We did day trips from the Hampton Inn near the airport outside of San Jose. We got up most days
at 4:30 am and were on the road by 5:15 am. It was light by 6:00 am. While this area was a
decent central location it was not optimal for maximizing one's trip list. The roads and traffic
throughout Costa Rica are horrible. It typically took us 2 1/2 to 3 hours to go 100km. It seems
we spent more time in the car as we did at any one location.

Day 1 - Carara Biological Reserve (Pacific Coast) Sunny, Hot
Carara is most noted for Scarlet Macaws. We saw and heard several throughout the time we were
there though most notes indicate you should be there at dusk or dawn. We walked the 2 loop
trails and added a few species. The birding is tough with the density of the trees and plants as
well as several birds being high in the canopy. We watched one of my favorite birds of the trip
- Rufous-tailed Jacamar - as it darted to and from its perch chasing insects. We went down the
road past Jaco and found a dirt road that went along the beach on one side and some wetlands on
the other. Added both Fasciated and Bare-throated Tiger Herons as well as several other species.
The area was also good for Finches, Seedeaters and Grassquits. About 5:00 pm we stopped along
the bridge over the Tarcoles River back near Carara and added several species there.

Day 2 - Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve (cool, damp, but no rain)
Known as a good spot for Resplendant Quetzals. We missed 4 by about 10 - 15 minutes and only
heard them from a distance. Neat place but similar in that it was hard to see a lot due to the
density of the forest. Added several hummingbirds at the feeders as well as some Tanagers.
Violet Sabrewing (large hummingbird) was popular at the feeders. Worm-eating Warblers were very
common along the paths. Saw perhaps 25-30 throughout the day. Added several other warblers
including Rufous-capped and Golden-crowned. The road to get to Monteverde is as bad as everyone
says! The 35km road took us about 2 hours. However, we got great views of a pair of

Turquoise-browed Motmots along the roadside.
Day 3 - Selva Verde (rain and sun - very humid)
Hard not to fall in love with this place. Seemed like all we did is tick off lifers all day
long. We had a guide through the primary forest area (not accessible without a guide - cost $15
for 2 hour trip). Our guide's name was Yodi. A very knowledgable young man who I would strongly
recommend. Knew his birds, reptiles, insects - everything. Got to see Great Potoo! Our guide
has worked there 14 months and said its only the 2nd one he has seen. Sunbittern was also very
nice as was White-tipped Sicklebill (hummingbird), Violaceous Trogan, King Vulture, Amazon
Kingfisher and both Toucans (Keel-billed and Chestnut Mandibled). My wife spotted a Fasciated
Tiger-Heron on a nest about 50 feet up in a tree. The guide indicated that was the first he had
heard of in the preserve. We also saw a lot of neat non-bird critters including White Bats,
Poison Dart Frogs and a variety of butterflies. No snakes the entire trip. I thought the lodge
was a little over-priced at $130 a night per couple. It does include meals and some field trips.

Day 4 - Tapanti Wildlife Refuge (rain, mist but still fairly warm)
Decent place. Not a ton of birds (fair amount of rain) but what we saw was pretty neat.
Woodcreepers continued to be difficult for us to identify. Not only are they somewhat similar in
appearance, they seem to always be in the thickest of foliage. We confirmed 5 different ones for
the trip though I'm sure we saw a couple others. We also added a couple of Wrens, Sooty Robin as
well as Red-headed Barbet. On the return we saw a raptor along the road side. We turned around
and went back and got within 20 feet or so of a Hooked-billed Kite. We saw one more the next
day.

Day 5 - Headed back to the Pacific coast in hopes of getting into Manuel Antonio National Park. A long drive only to find they are closed on Mondays. Though our book mentioned that it could be
a very productive place we are now skeptical. Apparently, the locals trash it pretty bad on the
weekends and that is why it is closed on Mondays -- for maintenance and clean-up. We made the
best of it by stopping along the road here and there and hitting Carara again. Added a couple of
Hawks south of Jaco. Gray Hawks and Crested Caracaras were common.

Day 6 - We were on our way to La Selva but a 3 car pile-up blocking the road with no sign of clearing up soon forced us to go to plan B. We went south of San Jose about 130km to Chirripo
National Park. Though it was a fairly high elevation it remained sunny and warm. We actually
never got into the park which is fine. We parked at the park headquarters and spent the day
walking the two dirt roads. These were steep but we stopped often enough to look at some great
birds. We added a couple tanagers including Silver-throated, Speckled, and Golden-hooded. We
also saw another one of my favorites for the trip - Red-legged Honeycreeper.

We clearly have some unfinished business in Costa Rica. We ended up with 174 species of which
111 were new for me. Five days could be had at Selva Verde with the La Selva Biological Station,
Rara Avis and Paos Volcano near by. Our next trip will include a couple days stationed there and
then a couple days at a preserve on the Carribean side.

Books - Of course we had the Stiles and Skutch Field Guide. There is a Lane-like book by Taylor
but I saw mixed reviews on the internet and couldn't find one at any on-line bookstore anyhow. I
also have a book by Joseph Franke called "Costa Rica's National Parks and Preserves". Its a
good, general reference book about the parks but the directions in the book are awful.

Costa Rica Total ==> 174
Feb 16 - 23

Magnificant Frigatebird 2/21/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Caspian Tern 2/18/00 Puntarenas
Brown Pelican 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Wood Stork 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Roseate Spoonbill 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
White Ibis 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 2/21/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Great Blue Heron 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Tricolored Heron 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Little Blue Heron 2/21/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Snowy Egret 2/21/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Cattle Egret 2/21/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Great Egret 2/21/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Fasciated Tiger-Heron 2/21/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron 2/21/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Green Heron 2/21/00 Near Quepos (Pacific Coast)
Purple Gallinule 2/21/00 Near Quepos (Pacific Coast)
Sunbittern 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Limpkin 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Northern Jacana 2/21/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Black-necked Stilt 2/21/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Whimbrel 2/21/00 Playa Espadilla (near Quepos)
Killdeer 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Spotted Sandpiper 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Gray-headed Chachalaca 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Black Guan 2/19/00 Tapanti Wildlife Refuge
Turkey Vulture 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Black Vulture 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
King Vulture 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Common Black-Hawk 2/21/00 South of Jaco
Short-tailed Hawk 2/21/00 South of Jaco
Crane Hawk 2/21/00 South of Jaco
Crested Caracara 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Black-shouldered Kite 2/21/00 South of Jaco
Am Swallow-tailed Kite 2/21/00 South of Jaco
Hook-billed Kite 2/21/00 South of Jaco
Roadside Hawk 2/21/00 South of Jaco
Broad-winged Hawk 2/21/00 South of Jaco
Gray Hawk 2/21/00 South of Jaco
Red-billed Pigeon 2/17/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Pale-vented Pigeon 2/17/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Ruddy Ground-Dove 2/17/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Common Ground-Dove 2/17/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Inca Dove 2/17/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
White-winged Dove 2/17/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Mourning Dove 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Ruddy Quail-Dove 2/17/00 Jaco (Pacific Coast)
Scarlet Macaw 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Mealy Parrot 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Crimson-frt Parakeet 2/19/00 Tapanti Wildlife Refuge
Sulfur-winged Parakeet 2/22/00 Chirripo National Park
Orange-chinned Parakeet 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Great Potoo 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Squirrel Cuckoo 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Groove-billed Ani 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
White-collared Swift 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Barn Swallow 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Cliff Swallow 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
N. Rough-winged Swallow 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Blue-and-White Swallow 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Mangrove Swallow 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Long-tailed Hermit 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Green Hermit 2/19/00 Tapanti Wildlife Refuge
White-tipped Sicklebill 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Violet Sabrewing 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Green-crowned Brilliant 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird 2/22/00 Chirripo National Park
Gray-tailed Mountain-gem 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Purple-throated Mountain-gem 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Striped-tailed Hummingbird 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Black-bellied Hummingbird 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Violaceous Trogan 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Rufous-tailed Jacamar 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Belted Kingfisher 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Amazon Kingfisher 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Turquios-browed Motmot 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Collared Aracari 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Emerald Toucanet 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Keel-billed Toucan 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Red-headed Barbet 2/19/00 Tapanti Wildlife Refuge
Hoffman's Woodpecker 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Spotted Barbtail 2/19/00 Tapanti Wildlife Refuge
Wedge-billed Woodcreeper 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Spotted-crowned Woodcreeper 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Long-tailed Woodcreeper 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Tawny-winged Woodcreeper 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Black-hooded Antshrike 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Dusky Antbird 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Immaculate Antbird 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Dotted-winged Antwren 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Slaty Antwren 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
White-winged Becard 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Masked Tityra 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Tropical Kingbird 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Western Kingbird 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Boat-billed Flycatcher 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Great Kiskadee 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Social Flycatcher 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Gray-capped Flycatcher 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Torrent Tyrannulet 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Black Phoebe 2/19/00 Tapanti Wildlife Refuge
Yellowish Flycatcher 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Common Tody-Flycatcher 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Eye-ringed Flatbill 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Rufous-naped Wren 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Rufous-and-white Wren 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Riverside Wren 2/19/00 Tapanti Wildlife Refuge
Bay Wren 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Ochraceous Wren 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Black-headed Nightingale Thrush 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Sooty Robin 2/19/00 Tapanti Wildlife Refuge
Clay-colored Robin 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
American Dipper 2/19/00 Tapanti Wildlife Refuge
Brown Jay 2/19/00 Tapanti Wildlife Refuge
Green Shrike-Vireo 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Yellow-throated Vireo 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Rufous-capped Warbler 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Golden-crowned Warbler 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Worm-eating Warbler 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Tennessee Warbler 2/22/00 Chirripo National Park
Bananaquit 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Tropical Gnatcatcher 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Tropical Parula 2/22/00 Chirripo National Park
Black-and-White Warbler 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Yellow Warbler 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Wilson's Warbler 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Collared Redstart 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Slate-throated Redstart 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Kentucky Warbler 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Chestnut-sided Warbler 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Orchard Oriole 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Northern Oriole 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Montezuma Oropendola 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Chestnut-headed Oropendola 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Giant Cowbird 2/22/00 On Way to Chirripo NP
Scarlet-rumped Cacique 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Bronzed Cowbird 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Great-tailed Grackle 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Spotted-crowned Euphonia 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Olive-backed Euphonia 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Common Bush-Tanager 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Gray-headed Tanager 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Palm Tanager 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Red-legged Honeycreeper 2/22/00 Chirripo National Park
Scarlet-thighed Dacnis 2/22/00 Chirripo National Park
Silver-throated Tanager 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Speckled Tanager 2/22/00 Chirripo National Park
Bay-headed Tanager 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Golden-hooded Tanager 2/22/00 Chirripo National Park
Blue-gray Tanager 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
White-lined Tanager 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Scarlet-rumped Tanager 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Summer Tanager 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Hepatic Tanager 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Red-throated Ant-Tanager 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Buff-throated Saltator 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
Blue Grosbeak 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Indigo Bunting 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Orange-billed Sparrow 2/20/00 Selva Verde Lodge
White-collared Seedeater 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Variable Seedeater 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Yellow-faced Grassquit 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Blue-black Grassquit 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Thick-billed Seed-finch 2/17/00 Carara Biological Preserve & Area
Rufous-collared Sparrow 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest
Eastern Meadowlark 2/18/00 Monte Verde Cloud Forest