Costa Rica

Photos can be seen by clicking here

December 8 - 14, 2007
Tom Pavlik
Rosemary Pavlik

Route: Wd did a loop from San Jose through the central highlands, west to Dominical then north to Jaco and eventually back to San Jose with a side trip north of San Jose to Selva Verde.

December 8

Travel Day - Detroit to Houston then on to San Jose. We picked up our car rental right next to the Hampton Inn where we were staying. Getting there after 4:00pm we had little time to bird since it gets dark a bit after 5:00pm this time of year.

December 9

This was our first full day of birding. We would be spending the next two nights at Sevegre Lodge (http://www.savegre.co.cr/) in the central highlands. This was only 100km or so from San Jose so we decided to do some birding on the way. Our first destination was Tapanti National Park about 20km southeast of Cartago. We stopped at a few spots along the road outside Cartago. A distant pond produced Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, and Snowy Egret to kick things off.

About 5km from the park we came across a very birdy area. They left side of the road was rainforest segments. A group of at least 50 Silver-throated Tanagers was an amazing site as they worked along the forest edge. A number of other tanagers were mixed in including Crimson-collared, Passerini's, Blue-gray, Palm, Bay-headed and the awesome Golden-browed Chlorophonia.

By the time we got to Tapanti the rain had picked up. We walked around when we could. We scared up a couple of woodcreepers including Olivaceous and Wedge-billed. Slate-throated Redstarts were fairly common. By early afternoon we decided it was time to get on our way to Savegre.

We got back on the main highway and made good time getting to the turnoff to the lodge (exit 80). The 9km trek down into the valley had some nice stops along the way. I got my 2,000 life bird (Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager) on this road. We got to the lodge with about an hour of light left - enough to get checked in and check the hummingbird feeders. Consistent during our stay was Long-tailed Hermit, Green Violetear, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Purple-throated Mountain-Gem, Gray-tailed Mountain-Gem, Magnificent Hummingbird and the tiny Scintillant Hummingbird.

December 10

We hired a guide for a half day but before he met us at 7:00am we had a few minutes to walk around the lodge. Down by the river was one of our target birds - Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher. Our guide arrived on time and we birded through the lower valley. Not too far up the road was a very reliable place for Resplendent Quetzal. We ended up seeing three males and two females. There were a number of other nice birds in the valley that we managed to pick up along the road. Sulpher-winged Parakeet, White-collared Swift, Mountain Elania, Black-capped Flycatcher, Flame-throated Warbler among several others. The guide also knew of two Volcano Hummingbird nests which were both occupied.

Before lunch we had about an hour to walk through the rainforest closer to the lodge. We ran into a couple of nice mixed flocks. Tanagers are always welcome so the Spangle-cheeked Tanager was a pleasant sight. The very cool Collared Redstart was quite common. Mixed in were also Spot-crowned and Spotted Woodcreeper, Yellow-winged Vireo and Blue-throated (Emerald) Toucanet. After a late lunch we wandered the grounds and spent some time taking photos. There were a few new additions including Tufted Flycatcher, Yellowish Flycatcher, Flame-colored Tanager, Orange-bellied Trogon and Black-faced Solitaire.

December 11

We would have a lot of driving today to get all the way over to Jaco. However, I was looking forward to the various habitats along the way and exploring new areas. Before leaving, we walked the step trail behind the lodge that went up into the mountains. While we didn't encounter as much as I had hoped there were a few nice birds. These included: Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Large-footed Finch, Yellow-thighed Finch and several repeat birds we have been seeing the last day and a half.

By mid-morning we were back on the highway headed south to San Isidro de General. From there we cut west towards Dominical. There were not as many places to stop as I had hoped but about half way to Dominical there was a side road to the north we decided to take. Not far down the road we started encountering a number of birds. One spot in particular was very active. Birds included Barn Swallow, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Black-striped Sparrow and, Dusky-capped Flycatcher. An interesting sight was a pair of Scarlet Macaws at the top of a tree by a residential area. I wasn't sure what to make of this since they are primarily restricted to the Carara area. There was also a decent patch of grasses which produced, not surprisingly, Blue-black Grassquit, Variable Seedeater, and White-collared Seedeater.

Back in the car we made it to Dominical at the coast where we headed north. The road to Quepos was not good as we were warned. We had hoped to spend some time at Manuel Antonio National Park but there wasn't going to be enough time to do it any justice. In the end, it probably wasn't necessary. North of Quepos there was a long stretch of road construction so the going was still a little rough. No problem - there were plenty of places to stop along the road. One particular place had a big open field with a few trees and some wet area. There were a lot of doves in the area and we quickly added Inca, White-tipped and Ruddy-ground Dove. There was a Purple Gallinule in the wet area. Grass birds were quite common but nothing we hadn't already seen.

We continued our journey north towards Jaco. It was now late afternoon but I remembered a side road just south of Jaco I had taken before. I had luck with water birds as well as a few other things. We found the road and not long after we had Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Northern Jacana and an Osprey. Unfortunately, development has taken over this coastal area and it seems there were as much beach houses and condos as there is open land.

December 12

Our focus this morning was Carara National Park. Before we actually got into the park we walked the bridge over the Tarcoles River as many birders do. At 6:30am it was surprisingly slow. We did manage a Spotted Sandpiper and Black-necked Stilt along the river. We back-tracked the few miles to the Carara Park entrance, paid the $8 entrance fee and began our walk. It was a bit slow at the beginning and I was admittedly frustrated at not knowing the bird calls as well as I should. Carara is primarily rainforest habitat and more birds are heard than seen. The oversized Rufous-naped Wren was our first confirmed bird. Another hundred yards up the path the trail turned to the left and opened up a bit. A Scarlet Macaw was making a ruckus near a presumed nesting spot. The open area also produced a number of other birds including Golden-hooded Tanager, Tropical Gnatcatcher, Royal Flycatcher, and Plain Xenops. Further down the path and into the thicker woods Orange-billed Sparrow, Dot-winged Antwren and Chestnut-backed Antbird became common. We tracked down an obvious large woodpecker we were hearing - Pale-billed Woodpecker.

We spent the remaining part of the morning working the paths. As typical in the rainforest there are not always a lot of birds readily available. We continued to tick one off every now and then but it typically took some effort to track it down. Regardless, we ended with several more nice birds including Blue-crowned Motmot, Golden-crowned Spadebill, Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Riverside Wren and White-whiskered Puffbird as well as a few others. By late morning it was getting quite warm - upper 80's at least. This would be the best time to load up on a cold soda and drive some back roads in an air conditioned car.

We found the dirt road that would eventually lead us to the small village of Tarcoles and drove slowly along. Birds were still plentiful in spite of the heat. Our first new bird was Streaked Flycatcher and Hoffman's Woodpecker soon followed. We spotted a distant raptor which then took off and gave us respectable looks - Gray Hawk. As we got closer to the ocean Magnificent Frigatebirds could be seen. Within the next hour they filled the sky. Our next challenge was a couple of distant birds causing quite the raucous. Noisy birds but we just couldn't see them. Eventually we got a distant look at some kind of parrot. I did not bring my scope and it was probably still the right move considering I may have only used it once or twice. This would have been "the once". Unfortunately this one would have to go unidentified. Just as we were getting back into the car a Mangrove Black Hawk came in over top of us. Nice!

We eventually made it to the Tarcoles river. We were hoping for Boat-billed Heron but the best we could manage was Yellow-crowned. Olivacious Cormorants started showing up as well now that we were next to the ocean.

Now, early afternoon, it was quite hot. We back-tracked and headed south just past Jaco. We did the same dirt road that we did late the previous day. The birding would be slow but the herons would be out and I could try for a few photos. While we had nothing new, we didn't tire of Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Northern Jacana and waders.

By late afternoon we found ourselves back at Carara. This time we took the path nearer to the river bridge and not by the welcome center. This turned out to be quite muddy and we eventually came to a place we could not get around. We saw many of the same birds we had in the morning. The only addition turned out to be Swainson's Thrush. Regardless, the walk was enjoyable if not challenging and bugs weren't too bad.

That night I decided to make a change in plans for our last day. Originally, we planned to bird the area more and then head back to San Jose for our last night in Costa Rica. However, we felt we covered the area fairly well in 11 hours of birding and thought we could get a bigger bang for our buck if we tried a different area.

December 13

After a quick bite for breakfast we made a bee-line to Selva Verde which is about two hours north of San Jose. I had been there twice before and knew we could add some birds that we had not seen yet. South of Selva Verde there is a place called La Paz Waterfall Garden which I had also been to before. My wife and I were there a few years back and recalled the hummingbird feeders as well as the nice gardens. I thought it would be a worthwhile stop today. We were there by 9:15am.

In the past few years this "garden" has now turned into something resembling a zoo. There are now several exhibits including a monkey exhibit, avian exhibit as well as several other buildings hosting odds and ends. Apparently this somehow justified the $29 per person entrance fee which left me feeling a tad queasy. BUT - there were hummingbird feeders. As is typical for me, I feel like I'm violating some trusted birding code by sitting next to hummingbird feeders ticking off Green Hermit, Violet Saberwing, Green Thorntail, Coppery-headed Emerald and several others without much effort. As if that weren't enough a perky park employee came by and rattled off the identification of every specie seen. Perhaps this is the balance of only hearing and not seeing many of the rainforest birds.

By noon we were at Selva Verde. For $5 each we were able to walk their trails - perhaps the best deal of the week. In spite of the heat and late time things were quite birdy in spots. We walked the grounds and had a Black-mandibled Toucan come in. Black-cheecked Woodpecker was next followed by Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Bright-rumped Attila then Rufous-winged Tanager. We then headed for the trails across the road.

It was hot and humid but the birds were still out. Masked Tityra and Squirrel Cuckoo were near the road. As we walked the covered trail - that's right, a few trails are covered due to the amount of rain they get - we tracked down a Black-throated Wren. We then made it to an open area that had some banana feeders. This attracted Green Honeycreeper, Olive-backed Euphonia and a few birds were had already seen. Keeping our eyes to the sky we could see he omnipresent Black Vultures but also picked out a Swainson's Hawk. Our final new bird for the trip was Black-faced Grosbeak.

On a personal note, I totaled 200 birds, 33 life birds and 71 new birds for Costa Rica.