Our trip to Costa Rica and my first list (1 Viewer)

This was our second trip to Costa Rica. We stayed in four different places and had five guides. Three of them were exceptional.

Two years ago we did not keep list and only when we took a guided trip in Monteverde Park we were able to list 17 species. So this January we added 298 species. We now have total 315 species.


Below is our complete list and our own photo of Resplendent Quetzal :

Highland Tinamou
Least Grebe
Brown Pelican
Neotropic Cormorant
Magnificent Frigatebird
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Little Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Boat-billed Heron
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
Wood Stork
White Ibis
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
King Vulture
Osprey
Hook-billed Kite
Swallow-tailed Kite
White-tailed Kite
Snail Kite
Double-toothed Kite
Tiny Hawk
Crane Hawk
White Hawk
Common Black-Hawk
Mangrove Black-Hawk
Gray Hawk
Roadside Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk
Crested Caracara
Yellow-headed Caracara
Laughing Falcon
Bat Falcon Falco
Plain Chachalaca
Black Guan
Spotted Wood-Quail
White-throated Crake
Gray-breasted Crake
Purple Gallinule
Northern Jacana
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Rock Dove
Band-tailed Pigeon
Pale-vented Pigeon
Red-billed Pigeon
Short-billed Pigeon
Ruddy Pigeon
Mourning Dove
White-winged Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Blue Ground-Dove
White-tipped Dove
Gray-chested Dove
Scarlet Macaw
Crimson-fronted Parakeet
Sulphur-winged Parakeet
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Brown-hooded Parrot
White-crowned Parrot
White-fronted Parrot
Red-lored Parrot
Yellow-crowned Parrot
Mealy Parrot
Mangrove Cuckoo
Squirrel Cuckoo
Smooth-billed Ani
Striped Cuckoo
Black Swift
White-chinned Swift
White-collared Swift
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
White-tipped Sicklebill
Bronzy Hermit
Green Hermit
Little Hermit
Western Long-tailed Hermit
Green-fronted Lancebill
Scaly-breasted Hummingbird
Violet Sabrewing
White-necked Jacobin Brown Violet-ear
Green Violet-ear
Violet-headed Hummingbird
White-crested Coquette
Fiery-throated Hummingbird
White-tailed Emerald
Coppery-headed Emerald
Black-bellied Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Cinnamon Hummingbird
White-bellied Emerald
Charming Hummingbird
White-bellied Mountain-gem
White-throated Mountain-gem
Purple-throated Mountain-gem
Green-crowned Brilliant
Magnificent Hummingbird
Purple-crowned Fairy
Long-billed Starthroat
Scintillant Hummingbird
Volcano Hummingbird
Black-headed Trogon
Baird's Trogon
Violaceous Trogon
Collared Trogon
Orange-bellied Trogon
Black-throated Trogon
Slaty-tailed Trogon
Resplendent Quetzal
Belted Kingfisher
Ringed Kingfisher
Amazon Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
Blue-crowned Motmot
Keel-billed Motmot
Rufous-tailed Jacamar
White-necked Puffbird
White-whiskered Puffbird
Red-headed Barbet
Fiery-billed Aracari
Keel-billed Toucan
Chesnut-mandibled Toucan
Emerald Toucanet
Acorn Woodpecker
Golden-naped Woodpecker
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Golden-olive Woodpecker
Lineated Woodpecker
Ruddy Treerunner
Plain Xenops
Streak-breasted Treehunter
Ruddy Foliage-gleaner
Tawny-winged Woodcreeper
Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
Buff-throated Woodcreeper
Cocoa Woodcreeper
Black-striped Woodcreeper
Spot-crowned Woodcreeper
Great Antshrike
Black-hooded
Dotted-winged Antwren
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Rufous Piha
Lovely Cotinga
Turquoise Cotinga
Yellow-billed Cotinga
Orange-collared Manakin
Blue-crowned Manakin
Red-capped Manakin
Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet
Greenish Elaenia
Yellow-bellied Elaenia
Lesser Elaenia
Mountain Elaenia
Torrent Tyrannulet
Olive-striped Flycatcher
Paltry Tyrannulet
Common Tody-Flycatcher
Yellow-olive Flycatcher
Black-tailed Flycatcher
Tufted Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Dark Pewee
Tropical Pewee
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
White-throated Flycatcher
Yellowish Flycatcher
Black-capped Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Nutting's Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Gray-capped Flycatcher
Golden-bellied
Streaked Flycatcher
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Piratic Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
White-winged Becard
Black-and-white Becard
Rose-throated Becard
Masked Tityra
Black-crowned Tityra
Gray-breasted Martin
Mangrove Swallow
Blue-and-white Swallow
Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher
Riverside Wren
Plain Wren
House Wren
Ochraceous Wren
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren
Nightingale Wren
Gray Catbird
Black-faced Solitaire
Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush
Mountain Robin
Clay-colored Robin
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Brown Jay
Mangrove Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Scrub Greenlet
Green Shrike-Vireo
Rufous-browed Peppershrike
Tennessee Warbler
Flame-throated Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Gray-crowned Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Slate-throated Redstart
Collared Redstart
Black-cheeked Warbler
Wrenthrush
Bananaquit Coereba flaveola
Common Bush-Tanager
Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager
Olive Tanager
Gray-headed Tanager
White-throated Shrike-Tanager
White-shouldered Tanager
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager
Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Summer Tanager
Flame-colored
White-winged Tanager
Cherrie's Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Blue-and-gold Tanager
Scrub Euphonia Yellow-crowned Euphonia
Elegant Euphonia (Blue-hooded Euphonia)
Spotted-crowned Euphonia
Tawny-capped Euphonia
Silver-throated Tanager
Speckled Tanager
Bay-headed Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Scarlet-thighed Dacnis
Blue Dacnis
Green Honeycreeper
Shining Honeycreeper
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Blue-black Grassquit
Slate-colored Seedeater
Variable Seedeater
White-collared Seedeater
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Slaty Finch
Slaty Flowerpiercer
Yellow-thighed Finch
Stripe-headed Brush-Finch
Orange-billed
Olive Sparrow
Black-striped Sparrow
White-eared Ground-Sparrow
Stripe-headed Sparrow
Rusty Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Rufous-collared Sparrow
Volcano Junco
Buff-throated Saltator
Black-headed Saltator
Black-thighed Grosbeak
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Blue-black Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Red-breasted Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird
Giant Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
Yellow-billed Cacique
Scarlet-rumped Cacique
Yellow-bellied Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch

hiya wildflower

some nice stuff there.....excellent hummers and Keel-billed toucans are ace!
well done on the quetzal pic too

Hi Wildflower
Who were the good guides? Was one of them Paco Madrigal by any chance? I reckon he's the most talented birder I ever met.
Andy

Excellent list. I see most if not all your birding was done on the Pacific side, lowlands and mountains. You had also great birding at the Talamanca-Cerro de la Muerte area. But you also had a few typical caribbean specialities (Lovely Cotinga, Nightingale Wren, Common Black Hawk) and oddly missed some impossible to miss on the Caribbean side (Passerini's Tanager). Where did you get those carib. birds?
My guess on some of the areas you visited: Carara, Wilson's Botanical Gardens, Rincon de Osa, Savegre, maybe Tapanti Nat Park, Rincon de la Vieja Nat.Park..

Nice work trying to find your route there.
Saludos

Motmot said:

But you also had a few typical caribbean specialities (Lovely Cotinga, Nightingale Wren, Common Black Hawk)

Click to expand...

Hi Motmot
I saw Common Black Hawk on the Pacific coast, up in Santa Rosa Parque Nacional.
Andy

Tim, thank you for your kind words. I think the biggest surprised was to see this unique and beautiful hummingbird, White-crowned Coquette.

Andy, we had Marino Chacon in Savegre, then Abraham Gallo and Liz Jones in Bosque del Rio Tigre on Osa Peninsula. Three of them were wonderful and so enthusiastic. I should add that two years ago we had a great guide in Monteverde Park, his name was Tobby but I cannot recall his last name.
I would like to find out about Paco Madrigal. Where is he located? How to find him? We are already thinking about our next visit.

Motmot, we saw Common Black Hawk near Bosque del Rio Tigre on Osa. From what I understand this Common Black Hawk is not so common in that area.
Bosque del Rio Tigre was an excellent place for birdwatching. We saw many Yellow-billed and Turquoise Cotingas in such small area.
You are correct about some of the places we visited.
Any suggestion for more places to visit? Where should we go? Are there places in Costa Rica where roads have less potholes than on Osa? And two years ago we thought that the road to Monteverde was bad.

Hi Wildflower
Paco's website:
http://www.cotingatours.com/birding/index.html
A superb birder and a thoroughly nice guy! You have got me thinking it's time I went back there.....
Andy

Hi Wildflower and Aquila.
As far as I know, after the Common Black-Hawk split, the birds on Caribbean C.Rica are Common B-Hawks (Buteogallus anthracinus) and the Pacific ones are Mangrove B-Hawks (Buteogallus subtilis). The only place I've heard you can find both is in Panama's Canal Area. But both "species" are so similar (if actually different) that what is usually accepted in C.Rica is the geographic distintion. Both species are very coastal and the mountainous costarican backbone is supposed to be enough barrier to keep them apart.
I know Liz and Abraham and also Marino. The three are great, specially Marino. He's excellent for highland species, a great guide for Savegre.
I also know a few other bird guides in C.Rica, some of them amazing. If you need any info on C.Rica's birding and guides please feel free to email me, I've worked as a guide there and I'd be glad to help.
Saludos a todos

Andy, thank you for information. Did you travel with a group in Costa Rica and Paco was your group's guide? When are you going back? Is he going to be your guide again? What areas did you visit? What place did you enjoy the most?

Motmot, I am so confused now. My husband and I are just beginners learning to identify species and now you are telling me I have to see differences that are almost impossible to see in Common Black Hawk? What do we do? Help! We were having so much fun on this trip and wouldn't want this hobby to become too complicated.

Thank you for your offer. I would love your suggestions for hiring the best guides and places to visit. We like less popular and smaller places. I will be e-mailing you with the above questions.

We too think that Marino is the best. Becase of him we returned to Savegre for our second visit.

Please identify this beauty for me. Thanks

"Great Antshrike
Black-hooded
Dotted-winged Antwren
Chestnut-backed Antbird"

Those ones are interesting, reading a book right now..

Wildflower,
What a fantastic list! I've been to Costa Rica several times but don't have anywhere near the list you do. We saw our first Lovely Cotinga yesterday here in Mexico.

And your photos are superb! The second one looks a lot like the Slate-throated Redstart. Their belly is supposed to be an Orange-yellow in Southern Costa Rica although your photo looks more like just yellow (they're almost red here in Mexico). The white outer tail feathers also fit this bird. They typically "flit" about and flash the tail. If you can check any of your other photos to see how the throat color is you might be able to confirm if this is what it is.

Here's a link to a photo of the Costa Rican version of Slate-throated Redstart

Good luck.

Wildflower said:

Andy, thank you for information. Did you travel with a group in Costa Rica and Paco was your group's guide? When are you going back? Is he going to be your guide again? What areas did you visit? What place did you enjoy the most?

Click to expand...

Wildflower, I was working in Costa Rica in May 2002, on an Earthwatch project investigating dry tropical forest ecology in Santa Rosa Parque Nacional. When my stint was finished I had a couple of days spare before having to return home, so I hired Paco and his driver for a day out of San Jose. We went to La Selva and a few other places en route.
So, although I achieved a decent list In Santa Rose, I haven't seen nearly as much of the country or its birds as I would have liked.
I'm considering joining one of Paco's Cotinga Tours, which would make it a nice easy trip, probably Spring 2005. How did you organise your travelling? Did you hire a car? When are you returning?
Andy

Motmot said:

As far as I know, after the Common Black-Hawk split, the birds on Caribbean C.Rica are Common B-Hawks (Buteogallus anthracinus) and the Pacific ones are Mangrove B-Hawks (Buteogallus subtilis). The only place I've heard you can find both is in Panama's Canal Area. But both "species" are so similar (if actually different) that what is usually accepted in C.Rica is the geographic distintion. Both species are very coastal and the mountainous costarican backbone is supposed to be enough barrier to keep them apart.

Click to expand...

Thanks Motmot, I didn't know the Common Black-hawk had been split. Is there anywhere online I can get up-to-date info on Costa Rican splits since Stiles and Skutch was published?
Andy

AOU posts their list on line and this is probably the most authoritative group that covers this region. The other site that is even more up to date giving "proposed" splits is Ornitaxa. Their list of "Incipient species" gives most new proposals that are likely to be approved at some point.

Hi everyone,
Wildflower, as Dave already stated, that bird on the picture is a Slate-throated Redstart, one of the cute resident warblers in C.Rica's mid-mountain forest and semiopen. Nice shot. Sorry about the Hawk thing, I just wanted to know if I was able to guess your route. Birding is a difficult hobby and it changes so fast that I understand your fears! I remember myself as a beginner not being interested in complicate id. matters. After almost 30 years birding now I love those!
Aquila, here I send you some of the changes I've heard of since Stiles and Skutch
Common Black-Hawk already mentioned
Common Potoo is now 2 species: Northern Potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis) in NW C.Rica and Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) in the rest of the country.
Andean Pygmy-Owl is now Costarican Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium costaricanum) endemic to CR and W-Panama.
Least Pygmy-Owl is now Central American Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium griseiceps).
Band-rumped Swift is now Costarican Swift (Chaetura fumosa). I'm not sure if this one has already changed for sure.
Long-tailed Hermit now is Western Long-tailed Hermit (Phaethornis longirostris).
Little Hermit is now Stripe-throated Hermit (Phaethornis striigularis).
Beryl-crowned Hummingbird is now Charming Hum. (Polyerata decora).
Fork-tailed Emerald is now 2 species, Canivet's Emerald (Chlorostilbon canivetti) NW and Central Valley and Garden Emerald (Chlorostilbon assimilis) in the SW.
Buff-throated Woodcreeper is now Cocoa Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus susurrans).
Fulvous-bellied Antpitta is now Thicket Antpitta (Hylopezus dives).
Slaty Antshrike is now Western Slaty Antshrike (Thamnophilus atrinucha).
Scarlet-rumped Tanager is now 2 species, Passerini's Tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii) on the Caribbean side and Cherrie's Tanager (Ramphocelus cherriei) on the South Pacific.
There are also new additions to the CR birdlist, the ones I remember now are:
Crested Oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus), Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis) probably breeding soon, Mouse-colored Tyrannulet (Phaeomyias murina), Tropical Mockingbird (Mimus gilvus) probably from escapees, Pearl Kite (Gampsonyx swainsonni) well established and breeding on the Pacific side, Veraguan Mango (Anthracothorax veraguensis) in the SW, Melodious Blackbird (Dives dives) is now common and widespread. And the good news is a Harpy Eagle tiny population has been rediscovered after many years considered extinct.There are also many vagrants added to the CR list in the last few years, too many to remember. The total list now is very close to 900 species.Hope all this helps.

Motmot said:

Hi everyone,

Aquila, here I send you some of the changes I've heard of since Stiles and Skutch
Long-tailed Hermit now is Western Long-tailed Hermit (Phaethornis longirostris).

Click to expand...

Motmot,
Great update on the state of splits in Costa Rican birds. One of these caught my attention because this past weekend I saw what my Mexico Field guide Identified as a Long-tailed Hermit. Anyway after doing some research, it appears that the AOU still list this as Long-billed Hermit (Phaethornis longirostris). Ornitaxa shows it as an incipient specie as just Long-tailed Hermit (Phaethornis longirostris). It seems it is proposed to be split into a Western Long-tailed (Phaethornis Superciliosus longirostris) and an Eastern Long-tailed (Phaethornis Superciliosus ???). Do you have any further clarification on this?
Thanks,

Hi Dave,
The Handbook of the birds of the world shows them as different species. Western Long-t. Hermit (Phaethornis longirostris) in Mexico, Central America and NW South America and Eastern LtH (Phaethornis superciliosus) in NE S.America, forming a superspecies.
Saludos

For anyone interested in the latest news on Costarican birds visit my friend Richard Garrigues' website
http://www.angelfire.com/bc/gonebirding/news16.html
He's one of the best guides in CR, preparing now a new Identification guidebook on Crican birds.
http://65.54.246.250/cgi-bin/linkrd.../www.angelfire.com/bc/gonebirding/news16.html

Tero, please tell my why do you think those birds you listed above are the most interesting. As a beginner I am trying to learn as much as possible from those who are more knowledgeable and experienced.


Dave, thank you for identifying the bird in my photo and for a link to another photo.

I have to say that my husband and I are very proud of our list but if it wasn’t for those superb guides we had our list would be very, very short.
Dave, we are going to Mexico, Durango area, in the end of January for birdwatching.

Andy, thank you for sharing information on your 2002 stay in Costa Rica. Are there any decent accommodations in Santa Rosa Parque Nacional? Any unique birds? Where is it exactly located?

My husband and I are very independent travelers. We like flexibility. We always book our accommodations directly with lodges we want to stay in. Once a while there is a place that doesn’t live up to our expectations (this year it was El Remanso on Osa Peninsula) but overall we are very pleased with arrangements we make.

This January Savegre Lodge transfered us to their lodge from Courtyard Hotel near the International airport in San Jose for US $100.00. Once there we did not need a car. Then after four days they transferred us to Wilson Botanical Garden for US $150.00. We didn’t need a car at Wilson. Wilson Boatanical Garden arranged for us taxi (US $37.00), we paid directly to them with our credit card, from the Garden to Golfito where we took a ferry (around US $2.00 per person) to Puerto Jimenez on Osa Peninsula. We were met at the dock by taxi arranged by Bosque del Rio Tigre. The cost of it was included in the Birding Package we arranged with Bosque del Rio Tigre. Our return flight from Puerto Jimenez to San Jose was US $84.00 per person. We spent US $30.00 for taxis in San Jose. So our total cost came to around $500.00. I don’t think we could rent a car cheaper than that and we didn’t have to worry about driving, gas, potholes and flat tires. As you may know many roads in Costa Rica may be compared to recurring nightmares.

Andy, did I answer all your questions? This is probably more than you ever wanted to know.

Motmot, great information. The photo of Motmot below is for you

Thank you all

Wildflower,
Thanks for the info on your trip. Always helps us as we make future travel plans. So when are you heading to Durango? I haven't been there YET but do have plans to go. I'm thinking you are looking at a train trip through the Copper Canyon? If so, that is supposed to have some great birding. And if so, PLEASE post your trip report!

I have been a little south of there in Nayarit and Jalisco. If you get down as far as Puerto Vallarta, I can give you a good guide reference.

Anyway, great bird list from CR and some great photos. The latest (Blue-crowned) Motmot was appreciated.