Wild About Spain Blog

Birding Adventures in Costa Rica 7. Palo Verde

28/11/2016

Next morning, Monday 28th Nov. I had a quick breakfast & headed off in torrential rain towards Guanacaste, the dry North Pacific lowland region. I would try Palo Verde Biological Station. Palo Verde National Park was established to conserve this area of vital floodplain, marshes, limestone ridges, and seasonal pools from the encroachment of civilization, which was putting the ecology of the area at risk.

Crested Caracara - caracara cheriway

Visitors can stay at the Park headquarters or at the Biological Research Station, a sister institution to the one I had stayed at in La Selva. I would try the latter first as I had been happy with them before. On the long dirt road to the Park I encountered this handsome Crested Caracara walking across the road in front of me. I duly stopped & took his picture.

Reception at Palo Verde Biological Station

When I reached the barrier at the Park Entrance the guard was a bit disconcerted that I intended to stay but did not have a booking. The Biological Station and the Park Headquarters were still some kilometres along the dirt road and he didn't know if he should charge me entrance fees which are normally included in the cost of staying overnight. I said I would try my luck & if not I would pay when I returned to exit later that day. He seemed happy with this and let me through. At the Biological Station they were very happy to accommodate me, any extra income from paying guests is very welcome.

Northern Jacana - jacana spinosa

After I had settled in and absorbed all the written warnings about snakes, scorpions and "Africanised Bees" I went for a stroll around the Station & onto a boardwalk that went out over the wetland. This is a vast area of waste-deep water meadow covered in aquatic plants, including water lilies but mostly water hyacinth. There were a few species of birds clearly visible, many Northern Jacana which looks a bit like a Water Rail with a dollop of custard cream on its forehead...

Purple Gallinule - porphyrio martinicus

...and plenty of Purple Galinules, the bird that stole its name from ours.
I decided to hire a boatman and take a trip on the nearby Tempisque River. This turned out to be a lot less productive than the Tarcoles River but I did get very good sightings of Yellow-crowned Night Heron, .....

Yellow-crowned Night Heron - nyctanassa violacea

.....some White Ibis, including this juvenile

American White Ibis juvenile - eudocimus albus

....but most of the birds were not new. In fact this was not a very productive boat trip for birds, we did see a few but they were mainly ones I had seen before...

Coati

...but when we disembarked I came face-to-face with a large Coati in a small tree by the boat landing. We were both taken by surprise and with my large lens was unable to focus on such a large animal before he scurried away, this is an archive shot.

Great Curassow - crax rubra

Around the Station buildings, in the gardens I picked up some Great Curassows, large pheasant-like birds that forage on the ground for fruits and arthropods. Most of the birds I see are fairly common species with stable populations, but the Great Currasow is listed as Vulnerable. Habitat loss and over hunting have reduced their numbers dramatically so it was nice to see them easily here in a safe environment.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck - dendrocygna autumnalis

As at La Selva there was a free guided walk in the morning, so at 6:30 I and a British couple and their daughter (who were on a cycling holiday!) duly showed up at Reception where we were met by Davinia the Station Head for our two-and-a-half hour tour. Davinia is a young Spanish lady, a post-graduate biology student studying crocodiles for her PHD, and as far as I could tell she runs this place. She is a very enthusiastic and highly knowledgable guide whose passion for wildlife and conservation was clearly evident. She is a very keen ornithologist, and I use that word advisedly as it is different from a bird-watcher.

We walked down to the marshes and I got a few decent shots of the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, of which there were many.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck - dendrocygna autumnalis

The Limpkin makes a nice image amongst the water hyaciths. It is the only bird in its genus (Aramus) but ts closest relatives are the Crane family. It feeds on molluscs but here the apple snail makes up the bulk of its diet.

Limpkin - aramus guarauna

Orange-fronted Parakeet - eupsittula canicularis

We picked up a couple of new parrot species for my "list" in the trees, the Orange-fronted Parakeet and a nice White-fronted Parrot. Parakeets have rounded or pointed tails while the usually larger Parrots are square tailed.

White-fronted Parrot - amazona albifrons

Davinia suggested that we might take advantage of my 4 x 4 vehicle to go in search of the Jabirus. Jabirus are very large Storks, a large male can be more than 1.5m tall. The name is Tupi Indian meaning "Swollen Neck", which as you can see is quite descriptive. Davinia knew of a nest and after a wet and bumpy drive we were lucky enough to find the birds in situ. They are very impressive, their sheer size is one factor plus those enormous black upturned bills and bloated black and red neck make them an imposing sight. They use the large bill to scoop up prodigious amounts of prey, fish, molluscs, amphibians, small reptiles and even mammals are taken to satisfy that large bulk. Their numbers have recovered from the 1980's when they were threatened with habitat loss and hunting, but the species has made a good recovery and is now of least concern.

Jabiru- jabiru mycteria

Another sighting I was happy about was the Mangrove Cuckoo, it was the only one I saw and I managed to get a quick snaphot to prove it.

Mangrove Cuckoo - coccyzus minor

I was also well pleased with these shots of a Black-headed Trogon in the dry forest. A very handsome bird.

Black-headed Trogon - trogon melanocephalus

The Green Heron is a species I have seen many times before but I like this photograph, it is a good pose and composition.

Green Heron - butorides virescens

Here's another couple of birds I have seen many times, this Wood Stork wandered across the road inviting a photo, so I duly obliged.

Wood Stork - mycteria americana

.......and this Roadside Hawk made a nice picture, living up to its name on a tree watching the road, like a er, hawk!

Roadside Hawk

Barn Swallows are another very widespread species, found almost worldwide although not Australia. Here they are slightly different from European birds in that the underparts are an orangy buff colour, matching the rufous forehead. The bird on the right is a juvenile, note the short tail, but the buff underpart colouring has not yet developed. Perhaps the scientific boys will divide the species one day.

Barn Swallow - hirundo rustica

Barn Swallow juvenile - hirundo rustica

Finally the Scissot-tailed Flycatcher, a very elegant bird. Not actually a true flycatcher but a member of the Kingbird family, they migrate here from the USA in winter and have just started arriving in some numbers.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - tyrannus forficatus

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Birding Adventures in Costa Rica 6. Monteverde

25/11/2016

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"Misty cloudforest and deep green foliage is what has made Monteverde an absolute hot spot for eco tourism in the Central Highlands of Costa Rica. Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve shelters many wildlife species, including jaguar, ocelot and the colorfully plumed resplendent quetzal. Marked trails cut through ferns and orchids, and way overhead, suspended bridges allow walks above the forest canopy".

This is the marketing blurb. In reality I found Monteverde somewhat disappointing, very few if any visitors would ever see a jaguar or ocelot, and less than one in ten get to see a Resplendant Quetzal for which the Reserve is famous. Upon arrival I found the famous Cloud Forest Reserve was closed anyway due to storm damage from Hurricane Otto. A nearby privately run Forest Reserve called Curi-Cancha was open however. This is virtually next door to Monteverde and it includes some primary cloud forest but also re-planted or secondary forest, plus areas of open space which can be better that pristine primary forest for wildlife watching. It also has a hummingbird garden that can be interesting.

White-eared Ground Sparrow - melozone leucotis

I paid the entrance fee and commenced walking some of the trails. The first bird I captured was a White-eared Ground Sparrow. I was using flash again, it was quite dark in the forest and also the rain was coming down steadily, this is "cloud" forest after all.

Common Agouti

This is a Common Agouti, a large rodent, quite common and seemingly used to humans as it was not at all afraid when I approached.

I had been hearing a flock of large, very noisy birds moving around the forest in a group, never far away. I eventually came close enough for a photograph and grabbed a few shots of the Brown Jays responsible for all the noise. They seemed to be quite agitated by my presence which was surprising considering there were other people in the Reserve. perhaps it was the camera they didn't like.

Brown Jay - psilorhinus morio

Whatever it was they eyed me up very suspiciously and warned the entire forest of my evil presence with the racket they made. In fact it may have been because of them that I found other birds hard to find, so I walked round to the Hummingbird Garden, at least they would not be spooked by the Jay's alarm calls.

Brown Jay - psilorhinus morio

So here are a few of the Hummingbirds from Curi-Cancha. First is a Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, I saw lots of these in the mountains.

Stripe-tailed Hummingbird - eupherusa eximia

The Magenta-throated Woodstar is a very attractive hummingbird which looks amazing when the sun catches those throat feathers. Unfortunately today, as in fact most days up here, it was raining so the light was not showing them at their best.

Magenta Throated Woodstar - calliphlox bryantae

This is one of the most beautiful of all, the Purple-throated Mountain Gem is a stunner. Very geometrical in shape with strong, well demarcated colouring make it stand out from the crowd, particularly the male. What a shame the light was not better.

Purple-throated Mountaingem (male) - lampornis calolaemus

Purple-throated Mountaingem (female) - lampornis calolaemus

The Green-crowned Brilliant is another very attractive species, that green is almost incandescent in good light. Even in dim overcast conditions it is possible to see how the green really sparkles, no wonder then it is named Brilliant.

Green-crowned Brilliant - heliodoxa jacula

And now my personal favourite. The Violet Sabrewing is truly wonderful. No photograph can do it justice. When the sun catches that amazing dark violet plumage it literally glows as if it has its own light source. It is also quite large and extremely elegant in shape with a nicely decurved bill, very long wings and white flashes in the long tail. A great show stopper.

Violet Sabrewing - campylopterus hemileucurus

After the hummingbirds I moved back onto the forest trails and caught a nice shot of a Crested Guan in a nearby tree. This is not an uncommon bird up here and it is a very fine looking species with hints of purple and russet brown in the plumage, a fiery red throat crop, white speckled breast and a large impressive crest it makes a fine sight perched on the side of a tree trunk.

Crested Guan - penelope purpurascens

It was getting late and I needed to find somewhere to stay, so I left the Reserve and drove a short distance down the dirt track & found a lodge style hotel called El Bosque (The Forest). It was a great choice. To start with this fabulous Emerald Toucanet greeted me from a low tree directly opposite reception, a good omen.

Emerald Toucanet - aulacorhynchus prasinus

Once again I got a deal on a good room in a lodge style bungalow with extensive gardens. There was also a large area of private forest with several kilometres of trails to follow, not a bad pick at a reasonable price, around $50 including breakfast.

Emerald Toucanet - aulacorhynchus prasinus

On the grass just outside my bungalow was a nice Rufous-collared Sparrow. There were also other small birds flitting around including Wilson's & Black & White Warblers, but the light was getting low and I was in need of a rest before going out to find somewhere to eat.

Rufous-collared sparrow - zonotrichia capensis

Next morning I took an early breakfast and drove the short distance over a very rough dirt track to the Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve. It was busy, tourists were queuing up to pay for tickets to enter the Reserve on guided walks and I duly lined up and bought mine. I was feeling uneasy, this felt more like a theme park than a wildlife sanctuary. I and two other British tourists were teamed up with a guide who led us into the Park. He was full of regurgitated facts about the forest and its plants etc but I had already concluded that this was a tourist trap, we just walked on tarmacked paths through a tiny section of forest listening to his memorised speech but seeing precisely nothing. We stood around with many other groups of tourists with their so-called "Guides" looking for the mythical Resplendant Quetzal, a bird I had already seen anyway in Ecuador where it is not considered such a big deal. I doubt that any self-respecting Quetzal would parade itself for hoardes of tourists here when there were vast areas of pristine forest free of humans to inhabit. I did press the guide on how many times they actually saw a Quetzal and he admitted it was less that one in ten tours, and I suspect even that was a gross exaggeration.

Monteverde Anole - Endemic Lizard species

We did at least see an endemic lizard species named after the park, the Monteverde Anole, and I liked this Variagated Squirrel caught feeding in one of the open areas near the entrance.

Variagated Squirrel

This place had been a good lesson in that mainsream tourism and wildlife do not easily co-exist. Perhaps this was once a magical place teeming with wildlife, but now it teems with tourists and the wildlife has very definitely gone. The authorities are still raking it in on the strength of past reputation, I wonder how long it can last? Still, after the waste of time tour we could at least look at the hummingbird feeders by the entrance where I did pick up one new species, the Brown Violetear. Overall I would not recommend this place to any serious eco-tourist or birder, it's not worth the entrance fee and your time would be much better spent in one of the other reserves, or in fact just walking around outside the Reserve, for example at the El Bosque Hotel, where I saw many more birds.

Brown Violetear - colibri delphinae

In fact I was glad to get back to the hotel where I wandered around the gardens and ventured into the forest & started to see a few birds at last. A lovely Golden-olive Woodpecker in a garden tree......

Golden Olive Woodpecker - colaptes rubiginosus

.....and a nice Hoffman's Woodpecker on a small palm right outside my bungalow.

Hoffman's Woodpecker - melanerpes hoffmannii

Great-tailed Grackles were being very vocal in the taller trees. These birds have an unusually large repertoire of vocalizations that are used year-round, in fact for this reason alone they are considered pests as it is quite non-stop for long periods. They are extremely intelligent, being able to solve Aesop's Fable tests - a problem involving a tube that is partially filled with water with a piece of food floating out of reach. They solve the problem by dropping objects into the water to raise the level and bring the food within reach. How clever is that?

Great Tailed Grackle - quiscalus mexicanus

A Bananaquit was a nice addition to my Costa Rica portfolio. Not a rarity or a particularly hard to find species but this was the only photo opportunity I had so I made the most of it. This bird is of uncertain relation. It is tentatively placed in the Tanager family but the American Ornithologists Union does not agree and classifies it as uncertain.

Bananaquit - coereba flaveola

Another bird in the garden was a familiar one, a Rose-breasted Grossbeak. I had photographed this species earlier this year in Ontario Canada, which seems a long way from here. I wonder if this little bird had travelled that far?

Rose-breasted Grossbeak - pheucticus ludovicianus

Next was a new one for me, a Black-throated Green Warbler. not a great shot but a lifer, so I was happy with it.

Black-throated Green Warbler - setophaga virens

Last bird of the day was a little Yellow-throated Vireo, I don't think I had recorded this one before either, which was pleasing.

Yellow-throated Vireo - vireo flavifrons

The Vireo rounded off what had not been the best day of the trip so far, but there had been highlights, and who knows what might turn up tomorrow?

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Birding Adventures in Costa Rica 4. The Tarcoles River

23/11/2016

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Tuesday morning and I was up early as usual. It was a cloudy day with light rain, we were feeling the effects of Hurricane Otto even though we were a long way south of it. The Scarlet Macaws were not fed this morning I think because there were very few tourists at the Lodge to put on a show for. This suited me as I could see the birds roosting in some distant trees which makes for a much better photograph, more natural. Here's one of them. I should stress that this is one of very few places in Costa Rica where they still exist in the wild. I think the locals have finally realised they are worth more in the wild for the tourist business than they are being sold to the horrendous pet trade.

Scarlet Macaw - ara macao

Anyway after breakfast I drove down to Tarcoles Village where there is a dock for tourist riverboat trips. Most of these are for general tourists who want to gawp at the crocodiles. I paid for a private birding trip, just me and the two boatmen. We would enter the mangrove creeks looking for different bird species.

American Crocodile

I got the impression that the guys really enjoyed birding more than the usual croc. tours which must be very boring when you do it every day. They knew their birds too and were proud of their knowledge, doing everything to get me into the best locations to take pictures. One of the first interesting birds was a juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron, a species I don't think I've seen before.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron juvenile

I was to see plenty more of these later on another river, but for now I was happy to have seen even a youngster of this new species. There were many Herons and Egrets that I was very familiar with from the US, this Little Blue Heron for example.

Little Blue Heron

...and the following three, Great Egret, Great Blue heron and Tricoloured Herons were all fairly common and familiar.

Great Egret

Great Blue Heron

Tricoloured Heron

...but the Roaseate Spoonbills were a welcome surprise. I had missed out on this species in Florida so was very glad to get excellent views of them here on the Tarcoles River. A very handsome bird with Flamingo-like pink colouration which is derived from the carotenoid pigment in their diet. It is not their natural colour and it varies with location & differences in their food.

Roseate Spoonbill - platalea ajaja

The Panama Flycatcher may not be big, bold and colourful like the Spoonbills, but every bird counts and I only ever saw one of this species, so here it is (below right).

Snowy Egret

The Snowy Egret above is purely here as a record shot. It's common and looks pretty much the same as our Little Egret but there are obviously a few genetic differences so it counts as a separate species.
Below is another new sighting for Costa Rica, the Osprey needs no introduction.

Panama Flycatcher - myiarchus panamensis

Osprey - pandion haliaetus

Ospreys are perhaps the most widespread bird species in the World. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. I have seen them in S E Asia, Australia, Europe, USA, Canada, South and now Central America. European Ospreys migrate to sub Saharan Africa but they do not breed there. Similarly American Ospreys move to South America but only breed in the North. This one has caught a substantial fish dinner.

Boat Billed Heron - cochlearius cochlearius

Boat Billed Herons were quite numerous along the riverbank and in the mangroves. A Black Hawk sat in the trees searching for crabs or similar food. I would like to have photographed this one in flight as it has very broad wings, is black all over except for white underwing patches and tail stripes, making a fine sight.

Common Black Hawk - buteogallus anthracinus

Below is a juvenile Black Hawk showing mottled immature plumage with distinctive black & white stripes over the tail.

Common Black Hawk juvenile - buteogallus anthracinus

There were two species of Kingfisher about. The Ringed Kingfisher, a quite large species, easy to see..

Ringed Kingfisher - megaceryle torquata

...and the smaller, less obvious but very beautiful Green Kingfisher. This is similar to the Amazon Kingfisher that I had seen in Ecuador, but there are a few differences and it is a separate species, so another one for that mythical life list.

Green Kingfisher - chloroceryle americana

,...as is the diminutive and very drab little Mangrove Vireo - vireo pallens, but they all count if they are first time sightings as this was. In fact the boatmen were well pleased that I got a shot of this, they seemed to think it was quite a coup. We also saw the Mangrove Hummingbird but unfortunately it was too tiny and active to enable a photograph, However another mangrove speciality the Mangrove Swallow, perched conveniently on the end of the boat roof, so I was obliged to record it.

Mangrove Swallow - tachycineta albilinea

Mangrove Vireo - vireo pallens

I also post here a number of birds that are common and that I have seen before, just for the trip record. Black-necked Stilt, Southern Lapwing, Common Tody Flycatcher, Wood Stork and Whimbrel. The Whimbrel could possibly compete with the Osprey on being the most widespread of species, I am not sure about it's presence in Australia otherwise it is on every continent except Antarctica.

Black necked Stilt - himantopus mexicanus

Common Tody Flycatcher - todirostrum cinereum

Southern Lapwing - vanellus chilensis

Wood Stork - mycteria americana

Whimbrel - numenius phaeopus

The last bird photographed from the boat was a very close Yellow-headed Caracara in an overhanging tree. Again not a new bird again but a decent shot of a small raptor..

Yellow-headed Caracara - milvago chimachima

After this successful and productive boat trip I wandered around the gardens of the boatyard and came across this stunning Turquoise Browed Motmot, a bit of icing on the bird cake so-to-speak.

Turquoise Browed Motmot - eumomota superciliosa

Back at Cerro Lodge I picked up a nice male Baltimore Oriole at a bird table, and later the Scarlet Macaws put in another appearance, so let's have another look.

Baltimore Oriole - icterus galbula

Scarlet Macaw - ara macao

It had been an excellent day and I retired to bed early after a good dinner wondering what tomorrow would bring.

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Birding Adventures in Costa Rica 5. La Ensenada Lodge

23/11/2016

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It was time to move on from Cerro Lodge & Carara NP. But where to go? I could head South, away from the tropical storm towards Manuel Antonio National Park, but there I would probably see much the same birds that I was seeing here. I really wanted to get up into the mountains where the birding would be different. I checked the weather forecasts for various regions & decided to risk Monteverde. This is a mountain resort with some good forest reserves, and not too far away from my present location. OK the forecast was for rain up there but I had a contingency plan. If the weather was too bad I could drive down the mountain to the Guanacaste, the driest part of the Country North of the Gulf of Nicoya.

Gartered Trogon - trogon caligatus

As I got higher up the mountain the rain became relentless. I finally reached Monteverde, had a cup of coffee & moved North towards Arenal. At no point did the rain cease, I was going to check into a hotel but the American owner kindly looked at the forecast for me, continuous rain for the next three days! So I about-turned & made my way down towards the coast, heading for Guanacaste, the dry NW Pacific coast region where hopefully it would not be raining.
I did stop to photograph a couple of birds along the way. First a nice Gartered Trogon on a wire, oblivious to the rain. Then another Turquoise-browed Motmot, this species seemed to be quite common in this region.

Turquoise-browed Motmot - Eumomota superciliosa

Next however was a very nice surprise, a Lesser Ground Cuckoo. This is one I had not seen before, in fact I didn't know what it was until later when I had time to check the Field Guide.

Lesser Ground Cuckoo - morococcyx erythropygus

The only other bird I captured on this journey was a Gray-lined Hawk, sat on a branch some distance away. Later I would get a much closer shot and I put both here for the record as it's another new one.

Gray-lined Hawk - buteo nitidus

Lesser Ground Cuckoo - morococcyx erythropygus

It was getting late now and I needed somewhere to stay. Fortunately as I reached the coast I stumbled upon a sign for La Ensenada Lodge, an eco hotel that I had been told about by the boatman on the Tarcoles River.

Gray-lined Hawk - buteo nitidus

La Ensenada

I drove in and asked for a room and as usual it was no problem, in fact I was never turned away anywhere on this trip, there were always rooms available and often at cheaper rates than if I had booked in advance. Below is the view from the veranda of my very comfortable cabin, looking out into the Gulf of Nicoya. very nice too.

View from La Ensenada Lodge

Up at dawn I walked around the gardens picking up one or two birds with the use of flash in the dim early morning light. A Rose Throated Becard and a noisy flock of Orange Chinned Parakeets in the same tree.

Rose Throated Becard - pachyramphus aglaiae

Orange-chinned Parakeets -brotogeris jugularis

As I walked across a damp meadow I picked up a pair of Double-striped Thicknees, a similar species to our Stone Curlew but less wary, easier to get close to and photograph.

Double-striped Thick-knee - burhinus histriatus

Parrots usually advertise their presence with loud raucous squawking, and so it was with this Red Lored Amazon Parrot screeching away in some tall trees. These birds are popular as pets. They are impressive and charming, prized for their beauty and intelligence the world over. Their comical personalities and amazing talking ability has helped boost their popularity tremendously. They can live for up to 80 years and if well looked after can become very attached to their owners. I prefer to see and hear them in the wild.

Red-lored Amazon - amazona autumnalis

Not far away I caught sight of a Lineated Woodpecker and captured a decent image. This was another lifer and I was well pleased with this shot. Now that there was more light I was finding photography quite easy in this open country, not like forest birding which is much harder.

Lineated Woodpecker - dryocopus lineatus

Not a bad start to the day and I made my way back to the covered terrace for breakfast. The birding did not stop here however as a hungry flock of White-throated Magpie-jays flew or hopped into the open-sided dining room. Some perched in the roof beams looking for an opportunity to swoop down and steal food. I made the mistake of getting up for orange juice & lost a piece of toast with scrambled egg. I did not object as it was all quite amusing. I had my camera with me but my long lens was no use as the birds were so close. The shot below of one outside was the best I could do. I like the crest tufts, sets them apart from the American Blue Jay.

White-throated Magpie-jay calocitta formosa

After breakfast I walked down to the beach and along the mangrove-backed coast. The first new species I picked up was a large wader known as a Willet, getting a poor photograph taken through a gap in the mangrove branches.

Willet - tringa semipalmata

Shortly after this I snapped a nice Great Crested Flycatcher in some bare branches.

Great Crested Flycatcher - myiarchus crinitus -

Then I spotted up a pair of White Necked Puffbirds. I was pleased with this as it rounds off all three Costa Rica Puffbird species for me.

White-necked Puffbird - notharchus hyperrhynchus

At the same time I spotted a flash of bright yellow in the trees behind the beach, this turned out to be a Streak-backed Oriole, a very attractive bird.

Streak-backed Oriole - icterus pustulatus

This little brown job is a rather nondescript species known as a Northern Beardless Tyrranulet. It's another new one for me & there's not much else to say about it. Apparently it doesn't have a beard?

Next I turned my attention to the birds on some rocks along the beach, where amongst the Turnstones was a smart wader that I did not recognise. From the photos I later found it in the field-guide, It's a Surfbird, a nice looking spot-bellied wader.

Surfbird (with Ruddy Turnstones) - aphriza virgata

Surfbird - aphriza virgata

The Black-bellied Plover is what we call the Grey Plover, it is another very widely distributed bird seen on every continent except Antarctica.

Black-bellied Plover - pluvialis squatarola

There were other birds about of course, Gulls, Hirundines, Royal Terns and Brown Pelicans but I was really only concerned with picking up new species for that mythical "life list" that I might compile one rainy day.

Royal Tern - thalasseus maximus

Brown Pelican - pelecanus occidentalis

Next morning I decided to move on again, I would have another crack at Monteverde, the forecast was for intermittant rain so I thought it might be worthwhile. before I left la Ensenada I took a photo of this magnificent Acacia Tree which was close outside my cabin. Really spectacular.

Acacia at La Ensenada

I was also better prepared for the White-throated Magpie-Jays at breakfast. They were not going to get my scrambled eggs this time, and in fact I got one or two shots of them with the whole bird in the frame this time, not easy as their tails are so long.

White-throated Magpie-jay calocitta formosa

From La Ensenada I drove along the coast road through a small village, which I think was alled Abangaritos, where Magnificent Frigatebirds were wheeling and circling quite low overhead. Naturally I stopped to try a few shots of this interesting looking bird. Not easy to captue a good image because the male is basically all black except for the red throat sack which is only inflated when trying to attract a mate. At least I did catch the light in this chap's eye so you can get the idea of what this skinny ocean scavenger looks like, quite different.

Magnificent Frigatebird - fregata magnificens

After this I reached the highway & started the climb up the mountain to Monteverde.

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Birding Adventures in Costa Rica 3, Cerro Lodge & Carara National Park

21/11/2016

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Morning arrived too soon, I emerged bleary eyed & walked out to a glorious emerging sunrise and heard a raucous screeching from the vicinity of the dining terrace. When I arrived there was a sight for sore eyes, Scarlet Macaws were squabbling over fruit on a feeder stand in the garden. In case you don't know these are enormous and spectacular members of the parrot family.

Scarlet Macaw - ara macao

Scarlet Macaws are said to have the intelligence of a 4-8 year old child with the emotional intelligence of a 2 year old. This means that they can be demanding and cranky and even throw temper tantrums which was plainly evident from their behaviour at the feeder. I had my camera with me but my 500 mm lens is too long for the proximity of such large birds, and anyway who wants shots of birds at a feeder,? not me. I did pick one quiet one who sat to one side a little away from the mellee & post it here so you can see what I am talking about.

Anyway after a quck breakfast I drove down to the National Park entrance & picked up my guide Antonio. We entered the Forest on a very wet trail on which I was very glad for my wellies. The first creature we saw was not a bird but a Bat, but a white one! never seen a white bat before so here it is, apparently called a Ghost Bat it was hanging under a large palm frond looking down at me.

Ghost Bat

Anyone who has walked trails in a rain forest will know that birds do not jump out and show themselves, you have to work hard, stay alert and listen, and sometimes it pays off. We heard this guy first and after some searching managed get a good sighting. I was forced to use flash in the dark but was quite pleased with these shots of a stunning Black Headed Trogon, the only yellow-bellied Trogon in Costa Rica with pale Blue Iris's.

Black Headed Trogon - trogon melanocephalus

I think this one might be a male, there are hints of green on the back.

Black Headed Trogon - trogon melanocephalus

Shortly after this I caught sight of a slightly strange shape flitting through the dim undergrowth. Antonio did not notice it but I aimed the camera in a faint hope of capturing something where it alighted and although it's a very poor image we found I had photographed a Long Billed Hermit, a large, very nice Hummingbird indeed, not one that is easy to see in its forest habitat.

Long Billed Hermit - phaethornis longirostris

While I was occupied with the hummingbird Antonio had heard an Antshrike and was imitating its call to attract it within view. Before long it was there, looking for the source of the sound and I managed a couple of shots in difficult circumstances through the leaves, picking up a nice Barred Antshrike, similar in appearance to the Fasciated Antshrike I saw at La Selva, but a separate species & therefore another lifer.

Barred Antshrike - thamnophilus doliatus

And so this type of birding continued. Picking up the calls or just locating the bird by sight, but almost always using flash to capture an image. Here's a White Whiskered Puffbird, another resident of dense primary forest. This is a "watch and wait" predator, it perches for long periods until it spots an insect, frog, lizard or other prey which it will then pounce upon.

White Whiskered Puffbird - malacoptila panamensis

The Black Hooded Antshrike was one that Antonio was confident of finding in one particular spot, and sure enough with a bit of patience it appeared, with a small snack in its beak.

Black Hooded Antshrike - thamnophilus bridgesi

The Pale Billed Woodpecker is even larger than the similar Piliated Woodpecker but is easily identified by its completely red head and pale bill. It was fairly easy to locate due to the drumming sound it makes as it searches for larvae etc in the wood.

Pale Billed Woodpecker - campephilus guatemalensis

After a while we emerged from the deep forest to the banks of a small river that probably flowed into the nearby Rio Tarcoles. Here the light was better and as is often the case the forest edge held some great birds. First of these was another Black Mandibled Toucan, giving us great close up views.

Black Mandibled Toucan - ramphastos ambiguus

Even better was to come. Antonio heard something in the trees overhanging the river, and as we parted the branches we came face to face with a fantastic Boat Billed Heron. This mangrove dwelling old guy was not fazed at all by our presence.

Boat Billed Heron - cochlearius cochlearius

In fact his expression was something like "Yes, what the f_ _ _k do you want?" I enjoyed him so much I'll post him twice. Hope he has a good future life. One of those great birding moments.

Boat Billed Heron - cochlearius cochlearius

Spectacular birds were coming thick and fast now. A Fiery Billed Aracari made an appearance. I was very pleased with this one as it was another first sighting, made my day - yet again.

Fiery Billed Aracari - pteroglossus frantzii

We did see at least two Manakins. I really regret not getting a photo of the White Collared Manakin which put in a good appearance but moved away just as I lined up on him, damn! This Red Capped Manakin however did sit still long enough for a very poor quality shot in low light. As I recall I was out of battery power in my external flash so the exposure is not very good. Manakins are very enigmatic and highly sought after by birders. This one is known by the locals as the Michael Jackson Bird because of the famous video clip of some males doing the moondance in perfect time to an MJ tune. It's part of the males displaying for females in the lek.

Red Capped Manakin - ceratopipra mentalis

This bird is a Northern Barred Woodcreeper. There are apparently many species of Woodcreeper in Costa Rica but I was surprised at how few I saw. They were much more common in Ecuador. It was a little disappointing as I like this kind of bird, not flashy or colourful, but exciting to see and capture nonetheless.

Northern Barred Woodcreeper - dendrocolaptes sanctithomae

Next up is probably the most beautiful bird of the day. The Rufous Tailed Jacamar is a stunner, with glorious glistening green and orange feathers, large eyes and a long sharply pointed bill it makes an imposing image on a bare branch in the dark forest. fantastic.

Rufous Tailed Jacamar - galbula ruficauda

I like this one so much I'll post it twice. The Rufous Tailed Jacamar, this one is a female.

All good things come to an end. Eventually we came out of the forest and my time with Antonio was up. I urge anyone who travels to Carara National Park to ask for him at the Park entrance, We found some great birds together and he went to great lengths to get me into the right place for photography. Best $50 I spent on this trip.

With my intrepid guide Antonio at Carara National Park

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Birding Adventures in Costa Rica 2

20/11/2016

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Carara National Park & the Tarcoles River

Looking at the weather forecast and the projected track of Hurricane Otto I decided to run SW away from the storm, back past San Jose and across to the Pacific Coast. In fact the Carara National Park looked like a good birding destination. After about an hour of driving the rain had eased off and I felt it had been the right decision. In fact I was able to stop a couple of times to look at some roadside birds.

Bare Throated Tiger Heron - tigrisoma mexicanum

I spotted this Bare-throated Tiger Heron on the edge of a field in some long damp grass which was probably a good spot for frogs and toads. A very handsome bird. It tucks its neck down very neatly, the feathers seem to envelope the bend.

Bare Throated Tiger Heron - tigrisoma mexicanum

As I got close to my destination I crossed the Tarcoles River. The bridge here is a favourite observation point for people to view the teeming crocodiles in the river below. I am not particularly fascinated by crocodiles as once you have seen one you've seen them all so to speak, but I was taken aback by the sheer size of them. Some can reach 7 metres in length and this is one of the World's highest concentrations of these much maligned beasts. However apart from size they all look the same to me.

I was more interested in the birds of which there were a few including this Yellow Headed Caracara. I saw more of them later but quite like this shot so here it is. These are known colloquially as Tick Birds as they sometimes sit on Capybaras or Three Toed Sloths to pick Ticks and other invertebrates from the fur.

Yellow Headed Caracara - milvago chimachima

I don't usually speculate much about the hirundines that wheel around above me, they are just too difficult to identify confidently and I've never been a fan of looking at tiny specks in the distance. However I could see that the ones on the overhead cables were a bit different so I took a photo and later identified it as a Purple Martin, the largest N. American Swallow. Oh well, another one for the life list, if I kept one that is.

Purple Martin - progne subis

Shortly afterwards I arrived at the entrance to the National Park where I arranged for a guide for a few hours the following morning. Then I walked one of the public trails which didn't reveal very much but at least I stretched the legs after a long drive. The first photo I took was not a bird but a White Faced Capucin Monkey. They seem to have a very mournful expression which I hope does not indicate their state of mind, I'm sure they must be happy sometimes.

White Faced Capucin

One or two birds did show up, This is a Rufous Browed Wren. At least this one looks happy, probably because of the fat juicy moth he has caught and is savoring to prolong the pleasure.

Rufous-naped Wren - campylorhynchus rufinucha

I was forced into using flash again in some of the darker forest stretches. The Yellow Bellied Elaenia was a good sighting even if the quality of the photo is not great. This was one of a small, very noisy flock that seemed to be having some kind of a conflict, two of them actually fell to the ground physically squabbling at one point. I don't think yellow-bellied implies fearfulness. Peace brothers!

Yellow-bellied Elaenia - elaenia flavogaster

One more forest bird of the day, a Rufous-Capped Warbler. I didn't quite nail the focus here but I post it as it is another lifer.

Rufous Capped Warbler - Basileuterus rufifrons

At the Park Entrance office I enquired about somewhere to stay and they were quite happy to recommend a nearby eco hotel called Cerro Lodge which turned out to be the nicest of all the places I stayed in. Beautiful, comfortable, good food and all at a very reasonable price. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Once I had settled in I shot a few birds around the fruit feeders including the very common Blue-grey Tanager...

Blue Grey Tanager - thraupis episcopus

...and a female Summer Tanager.....

Summer Tanager - piranga rubra

....and a nice Cherie's Tanager. This is identical to Paserini's Tanager which I had seen at La Selva, but I know from the book that in this location it has to be Cherie's. Suits me, another for that hypothetical life list.

Cherie's Tanager - ramphocelus costaricensis

So, safely away from the ravages of Hurricane Otto, at least for the time being. I enjoyed a very nice dinner and retired to bed early ready for some more birding adventures in the morning.

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Birding Adventures in Costa Rica

18/11/2016

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I needed an adventure. After a long hot Summer in Spain just seeing the same old birds I craved something new, so when my pilot son Tom put me back on his standby listing for cheap flights I said "How about Costa Rica next week?" Just two minutes on his phone and it was done. I would fly out next Wednesday to San Jose via Gatwick & come back when I felt like it. So that's what I did.

Howler Monkey at La Selva

I arrived in San Jose in the afternoon & checked into the mid priced Hotel Aeropuerto after getting a few car hire quotes from the big firms at their airport desks. At the hotel I asked the desk guy Phil if he knew anyone that could do better than those quotes and of course he did! So next day I picked up my Diahatsu Terios 4x4 from U-Save and set of for La Selva forest Biological Station over near the Caribbean coast.

Oh I forgot to mention that I picked up a few birds in the hotel gardens in San Jose, including Baltimore Oriole, Wison's, Tennessee and Yellow Warblers, plus Common Ground Dove and White Winged Pigeon.

Baltimore Oriole - icterus galbula

Wilson's Warbler - cardellina pusilla

Common Ground Dove - columbina passerina

White Winged Pigeon - zenaida asiatica

Yellow Warbler - setophaga petechia

La Selva

La Selva is primarily a research and educational institution but it accepts paying guests in reasonably comfortable cabins located with cafeteria type food on site, shared with the students and researchers. There is a free guided walk every morning at 6:30 and there are plenty of trails through the forest and along the river which can reveal some interesting birds and wildlife.

Chestnut Coloured Woodpecker - celeus castaneus

After finding my room which was on a separate site away from the main Centre, I went for a wander around the grounds and immediately started picking up some great birds. First was this beautiful Chestnut Coloured Woodpecker, closely followed by a stunning Blue Dacnis, one of several feeding on berries in the gardens.

Blue Dacnis - dacnis cayana

...strongly dimorphic, males and females are very different in colour.

Blue Dacnis female - dacnis cayana

More Tennessee Warblers, and some nice little Chestnut-sided Warblers were flitting around the bushes close to my cabin.

Tennessee Warbler - oreothlypis peregrina

Chestnut Sided Warbler - setophaga pensylvanica

As I set off to walk the forest trail through to the headquarters and dining hall I spotted my first Trogon of the trip. This one a superb Gartered Trogon sitting on a branch overganging the path. I love Trogons, they are such spectacular birds.

When I reached the main Centre I had a good lunch and purchased a copy of "The Birds of Costa Rica", the essential Field Guide by Richard Garrigues, illustrated by Robert Dean. This is one of the best field guides I have come across and it enabled me to identify almost all the birds that I photographed and many of the others that I spotted. Then I wandered around the extensive gardens picking up more small species such as the Scaly Breasted Hummingbird......

...the very common Social Flycatcher....

.. numerous Green Honeycreepers, here a male...

Green Honeycreeper male - chlorophanes spiza

...and now a female, feasting on berries.

..I was pleased to notice some Thick Billed Seed Finches on the grass. At first glance I thought thet were just common Variable Seedeaters. Closer examination however and using the field Guide showed up the differences which was fortunate for me as it was a new species for my life list.

Thick Billed Seed Finch - oryzoborus funereus

Up before dawn next morning and around the lights in the car parking area I could see Nightjars wheeling around chasing moths and anything else attracted by the light. One sat on a kerb right next to my car, I was to learn that there were many varieties but I was only able to identify this one as a Common Pauraque, and one other which was quite distinctive with no white wing bars and a very bat-like flight pattern, a Short-tailed Nighthawk. Unfortunately I was not able to get any usable photos, they were too fast in very low light. But it was good to see so many of them.

Panama Flycatcher - myiarchus panamensis

At 0630 I duly reported to the Reception Office ready for the guided walk. Our guide was extremely knowledgable and he showed us a lot of forest wildlife including three monkey species (Howler, Spider and Squirrel), other mammals including Aguti, Peccary and Three-toed Sloth. various Iguanas and lizards, Snakes, tiny Tree frogs and a very large Tarantula that he coaxed out from its hole under a leaf. Butterflies were everywhere including the amazing Blue Morpho and the huge Owl butterfly.

Howlers on the hanging bridge at La Selva

Collared Peccary

Three-toed Sloths

Blue Jeans frog

But this is a birding blog and I only had my heavy 500 mm lens with me, not ideal for photographing mammals, or insects at close range, so I will concentrate on the birds, of which there were some good ones. For example this wonderful Fasciated Antshrike. There is nothing I like better than capturing elusive, hard to find forest species that most people will never see let alone photograph. I should explain that rain was falling quite steadily most of the time here and it was extremely dark in the primary forest undergrowth. Use of flash was therefore essential and actually finding the bird, getting onto it with the camera and taking a decent shot, in focus and well exposed, is no mean feat and is therefore very rewarding. A lot harder than say, blasting a beaten grouse out of the sky which some people inexplicably seem to enjoy.

Fasciated Antshrike - cymbilaimus lineatus

After the Antshrike we saw another Trogon, this time a female Slaty-Tailed Trogon, which was a new one for me. Fortunately they tend to sit in quite open spaces and this time flash was't necessary even though the light was not great.

Slaty-Tailed Trogon - trogon massena

It was not long before we sighted the first Toucan of the trip, a superb Black Mandibled Toucan, one of several moving through some palms near the river. This yellow throated toucan looks identical to the Chestnut Mandibled Toucan that I had seen in Ecuador, but it differs slightly in DNA and their ranges do not overlap, so I claim it as another lifer.

Black Mandibled Toucan - ramphastos ambiguus

Next I was delighted to see a really stunning bird, the Rufous Motmot. It's a large Motmot nearly half a metre in length with a long bright blue tail sporting a bare shafted racket-shaped tip. For such a large, brightly coloured bird it is not easy to see because it inhabits dense forest, so I was well pleased with this one.

Rufous Motmot - baryphthengus martii

Back in some denser forest again and I managed to capture a flash photo of this Bright-rumped Attila, a member of the Tyrant Flycatcher family, about 18 cms long. Not a rare bird but another lifer for me.

Bright-rumped Attila - attila spadiceus

The Pied Puffbird below is a species I had very good sightings of in Ecuador, but it was nice to add it to the trip list here in Costa Rica as well.

Pied Puffbird - notharchus tectus

After our guided walk and a hearty breakfast I continued to walk some of the trails around the Reserve and to observe the birds around and in the gardens. One of my favourite small birds is the highly exotic looking Shining Honeycreeper, what a great name! Although a member of the Tanager family unlike them it has an elongated and decurved bill which make it quite different in appearance. I also like the clearly demarcated blue, black and yellow colouring.

Shining Honeycreeper - cyanerpes lucidus

It's a strongly dimorphic species and the female has very different colouration.

Shining Honeycreeper female - cyanerpes lucidus

Here's another Hummingbird, a White Necked Jacobin which I caught in flight on the flowerbeds. The wing movement is too rapid to freeze without high speed flash equipment which I do not carry on overseas trips, but it was good to get a clear flight shot of this tiny bird.

After lunch I came across a group of Collared Aracaris, a very colourful and dramatic member of the Toucan family. They were busy feeding on some berries quite close to the dining hall so were easy to photograph. I had seen plenty of them before in Ecuador but this was too good a photo opportunity to miss.

Collared Aracari - pteroglossus torquatus

It had been a very productive day with lots of great birds and some exciting wildlife, but during the afternoon the intensity of the rain began to increase so I retired to my chalet for a siesta. I planned a riverboat trip in the morning and was feeling quite tired after all my travelling, so I took it easy for a while.

Pesky Flies!

Next morning (Nov 20th) it was still raining. At breakfast I was told the river was too swollen for a boat trip and that anyway a Hurricane was on its way! What? Hurricane Otto was the first tropical cyclone since 1996 to survive crossing over from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and it was also the southernmost hurricane on record to hit Central America. Forming late on November 21 in the southwestern Caribbean it travelled along the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border, claiming 23 lives, 10 of which were in Costa Rica. Just my luck to be here at the wrong time. It was very fortunate though that I had not booked anywhere in advance as I would have lost my money. I was planning on going next to Tortuguero on the Caribbean Coast, accessible only by boat, but that was out of the question now as it was cut off.

So I took a last walk down to a spot by the river where a Sun Bittern had been reported yesterday, but to no avail. Sadly I missed out on this, one of my target birds. Foiled by the weather. I did spot some nice Green Ibis in the treetops though which was some compensation as they were lifers.

I also got a poor shot of a Buff Rumped Warbler, another new one. By this time the rain was coming down heavily so I packed up quickly and left La Selva, heading for the Pacific Coast and hopefully some drier weather. La Selva had been good but now it was time to go.

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