and gloomy making viewing birds that little bit harder. Gems from here included a mixed flock of tanagers, with Olive Tanager (common here on a number of trails), Red-throated Ant-Tanager, and Bay-headed Tanager. Dusky Antbird and Orange-billed Sparrow foraged on the ground in the thickets, and on the forest edge near the ends of the trail, I had great views of Hepatic Tanager, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant and Band-backed Wren.
One of the best trails leading from near the lodge went down to a waterfall on the Danta River. I birded along here at least once each day, buoyed by the hope of seeing the semi-tame Ocelot which others I passed on the track assured me they had seen, but I never saw it; I did however see some great birds. Sometimes birding here was slow, but at other times it was cracking. I came across a couple of mixed flocks, one near the waterfall one day which included Song Wren, Stripe-breasted Wren, Tawny-faced Gnatwren and the very attractive Spotted Antbird. On another afternoon I came across another mixed flock moving through the mid and upper levels, highlights of which included White-throated Shrike-Tanager, Blue-and-Gold Tanager and Striped Woodhaunter. Other highlights from this trail included Nightingale Wren, Bay Wren, Grey-chested Dove, Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush, Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher, Immaculate Antbird, Streak-crowned Antvireo, Buff-rumped Warbler and Golden-crowned Warbler. On at least one occasion I walked further along a rough track forming a loop back to the beginning, and saw both Russet Antshrike and Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush.
A number of trails in the network followed roads or paths through nearby farmland, a habitat I otherwise missed for the rest of the trip. Here Variable Seedeaters were joined by Black-faced Grassquits, Blue-black Grassquits and Thick-billed Seed-Finches, and Eastern Meadowlark, Melodious Blackbird and Grey-crowned Yellowthroat were all in nearby paddocks.
We planned a walk to Cerro Chato, and of course this day turned out to be the only one when it REALLY rained during the day. We delayed the start by half an hour or so until the rain stopped, thinking that it was lifting, but after fifteen minutes or so, as we were walking through open country to the base of the mountain, it started to rain, and then became heavier and heavier. We stopped at a shelter at the mountain base for 45 minutes, waiting for the now torrential rain to ease, since going back would have resulted in us being drenched anyway. When the rain lifted we chanced it. I had hoped to see some (any) birds in the primary forest on this walk, but spent most of my time looking where to put my feet. The trail, and that is using the word very loosely, was no more than a long string of gullies and muddy edges going up the steep slope. Already slippery from the rain, the track then became worse from the clouds which descended the slope and engulfed us about ten minutes into the climb. We passed a group of French backpackers near the top who told us that the trail down to the lake from the crater rim was much worse, so we decided that since we were nearly there we may as well go to the top but not down to the lake. I might add that in clear weather you can see this allegedly beautiful lake from the top (and probably some good views of the surrounds) but we saw mist and that was it. But the birds, you ask? Well, other than a few Common Bush-Tanagers at the top, we saw none on the way up or down. Few birds even squeaked on the way down (but I did hear Grey-breasted Wood-Wren), and those that did eluded sight. At the base I saw Wedge-billed Woodcreeper (good views while we waited for the rain to ease) and Purple-crowned Fairy, (at the end of the descent). I was just happy to get down without twisting an ankle.
One of the most interesting side trips was a hot air balloon ride from Muelle, a 30 min drive from La Fortuna on the other side of the volcano (which we nearly missed due to missing our alarm). On the drive out we saw plenty of Common Pauraques, which we had sample opportunity to see up close due to our slow speed on the bad road surface. Red-winged Blackbirds were foraging in the pasture at our launch site, and Orange-chinned Parakeets flew nearby. Our flight took us over a small patch of rainforest where we saw Grey Hawk and Mealy Parrot; seeing birds from above offered an interesting perspective. On our descent into farmland about 15 minutes drive from La Fortuna, I saw my first Mangrove Cuckoo, quite a rare bird in this part of the country. Roadside birds seen on the drive back to the hotel included Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Giant Cowbird (but no Bronzed Cowbirds surprisingly) and Groove-billed Ani.
Papagayo and nearby
As a result of our itinerary being changed at the last moment and we ended up at the Hilton Papagayo, and not at Ocotal as originally planned. The hotel sprawled over a large area, partly due to much accommodation being in single or double room buildings scattered throughout the grounds: great for privacy and aesthetics, not so good for taking up land. This was fringed by tracts of dry forest. I guess a lot was regrowth, but it nevertheless held some interesting birds. Upon arrival we were greeted by some of the usuals for the region – White-throated Magpie-Jays, Great-tailed Grackle (both of which were frequently hanging by the restaurant for food scraps and had to be almost physically removed from plates and tables), White-fronted Parrot, Orange-fronted Parakeet and Rufous-naped Wren.
During the four night stay the birding pace slowed considerably. After visiting Santa Rosa National Park on 29/1, I really didn’t want to expend energy going too far. I mostly birded around the hotel grounds, including the walking tracks at either end of the beach. Upon Carlos’ recommendation, I checked out a patch of thicker forest down the road from the hotel, on 31/1. Most species seen here were similar to those seen nearby, but I did get to see my first Thicket Tinamou, scrambling into the undergrowth as soon as I’d spotted it, and White-necked Puffbird perched out in the open on the roadside, along with excellent views of Turquoise-browed Motmot.
I also checked out the next beach up the coast, Monkey Beach, at high tide. A flock of Surfbirds on the low rocks on the point at the beginning of the beach was perhaps the most unusual sight. A small creek estuary with fringing mangroves held a number of herons, including my first Green and Tricoloured Herons, along with Great and Little Blue Herons and Bare-throated Tiger Heron. The mangroves themselves held Cinnamon Hummingbird, Cavinet’s Emerald, more Black-headed Trogons, and ‘Mangrove’ Warbler, the resident race of the Yellow Warbler which is sometimes treated as a separate species. I went to walk a little further, but when I hit a road leading back from the beach, and looked back to the water a sign warned against trespassers – in the direction of where I had been – so I didn’t push my luck.
The hotel grounds, both gardens and surrounding dry forest, offered up some nice species. Plain-capped Starthroats were conspicuous around the main pool area as they fed (at least in the afternoon) at a Pochote (Bombacopsis quinnata) tree. Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans were regular off the beach, and both Royal Tern and Osprey put in occasional appearances. A single Spotted Sandpiper was a fixture on the beach itself. On my first afternoon wander up to the lookout I added Common Ground-Dove, Stripe-headed Sparrow, and Yellow-naped Parrots. Other birds seen around the hotel included Mangrove Cuckoo, Banded Wren, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Mangrove Black Hawk, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Cavinet’s Emerald, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Hoffmann’s Woodpecker, Black-headed Trogon and Streak-backed Oriole. At night, Common Pauraques hawked for insects in the beam of a large spotlight over the water, and a Great Blue Heron foraged on the water’s edge. Mammal highlight from here would have to be great views of a Tamanuda (Anteater) in a tree in dry forest on one of the trails.
Perhaps most unexpectedly, after seeing one earlier nearby, I had great views of a pair of White-necked Puffbirds quietly sitting in the dry forest near the pool. Frankly, if left to myself for the whole time without the guilt of a largely non-birding partner, I’d probably keep the pace up throughout the trip, but there is something relaxing about having an enforced rest day by the pool, and after days of walking it’s nice to expend no more effort than to lift the bins up to the eyes. Lazy it may be but it was a holiday and I knew there would be few days like this!
On our return drive from Santa Rosa, at Carlos’ suggestion, we stopped to look at some fish ponds from the road to Coco (near Communidad). This turned out to be pretty spectacular for me; although the overall numbers weren’t high, many of the species were new for me, even if I was to see many more of them at other locations such as Palo Verde. Both Snail Kite and Osprey patrolled over the ponds, Great Blue and Little Blue Herons and Bare-throated Tiger-Herons were present, along with Snowy Egret, Wood Stork, Northern Jacana, Limpkin and a single Roseate Spoonbill. A quick scan of the ponds revealed ducks which all turned out to be Blue-winged Teal. This was the only site where I saw Least Grebe and American Coot. Further on near Papagayo, we found a group of Swainson’s Hawks flying over burning pasture, no doubt picking up animals driven out by the fire.
Santa Rosa National Park
Santa Rosa National Park is famed for being one of the last great tracts of dry forest in Central America. I organised to go birding for half a day with Carlos Jiminez, a guide recommended by Costa Rica Gateway. Carlos picked me up at 5:00am, so that we could get to the park early enough. We stopped off for breakfast (empanadas and coffee) en route in Liberia at dawn before heading on. On approach to the park we saw Yellow-naped and White-fronted Parrots, then an American Kestrel perched on a wire over pasture, and my first Yellow-headed Caracara further on. Wind would be the hampering factor in the park, as the winds blowing in off the coast are a regular feature at this time of year and sometimes can be very strong. We tried to find Lesser Ground Cuckoo near the gate with no success, then went on further to a stretch of mature moister forest down the road. This area was quite productive, although at first few birds seemed to be moving. We birded on the road, and a little way into the forest, but already the wind was started to blow hard and hampered our efforts. Highlights here would have to be Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, my first Black-headed Trogon, Long-tailed Manakins, Rufous-capped Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo and several Western Slaty-Antshrikes. The last species is otherwise found on the Caribbean slope, but a tiny remnant population occurs in these denser forests in the park. Other good birds seen here included Lesser Greenlet (everywhere, and I probably missed more of these at earlier sites due to not knowing the call), Steely-vented Hummingbird, White-lored Gnatcatcher and Streaked Flycatcher. Both Northern Bentbill and Stub-tailed Spadebill called but could not be found, and we didn’t get a whiff of Elegant Trogon either here or elsewhere in the park, despite Carlos' efforts.
We drove on and parked at La Casona, the heart of the park and the scene of a famous battle where Costa Ricans managed to drive back a Nicaraguan force led by a gung-ho American. A short loop trail lead into some drier forest here, where we found some regulars, along with Olive Sparrow, another Olivaceous Woodcreeper, a female Western Tanager, a well out of range (at least according to the field guide) Long-billed Gnatwren, and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Further on the road nearby to the research station buildings we found a brilliant male Western Tanager, Nutting’s and Brown-headed Flycatchers, and more Black-headed Trogons. We headed back to our first location, seeing a group of Great Curassows just off the road along the way, and more as we headed off the road into the same patch of forest. A single Blue-crowned Motmot flew past here, where it is a rare bird, but there were few other additions to the list and it was getting quieter by now. A notable sighting here was a Boa constrictor, which is an impressive and beautiful snake (although for some reason I had expected them to be bigger). We headed off, stopping in some grassland to look for Double-striped Thick-knee, then back at the gate trying for Lesser Ground Cuckoo again, both with no success.
Although we missed a few target species, we saw some nice specialties of the park, and I was pretty stoked. I really wanted to see the vegetation as well, so was happy from this point alone, irrespective of some of the great birds seen. Carlos was an excellent guide, I couldn’t praise him highly enough and would recommend anyone contacting him if they are staying in the north-west and want to do a day’s birding here or even further. He is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable birder, having trained like many at La Selva, and later working at Palo Verde, but his interests span wider. We chatted about birds, other animals, plants, vegetation and ecology of Costa Rica, Australia and a few other places pretty much most of the time we weren’t birding, which I found very enjoyable. His work often sees him taking general tours but he is at his happiest when he is guiding people birding, and I couldn’t recommend him enough.
Palo Verde & the Tempisque River
Due to a change in our hotels, we had problems with our transfer out from Papagayo. When a transfer did arrive (a local taxi driver), he had only been told to go to Palo Verde, so we ended up on the eastern side of the river, in a small town from where boat tours left. After a quick discussion and dragging out the Lonely Planet for contact details of where we were supposed to be, we started the journey back. Then we got lost. We probably spent an hour driving through sugar cane around the Filadelfia district, before we finally found the town, and after a brief stop back at his company’s headquarters; more apologies, more explanations, but really they were not at fault and I didn’t care as long as they eventually took us to where we supposed to be – which they eventually did. I say eventually, because the worst road in the entire trip was the 28km into Palo Verde OTS from the Interamericana at Bacages. Most of this was bone jarring, but I did see some birds along the way, most predictable; I think that some of the tiniest ground-doves may have been Plain-breasted Ground Dove on size alone, but without better views I’ll never know. A Lineated Woodpecker near the edge of the park was a highlight. We pulled into the station at around 4:30 (7 hrs after we were ready with our bags at reception for what would have been only about 2hrs, even with the atrocious road), and Sonia from CR Gateway had already organised to have our boat trip put back from 4 to 5pm, but we were rushed straight off down to the dock. We coaxed our poor driver to take us those last few km, I’m pretty sure he was praying that he would ever get back - it turned out that he had only worked as a driver for four weeks, and never been to most of the places we had driven through!
So with no time to spare we made it onto the boat for our cruise. We flew upstream on the Tempisque River with the tide, spotting many waterbirds along the way. Huge flocks of Cattle Egrets lined the river, along with smaller numbers of many others such as Roseate Spoonbill, Bare-faced Tiger-Herons, American White Ibis, Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, Boat-billed Herons and Black-crowned Night-Herons. In the distance our only Jabiru of the trip circled up high. Although the guide and skipper tried their best to slow the boat to stop and look at some birds, we were fighting a huge tidal current and we just flew past so quickly that it was a little hard to spot some birds. Nevertheless it was thoroughly enjoyable, a welcome relief to being stuck in the car neither sure of where we were going and if we would get wherever that may have turned out to be. Having arrived back at the dock a little earlier than expected, we started walking back thinking that we could meet our guide (and station manager), Hilberto, part way along the road. We saw a pair of Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls in open woodland, perching near the roadside affording great views, and a White-tailed Deer. We had been in such a rush that we hadn’t even seen the marshes which were just across the road from where we were staying at the station, and the park’s main drawcard.
Over the course of the next day and following morning, we visited the marshes several times, at least once as part of our ‘nature tour’ with Hilberto. Down at the marsh was where most of the bird action was at, and the spectacle of birds here was very impressive. For sheer bulk, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck would have to be the most numerous, with thousands of birds, but there were maybe about 20 or so Fulvous Whistling-Ducks scattered among these, along with several hundred Blue-winged Teal and smaller numbers of Muscovy Duck. Herons were represented by Great and Little Blue Herons, Tricoloured Heron, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Green Heron, Snowy and Cattle Egrets. Flocks of American White Ibis probed the mud, as did the spectacularly coloured Roseate Spoonbill, and a few Limpkins and Glossy Ibis. Northern Jacanas foraged near the edges as did Purple Gallinule, and a single Common Moorhen. Snail Kites regularly sailed overhead as did the omnipresent Turkey Vultures; in the distance flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds wheeled in the reeds. Barn Swallows hawked for insects constantly, and a flock of White-collared Seedeaters foraged in grass on the marsh edge and adjacent forest.
Carlos had advised me that although the forest looks fine and the birds are present, it can be hard birding in the dry forest at Palo Verde, and he was right. Our tour took us at first on El Guayacan trail, onto the ridge behind the station where there were sweeping views over the marsh, the river plain and to the hills over in the Nicoya Peninsula. Land birds were few at first petering off to nearly none later in the day, with the wind constantly howling, but we did see a Steely-vented Hummingbird on a nest, White-lored Gnatcatcher, Rose-throated Beccard and Philadelphia Vireo. But the walk to the ridge was worth it for the views alone. I birded on this trail later the following day, working my way into some thicker forest in the lee of the ridge, apparently a possible spot for Long-tailed Manakin and Elegant Trogon, as was another trail (La Roca) leading to a great viewpoint, but failed to see either of these. Between these and the road, over the 2 days I managed to see a few more land birds, including Crested Guan, Thicket Tinamou with its bright orange legs, a pair of roosting Spectacled Owls right near the road, Greenish Elaenia, and a female Hook-billed Kite. Birds seen around the lodge included White-fronted Parrot, Orange-fronted Parakeet, Yellow-naped Parrot (although we had missed the Scarlet Macaws Hilberto saw flying over as we ate breakfast), Cinnamon Hummingbird and the often-present Great Curassows. These last seemed to hang at the back of the kitchen much like gulls (or in Sydney, Ibis) hoping for a feed.
Palo Verde was worth the visit for the spectacle of the waterbirds alone, but the views were an added bonus. Another added bonus was that on our bone-jarring drive out, I saw a Pearl Kite perched in a tree in pasture.
Carara National Park and Tarcoles,
Situated where the dry forests of the north-west meet (or grade into) the wet forests of the southern Pacific coasts, this area supports a correspondingly large suite of birds. Added to this is a variety of habitats which increases the diversity. We stayed 3 nights and some of my highest daily bird counts were here. We had booked for a boat cruise on the Tarcoles River on 4/2. This was specifically billed as mangrove birding tour, and not only was it geared to birders, but once again we had the whole boat to ourselves, so it was pleasantly uncrowded. This was highlighted when we passed other boats which were jammed packed with 30+ people all taking photos of the boat driver feeding crocodiles on the bank (n.b., you get to see this from your own boat as an added extra, regardless of whether you like or approve of it or not).
We wound upstream at first soon finding the key species on a sandbank close to each other, 2 Double-striped Thick-knees, and several Southern Lapwings – perhaps the most beautiful lapwing. Willets, Whimbrels, Least Sandpipers and a single Western Sandpiper rested on a nearby sandbank, as did a group of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and Blue-winged Teal. All the expected herons were there, including Boat-billed Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and Tricoloured Heron, along with Roseate Spoonbill, Northern Jacana and more of the usual suspects. Heading downstream we added others such as Amazon Kingfisher, Anhinga, Wood Stork, American White Ibis and Ruddy Turnstone. We eventually worked out way to near a mudflat near the rivers mouth, seemingly very close to the beach. Although a little distant, there were huge flocks of Brown Pelicans, and largish flocks of Laughing Gulls. A single Black Skimmer lurked among the roosting gulls, and Royal Terns were accompanied by smaller numbers of Sandwich and Common Terns. We had to turn around before we got too close to avoid being swept out, and we made very slow progress against the current but were soon back into calmer waters where a large flock of Magnificent Frigatebirds were diving into the water fishing.
Turning into a smaller tributary we entered mangroves in search of mangrove specialists. We saw Mangrove Black Hawks, Mangrove Cuckoo and ‘Mangrove’ Warblers, but we missed some others including Mangrove Hummingbird and Rufous-necked Wood Rail. I had opted for a later morning start to be a bit more comfortable for my non-birding partner, but since we entered the mangroves towards the end of the trip, these probably would have been more productive on an earlier time slot. Nevertheless, overall the trip as good value and our guide Luis was very knowledgeable.
Carara National Park always gets a good wrap, and to me this seems well deserved. I had arranged it so that we had a morning and afternoon in the park, but probably would have been better going for two mornings. The park opened at 7am but closed at 4pm, and although there was nothing really stopping us from staying later after it closed, our afternoon slot was the one where we were walking form the park headquarters, so I wasn’t sure what to expect if we turned up too late.
We started our birding at Carara National Park with a brief walk on the trails leading from the park headquarters, the uninspiringly named Sendero Cemento (Cement Trail, constructed from concrete), and the Sendero Quebrada Bonita. Arriving at 2:50, we were sold our tickets with the proviso that we only had an hour and ten minutes left to use them; these people seemed pretty serious about their closing hours but 4pm close or not, I had negotiated with our driver to meet at 4:45. It was still stinking hot at first and it took some time before we even heard anything in the mostly primary forest, but after a while birds appeared. Muscovy Ducks were quietly resting on the Quebrada Bonita Creek, near the bridge, whilst Short-billed Pigeons called overhead and were occasionally seen. Sendero Quebrada Bonita turned out to be the more productive of the two, and we had great views of a pairs of Scarlet Macaws near a nest, another in a nest hole, and Stub-tailed Spadebill, Golden-crowned Spadebill, Grey-headed Tanager and Black-crowned Tityra. The Sendero Cemento offered nice views of Chestnut-backed Antbird, Riverside Wren and Cocoa Woodcreeper, and Black-hooded Antshrikes were common throughout. The clearing and its forest edges held White-winged Dove, Ruddy Ground-Dove and Rufous-naped Wren. Perhaps a morning visit would have been much more productive but given how patchy birds can be within primary forest, maybe this was pretty good.
The following morning we arrived at the park headquarters at opening at 7am to buy our tickets (you can’t by the following day’s ticket in advance), then went straight to the Sendero Laguna Meandrica trail head. A mix of primary forest, secondary forest, scrub and lagoon, the open habitat for much of the trail in itself automatically suggested richer birding, but even in the primary forest we saw a lot of birds, some of which were local, rare or otherwise special. Highlights from here included a Three-wattled Bellbird calling from an open branch, a Yellow-billed Cotinga in flight, Orange-collared Manakins, Royal Flycatcher, Tawny-winged and Long-tailed Woodcreepers, Long-billed Starthroat, Blue-throated Goldentail, Tawny-crowned Greenlet, Fiery-billed Aracari and Slate-headed Tody-Tyrant. Dot-winged Antwrens were found along with the more widely seen Chestnut-backed Antbirds, Black-hooded Antshrikes and Dusky Antbirds. Boat-billed Heron, Anhinga and Amazon Kingfisher were all at the lagoon. And that’s not even mentioning most of the more common birds. Birds were still active at 11am when we returned, although far less so than when we had arrived. This was an excellent morning’s birding, and Carara lived up to its reputation.
Our base for three nights in the area was Villa Lapas. The hotel has its own private reserve with trails, but much of this network is a canopy walkway, which in itself would have been interesting, but you had to do it as part of a tour and I just never got around to it. I was happy to spend spare time birding around the hotel gardens and on the short rudimentary trail system which no doubt existed to provide access to the zipline platforms. Overall this still covered a range of habitats, and the forest birds here were quite impressive, including such gems as Stub-tailed Spadebill, Northern Bentbill, Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher, Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, Black-throated Trogon, Long-tailed Manakin (brilliant views of males dancing at a lek in sunlight), Dot-winged Antwren, Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner, Rufous and White Wren, and Riverside Wren. Buff-rumped Warbler, Variable Seedeater, Blue-black Grosbeak, Spotted Sandpiper, Green Kingfisher, Northern Waterthrush and Black-tailed Flycatcher were all found along the river and its associated secondary growth. I had great views of a pair of White-necked Jacobins here, with the male in display flight, and a single American White Ibis was often lurking around.
The gardens provided some nice birding, some of this being relaxed birding from the comfort of a chair in between dips in the pool. Two King Vultures circled overhead along with Black and Turkey Vultures, Scarlet Macaws flew high over the valley throughout our time here, a Chuck-wills-widow was surprisingly roosting on a low-ish branch of one of the trees in the lawn, and a small group of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were regular visitors to the garden. Other good birds seen here included Double-toothed Kite, Bat Falcon, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, American Redstart, White-collared Swift, Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift, Costa Rican Swift, Yellow-throated Euphonia, Social Flycatcher, Grey-capped Flycatcher and Southern Beardless-tyrannulet.
Manuel Antonio
I had the last expectations of Manuel Antonio and was somewhat pleasantly surprised. Although touristy (no more so than Arenal really), it really wasn’t as bad as I had imagined it would be. I didn’t expect to see too many new birds, but this was also a factor of having seen so many by now, and both wet lowlands and Pacific coast species, that few birds would be new. I added probably half a dozen species to the trip list, all lifers bar one.
Our hotel had great views down to the bay, by virtue of its height. Nearly halfway between Manuel Antonio NP and Quepos, it sat at around 120m above sea level. I tried to get down to the back garden once or twice but was stopped by rain and otherwise everything that I saw, I saw from either our veranda or the pool/restaurant area. Perhaps the most astounding sighting of all, for being well out of range, was of a stunning male Elegant Euphonia. No I am not crazy, it was unmistakable with the powder blue cap, and was sunning on the tip of a branch along with other euphonias, tanagers and honeycreepers, seen from the breakfast table at our hotel. This bird was easily 1000m outside of the normal altitudinal range, and I know birds can turn up unexpectedly and move up and down slope, but this was a corker. Especially because I had missed it at Bosque de Paz and thought that my chance was over. My only Charming Hummingbird was seen from the pool, as was the only Piratic Flycatcher, and I only saw Golden-naped Woodpeckers in the gardens here. Other birds seen here included Red-crowned Woodpecker, Thick-billed and Yellow-crowned Euphonias, Blue-grey, Palm, Golden-hooded and Cherrie’s Tanagers, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and even Blue-crowned Motmot. I scanned all Anis and no matter how many I saw, all here appeared to be Groove-billed Anis and not the hoped for Smooth-billed.
We ventured down the hill and into Manuel Antonio National Park early on our second day, arriving not long after the park had opened. There used to be two entrances, but you can now only access the park via one route, which tends to funnel people in a one-way direction, probably attempting to minimise the traffic. Even at this hour there were groups meeting at the gate, tour guides waiting to take people, and guides leading groups all along the track. We had decided not to get a guide, since we figured we could probably find a lot of things ourselves (height of presumption) and had seen a lot by this stage anyway. I didn’t want to steal guiding from groups but it’s hard to walk past people looking into a tree and not look yourself, curious that they may be seeing something you might have missed. The main road in was quite noisy so we soon left this when we could, and walked up to the lookout, where we had our best view of a Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth for the trip (and unassisted by a guide).
We then headed down to Playa Gemelas, where we saw the star attraction of Central American Squirrel Monkeys, then back on to join the throngs at Playa Manuel Antonio. Birds seen included Chestnut-backed and Dusky Antbirds, Black-hooded Antshrike, White-necked Puffbird, Blue-black Grosbeak, and Plain Xenops. Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans flew over the bay, whilst Brown Boobies were further out on a rock stack, seen from Punta Catedral. In the forest on the Punta Catedral trail, a group of Pale-billed Woodpeckers held everyone’s attention. After relaxing on the beach for a while we left the park for lunch seeing Mangrove Cuckoo along the way. Since I had a day ticket I decided to go back after lunch and get a guide to see if they could show me the Common Potoo; when he did I realised that I had actually looked into this patch earlier trying to see what the guides were showing people and failed to see this bird in front of me. They are well camouflaged and bear a strong resemblance to the frogmouths we have in Australia. I didn’t walk the full loop again, but headed up the road and back, seeing a few more birds along the way, including a few Shining Honeycreepers.
On the final morning at Manuel Antonio I walked down to the beach along a road from near the hotel. Most of the species observed here were similar to those seen at the hotel or in the park, but I did have great views of a Yellow-billed Caracara in a tree overhanging the beach. The Chestnut-sided Warblers seen here and at the hotel were evidently gearing up to fly home soon, because the breeding plumage was starting to come through and birds were noticeably more coloured overall than at the beginning of the trip.
On the drive in to Manuel Antonio, near Jaco, I was pleasantly surprised to see a Crane Hawk perched on roadside wires, near forest edge but more in the open than I would have expected. On the return journey out I saw Roseate Spoonbill and Bare-throated Tiger-Heron (also perched surprisingly on roadside wires) and 2 Scarlet Macaws flying low over houses near Jaco.
Species List:
1) Great Tinamou: a few spot lit sleeping on branches at night, on SOR trail (19/1) and STR trail (20/1), also heard on STR trail (21/1).
2) Little Tinamou: Heard (20-21/1) on a bend on SAZ trail at La Selva, where later a pair was seen well (22/1), also heard on forest trail at Villa Lapas (4/2)
3) Thicket Tinamou: 1 seen briefly in edge of thicker forest near hotel, Papagayo (31/1), and 1 seen well in fry forest at Palo Verde (3/2).
4) Slaty-breasted Tinamou: 1 seen well in middle of FLA3 trail at La Selva in late afternoon (21/1).
5) Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: Thousands at Palo Verde (2-3/2), 6 on Tarcoles River (4/2).
6) Fulvous Whistling-Duck: maybe c.20 scattered amongst thousands of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks at Palo Verde (2/2); possibly more further out but hard to spot amongst the others.
7) Muscovy Duck: Moderate numbers at Palo Verde, where third most abundant duck - usually in small flocks (1-3/2), and a pair on forested stream on Sendero Quebrada Bonita, Carara NP (4/2).
8) Blue-winged Teal: c. 150 at fish ponds near Coco, the only duck at this site (29/1), hundreds at Palo Verde (2-3/2), and 13 on sand bank, Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2).
9) Crested Guan: Individuals to small groups seen at La Selva, especially on SAZ trail (20-21/1), in lodge gardens at Arenal (25/1, 27/1), at Palo Verde on loop trail northeast of station (3/2), on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
10) Black Guan: Regular visitor to feeding areas at Bosque de Paz (22-24/1).
11) Great Curassow: 1 male in undergrowth on banks of Puerto Viejo River at La Selva, not far downstream from footbridge, seen on boat trip (19/1), few larger groups, with at least 5 seen together, in thicker forest at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), individuals or pair seen near buildings at Palo Verde (2-3/2), and one male on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
12) Least Grebe: 1 at fish ponds near Coco (29/1).
13) Brown Booby: Moderate numbers seen off Punta Catedral, Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
14) Brown Pelican: Singles to a few birds seen at hotel, Papagayo (28/1, 30-31/1), many seen on Tarcoles River boat trip, especially at river mouth (4/2), and flocks seen daily off Manuel Antonio, both form hotel and at National Park (6-9/2).
15) Neotropic Cormorant: 1 flying over river at La Selva (21/1), 1 at hotel beach, Papagayo (30/1), Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2).
16) Anhinga: Singles and pairs seen on all three boat trips – Sarapiqui (19/1), Tempisque (1/2) Tarcoles (4/2), and on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2); also seen on Puerto Viejo River from footbridge at La Selva (21/1),
17) Magnificent Frigatebird: Seen daily at hotel, Papagayo (28-31/1), many at Tarcoles River mouth, seen on boat trip (4/2), and seen daily at Manuel Antonio, both from hotel and at national park (6-9/2).
18) Fasciated Tiger-Heron: 1 seen on forested, rocky river bed on drive from Bosque de Paz to Arenal (25/1).
19) Bare-throated Tiger-Heron: 1 at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), 1 in mangroves near hotel, Papagayo (30/1), a few seen on Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), 1 at Palo Verde (2/2), a couple seen on Tarcoles River (4/2), and 1 perched on power lines near Playa Hermosa, on drive back form Manuel Antonio (9/2).
20) Great Blue Heron: Seen at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), on beach at hotel [even at night] and nearby mangroves, Papagayo (29-30/1), on Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), at Palo Verde (2-3/2), and on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2).
21) Great Egret: Seen in pasture on drive from Bosque de Paz to Arenal (25/1), at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), on Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), at Palo Verde (2-3/2), and Tarcoles River (4/2).
22) Snowy Egret: Seen at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), on Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), at Palo Verde (2-3/2), and Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2).
23) Little Blue Heron: Seen at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), at mangroves near hotel, Papagayo (30/1), on Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), at Palo Verde (2-3/2), and on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2).
24) Tricoloured Heron: 1 in mangroves near hotel, Papagayo (30/1), 1 at Palo Verde (2/2) and 1 on Tarcoles River (4/2).
25) Cattle Egret: 1 seen in flight at Hotel Bougainvillea (18/1), roadside in pasture on drive to La Selva (19/1), individuals to small flocks seen in flight from balloon ride from Muelle (26/1), several in pasture near lodge, Arenal (26-27), several at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), abundant on Tempisque River (1/2), 100+ at Palo Verde (3/2), and few on Tarcoles River (4/2).
26) Green Heron: 1 in mangroves near hotel, Papagayo (30/1), 2 on Tempisque River (1/2), a few at Palo Verde (2/2), and a few on Tarcoles River (4/2).
27) Black-crowned Night-Heron: A few on Tempisque River (1/2).
28) Yellow-crowned Night-Heron: Several on both Tempisque (1/2) and Tarcoles (4/2) Rivers.
29) Boat-billed Heron: Several on Tempisque River (1/2), Tarcoles River (4/2), and three on lagoon, Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
30) American White Ibis: A few groups on Tempisque River, often with Cattle Egrets (1/2), flocks of up to c. 50 at Palo Verde (2-3/2), 1 on river at Villa Lapas (3/2, 5/2) and small flocks on Tarcoles River (4/2).
31) Glossy Ibis: 2 at Palo Verde (2/2).
32) Green Ibis: 2 on Puerto Viejo River, seen upstream from junction on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1).
33) Roseate Spoonbill: 1 at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), a few seen on Tempisque and Tarcoles River boat trips (1/2, 4/2), flocks at Palo Verde (2-3/2), and a couple seen in roadside lagoon near Playa Hermosa, on drive back from Manuel Antonio (9/2).
34) Jabiru: 1 seen in distant but diagnostic flight high above, Tempisque River (1/2).
35) Wood Stork: Several seen flying over fields near Cañas, en route to Papagayo (28/1), c.30 at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), few seen on Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), several at Palo Verde (2-3/2), a few seen on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2), and single birds seen flying overhead at Villa Lapas (3-4/2).
36) Black Vulture: Widespread and abundant, recorded across most sites on most days, although not recorded at Palo Verde. Vast numbers of these and Turkey Vultures could be seen soaring over the Central Valley from the airport.
37) Turkey Vulture: Widespread and common – seen daily and across all sites.
38) King Vulture: 1 soaring on drive to La Selva, just past Braulio Carillo NP (19/1), 2 circling with other vultures above Villa Lapas (5/2).
39) Osprey: Singles or pairs seen at hotel, Papagayo (28/1, 30/1), at fish pond near Coco (29/1), on Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), and on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2).
39a) Grey-headed Kite (h): Heard but stubbornly remained unseen, in forest near SAZ trail, LA Selva (21/1), and near lodge at Arenal (25/1).
40) Hook-billed Kite: 1 female in dry forest near La Roca trail at Palo Verde (2/2).
41) Pearl Kite: 1 perched in tree in open pasture, on drive from Palo Verde to Cañas (3/2).
42) White-tailed Kite: Single bird hunting over grounds, Hotel Bougainvillea (18/1, 10/2).
43) Snail Kite: 2 at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), and 1 adult and 1 immature bird flying over marshes at Palo Verde (2/2).
44) Double-toothed Kite: 1 seen soaring from near footbridge over river, and later 1 seen very close following troupe of White-faced Capuchin monkeys on SOR trail, La Selva (20/1), individuals also seen soaring over Villa Lapas (3/2) in forest at Manuel Antonio NP (7/2) and seen soaring from hotel at Manuel Antonio (9/2).
45) Tiny Hawk: 1 juvenile on SAZ trail, La Selva (20/1).
46) Crane Hawk: 1 roadside on wires near forest edge, near Jaco (6/2).
47) Mangrove Black-Hawk: 2 in forested headland at hotel, Papagayo (30/1), and a few in mangroves on Tarcoles River and tributary (4/2).
48) Great Black-Hawk: 1 seen soaring at Bosque de Paz (23/1).
49) Roadside Hawk: 1 roadside, on drive to La Selva, on Caribbean side of slope (19/1), 1 roadside near Arenal (26/1), 1 at fish ponds, near Coco (29/1).
50) Broad-winged Hawk: 1 adult (27/1) and 1 immature (28/1) near lodge, Arenal
51) Grey Hawk: 1 roadside near La Selva (19/1), several seen form balloon flying over rainforest and forest egde/pasture (27/1), pair flying over fields near lodge, Arenal (27/1), single birds at hotel, Papagayo (28-29/1), 1 at Villa Lapas (3/2), 1 flying over Tarcoles River, seen on boat trip (4/2), pair at Manuel Antonio, near mirador (7/2).
52) Short-tailed Hawk: 1 soaring near Bosque de Paz (25/1), 1 flying past lodge, Arenal (26/1).
53) Swainson’s Hawk: 5 individuals passing over fire (still burning in parts), near Papagayo (29/1).
54) Zone-tailed Hawk: 1 flying over pasture near La Virgen (22/1).
55) Crested Caracara: Individuals seen at hotel, Papagayo (28/1), roadside in paddocks near Santa Rosa NP, and at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), on drive into Palo Verde (1/2), over marsh at Palo Verde (2-3/2), Villa Lapas (3/2), on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2), at hotel, Manuel Antonio (6-7/2).
56) Yellow-headed Caracara: 1 in pasture near Santa Rosa NP (29/1), a couple on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2), and 1 perched on edge of beach, Playa Espadilla Norte, Manuel Antonio (9/2).
56a) Laughing Falcon (h): Heard at gate, Santa Rosa NP
57) American Kestrel: 1 in paddock near Santa Rosa NP (29/1).
58) Bat Falcon: 1 at Villa Lapas (4/2).
59) Peregrine Falcon: 1 immature flying over hotel at Manuel Antonio (8/2).
60) Purple Gallinule: 1 at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), and a few adults and juvenile birds at Palo Verde (2/2).
61) Common Moorhen: 1 at Palo Verde (2/2).
62) American Coot: Several at fish ponds near Coco (29/1).
63) Sungrebe: 1 on Puerto Viejo River, seen upstream from junction on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), and seen from bridge, c. 50m upstream, La Selva (21/1).
64) Limpkin: A few at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), and at Palo Verde (2/2).
65) Double-striped Thick-knee: 2 on Tarcoles River (4/2).
66) Southern Lapwing: 5 on Tarcoles River (4/2).
67) Black-necked Stilt: 1 at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), flocks at Palo Verde (2-3/2) and on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2).
68) Northern Jaçana: Seen at fish ponds near Coco (29/1), Palo Verde (2-3/2), and several on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2).
69) Spotted Sandpiper: Several seen on river banks, Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), 1 on bank, Puerto Viejo River, seen from footbridge at La Selva (21/1), 1 or occasionally 2, on beach daily at hotel, Papagayo (28-31/1), several seen on Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), 1 on river at Villa Lapas (3-4/2, 6/2), several seen on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2), 1 in mangroves at Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
70) Willet: Several on Tarcoles River (4/2).
71) Whimbrel: 1 on beach at hotel, Papagayo (31/1), 2 on Tarcoles River mudflats (4/2).
72) Ruddy Turnstone: Flock of c. 20 on mudflat near river mouth, Tarcoles River (4/2).
73) Surfbird: 18 on rocks at southern end of ‘Monkey Beach’, the beach next to hotel, Papagayo (30/1).
74) Least Sandpiper: Flock of c. 20 on Tarcoles River (4/2).
75) Western Sandpiper: 1 with Least Sandpipers on Tarcoles River (4/2).
76) Laughing Gull: At least 30 at mouth of Tarcoles River (4/2).
77) Common Tern: Few at mouth of Tarcoles River (4/2).
78) Royal Tern: 1 flying off hotel, Papagayo (29/1), 1 flying over Palo Verde (2/2), flock seen roadside at beach, Caldera, en route to Villa Lapas (3/2), and large flock at Tarcoles River mouth (4/2).
79) Sandwich Tern: Several at mouth of Tarcoles River (4/2).
80) Black Skimmer: 1 with Laughing Gulls at mouth of Tarcoles River (4/2).
81) Rock Pigeon: seen in a few towns, ticked off in the field guide although didn’t any enter in the diary – I have a big blind spot for this species; definitely seen near Santo Domingo and Cañas.
82) Pale-vented Pigeon: Individuals seen in secondary forest on SAZ trail, La Selva (20/1), and at and near hotel, Manuel Antonio (8-9/2).
83) Red-billed Pigeon: Singles or small numbers seen at Hotel Bougainvillea (18-19/1, 9-10/2), Arenal, at lodge or nearby in forest edge (25-28/1), at hotel, Papagayo (30-31/2), Villa Lapas (3/2).
84) Band-tailed Pigeon: 1 seen in flight, Bosque de Paz (23/1).
85) Short-billed Pigeon: Seen (and more easily heard) early morning at La Selva from footbridge over river, where they were active in trees overhanging the river (20-21/1), heard at Arenal on forest edge (26/1), active in Carara NP on Sendero Quebrada Bonita in late afternoon (4/2), and seen at Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
86) White-winged Dove: 1 at Hotel Bougainvillea (19/1), few at and near hotel, Papagayo (28-31/1), few at park headquarters, Carara NP (4/2).
87) Inca Dove: Common in north-west, Central Valley and also found in central Pacific Coast; singles and small numbers seen at Hotel Bougainvillea (18-19/1, 10/2), daily at Papagayo (28-31/1), Palo Verde (2/2), on drive out from Palo Verde (3/2), Villa Lapas (6/2) and at Manuel Antonio (9/2).
88) Common Ground-Dove: singles to small groups seen in dry forest at and near hotel, Papagayo (28-30/1), and on drive in and out of Palo Verde (1/2, 3/2).
89) Ruddy Ground-Dove: Pairs seen near our lodge at La Selva (19-21/1), near hotel at Papagayo (29-30/1), at park headquarters, Carara NP (4/2), and near hotel, Manuel Antonio (8/2).
90) Blue Ground-Dove: 1 male seen flying along SAZ trail near our lodge, La Selva (20/1).
91) White-tipped Dove: Common around settlements and cleared areas throughout except Caribbean lowlands. Singles and small numbers at Hotel Bougainvillea (18-19/1), Bosque-de Paz (22-23/1), Arenal Observatory Lodge, near bird feeders (25-26/1), at hotel, Papagayo (28/1, 30/1), on trail near La Casona, Santa Rosa NP (29/1), Palo Verde (2-3/2), heard (3/2) and seen (5-6/2) at Villa Lapas, and at Manuel Antonio on walk to beach (9/2).
92) Grey-chested Dove: Singles or pairs on trails in forest at Arenal (27-28) Villa Lapas (4/2, 6/2) and Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
93) Olive-backed Quail-Dove: 1 flushed from side of SAZ trail, early morning (21/1),
94) Chiriqui Quail-Dove: 1 seen feeding on forest edge, at spilt grain on edge of butterfly garden, Bosque de Paz (23/1).
95) Crimson-fronted Parakeet: Common around Hotel Bougainvillea where flocks were seen passing over daily (18-19/1, 9-10/2), also a small group seen at lodge, Arenal (27/1).
96) Olive-throated Parakeet: A flock was flying near the jetty on Sarapiqui River at Puerto Viejo.
97) Orange-fronted Parakeet: Flocks common at hotel and nearby, Papagayo, where seen daily – most common parrot for the area (28-31/1), also seen at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), Palo Verde (2/2), and on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2).
98) Great Green Macaw: La Selva - Heard at first from SAZ trail in the direction of the river, then later 2 birds seen crossing river near footbridge, and 2 more (or same pair) crossing in opposite direction later in day, also near the footbridge (21/1).
99) Scarlet Macaw: Pairs to small groups seen flying high overhead at Villa Lapas (3/2, 5/2), great views of pair near a nest, then another bird in a nest hollow at Sendero Quebrada Bonita, Carara NP (4/2), 3 at Sendero Laguna, with more heard, Carara NP (5/2), and 2 seen flying low over houses near Jaco, on drive back from Manuel Antonio (9/2).
100) Orange-chinned Parakeet: Flocks seen at several points on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1); small numbers at La Selva, mostly near our lodge or around clearing near labs (20-21/1); small flocks seen from balloon at take-off near Muelle, and also in fields near lodge, Arenal (26/1); heard flying over thicker forest at Santa Rosa NP (29/1); 1 seen on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2), and daily at hotel and nearby, Manuel Antonio
101) Brown-hooded Parrot: 3 on forest edge near our lodge, La Selva (21/1), also seen flying near base of Cerro Chato, near Arenal (27/1), and 3 in thicker forest at Santa Rosa, where a seasonal visitor (29/1).
102) White-crowned Parrot: Singles to small groups seen on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), at several sites at La Selva (20/1), near lodge at Arenal (27/1), and on Sendero Quebrada Bonita, Carara NP (4/2).
103) White-fronted Parrot: Pairs to small groups seen daily at and near hotel, Papagayo (28-31/1), at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), and at Palo Verde (2-3/2).
104) Red-lored Parrot: Singles to small groups seen on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), near soccer field at La Selva (19-21/1), near lodge at Arenal (27/1) and near hotel, Manuel Antonio (6/2, 9/2).
105) Mealy Parrot: Singles and pairs, at La Selva flying overhead near soccer field (20/1) and on SOR trail (20/1), and flying over forest canopy beneath balloon near Muelle (26/2).
106) Yellow-naped Parrot: Small groups seen in dry forest at and near hotel, Papagayo (28/1, 30-31/1), at and near Santa Rosa NP (29/1), and heard (2/2) and seen (3/2) at Palo Verde.
107) Squirrel Cuckoo: Individuals seen at La Selva, in forest edge near office (20-21/1), in hotel grounds, Papagayo (29/1, 31/1), at Villa Lapas (6/2), and at Hotel Bougainvillea (9/2).
108) Mangrove Cuckoo: Individuals seen flying over field at balloon landing place near La Fortuna, where presumably rare (26/1), at hotel, Papagayo (29-30/1), on trail near lookout, Palo Verde (3/2), in mangroves on small tributary river, Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2), and at Manuel Antonio NP, behind beach (7/2).
109) Groove-billed Ani: Widespread and common, usually in groups. Seen in pasture near entrance road, La Selva (19/1), in roadside pasture in the Arenal area (26/1), at hotel and nearby, Papagayo (28-29/1, 31/1), at Palo Verde (2/2), in pasture near Tarcoles River (4/2), and at Manuel Antonio, both in hotel grounds and in national park (7-9/2). Although it appears to overlap with Smooth-billed Ani on the field guide distribution map in the area, all birds seen around Manuel Antonio were Groove-billed Anis.
110) Vermiculated Screech-Owl: 1 spot lit at night near River Station, La Selva (19/1).
111) Spectacled Owl: 1 seen roosting in tree beside Sarapiqui River, boat trip (19/1), pair heard calling [c. 5am] then seen in water tower next to our lodge, La Selva (22/1), and a pair roosting beside road at Palo Verde, near La Roca trail (2/2). The call was eerily like a wobble-board and loud enough to wake us up.
112) Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl: Heard at hotel, Papagayo (28/1), and 2 in open woodland near dock at dusk, Palo Verde (1/2).
113) Mottled Owl: 1 perched on forest edge, near our rooms, seen as we returned from dinner, La Selva (21/1).
114) Common Pauraque: Several at our lodge and nearby road at dusk, La Selva (19-21/1), several at dawn on road out from lodge, Arenal (26/1), c.10 or so hawking for insects in front of a huge spotlight over the beach, at hotel, Papagayo (28-29/1), and also one flushed form roost on ground in dry forest on hotel grounds (30/1), heard at Villa Lapas (5/2).
115) Chuck-will’s-widow: 1 roosting in low tree branch of garden, Villa Lapas (5/2).
116) Common Potoo: 1 roosting on open branch near mangrove edge, Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
117) Black Swift: Few flying over lodge, Arenal, with flock of Vaux’s Swifts (26/1).
118) White-collared Swift: Flocks of these large swifts passed overhead at La Selva (20-22/1), Bosque de Paz (24/1), at lodge, Arenal (25/1), and at Villa Lapas (3/2).
119) Vaux’s Swift: Small flock flying over lodge, Arenal, with Black Swifts (26/1).
120) Costa Rican Swift: small flocks seen at Villa Lapas (5/2) and at hotel and nearby, Manuel Antonio (7/2, 9/2).
121) Grey-rumped Swift: Flocks passing overhead at La Selva (20-21/1). Other swifts there remained unidentified but may have been these.
122) Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift: Single birds mixed in with Grey-rumped Swifts, seen from near our lodge at La Selva (20-21/1) and also mixed with other swifts at Villa Lapas (5/2).
123) Bronzy Hermit: 1 perched in heliconias off FLA2 trail, La Selva (22/1).
124) Band-tailed Barbthroat: Several males at a lek, SAZ trail and FLA3 trails, La Selva (21-22/1).
125) Green Hermit: Single birds uncommon but regular at hummingbird feeders, and also seen at lek on Galleria Trail, Bosque de Paz (22-24/1), and 1 in lodge grounds, Arenal (26/1).
125a) Long-billed Hermit (h): This elusive hummer zipped past on a number of trails where I didn’t even hear let alone see it, but I heard it as it flew past on SAZ trail, La Selva (21/1). Possibly seen on FLA3 trail (2/1)
126) Stripe-throated Hermit: 1 feeding in heliconias near cafeteria, La Selva (22/1), 1 in forest at Bosque de Paz (24/1) and 1 in forest at Villa Lapas (4/2).
127) Scaly-breasted Hummingbird: Seen daily at Villa Lapas (3-6/2), and at Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
128) Violet Sabrewing: Seen daily at Bosque de Paz (22-25/2), especially common at hummingbird feeders where one of the dominant species, but also seen as scattered individuals in forest trails.
129) White-necked Jacobin: 1 male in gardens at lodge, Arenal (26/1), and pair seen at Villa Lapas in forest on trail and at river edge (5-6/2), where male seen in display flight.
130) Green Violet-ear: 1 at hummingbird feeders, Bosque de Paz (22/1).
131) Violet-headed Hummingbird: 1 female feeding in garden near cafeteria, La Selva (21/1), and individuals seen daily in gardens at lodge, Arenal (25-28/1), where it was probably the second-most common hummingbird species, after Rufous-tailed Hummingbird.
132) Black-crested Coquette: 1 male feeding at Stachytarphetta in lodge garden, Arenal (28/1).
133) Green Thorntail: 1 at hummingbird feeders, Bosque de Paz (22/1).
134) Cavinet’s Emerald: Singles seen in hotel grounds and nearby, Papagayo (29-31/1).
135) Blue-throated Goldentail: 1 female seen on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
136) Charming Hummingbird: 1 female in hotel garden, Manuel Antonio (8/2).
137) Steely-vented Hummingbird: 1 at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), and couple at Palo Verde including 1 sitting on nest, El Guayacan trail behind buildings (2/2).
138) Rufous-tailed Hummingbird: The most widely seen hummingbird of the trip in lowlands and middle altitudes, and seen daily where present, but not recorded in the north-west or at Bosque de Paz; usually outnumbering other species where it occurs, at least around buildings and modified habitats. Seen at Hotel Bougainvillea (18-19/1, 9-10/2), La Selva, especially around buildings and gardens (19-22/1), around lodge grounds, Arenal (25-28/1), around Villa Lapas (4-6/2), Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2), around hotel and nearby on walk to beach, Manuel Antonio (6-9/2).
139) Cinnamon Hummingbird: Common in northwest – seen at and near hotel, Papagayo (28-31/1), at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), at Palo Verde (2-3/2), and 1 at Villa Lapas (4/2).
140) Striped-tailed Hummingbird: 1 female feeding on Stachytarphetta in butterfly garden, Bosque de Paz (23/1).
141) Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer: 1 male seen well, feeding at heliconias in clearing near labs, La Selva (20/1).
142) Purple-throated Mountain-gem: Pairs were regular visitors to hummingbird feeders at Bosque de Paz, where seen daily (22-25/1).
143) Green-crowned Brilliant: The most common and dominant hummingbird at feeders at Bosque de Paz, seen daily (22-25/1).
144) Magnificent Hummingbird: Singles or pairs occasionally present at hummingbird feeders, seen daily, Bosque de Paz (22-25/1).
145) Purple-crowned Fairy: Individuals seen near bridge and at fruiting tree in clearing near labs, La Selva (20/1), at base of Cerro Chato, Arenal (27/1), and in primary forest on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
146) Long-billed Starthroat: 1 feeding in heliconias on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
147) Plain-capped Starthroat: A few commonly seen daily at hotel, Papagayo - especially feeding in Bombacopsis quinnata near the main pool (28-31/1).
148) Magenta-throated Woodstar: Single birds uncommon but regular at feeders, where seen daily, Bosque de Paz (22-25/1).
149) Ruby-throated Hummingbird: Individuals on edge of dry forest near La Casona, Santa Rosa NP (29/1), in dry forest at and near, Papagayo (29-30/1),
150) Volcano Hummingbird: 1 feeding in forest edge near lodge, Bosque de Paz (24/1).
151) Scintillant Hummingbird: Individuals were seen daily at Bosque de Paz, mostly in garden and only rarely at hummingbird feeders (22-24/1).
152) Black-headed Trogon: A few at Santa Rosa NP at various locations (29/1), individuals and pairs in dry forest at hotel, in mangroves and forest nearby, Papagayo (29-31/1), and individuals in woodland near dock, and dry forest on el Guayacan trail, Palo Verde (1-2/2),
153) Violaceous Trogon: Pair seen in forest edge near our lodge, La Selva (19/1, 21/1).
154) Orange-bellied Trogon: 1 female seen in flight near lodge (22/1), 1 male feeding in canopy, and 1 female seen very well on trail at Bosque de Paz (24/1).
155) Black-throated Trogon: Singles or pairs on SOR trail and SAZ trail, LA Selva (20-21/1), and in forest at Villa Lapas (4/2, 6/2).
156) Slaty-tailed Trogon: Singles and pairs seen (19-20/1) and heard (21/1) at La Selva near labs and SAZ trail, and 1 male seen on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
157) Blue-crowned Motmot: A few individuals in grounds of Hotel Bougainvillea (18-19/1, 10/2), 1 in thicker forest at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), 1 seen (3/2, 5/2) and heard (6/2) in forest at Villa Lapas, 1 at hotel, Manuel Antonio (7/2).
158) Rufous Motmot: La Selva – 1 seen on SUR trail (20/1), 1 heard (20/1) and seen poorly (21/1) on SAZ trail, and 2 pairs seen together on STR trail (21/1).
159) Broad-billed Motmot: Individuals seen at La Selva, on SOR and SAZ trails (20-21/1).
160) Turquoise-browed Motmot: Singles and pairs seen in dry forest at and near hotel, Papagayo (30-31/1), at Palo Verde (2/2), and heard on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
161) Ringed Kingfisher: Single birds seen on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), and form footbridge over river at La Selva (21/1), on beach at hotel, Papagayo (30/1), on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2), and on river at Villa Lapas (5/1).
162) Belted Kingfisher: 1 male on Tempisque River (1/2).
163) Amazon Kingfisher: 1 pair on Tarcoles River (4/2), and 1 male on lagoon, Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
164) Green Kingfisher: The most commonly recorded kingfisher of the trip – singles and pairs seen at Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), on Puerto Viejo River, seen from footbridge, at La Selva (21/1), on Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), daily on river at Villa Lapas (3-6/2), on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2), and in mangroves at Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
165) White-necked Puffbird: 1 on roadside edge of thicker forest near hotel, and 2 in dry forest at hotel [seen from pool], Papagayo (31/1), 1 on trail edge, Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
166) White-whiskered Puffbird: Singles or pairs seen at La Selva, on SAZ trail and in forest edge near our lodge (20-21/1), and in forest at Villa Lapas (4-5/2).
167) Rufous-tailed Jacamar: Singles and pairs seen at La Selva, mostly along various points along SAZ trail (20-22/1), also 1 female seen on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2), and heard on Mirador Trail, Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
168) Prong-billed Barbet: Pairs to small groups in forest on Galleria Trail, and in fruiting fig on forest edge near lodge, Bosque de Paz (23-24/1).
169) Emerald Toucanet: Flocks feeding in fruiting fig on forest edge near lodge, Bosque de Paz (24-25/1).
170) Collared Araçari: Small flocks seen at La Selva on SOR and STR trails (20-21/1), in hotel gardens and nearby, Arenal (27-28/1) and seen from balloon near Arenal (26/1).
171) Fiery-billed Araçari: Small flocks at river’s edge, Villa Lapas (3/2), and on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
172) Keel-billed Toucan: Single birds on SOR and STR trails and near footbridge, LA Selva (20-21/1), and groups in forest edge and lodge gardens, Arenal (26/1).
173) Chestnut-mandibled Toucan: Fairly common at La Selva, and seen at a number of sites, especially near our lodge (19-21/1), heard most days around lodge at Arenal but remained unseen (25-28/1), several seen at Villa Lapas (3/2, 5-6/2), Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
174) Golden-naped Woodpecker: Singles and pairs seen at Hotel, Manuel Antonio (7-8/2).
175) Black-cheeked Woodpecker: Single birds or pairs in forest edges and clearings, even feeding on nectar at gingers, at La Selva (19/1, 21/1), on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), and in grounds of lodge, often at feeder table, at Arenal (25-27/1).
176) Red-crowned Woodpecker: Seen daily at hotel and nearby, Manuel Antonio (6-9/2).
177) Hoffmann’s Woodpecker: Singles and pairs – seen (18/1) and heard (9/2) at Hotel Bougainvillea, seen at hotel, Papagayo (28/1, 30-31/1), at Santa Rosa NP, near la Casona (29/1), Palo Verde (3/2), Villa Lapas (3/2, 5-6/2), Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2).
178) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: 1 in forest on Galleria Trail, Bosque de Paz (24/1).
179) Smoky-brown Woodpecker: Pair with mixed flock on SAZ trail, La Selva (21/1), and 1 with mixed flock on Sainto Trail, Arenal (26/1).
180) Rufous-winged Woodpecker: Pair seen on SAZ trail, La Selva (20/1).
181) Cinnamon Woodpecker: Pair on SAZ trail (20/1) and 1 near footbridge over river (21/1), La Selva.
182) Lineated Woodpecker: 1 in forest edge, near Palo Verde NP (1/2).
183) Pale-billed Woodpecker: Pairs or small groups together seen at La Selva, near soccer field (20/1), and on STR trail (21/1), in hotel grounds, Papagayo (31/1), on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP [2 groups] (5/2), and at Punta Catedral trail, Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
184) Slaty Spinetail: 1 in shrubby undergrowth on forest edge near lodge, Bosque de Paz (25/1).
185) Red-faced Spinetail: Seen daily at Bosque d Paz on trails and on forest edge near lodge, often in mixed flocks (22-25/1).
186) Spotted Barbtail: Individuals seen on trails at Bosque de Paz (22-24/1).
187) Ruddy Treerunner: 1 in forest on upper trail to waterfall, Bosque de Paz(24/1),
188) Buffy Tuftedcheek: 1 in forest at Bosque de Paz (24/1).
189) Striped Woodhaunter: 1 in mixed flock on Waterfall Trail, Arenal (27/1).
190) Lineated Foliage-gleaner: Individuals seen in forest on various trails at Bosque de Paz, often in mixed flocks (22-23/1, 25/1).
191) Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner: 1 in forest on trail, Villa Lapas (6/2).
192) Streak-breasted Treehunter: 1 in forest on Galleria Trail, Bosque de Paz (23/1).
193) Plain Xenops: Single birds, mostly in mixed flocks – at SAZ trail, La Selva (21/1), Waterfall Trail, Arenal (26-27/1), Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2) and Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
194) Plain-brown Woodcreeper: 1 in mixed flock on SAZ trail, La Selva (21/1).
195) Tawny-winged Woodcreeper: 1 in forest, Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
196) Olivaceous Woodcreeper: 2 individuals seen, respectively in thicker forest and on trails near La Casona, Santa Rosa NP (29/1).
197) Long-tailed Woodcreeper: 1 in forest, Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
198) Wedge-billed Woodcreeper: Single birds seen at La Selva on SAZ and SOR trails (20/1), and at Arenal at base of Cerro Chato trail and with mixed flock on Waterfall Trail (27/1).
199) Northern-barred Woodcreeper: Seen at La Selva, on SUR trail and forest edge at our lodge rooms (19-22/1).
200) Cocoa Woodcreeper: Individuals in forest edge near our lodge (21/1), at Villa Lapas (4/2), and at Carara NP in forest edge on Sendero Cemento (4/2) and on Sendero Laguna (5/2).
201) Ivory-billed Woodcreeper: 1 in thicker forest, Santa Rosa NP (29/1).
202) Spotted Woodcreeper: 1 in forest near lodge at Bosque de Paz (24/1).
203) Streak-headed Woodcreeper: Singles, sometimes with mixed flocks, on SAZ trail at La Selva (20-21/1), on Sainto Trail, Arenal (26/1), in dry forest near La Casona, Santa Rosa NP (29/1), and Villa Lapas (6/2).
204) Spot-crowned Woodcreeper: 1 in forest on Botanical Trail, Bosque de Paz (22/1).
205) Fasciated Antshrike: Singles and pairs in forest edge, clearings [including near our lodge] and trails [SAZ], La Selva (19-21/1).
205a) Great Antshrike (h): Heard only, on FLA2 trail, La Selva (22/1).
205b) Barred Antshrike (h): Heard only, on SAZ, FLA3 and FLA2 trails at La Selva (21-22/1).
206) Black-hooded Antshrike: Singles and Pairs seen in forest on trails at Carara NP, where fairly common (4-5/2), in forest on trails at Villa Lapas (4-6/2), in Manuel Antonio NP (7/2), and heard in forest edge near hotel, Manuel Antonio (9/2).
207) Western Slaty-Antshrike: Heard only on STR trail, La Selva (21/1), but easily seen in thicker forest at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), where there is an isolated small population.
208) Russet Antshrike: 1 in forest on return loop from Waterfall Trail, Arenal (26/1).
209) Streak-crowned Antvireo: Singles or pair in forest mid-storey, Waterfall Trail, Arenal (27-28/1).
210) Slaty Antwren: 1 male in undergrowth, Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
211) Dot-winged Antwren: Pair in forest undergrowth, Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2) and 1 female on trail, Villa Lapas (6/2).
212) Dusky Antbird: Singles, and more commonly pairs, in thick undergrowth – seen on SAZ trail, La Selva (21-22/1), Sainto Trail, Arenal (25-26/1), forest at Villa Lapas (4/2, 6/2), Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2), and Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
213) Chestnut-backed Antbird: Singles to several birds together, more common on Pacific slope – seen with some difficulty on STR trail, and later more easily on SAZ trail near soccer field, La Selva (21-22/1), on forest trails at Villa Lapas (4-6/2), Sendero Cemento (4/2) and Sendero Laguna (5/2) in Carara NP, Manuel Antonio NP (7/2) and heard but not seen near hotel at Manuel Antonio (9/2).
214) Immaculate Antbird: 1 male in undergrowth on Waterfall Trail, Arenal (27/1).
215) Spotted Antbird: Individuals and pairs seen on Waterfall, Sainto & El Escondida Trails, Arenal - sometimes with mixed flocks (26-27/1).
215a) Black-faced Antthrush (h): Heard on forest edge near our lodge, La Selva (22/1).
216) Southern Beardless-tyrannulet: Individuals at Villa Lapas (5-6/2).
217) Yellow Tyrannulet: 1 in forest edge near our lodge, La Selva (19-20/1), and 1 on Sarapiqui River’s edge, boat trip (19/1).
218) Greenish Elaenia: 1 at Palo Verde (3/2).
219) Mountain Elaenia: Individuals seen in forest edge on trails and near butterfly garden, Bosque de Paz (22-24/1).
220) Olive-striped Flycatcher: Singles in thick growth on SOR trail, La Selva (20/1), and at Bosque de Paz (24/1).
221) Ochre-bellied Flycatcher: Seen at La Selva, on SOR & SAZ trials and near office (20-21/1), at lodge grounds, Arenal (26/1), and in forest at Villa Lapas (4/2).
222) Paltry Tyrannulet: Individuals at La Selva, in gardens near office (19-21/1), an in garden near pool at lodge, Arenal (26/1).
223) Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant: 1 seen in forest on branch of SOR trail near swamp (20/1).
224) Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant: 1 seen very well on Sainto Trail, Arenal, others seen less clearly on Waterfall Trail turned out to be this species (26-27/1).
225) Northern Bentbill: Heard at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), and individuals in forest on trail at Villa Lapas (3/2, 5/2)
226) Slate-headed Tody-Flycatcher: 1 on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
227) Common Tody-Flycatcher: Individuals seen in forest edge near our lodge (20/1) and in gardens near cafeteria (21/1) at La Selva, in lodge gardens, Arenal (26-27/1), in hotel grounds, Villa Lapas (3/2, 5/2), and on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
228) Eye-ringed Flatbill: Individuals seen in forest on Galleria Trail (22/1, 25/1).
229) Yellow-olive Flycatcher: Individuals seen in forest at La Selva, SAZ trail (20-21/1), at Santa Rosa National Park both in thicker forest, and in drier forest near La Casona (29/1), in dry forest at hotel, Papagayo (30/1), in forest at Villa Lapas (4/1) and on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
230) Yellow-margined Flycatcher: Seen in primary forest and mature secondary forest at La Selva on SUR and in SAZ trails (19-20/1).
231) Stub-tailed Spadebill: Heard at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), singles or pairs seen in forest on trail at Villa Lapas (3/2, 5-6/2), and on Sendero Quebrada Bonita, Carara NP (4/2).
232) Golden-crowned Spadebill: 1 on Sendero Quebrada Bonita, Carara NP (4/2).
233) (Northern-) Royal Flycatcher: 1 in forest, Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
234) Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher: 1 in forest on trail at Villa Lapas, giving wing-flicking display (4/2).
235) Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher: Individuals seen in forest on Waterfall Trail, Arenal (26-27/1), and in forest on trail at Villa Lapas (4/2).
236) Black-tailed Flycatcher: 1 in secondary growth on river at Villa Lapas (6/2).
237) Tufted Flycatcher: Individuals seen on trails at Bosque de Paz most days (22-24/1).
238) Tropical Peewee: 1 in forest/pasture edge on entrance road, La Selva (19/1), and 1 in pasture near lodge, Arenal (26/1).
239) Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: Single birds seen on forest edge near our lodge (19/1) and on SAZ trail (21/1), La Selva; 1 on trail near butterfly garden, Bosque de Paz (23/1), Santa Rosa NP (29/1), 1 on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP, and 1 in forest at Villa Lapas (5/2).
240) Yellowish Flycatcher: Seen on several trails at Bosque de Paz (23-25/1).
241) Black Phoebe: 1 often near river at lodge, Bosque de Paz (22-24/1).
242) Long-tailed Tyrant: Few seen perched in streamside trees, on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), 1-2 in forest edge near our lodge, and also near soccer field, La Selva (20-21/1).
243) Bright-rumped Attila: Individuals seen daily at La Selva in forest [SAZ, SUR, FLA2 trails] and forest edge [clearings near labs and near our lodge rooms] (19-22/1), 1 in forest clearing at Bosque de Paz, near butterfly garden (24/1).
244) Rufous Mourner: Single birds seen at La Selva on SUR trail (19/1), FLA3 trail (20/1) and on forest edge near our lodge rooms (21/1), and 1 in mature secondary growth on return loop from Waterfall Trail, Arenal (26/1).
245) Dusky-capped Flycatcher: single birds seen at La Selva (19-21/1), 1 at Bosque de Paz (24/1), Santa Rosa NP (29/1), Palo Verde (2-3/2), Villa Lapas (6/2).
246) Nutting’s Flycatcher: 1 in dry forest at Santa Rosa NP (29/1).
247) Great Crested Flycatcher: Individuals seen at La Selva (20-1), Santa Rosa NP (29/1), in forest near hotel, Papagayo (31/1), Palo Verde (2/2), Villa Lapas (4/2).
248) Brown-crested Flycatcher: Individuals seen in Santa Rosa NP (29/1), at and near hotel, Santa Rosa NP (30-31), Palo Verde (3/2), Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2), and at hotel, Manuel Antonio (8-9/2).
249) Great Kiskadee: Widespread and common; seen most days and at most sites, but not seen at Bosque de Paz, and more common at some sites than others. This probably more reflects the relative availability of suitable open habitat at some forested sites. Seen at Hotel Bougainvillea (18-19/1, 9-10/2), around clearings at La Selva (20-21/1), on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), at lodge, Arenal (25/1), daily at hotel, Papagayo, where conspicuous (28-31/1), near la Casona, Santa Rosa NP (29/1), on Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), Palo Verde (2-3/2), Villa Lapas (3/2, 5-6/2), at hotel and nearby, Manuel Antonio (7-9/2) and Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
250) Boat-billed Flycatcher: Similar distribution pattern to Great Kiskadee, but recorded at Bosque de Paz. Individuals to small groups seen at La Selva, at several sites in clearings (20-21/1), 1 in forest on Galleria trail at Bosque de Paz (25/1), 1 in lodge gardens, Arenal (26/1), seen daily at Papagayo where conspicuous in hotel gardens and adjacent dry forest (28-31/1), seen at Santa Rosa NP on trail near La Casona (29/1), Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), Palo Verde (3/2), Sendero Laguna, Carara NP, and Villa Lapas (5/2), at hotel and nearby, Manuel Antonio (6/2, 8-9/2) and at Hotel Bougainvillea (10/2).
251) Social Flycatcher: Seen at in clearings at La Selva (19-21/1), on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), in hotel gardens near pool, Arenal (26/1), at Villa Lapas where common in gardens (3-6/2), at hotel and nearby Manuel Antonio (8-9/2), and at Hotel Bougainvillea (10/2).
252) Grey-capped Flycatcher: In clearings at La Selva, especially near our lodge (19-21/1), in gardens at hotel, Arenal (28/1), and a few at Villa Lapas (3/2, 5-6/2).
253) White-ringed Flycatcher: Seen in clearings near our lodge and near footbridge, La Selva (21/1).
254) Streaked Flycatcher: Singles and pairs seen at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), Villa Lapas (4-6/2), Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2), Manuel Antonio NP (7/2), and at and near hotel, Manuel Antonio (8-9/2).
255) Piratic Flycatcher: 1 in hotel garden, Manuel Antonio (8/2).
256) Tropical Kingbird: Widespread and common, seen most days across most sites (not seen at Bosque de Paz, but seen on drive nearby), commonly seen on drives across the country.
257) Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: Singles and, more often groups, seen in pasture on drive to Santa Rosa NP (29/1), at and near hotel, Papagayo (29-31/1), Tempisque River boat trip and Palo Verde near dock (1/2), and drive out from Palo Verde (3/2).
258) Cinnamon Beccard: Single birds in clearing near lab (20-21/1) and in forest edge near our lodge (21/1), La Selva, and in forest at Villa Lapas (5/2).
259) White-winged Beccard: Pair in forest edge near our lodge, La Selva (21/1).
260) Rose-throated Beccard: Single females in dry forest at Palo Verde (2/2) and in forest edge at Villa Lapas (3-4/2).
261) Masked Tityra: Seen on forest edge and in secondary forest on SAZ trail, La Selva (19-21/1), individuals in forest edge, seen from balloon, near Arenal (26/1), in lodge grounds, Arenal (27-28/1), Palo Verde (2/2), at hotel and nearby, Manuel Antonio (8-9/2).
262) Black-crowned Tityra: 1 female in forest on Sendero Quebrada Bonita, Carara NP (4/2).
263) Yellow-billed Cotinga: 1 in flight over secondary growth, Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
264) Purple-throated Fruitcrow: 1 in forest canopy on STR trail, La Selva (21/1).
265) Bare-necked Umbrellabird: Brief but diagnostic view of a single male bird showing small uninflated orange-red throat, feeding in foliage on river’s edge near bridge to arboretum, SUR trail, La Selva (19/1).
266) Three-wattled Bellbird: 1 in forest, Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
267) White-collared Manakin: La Selva - males seen, and more frequently heard, at lek at SAZ trail, with 1 female seen further along trail, and a single male also feeding at fruiting fig at clearing near lab (20-21/1).
268) Orange-collared Manakin: Several males at lek, Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2),
269) Long-tailed Manakin: Several males and females in thicker forest at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), and 2 adult males at a lek with 1 immature aside, and female watching from distance, forest on trail, Villa Lapas (6/2).
270) Yellow-throated Vireo: 1 at Hotel Bougainvillea (19/1), 1 near rooms at La Selva (19/1), 1 in grounds of lodge, Arenal (27/1), 1 in thicker forest, Santa Rosa NP (29/1).
271) Yellow-winged Vireo: 1 on main upper trail, Bosque de Paz (23/1).
272) Philadelphia Vireo: Individuals in dry forest at Palo Verde (2/2), in secondary forest on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2), in gardens at Villa Lapas (5-6/2), at hotel, Manuel Antonio, where confusingly seen with feeding Tennessee Warblers(8/2), and at Hotel Bougainvillea (10/2).
273) Red-eyed Vireo: 1 in thicker forest at Santa Rosa NP (29/1).
274) Tawny-crowned Greenlet: A few seen on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
275) Lesser Greenlet: Relatively inconspicuous, and possibly under-recorded. Seen at SAZ trail, La Selva (22/1), Waterfall Trail, Arenal (26/1), Santa Rosa NP, where fairly common (29/1), Palo Verde (2/2), Villa Lapas (3/2, 6/2), Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2), and Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
276) White-throated Magpie-Jay: Several seen roadside near Cañas, en route to Papagayo (28/1), seen daily at hotel, Papagayo, where conspicuous (28-31/1), and seen on drive in to Palo Verde (1/2).
277) Brown Jay: Almost always in flocks. Seen (18-19/1) and heard (9-10/2) at Hotel Bougainvillea; seen at Bosque de Paz (24/1), at Arenal where often at feeding table (25/1, 27-28/1), and at Villa Lapas (3-6/2).
278) Azure-hooded Jay: A few in forest canopy on Galleria Trail, Bosque de Paz (23-24/1).
279) Grey-breasted Martin: Several in fields seen whilst driving to Bosque de Paz (22/1), also seen in fields near lodge Arenal (26/1), at hotel, Papagayo (31/1), and on edges of national park (7/2), and near hotel (9/2) Manuel Antonio.
280) Mangrove Swallow: Quite commonly seen on all three river boat trips – Sarapiqui (19/1), Tempisque (1/2) and Tarcoles (4/2): in addition to birds on the river birds were nesting in the boats on all three. Others were also seen at hotel, Papagayo (30/1) and on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
281) Blue-and-white Swallow: Fairly common at middle altitudes and highlands. Small numbers flying over Hotel Bougainvillea (18-19/1, 9/2), at Bosque de Paz (22-24/1), where often perched on high tension power lines high above the valley, and around lodge at Arenal (25-26/1, 28/1).
282) Northern Rough-winged Swallow: Seen on Sarapiqui River boat trip, flying together with Southern Rough-winged Swallow at times (19/1).
283) Southern Rough-winged Swallow: Seen on Sarapiqui River boat trip, flying together with Northern Rough-winged Swallow at times (19/1), few flying in field near La Fortuna (26/1).
284) Barn Swallow: Seen at hotel, Papagayo (28/1, 30-31/1), fish ponds near Coco (29/1), Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), Palo Verde (2-3/2), and Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2).
285) Band-backed Wren: Singles to 3’s seen at La Selva, on forest edge near offices and soccer field (20-21/1), and in forest edge near Sainto Trail at lodge, Arenal (27/1).
286) Rufous-naped Wren: Usually occurring in small groups, these were seen at and near hotel, Papagayo, where common (28-31/1), at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), Palo Verde (2-3/2), in Tarcoles on drive to dock and in forest edge at park headquarters, Carara NP (4/2), and at Villa Lapas (5/2).
287) Black-throated Wren: 1 seen well in thick growth adjacent to soccer field and SAZ trail, La Selva (20/1).
288) Bay Wren: A few seen in streamside vegetation, on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), several seen at La Selva near footbridge (20/1) and on SAZ trail (21/1), but also heard more widely; and 1 on Sainto Trail (26/1) and 1 on Waterfall Trail (27/1), Arenal.
289) Riverside Wren: Singles and pairs in undergrowth on Sendero Cemento, Carara NP (4/2), on trails at Villa Lapas (5-6/2) and Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
290) Stripe-breasted Wren: Singles on Waterfall Trail, Arenal (25-28/1).
291) Rufous-and-white Wren: Heard at Santa Rosa NP (29/1) and in forest near hotel, Papagayo (31/1), and singles and pairs seen in forest on trail at Villa Lapas (4/2, 6/2).
292) Banded Wren: Individuals seen in dry forest near La Casona, Santa Rosa NP (29/1), and in dry forest at hotel, Papagayo (30/1).
293) House Wren: Seen in garden at Hotel Bougainvillea (18/1), in forest edge near our lodge at La Selva (19/1, 21/1), near restaurant and rooms, Arenal (26-27), Villa Lapas (3/2, 6/2), in hotel garden and in thicket behind beach, Manuel Antonio (5-7/2),
294) Ochraceous Wren: Individuals seen on trails and at forest edge near butterfly garden, Bosque de Paz (23-24/1).
295) White-breasted Wood-wren: 2 seen in undergrowth on FLA3 trail, La Selva (20/1), and heard only on waterfall trail, Arenal (27/1).
296) Grey-breasted Wood-wren: Individuals seen in undergrowth on trails at Bosque de Paz (22-24/1), and heard on Cerro Chato trail, Arenal (27/1).
297) Nightingale Wren: 1 on Waterfall Trail Bosque de Paz (25/1).
297a) Scaly-breasted Wren (h): heard on trail at Villa Lapas (5/2).
298) Song Wren: 1 in undergrowth with mixed flock on Waterfall Trail, Arenal (26/1).
299) American Dipper: Pair on river downstream from lodge and 1 upstream from lodge, Bosque de Paz (23/1).
300) Tawny-faced Gnatwren: 1 in understorey with mixed flock on Waterfall Trail, Arenal (26/1).
301) Long-billed Gnatwren: 1 with mixed flock on SAZ trail, La Selva (21/1), and 1 on trail near La Casona, Santa Rosa NP (29/1) – out of range indicated on map in field guide.
302) White-lored Gnatcatcher: Singles to groups seen at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), in dry forest at hotel, Papagayo (30/1), and at Palo Verde (2-3/2).
303) Tropical Gnatcatcher: Small groups, in clearing near lab, La Selva (21/1), at Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2) and at Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
304) Black-faced Solitaire: Individuals seen in forest edge near lodge, and on Botanical Trail, Bosque de Paz (23/1).
305) Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush: 1 in garden, Hotel Bougainvillea (19/1).
306) Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush: Seen on several trails at Bosque de Paz (23/1), and on return loop from Waterfall Trail, Arenal (26/1).
307) Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush: Moderately common at Bosque de Paz where seen daily on forest trails and on forest edge (22-25/1).
308) Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush: 1 on Waterfall Trail, Arenal (28/1).
309) Wood Thrush: Seen in forest undergrowth - at La Selva on several trails (SOR, SUR, SAZ) including roosting birds spot lit at night (19-20/1, 22/1), 1 on Waterfall trail, Arenal (28/1), 1 on Sendero Quebrada Bonita, Carara NP (4/2).
310) Mountain Robin: 1 in fruiting fig tree on forest edge near lodge, Bosque de Paz (23/1).
311) Pale-vented Thrush: Singles in lower forest levels on SOR trail (20/1) and SAZ trail (21/1), La Selva.
312) Clay-coloured Robin: Fairly widespread, although not recorded in north-west; more numerous and conspicuous at some sites than others. Seen at Hotel Bougainvillea, where abundant and possibly one of the most common birds in the grounds (18-19/1, 9-10/2), also seen at La Selva, on SAZ trail (20-22/1), at Bosque de Paz (22/1), Arenal, around lodge grounds where fairly common (25-28/2), Villa Lapas (3-6/2), and at Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
313) Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher: Individuals to small flocks, seen on trail near waterfall at c. 1800m, lower on trail, and on forest edge around lodge (23/1, 25/1).
314) Golden-winged Warbler: Individuals, all males, seen daily in forest on trails and in forest edge, at Bosque de Paz (22-25/1)
315) Tennessee Warbler: Singles in gardens, Hotel Bougainvillea (19/1, 10/2), small flocks at Villa Lapas (3/2, 6/2), flocks at hotel garden and nearby, Manuel Antonio (7/-9/2).
316) Flame-throated Warbler: Three feeding in fruiting fig on forest edge near lodge, Bosque de Paz (24/1).
317) Tropical Parula: Individuals seen on trails at Bosque de Paz (23/1, 25/1), and at and near lodge, Arenal, where more common (25-27/1).
318) Yellow Warbler: Migrant race was fairly widespread in lowlands, and appeared to be more common in some Pacific slope sites – 1 in secondary growth/forest edge near our lodge, La Selva (20/1); single birds at Santa Rosa NP (29/1) and in hotel grounds and nearby, Papagayo (29-31/1); 1 at Palo Verde (2/2); singles and few birds at Villa Lapas (3/2, 5-6/2); 1 near hotel, Manuel Antonio (9/10). Birds of the local race, sometimes treated as a separate species, Mangrove Warbler, were seen in mangroves at beach next to hotel, Papagayo (30/1) and in mangroves on Tarcoles River boat trip (4/2).
319) Chestnut-sided Warbler: Perhaps the most commonly seen parulid warbler of the trip, usually as single birds – not seen at Hotel Bougainvillea, or in the northwest, but seen most days in other areas. Those seen towards the end of the holiday showed more colour on average as they were moulting into breeding plumage.
320) Blackburnian Warbler: 1 female in forest edge, Bosque de Paz (22/1).
321) Black-and-white Warbler: Individuals seen at La Selva on SAZ trail (22/1), in forest on trails at Bosque de Paz (23/1, 25/1), in forest on Sainto Trail, Arenal (26/1), and in dry forest on trail near La Casona, Santa Rosa NP (29/1).
322) American Redstart: 1 male flying through garden at Villa Lapas (5/2)
323) Ovenbird: 1 in undergrowth, FLA2 trail, La Selva (21/1).
324) Northern Waterthrush: Singles and pairs on river at Villa Lapas (3-6/2), on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2), on Tarcoles River (4/2), on small stream near entrance to Manuel Antonio NP (7/2), and near stream near beach, Manuel Antonio (9/2).
325) Louisiana Waterthrush: Individuals seen daily at Bosque de Paz (22-25/1).
326) Grey-crowned Yellowthroat: 1 seen in thicket in field near lodge, Arenal (26/1).
327) Wilson’s Warbler: Individuals seen in shrub layers, often on forest edge and gardens, at Bosque de Paz (22-23/1, 25/1).
328) Slate-throated Redstart: Common at Bosque de Paz, frequently in pairs, seen daily (22-25/1).
329) Collared Redstart: A few individuals seen on Waterfall Trail and Galleria Trail (23-24/1).
330) Golden-crowned Warbler: Groups, often in mixed flocks, seen on trails at Bosque de Paz (22-23/1, 25/1), and on Waterfall trail, Arenal (26-27/1).
331) Rufous-capped Warbler: Seen in forest at Santa Rosa NP (29/1), and in forest near hotel, Papagayo (31/1).
332) Black-cheeked warbler: Individuals in mixed flocks on Galleria Trail, Bosque de Paz (22/1, 25/1).
333) Three-striped Warbler: Common at Bosque de Paz, especially in mixed flocks, and seen on a number of trails (22-24/1).
334) Buff-rumped Warbler: Several streamside on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), few on Waterfall trail and nearby, Arenal (25/1, 27-28/1), few near river, Villa Lapas (3/2, 5-6/2).
335) Wrenthrush: 1 in forest undergrowth on trail, Bosque de Paz (23/1).
336) Bananaquit: Groups seen in flowering shrubs in gardens at La Selva (21/1), Arenal (25/1. 27/1), and hotel, Manuel Antonio (6-9/2).
337) Common Bush-Tanager: Very common at Bosque de Paz, where seen daily throughout, both at feeding areas and on trails (22-25/1), and a few at top of Cerro Chato, Arenal (27/1).
338) Dusky-faced Tanager: Few in undergrowth on SAZ trail, La Selva (21/1).
339) (Camiol’s) Olive Tanager: Flocks seen near footbridge at La Selva (20/1), and seen on several trails (Waterfall, Escondida, Sainto) at and near lodge, Arenal (26-27/1), where more common.
340) Grey-headed Tanager: Individuals seen on Sendero Quebrada Bonita, Carara NP (4/2), and outside room in garden at Villa Lapas (6/2).
341) White-throated Shrike-Tanager: 1 male above waterfall with mixed flock, Waterfall Trail, Arenal (27/1).
342) White-shouldered Tanager: 1 female on SUR trail, La Selva (19/1).
343) Red-crowned Ant-Tanager: 1 pair in forest on trail at Villa Lapas (4/2).
344) Red-throated Ant-Tanager: Singles to small flocks seen in undergrowth on SAZ and FLA3 trails at La Selva (20-21/1), and 1 small flock on Sainto Trail, Arenal (26/1).
345) Hepatic Tanager: 1 male in gardens at edge of Sainto Trail, Arenal (27/1).
346) Summer Tanager: Single birds, often with mixed flocks – seen at Hotel Bougainvillea (18-19/1, 10/2), La Selva (20-21/1), Bosque de Paz (23-24/1), lodge grounds, Arenal (27/1), hotel, Papagayo (28-29/1, 31/1), Villa Lapas (5/2), hotel, Manuel Antonio (9/2).
347) Western Tanager: Single female and male birds seen in dry forest at Santa Rosa NP (29/1).
348) Crimson-collared Tanager: 1 in lodge gardens, Arenal (25/1).
349) Passerini’s Tanager: Common in clearings at La Selva (19-21/1), and also at lodge Arenal, particularly at feeding table (25-28/1).
350) Cherrie’s Tanager: Common throughout Manuel Antonio area where seen daily (6-9/2).
351) Blue-grey Tanager: Widespread and common – seen at Hotel Bougainvillea (19/1), at La Selva, especially at clearings around buildings (21-22/1), at Bosque de Paz (22/1, 24/1), in rainforest patch near Muelle, seen from balloon (26/1), at hotel grounds, Arenal, especially at the bird feeding table (26-28/1), at Villa Lapas (4-5/2), in national park and grounds of hotel and nearby, Manuel Antonio (6-7/2, 9/2).
352) Palm Tanager: Fairly common in wet lowlands and foothills – seen at La Selva in forest edges and clearings (20-21/2), in lodge grounds at Arenal, often at feeding table (25/1, 27-28/1), at Villa Lapas (3/2, 5/2) and at Manuel Antonio, both in National Park, and at hotel and nearby (6-9/2).
353) Blue-and-gold Tanager: 1 in mixed flock on Waterfall Trail, Arenal (27/1).
354) Plain-coloured Tanager: Several feeding in mixed flock at fruiting fig in clearing near lab (19/1), and several on forest edge near our lodge (20/1), La Selva.
355) Emerald Tanager: Single adults at feeding table at lodge, Arenal (27-28/1) – brilliant bird.
356) Silver-throated Tanager: Fairly common in clearings [especially at fruiting figs] at La Selva where it is a seasonal altitudinal migrant (19-22/1), flock feeding in fruiting fig near lodge, Bosque de Paz (24/1), several in mixed flock on Sainto Trail, Arenal (26/1).
357) Bay-headed Tanager: Single males, at La Selva in fruiting fig with mixed flock, in clearing near lab, (20/1), on Sainto Trail, again with mixed flock, at lodge, Arenal (26/1), and at Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
358) Golden-hooded Tanager: Seen in small numbers at forest edge, clearings and gardens, including feeding tables – at La Selva (19-21/1), Arenal (25-26/1), Villa Lapas (3/2) and at hotel and nearby, Manuel Antonio (6/2, 8-9/2)
359) Scarlet-thighed Dacnis: Single males at La Selva in fruiting fig with mixed flock, in clearing near lab (20/1), and in garden near office (21/1).
360) Blue Dacnis: 1 female seen on forest edge near lodge, Arenal (26/1).
361) Green Honeycreeper: 1 male (19/1) and 1 female (21/1), near river footbridge and 1 female feeding in fruiting fig tree near labs (20/1), La Selva.
362) Shining Honeycreeper: Few in forest canopy near track edge, Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
363) Red-legged Honeycreeper: Singles to groups seen around lodge at Arenal, where mostly hanging around feeding table (25-28/1), in garden at Villa Lapas (3/2, 5-6/2), on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2), in hotel garden at Manuel Antonio, where conspicuous and seen daily (6-9/2), and at Manuel Antonio NP (5/2).
364) Blue-black Grassquit: 1 female in field with Variable Seedeaters and others, near lodge, Arenal (27/1); probably more around but increasing rain made viewing difficult.
365) Variable Seedeater: flocks of Caribbean race seen on forest/pasture edge near our lodge at La Selva (19/1, 22/1), and in pasture near to lodge, Arenal (25-27/1); birds of Pacific race seen at river’s edge at Villa Lapas (3/2, 6/2).
366) White-collared Seedeater: Flock on edge of marsh in grass and adjacent dry forest, Palo Verde (2/2).
367) Thick-billed Seed-Finch: Singles and pairs feeding in fields with Variable Seedeaters and others, near lodge at Arenal (26-27/1).
368) Yellow-faced Grassquit: Flocks feeding in fields near lodge, Arenal (26-27/1), mixed with Variable Seedeaters and others.
369) Yellow-thighed Finch: Common at Bosque de Paz, where seen daily, both at feeding areas and on trails (22-25/1).
370) White-naped Brush-Finch: Few occasionally present at feeding areas, Bosque de Paz (22/1, 24/1), accompanying more numerous Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch.
371) Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch: Common at Bosque de Paz where seen daily, especially at feeding areas, but also on forest trails.
372) Orange-billed Sparrow: Small groups in undergrowth on Sainto and Waterfall Trails, Arenal (25-27/1), and in forest on trail at Villa Lapas (6/2).
373) Olive Sparrow: Few in undergrowth of dry forest, near La Casona, Santa Rosa NP (29/1), and individuals in undergrowth, Palo Verde (2-3/2).
374) Black-striped Sparrow: Seen in undergrowth, on FLA2 trail at La Selva (21/1), and on Sainto & Escondida Trails at Arenal (26-27/1).
375) Stripe-headed Sparrow: Small flocks in dry forest edge at hotel, and in dry grassland nearby, Papagayo (28/1, 31/1), and in Tarcoles (4/2).
376) Rufous-collared Sparrow: Particularly conspicuous in the gardens at Hotel Bougainvillea (18-19/1, 9-10/2), but a few also seen at Bosque de Paz near buildings (22/1, 25/1), and in fields near lodge, Arenal (26/1).
377) Greyish Saltator: Small flock present in gardens of Hotel Bougainvillea (18-19/1, 9-10/2).
378) Buff-throated Saltator: Seen at La Selva, in clearings near lab and near our lodge (20/1, 22/1), at lodge gardens, Arenal (28/1), Villa Lapas (4/2) at hotel gardens, Manuel Antonio (6/2, 8/2), and at Hotel Bougainvillea (10/2).
379) Black-headed Saltator: Seen on forest edge, near our lodge, La Selva (19-20/1).
380) Black-faced Grosbeak: Flocks feeding in fruiting figs in clearing near labs (19-20/1) and near cafeteria (22/1), La Selva.
381) Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 1 juvenile male seen at Bosque de Paz at feeders (23-24/1), several in gardens at Villa Lapas, including at least 1 adult male (3/1, 5/1).
382) Blue-black Grosbeak: Pair in secondary growth on river at Villa Lapas (6/2), and 1 male in undergrowth on track edge, Manuel Antonio NP (7/2).
383) Red-winged Blackbird: Several in field at Muelle (26/1), and flock flying over marsh at Palo Verde (2/2).
384) Eastern Meadowlark: A few in pasture down slope from Bosque de Paz (25/1), and 1 in fields near lodge, Arenal (27/1).
385) Melodious Blackbird: Few in pasture near base of Cerro Chato, Arenal (27/1), and small groups in hotel grounds, Papagayo (29-30/1).
386) Great-tailed Grackle: Widespread and common around settlements, absent from forest areas – possibly under-recorded. Especially common around hotel at Papagayo, where seen daily (28-31/1), also seen at Tarcoles on drive to the dock (4/2), on drive to balloon ride near Arenal (26/1) at lodge, Arenal (28/1), daily around and near hotel at Manuel Antonio (7-9/2), at Hotel Bougainvillea (18-19/1).
387) Giant Cowbird: A couple seen on roadside in rural land near Arenal (26/1).
388) Black-cowled Oriole: Singles or pairs at La Selva near footbridge over river and near our rooms (19/1, 21/1), and 1 in hotel garden near pool, Arenal (26/1).
389) Streak-backed Oriole: Singles to small groups seen daily at hotel and nearby, Papagayo (28-31/1), and 1 seen in riverside vegetation, Tempisque River boat trip (1/2).
390) Baltimore Oriole: Usually in small flocks – seen at Hotel Bougainvillea (19/1, 9/2), La Selva (19-20/1), lodge grounds, Arenal (25/1), hotel, Papagayo (29/1, 31/1), Tempisque River boat trip (1/2), Palo Verde (2-3/2), Villa Lapas (3/2), at hotel, Manuel Antonio (7-9/2).
391) Yellow-billed Cacique: 3 in mid-storey of forest next to footbridge over river at La Selva (20/1).
392) Scarlet-rumped Cacique: Few on STR trail, La Selva (21/1).
393) Chestnut-headed Oropendola: Seen in forest and forest edge at La Selva, on SUR trial near river crossing (19/1), few near soccer field (20/1) and a few flying over near our lodge rooms, with Montezuma Oropendola (21/1).
394) Montezuma Oropendola: Common and conspicuous in Caribbean lowlands and foothills. Seen daily at La Selva, on both trails and near our lodge (19-22/1), on Sarapiqui River boat trip (19/1), on balloon ride near Arenal (26/1), and daily around the lodge and nearby at Arenal, where quite common at bird feeders (25-28/1). Perhaps more surprising was the sight of 2 flying past over forest edge at Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2) – I guess that there is some altitudinal movements from birds that are otherwise found in the Pacific foothills.
395) Scrub Euphonia: Heard at Palo Verde (2/2), and 1 female in secondary forest on Sendero Laguna, Carara NP (5/2).
396) Yellow-crowned Euphonia: Pair in fruiting fig with mixed flock, in clearing near lab, La Selva (20/1), and 1 female in same tree the next day (21/1), 1 male at feeding table at lodge, Arenal (25/1, 27/1), pairs in fruiting tree in garden at hotel, Manuel Antonio (7-8/2).
397) Thick-billed Euphonia: Single males and pairs seen at hotel and nearby, Manuel Antonio (7-9/2).
398) Yellow-throated Euphonia: Pairs in garden, Villa Lapas (3-6/2).
399) Elegant Euphonia: Perhaps THE sighting of the trip due to its location. Almost impossible to believe, but 1 male in top of fruiting tree in hotel garden, with other euphonias and tanagers, Manuel Antonio (8/2) – at least 1000m below expected altitude.
400) Olive-backed Euphonia: Most common euphonia at La Selva, where seen in fruiting figs near labs as well as in trees near cafeteria, also on SOR trail (19-21/1), also on waterfall trail, Arenal (26/1).
401) White-vented Euphonia: Pair in fruiting fig with mixed flock, in clearing near lab, (20/1), and 1 male in garden near cafeteria (22/1), La Selva.
402) Tawny-capped Euphonia: Single adult males seen in forest edge near lodge, and on Waterfall Trail, Arenal (27-28/1).
403) Golden-browed Chlorophonia: 1 seen briefly in forest edge at Bosque de Paz, seen from restaurant (23/1).
404) House Sparrow: Last bird on the list, and the last species added to the trip list (perhaps surprisingly) – seen roadside in Santo Domingo, near Hotel Bougainvillea
