I visited Costa Rica from December 8 to 14, 2012. We stayed at the Four Seasons Papagayo Resort. It is a very nice resort, in fact so fancy I normally would not have stayed there except that we ended up there on short notice due to some special circumstances. The resort is built very nicely into the natural landscape of the Papagayo Peninsula and has left a lot of natural areas, except for the inevitable golf course that has displaced hundreds of acres of natural ecosystem. There are some nice trails about the peninsula and roads heading up into the hills. I found the area around the Golf Course Club House to be quite good for birding, especially the growth adjoining the parking lot and the area behind that. There is a pond at the Club House and another near the gate to the peninsula that are worth a look. I also took two tours off the resort.
On December 10, 2012 I booked a guided birding tour with Carlos Jimenez of Eco-Explorer Tours.* Carlos was unable to guide me himself so has arranged for Andris Herreros to guide me.* As arranged Andris and his driver Santos are at the resort lobby just before sunrise at 5:30 AM.* Just before they arrive I see a Magnificent Frigatebird gliding overhead in the pre-dawn darkness.
The first bird that we see after driving away is a Crested Caracara along the road through the golf course.
At 6 AM in a large pond by the entrance gate to the peninsula we see Black-necked Stilts, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, Least Grebes, two Lesser Scaup (1 male, 1 female), Great Kiskadees, Tropical Kingbirds and a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron.
Further along the road we spot a Yellow-naped Parrot, Orange-fronted Parrots, a Hoffman’s Woodpecker, and three types of Doves; White-winged, Inca and Common Ground Doves.
At 6:15 AM we stopped at the side of the road with a nice brushy area beside it.* We quickly picked up Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Green-breasted Mango, Tennessee Warbler, White-fronted Parrot, more Tropical Kingbirds, more Orange-fronted Parrots, lots of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Scrub Euphonias, Stripe-headed Sparrows and Melodious Blackbirds.
At 6:20 AM we stop to get looks at an American Kestrel, and spot a Short-tailed Hawk perching in a tree at the far side of the field.
At 6:35 AM we see Groove-billed Anis in a cut cane field.
At 6:40 AM we stop to look at a Roadside Hawk perching on a power line, and looking the other way we see a Yellow-headed Caracara and a White-tailed Kite perching in a large roadside tree.* The field in front of us has Cattle Egrets in it.
Five minutes later we stop at a sugar cane field that has*a lot of bird activity and we pick out Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Blue-black Grassquits, Tri-colored Munias and Dickcissels.* Soon after that the first Black Vulture of the day is seen.
Arriving in Liberia at about 7 AM we stop at the campus of the University of Costa Rica where there is a small man-made wetland.* In it we see a lone female Blue-winged Teal, Northern Jacanas, Green Herons, Cattle Egrets, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks and a flyby of a Solitary Sandpiper.* In the trees in the parking lot are Yellow Warblers, Tennessee Warblers, Cinnamon Hummingbirds, White-winged Doves, Great Kiskadees, and Rock Pigeons.
Heading north on the Pan-American Highway we stopped from 7:45 to 8 AM at a fallow rice field south of the Rio Los Ahogados.* There are at least 40 Killdeer in the fields, a Harris Hawk and 2 White-tailed Kites flew by, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, an Eastern Meadowlark, Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets and a Wood Stork.
At 8:15 AM we arrived at the entrance to Santa Rosa National Park.* There is a Brown-crested Flycatcher and a Greenish Elaenia perched nearby.* After buying our entry passes we move a few kilometers down the road to the evergreen area.* In this area we walk along the road and take a few short trails into the forest.* First, Andris gives me serious advice to not touch anything as there are wasps and scorpions seemingly under every leaf, ready to be alarmed by our presence.* Also watch where you step as there are snakes, and some are quite poisonous.* Andris spots a Stripe-throated Hermit perching in a roadside bush allowing some fair photos.* In branches overhead is a Royal Flycatcher, and Rufous-capped Warblers are common. We also spot a Squirrel Cuckoo, a Green-breasted Mango, a Cinnamon Hummingbird, Hoffman’s Woodpeckers, Great-crested Flycatchers, Lesser Greenlet, Rufous-naped Wrens, Yellow Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Tennessee Warblers, Summer Tanagers, and Melodious Blackbirds.* After some time we move further down the road and then walk down a trail that goes off to the right (North) just after the evergreen forest area.* This is a bird rich area where we spot a pair of Great Curassows, a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron near a stream, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a Canivet’s Emerald, a Steely-vented Hummingbird, more Cinnamon Hummingbirds, a Yellow-naped Parrot, a Boat-billed Flycatcher, a male Long-tailed Manakin, a Yellow-throated Vireo, White-throated Magpie-Jays, White-lored and Tropical Gnatcatchers, a Northern Waterthrush, and an Olive Sparrow foraging with a female Painted Bunting.* Near a section of the road active with army ants we find a Ruddy Woodcreeper and a Northern Barred-Woodcreeper.* We heard a Northern Bentbill but were unable to spot it.* Leaving the trail we take a drive through the campsite and spot three Crested Guans moving in the trees overhead, a Turkey Vulture, and a Pale-billed Woodpecker.* We unfortunately did not see some specialties of the park like Thicket Tinamou or Crested Bobwhite. We take our leave from Santa Rosa and head back South on the Pan-American Highway, about 9 kilometers from the Santa Rosa turnoff to Highway 917 where we head west to Cuebrada Grande and then Curubanda Lodge.
Highway 917 is only paved for about 15 minutes and then we are off pavement.* At 12:30 PM we pick up a Gray-crowned Yellowthroat in some roadside bushes and soon after a Social Flycatcher and an American Kestrel.* Tropical Kingbirds and Great Kiskadees are common along the road and many Turkey Vultures are seen soaring over the hills.* In another area we find a Dusky-capped Flycatcher, a Blue-gray Tanager, and we hear a Bay Wren but can’t get a look at it. Some fields hold Cattle Egrets, and I spot a Laughing Falcon perched in a tree.* The last birds that we see along the road before Curubanda Lodge itself are an American Kestrel and an Eastern Meadowlark.
Curubanda Lodge is located just below 700 meters altitude and the warm clear skies at Santa Rosa have given away to cloudy skies with some occasional light drizzle typical of the higher altitude rain forests. Southwest of the lodge area is a forested area with some primary forest and some secondary regrowth, as well as a few clearings.* The location is almost at the top of the saddle between the Rincon de la Vieja volcano and the next volcano to the north-west.* There are many Caribbean slope birds whose range extends at least this far to the west.* At the lodge we stop for a traditional Costa Rican lunch. We are overlooking a large pond with Blue-and-white Swallows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows flying about and perching on some wires. After lunch we start walking about on the trails and in the clearings, criss-crossing through the dark forest.* Andris’s knowledge of calls really helps pick up the birds that are either flying about quickly low in the bushes, or else staying annoyingly still, barely giving away their presence.* Birds seen here are Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Northern Jacana, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Long-billed Hermit, Tody Motmot, Rufous -tailed Jacamar, Keel-billed Toucan, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Tropical Pewee, Yellowish Flycatcher, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Social Flycatcher, Masked Tityra, Lesser Greenlet, White-throated Magpie-Jay, Clay-colored Thrush, Yellow Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blue-gray Tanager, Palm Tanager, Variable Seedeater (Caribbean race), Summer Tanager, Melodious Blackbird, Black-cowled Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, Montezuma Oropendola, Yellow-crowned Euphonia, and a raptor that we only got a quick look at before it moved deeper into the forest, possibly a Double-toothed Kite, but that is only a guess.* White-breasted Wood-Wrens were heard but not seen.
Leaving Curubanda at about 4 PM we move further east down Highway 917, actually crossing the continental divide and heading downhill for a few kilometers.* We spot another Keel-billed Toucan, a Passerini’s Tanager, a Thick-billed Seed-Finch, and hear a Nightingale Wren. * At our furthest travel east at about 5 PM we walked down a roadside trail a few hundred meters.* In the twilight we hear a Song Wren, and a Bare-crowned Antbird but do not try to see them.* We do have luck getting some decent, if fleeting, views of a Spotted Antbird that we first heard and located with difficulty.* Heading back westward we pass Curubanda at about 5:15 PM with the setting sun in front of us.
Driving through Liberia we add Gray-breasted Martin to our day list as thousands roost at night on power lines and traffic signal cables.* We thought that to be all the birds for today but get to add one more as we find a Common Pauraque sitting on the road at the entrance gate to the Papagayo Peninsula. A total of 115 species for the day. Andris was a top-notch guide, knowing most birds by ear. I know that he heard and/or saw more birds than I did but some were gone before I could manage to hear them or see them.
Species list for the day:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Lesser Scaup
Crested Guan
Great Currassow
Least Grebe
Wood Stork
Magnificent Frigatebird
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
White-tailed Kite
Harris's Hawk
Roadside Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Crested Caracara
Yellow-headed Caracara
Laughing Falcon
American Kestrel
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
Northern Jacana
Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Rock Pigeon
White-winged Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Orange-fronted Parakeet
White-fronted Parrot
Yellow-naped Parrot
Squirrel Cuckoo
Groove-billed Ani
Common Pauraque
Long-billed Hermit (heard only)
Stripe-throated Hermit
Green-breasted Mango
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Canivet's Emerald
Steely-vented Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed hummingbird
Cinnamon Hummingbird
Tody Motmot
Rufous-tailed Jacamar
Keel-billed Toucan
Hoffmann's Woodpecker
Pale-billed Woodpecker
Ruddy Woodcreeper
Northern Barred-Woodcreeper
Bare-crowned Antbird
Spotted Antbird
Greenish Elaenia
Northern Bentbill (heard only)
Common Today-Flycatcher
Royal Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Tropical Pewee
Yellowish Flycatcher
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Long-tailed Manakin
Masked Tityra
Yellow-throated Vireo
Lesser Greenlet
White-throated Magpie-Jay
Blue-and-white Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Gray-breasted Martin
Rufous-naped Wren
Bay Wren (heard only)
White-breasted Wood-Wren (heard only)
Nightingale Wren (heard only)
Song Wren (heard only)
White-lored Gnatcatcher
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Clay-coloured thrush
Northern Waterthrush
Tennessee Warbler
Gray-crowned Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Rufous-capped Warbler
Passerini's Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Blue-black Grassquit
Variable Seedeater (Caribbean race)
Thick-billed Seed-Finch
Olive Sparrow
Stripe-headed Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Dickcissel
Eastern Meadowlark
Melodious Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Black-cowled Oriole
Streak-backed Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Montezuma Oropendola
Scrub Euphonia
Yellow-crowned Euphonia
Tricoloured Munia
On December 12 we took a shorter trip with Andris and Santos again, over to the Rio Tempisque near Filadelfia and Bolson. We first took a short look down the road to Playa Hermosa to look for Jabiru Stork but no luck. Then a nice drive through the Costa Rican countryside before a boat ride on the river to look for crocodiles and and monkeys. New birds added on this day are:
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Boat-billed Heron
Double-striped Thick-knee
Mangrove Cuckoo
Belted Kingfisher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Mangrove Swallow
Barn Swallow
For the record, I saw 58 birds at the resort. As usual, the best time for birding was the first 2 hours after sunrise, and the last 2 before sunset. I did not get down to the Playa Nacasolo beach area but it likely would be a good area of the peninsula as well. The area near the Club House was the only place that I saw Barred Antshrike and Elegant Trogon.
resort Bird List:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Lesser Scaup
Least Grebe
Magnificent Frigatebird
Neotropic Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Common Black-Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Crested Caracara
Semipalmated Plover
American Oystercatcher
Black-necked Stilt
Northern Jacana
Spotted Sandpiper
Whimbrel
White-winged Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Orange-fronted Parakeet
Orange-chinned Parakeet
White-fronted Parrot
Squirrel Cuckoo
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (heard only)
Common Pauraque
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Cinnamon Hummingbird
Black-headed Trogon
Elegant Trogon
Turquoise-browed Motmot
Hoffmann's Woodpecker
Barred Antshrike
Great Crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
White-throated Magpie-Jay
Barn Swallow
Rufous-naped Wren
White-lored Gnatcatcher
Tennessee Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Stripe-headed Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Melodious Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Streak-backed Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Scrub Euphonia
So a short trip to Costa Rica turned out quite remarkably well. I saw or heard a total of 143 species, and added 60 birds to my life list. I will definitely have to get back, the sooner the better! I welcome any comments and queries.
Doug Faulder
Edmonton, Canada
On December 10, 2012 I booked a guided birding tour with Carlos Jimenez of Eco-Explorer Tours.* Carlos was unable to guide me himself so has arranged for Andris Herreros to guide me.* As arranged Andris and his driver Santos are at the resort lobby just before sunrise at 5:30 AM.* Just before they arrive I see a Magnificent Frigatebird gliding overhead in the pre-dawn darkness.
The first bird that we see after driving away is a Crested Caracara along the road through the golf course.
At 6 AM in a large pond by the entrance gate to the peninsula we see Black-necked Stilts, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, Least Grebes, two Lesser Scaup (1 male, 1 female), Great Kiskadees, Tropical Kingbirds and a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron.
Further along the road we spot a Yellow-naped Parrot, Orange-fronted Parrots, a Hoffman’s Woodpecker, and three types of Doves; White-winged, Inca and Common Ground Doves.
At 6:15 AM we stopped at the side of the road with a nice brushy area beside it.* We quickly picked up Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Green-breasted Mango, Tennessee Warbler, White-fronted Parrot, more Tropical Kingbirds, more Orange-fronted Parrots, lots of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Scrub Euphonias, Stripe-headed Sparrows and Melodious Blackbirds.
At 6:20 AM we stop to get looks at an American Kestrel, and spot a Short-tailed Hawk perching in a tree at the far side of the field.
At 6:35 AM we see Groove-billed Anis in a cut cane field.
At 6:40 AM we stop to look at a Roadside Hawk perching on a power line, and looking the other way we see a Yellow-headed Caracara and a White-tailed Kite perching in a large roadside tree.* The field in front of us has Cattle Egrets in it.
Five minutes later we stop at a sugar cane field that has*a lot of bird activity and we pick out Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Blue-black Grassquits, Tri-colored Munias and Dickcissels.* Soon after that the first Black Vulture of the day is seen.
Arriving in Liberia at about 7 AM we stop at the campus of the University of Costa Rica where there is a small man-made wetland.* In it we see a lone female Blue-winged Teal, Northern Jacanas, Green Herons, Cattle Egrets, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks and a flyby of a Solitary Sandpiper.* In the trees in the parking lot are Yellow Warblers, Tennessee Warblers, Cinnamon Hummingbirds, White-winged Doves, Great Kiskadees, and Rock Pigeons.
Heading north on the Pan-American Highway we stopped from 7:45 to 8 AM at a fallow rice field south of the Rio Los Ahogados.* There are at least 40 Killdeer in the fields, a Harris Hawk and 2 White-tailed Kites flew by, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, an Eastern Meadowlark, Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets and a Wood Stork.
At 8:15 AM we arrived at the entrance to Santa Rosa National Park.* There is a Brown-crested Flycatcher and a Greenish Elaenia perched nearby.* After buying our entry passes we move a few kilometers down the road to the evergreen area.* In this area we walk along the road and take a few short trails into the forest.* First, Andris gives me serious advice to not touch anything as there are wasps and scorpions seemingly under every leaf, ready to be alarmed by our presence.* Also watch where you step as there are snakes, and some are quite poisonous.* Andris spots a Stripe-throated Hermit perching in a roadside bush allowing some fair photos.* In branches overhead is a Royal Flycatcher, and Rufous-capped Warblers are common. We also spot a Squirrel Cuckoo, a Green-breasted Mango, a Cinnamon Hummingbird, Hoffman’s Woodpeckers, Great-crested Flycatchers, Lesser Greenlet, Rufous-naped Wrens, Yellow Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Tennessee Warblers, Summer Tanagers, and Melodious Blackbirds.* After some time we move further down the road and then walk down a trail that goes off to the right (North) just after the evergreen forest area.* This is a bird rich area where we spot a pair of Great Curassows, a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron near a stream, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a Canivet’s Emerald, a Steely-vented Hummingbird, more Cinnamon Hummingbirds, a Yellow-naped Parrot, a Boat-billed Flycatcher, a male Long-tailed Manakin, a Yellow-throated Vireo, White-throated Magpie-Jays, White-lored and Tropical Gnatcatchers, a Northern Waterthrush, and an Olive Sparrow foraging with a female Painted Bunting.* Near a section of the road active with army ants we find a Ruddy Woodcreeper and a Northern Barred-Woodcreeper.* We heard a Northern Bentbill but were unable to spot it.* Leaving the trail we take a drive through the campsite and spot three Crested Guans moving in the trees overhead, a Turkey Vulture, and a Pale-billed Woodpecker.* We unfortunately did not see some specialties of the park like Thicket Tinamou or Crested Bobwhite. We take our leave from Santa Rosa and head back South on the Pan-American Highway, about 9 kilometers from the Santa Rosa turnoff to Highway 917 where we head west to Cuebrada Grande and then Curubanda Lodge.
Highway 917 is only paved for about 15 minutes and then we are off pavement.* At 12:30 PM we pick up a Gray-crowned Yellowthroat in some roadside bushes and soon after a Social Flycatcher and an American Kestrel.* Tropical Kingbirds and Great Kiskadees are common along the road and many Turkey Vultures are seen soaring over the hills.* In another area we find a Dusky-capped Flycatcher, a Blue-gray Tanager, and we hear a Bay Wren but can’t get a look at it. Some fields hold Cattle Egrets, and I spot a Laughing Falcon perched in a tree.* The last birds that we see along the road before Curubanda Lodge itself are an American Kestrel and an Eastern Meadowlark.
Curubanda Lodge is located just below 700 meters altitude and the warm clear skies at Santa Rosa have given away to cloudy skies with some occasional light drizzle typical of the higher altitude rain forests. Southwest of the lodge area is a forested area with some primary forest and some secondary regrowth, as well as a few clearings.* The location is almost at the top of the saddle between the Rincon de la Vieja volcano and the next volcano to the north-west.* There are many Caribbean slope birds whose range extends at least this far to the west.* At the lodge we stop for a traditional Costa Rican lunch. We are overlooking a large pond with Blue-and-white Swallows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows flying about and perching on some wires. After lunch we start walking about on the trails and in the clearings, criss-crossing through the dark forest.* Andris’s knowledge of calls really helps pick up the birds that are either flying about quickly low in the bushes, or else staying annoyingly still, barely giving away their presence.* Birds seen here are Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Northern Jacana, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Long-billed Hermit, Tody Motmot, Rufous -tailed Jacamar, Keel-billed Toucan, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Tropical Pewee, Yellowish Flycatcher, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Social Flycatcher, Masked Tityra, Lesser Greenlet, White-throated Magpie-Jay, Clay-colored Thrush, Yellow Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blue-gray Tanager, Palm Tanager, Variable Seedeater (Caribbean race), Summer Tanager, Melodious Blackbird, Black-cowled Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, Montezuma Oropendola, Yellow-crowned Euphonia, and a raptor that we only got a quick look at before it moved deeper into the forest, possibly a Double-toothed Kite, but that is only a guess.* White-breasted Wood-Wrens were heard but not seen.
Leaving Curubanda at about 4 PM we move further east down Highway 917, actually crossing the continental divide and heading downhill for a few kilometers.* We spot another Keel-billed Toucan, a Passerini’s Tanager, a Thick-billed Seed-Finch, and hear a Nightingale Wren. * At our furthest travel east at about 5 PM we walked down a roadside trail a few hundred meters.* In the twilight we hear a Song Wren, and a Bare-crowned Antbird but do not try to see them.* We do have luck getting some decent, if fleeting, views of a Spotted Antbird that we first heard and located with difficulty.* Heading back westward we pass Curubanda at about 5:15 PM with the setting sun in front of us.
Driving through Liberia we add Gray-breasted Martin to our day list as thousands roost at night on power lines and traffic signal cables.* We thought that to be all the birds for today but get to add one more as we find a Common Pauraque sitting on the road at the entrance gate to the Papagayo Peninsula. A total of 115 species for the day. Andris was a top-notch guide, knowing most birds by ear. I know that he heard and/or saw more birds than I did but some were gone before I could manage to hear them or see them.
Species list for the day:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Lesser Scaup
Crested Guan
Great Currassow
Least Grebe
Wood Stork
Magnificent Frigatebird
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
White-tailed Kite
Harris's Hawk
Roadside Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Crested Caracara
Yellow-headed Caracara
Laughing Falcon
American Kestrel
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
Northern Jacana
Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Rock Pigeon
White-winged Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Orange-fronted Parakeet
White-fronted Parrot
Yellow-naped Parrot
Squirrel Cuckoo
Groove-billed Ani
Common Pauraque
Long-billed Hermit (heard only)
Stripe-throated Hermit
Green-breasted Mango
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Canivet's Emerald
Steely-vented Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed hummingbird
Cinnamon Hummingbird
Tody Motmot
Rufous-tailed Jacamar
Keel-billed Toucan
Hoffmann's Woodpecker
Pale-billed Woodpecker
Ruddy Woodcreeper
Northern Barred-Woodcreeper
Bare-crowned Antbird
Spotted Antbird
Greenish Elaenia
Northern Bentbill (heard only)
Common Today-Flycatcher
Royal Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Tropical Pewee
Yellowish Flycatcher
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Long-tailed Manakin
Masked Tityra
Yellow-throated Vireo
Lesser Greenlet
White-throated Magpie-Jay
Blue-and-white Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Gray-breasted Martin
Rufous-naped Wren
Bay Wren (heard only)
White-breasted Wood-Wren (heard only)
Nightingale Wren (heard only)
Song Wren (heard only)
White-lored Gnatcatcher
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Clay-coloured thrush
Northern Waterthrush
Tennessee Warbler
Gray-crowned Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Rufous-capped Warbler
Passerini's Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Blue-black Grassquit
Variable Seedeater (Caribbean race)
Thick-billed Seed-Finch
Olive Sparrow
Stripe-headed Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Dickcissel
Eastern Meadowlark
Melodious Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Black-cowled Oriole
Streak-backed Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Montezuma Oropendola
Scrub Euphonia
Yellow-crowned Euphonia
Tricoloured Munia
On December 12 we took a shorter trip with Andris and Santos again, over to the Rio Tempisque near Filadelfia and Bolson. We first took a short look down the road to Playa Hermosa to look for Jabiru Stork but no luck. Then a nice drive through the Costa Rican countryside before a boat ride on the river to look for crocodiles and and monkeys. New birds added on this day are:
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Boat-billed Heron
Double-striped Thick-knee
Mangrove Cuckoo
Belted Kingfisher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Mangrove Swallow
Barn Swallow
For the record, I saw 58 birds at the resort. As usual, the best time for birding was the first 2 hours after sunrise, and the last 2 before sunset. I did not get down to the Playa Nacasolo beach area but it likely would be a good area of the peninsula as well. The area near the Club House was the only place that I saw Barred Antshrike and Elegant Trogon.
resort Bird List:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Lesser Scaup
Least Grebe
Magnificent Frigatebird
Neotropic Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Common Black-Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Crested Caracara
Semipalmated Plover
American Oystercatcher
Black-necked Stilt
Northern Jacana
Spotted Sandpiper
Whimbrel
White-winged Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Orange-fronted Parakeet
Orange-chinned Parakeet
White-fronted Parrot
Squirrel Cuckoo
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (heard only)
Common Pauraque
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Cinnamon Hummingbird
Black-headed Trogon
Elegant Trogon
Turquoise-browed Motmot
Hoffmann's Woodpecker
Barred Antshrike
Great Crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
White-throated Magpie-Jay
Barn Swallow
Rufous-naped Wren
White-lored Gnatcatcher
Tennessee Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Stripe-headed Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Melodious Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Streak-backed Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Scrub Euphonia
So a short trip to Costa Rica turned out quite remarkably well. I saw or heard a total of 143 species, and added 60 birds to my life list. I will definitely have to get back, the sooner the better! I welcome any comments and queries.
Doug Faulder
Edmonton, Canada
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