My Big Year! Costa Rica-Part 1!

Hello everyone! I survived my bucket list birding trip to Costa Rica! It was both exhausting and exhilarating! I added over 250 birds to my life list! I am turning 60 this year so I am doing my own “Big Year”. I am hoping to see over 500 species this year! This was my first birding tour, so I had no idea what to expect. Eight of us traveled to Costa Rica to bird with Birding Ecotours out of Ohio. We spent 9 days looking for birds in steamy jungles and the chilly mountains and cloud forests. We birded from before dawn to chase the Resplendent Quetzal to after sunset in search of owls. We even stopped along the way if anyone spotted a bird. I want to send a shout out to our Ecotour guide Jacob, our local guide Herman and our trust driver Oscar for working so hard and taking such good care of us along the way. Costa Rica is a beautiful country and a must for birders-even the bathrooms are set up for bird-watching!

Our first stop was the Hotel Bougainvillea in San Jose. This beautiful hotel had SO many amazing birds living in its many gardens. Costa Rica birds are so colorful that they almost don’t look real and I’m struggling with which birds to show you now. Two gorgeous Lesser Motmots hung out in the trees near the patio. Two Mottled Owls were called the Bamboo Trees home. A Crimson-fronted Parrot was calling from the tree right outside my balcony! Great Kiskadees were seen and heard everywhere. Costa Rica’s versions of USA’s common birds, such as the Rufous-collared Sparrow, Red-billed Pigeons and Rufous-backed Wren were so pretty and sang beautiful songs. Blue-gray Tanagers bathed right in front of me. My favorite bird at this hotel was the Montezuma Oropendola! He was trying to attract the ladies by vocalizing and flipping upside down in the tree! You can see him do this on my social media pages!

We traveled to the Sarapiqui region next. We stayed at La Quinta Lodge for 3 nights. It was dark and scary at night, and my cabin was FAR away from everyone. Jacob was my hero because he gave me his room so I wouldn’t be scared! The birds at the La Quinta’s feeders were spectacular with their AMAZING colors! Red-legged, Green, and Shining Honeycreepers and Collared Aracaris came to eat bananas. Costa Rica’s tanagers out shined our own beautiful US Scarlet Tanagers. I saw Golden-hooded, Silver-throated, Scarlet-Rumped, Crimson-collared, and Red-throated Ant-Tanagers and more! The Clay-colored Thrush is Costa Rica’s country bird. They are drab-looking birds but sing beautiful songs! I was reminded that I WAS in a jungle when a Boa Constrictor killed and ate one of these birds right in front of us. It made me sad. Our next stop in this region was Freddo Fresas restaurant. We checked the adorable Magenta-throated Woodstar off our list here! Listen to the audio below to hear a Clay-colored Thrush, a Rufous-backed Wren and a Summer Tanager!

The La Paz Waterfalls in Heredia were amazing with water cascading down the mountain everywhere. We hiked up to the top and met some friendly Common Chlorospingus birds. For me, the highlight of La Paz was its hummingbird feeders. I was in heaven with hummingbirds flying all around me! I saw Green Thorntails, Green Hermits, Lesser Violetears, Green-crowned Brilliants, Violet Saberwings, Purple-throated and White-bellied Mountain-gems, Coppery-headed Emeralds, and Black-bellied and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds! I will be doing a special post to share all the hummingbirds later! Then, we went to Cinchona Feeders in Alajuela for lunch. An incredible variety of birds came to these feeders including Black Guans, Buff-fronted Quail Doves, Red-headed and Prong-billed Barbets, Buff-throated Saltators and Banaquits. On the way back to our hotel, we stopped to see some White-nosed Coaties on the side of the road. We also visited the Rio Cariblanco to add the Fasciated Tiger-heron and tiny Torrent Tyrannulet to our checklists! Click the audio to hear the Blue-black Grossbeak that I heard but could not find at the lodge one morning! Next time! You can also hear a Buff-throated Saltator, a Scarlet-rumped Tanager and a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird.

On Day 3, we explored the La Selva Biological Station twice. Howler Monkeys were howling loudly throughout the jungle. You can hear them in the short video below! King Vultures soared overhead. A Semiplubeous Hawk unsuccessfully tried to catch a Yellow-throated Toucan for lunch. We also saw Keel-billed Toucans, Green Ibis, and a Crested Owl! There was a large flock of mixed birds in the trees over the river. To see them, I had to walk on a rope bridge which was WAY up high. I was NOT a fan, but I braved it to see the Golden-winged Warbler, Slate-throated Redstart, and a Black-cowled Oriole. I added new flycatchers and woodpeckers to my life list here too! We also saw a wild hog, Honduran White Bats and a Strawberry Poison-dart Frog here! I couldn’t believe my eyes when we stopped at a field on the way back to our lodge and saw Great Green and the critically endangered Scarlet McCaws in the trees!

I saw close to 150 species during these first few days. You can check out my sites to see and hear many of the birds I shared with you here. Follow me so you don’t miss when I post parts 2 and 3 of this amazing experience! As always, I am grateful to anyone who likes or shares my posts or sites and comments! Costa Rica is a beautiful country full of inspiring landscapes, friendly people who care deeply about the environment, interesting wildlife and spectacular birds! Jacob from Birding Ecotours along with his local guide Herman, worked very hard to make everyone’s trip safe and rewarding. If you get the chance to take a birding-tour or visit this amazing country, go for it! Until part 2, take care, Robin. 😊