COSTA RICA – DAY 7 – FEBRUARY 14TH 2014

RANCHO NATURALISTA – LAGUNA ANGOSTURA – TRANSFER TO TAPANTI

We started the day on the veranda at first light and were rewarded with great views of a Snowcap and then a Bicoloured Hawk, great start to the day. Before breakfast we took a short walk to the ‘bug’ trap (moth trap) which consisted of a large white sheet under a shelter and a very powerful light. Several species came to feed on the bugs and moths and went to watch them. Three nice Flycatchers put in an appearance; Tawny-chested, Dusky-capped and Yellow-bellied and a Spotted Woodcreeper was nice, we also had superb views of a White-breasted Wood-Wren and the best of all was a Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner.

 


 

After another excellent breakfast we set off in the bus to a nearby marsh area where a huge laguna holds lots of species. The laguna Angostera sits by the side of a large hotel complex which has a huge area of lawns and meadows.

Grey-headed Chacalaca

The laguna itself held many birds, we listed about 25 species which included ducks, herons, egrets and lots more. The highlights were; Snail Kite, Limpkin, Northern Jacana, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron all seen out on the marsh. In the trees and the scrub we also saw some excellent species with the Yellow-winged Vireo topping the list. Alongside this bird we found Yellow-throated and Philadelphia Vireos, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Tropical Gnatcatcher and all od these were in the same tree. A Yellow-bellied Eleania was a nice find and in a meadow we saw Giant Cowbirds with Melodious Blackbirds and a few Shiney Cowbirds, this latter specie is a relatively new species on the Costa Rican list.

We drove back to Rancho and ate our last meal there before loading up the bus with our luggage and setting off into the mountains for the next leg of our journey. Tapanti National Park was our destination, a mid-level elevation site about 1500 meters above sea level which promised a lot of new species for us. In fact we hadn’t even unpacked the bus when a shout went up of “Green Ibis” we all dashed down to the trout pools that formed part of the lodge’s grounds and sure enough an ibis was there, fantastic.


Collared Aracari

Half an hour later we were out in the courtyard listing the birds present in and around the lodge. A small colony of the noisy Montezuma Oropendula was literally hanging from the nearest trees and both Palm & Blue & Grey Tanagers joined Melodious Blackbirds and  the pretty Rufous-collaréd Sparrows around the bird table. We then walked on the track looking for new sightings. It wasn’t long before we had a nice list despite the dull mass of cloud and the reduced light. A Grey-breasted Wren joined White-naped Brush-Finch onto the list with several Silver-throated, Spangled-cheeked, Bay-headed Tanagers, all showing well too. The Yellow-faced Grassquit was nice to see as was another gorgeous Blackburnian Warbler. As we neared a stream the light began to fade and light rain began to fall so we turned around and headed back but not before watching a group of Brown Jays and a flock of Chestnut-headed Oropendulas.

Dinner was served at 7:30pm and as we were staying on a fish farm most of us tried the delicious fresh trout.

COSTA RICA - DAY 8 - FEBRUARY 15TH 2014

TAPANTI NATIONAL PARK ALL DAY.

Weather: it was dull and cloudy at first then it got brighter with rain later.

Well Tapanti lived up to its reputation as an excellent birding venue we had a great day there which started at 6am as we pulled up at the gates, just before that we had stopped to watch an American Kestrel sitting in a roadside tree, how amazing it was that I had seen the same species in the same tree for 3 years in a row?

American Kestrel

 For the first hour we never ventured more than 100 meters from the main gate. A Collared Trogon was seen on a telephone wire then we found a mixed feeding flock which to our great joy contained a Streak-breasted Tree-hunter, a Wedge-billed Woodcreeper and a good variety of tanagers one of which was the superb Spangled Cheeked Tanager. We also found a Red-faced Spinetail and a nice Tawny-chested Flycatcher, then as we walked back to the bus we heard a Silvery-fronted Tapaculo calling, we waited patiently and after 10 minutes or so the bird showed intermittently and most of us got good views of it.

We drove back to the lodge for breakfast then we returned to the park for an extended walk along the main track. It seemed that birds were everywhere and we found it difficult to keep up with birds being shouted out. Another couple of flycatchers were added to the growing tally, the Golden-bellied was particularly appreciated.

on the hunt for a Silvery-fronted Tapaculo

 

One of the best birds seen was the Spotted Barbtail but we also had great views of Eye-ringed Flatbill, Dark Peewee, Spotted Woodcreeper and there was such a lot more too. Not forgetting the ‘hummers’ we found several of these little gems, Purple-crowned Fairy, Green Thorntail and three new ones: the Magnificent Hummingbird and the two endemics to Costa Rica and Western Panama the Fiery-throated and the the Black-bellied Hummingbirds, the latter caused a lot of excitement as we saw a male courting a female and displaying all around her, it doesn’t get much better than that, but it did later!

A short trail leading off the main track took us down to the river, a Black Guan was seen just above us as w entered the trail. The path wound its way down to the river where we added American Dipper and Torrent Tyrannulet, then a second Spotted Barbtail was found and this one showed really well.

Tawny-chested Flycatcher

 

It was now approaching lunch time so we walked back to the bus and hopped on and drove back to the lodge to eat.

The afternoon birding session began at 3:30pm we drove back to the park with the intention of walking all the way back to the lodge. At the entrance gate we spent a fair amount of time watching the trees around the compound and parking area, it was fantastic we found a pair of Red-headed Barbets, they showed really well and are exquisite! The male and female birds are so different and equally as beautiful what a sighting. A Mountain Thrush put in an appearance too and we found a pair of Tawny-capped Euphoria. Tanagers and Common Bush-finches were very common all along the track and around the car park.

Rufous-collared Sparrow

 

One mixed flock held some of the most colourful tanagers you can possibly see, have a look at these beauties in the field guides: Bay-headed, Spangled-cheeked, Speckled, Golden-hooded and Silver-throated all of these were seen together, absolutely lovely and  a great display of colour to brighten up the dullest of days.

The cloud thickened and the rain started so we beat a hasty retreat back to the lodge to get ready for dinner. Two final birds to report for the day were, firstly a Green Ibis came nosily into to roost in the trees around the car park and then later a Common Paraque was found on the grass lawn as some of the group were returning to their rooms after dinner.

 

 

Coati - seen along the main track in Tapanti

 

COSTA RICA - DAY 6 - FEBRUARY 13TH 2014

ALL DAY AT RANCHO NATURALISTA

Weather - sunny and warm all day, no wind.

 

Perfect weather for birding, we rose with the sun at 6am. We spent the first hour on the veranda watching the feeders before taking a wonderful breakfast on the terrace, it is so lovely to be able to sit outside for breakfast at 7 in the morning. Apart from a diverse range of birds including a stunning male Snowcap we also had mammal visitors to the garden. First a Common Opossum, then a Cotati and that was followed by a Brazilian Rabbit.

Blue-crowned Motmot - bad light=bad picture, sorry

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Our first walk took up into the forest on agently climbing trail. We stopped to watch a couple or Flycatcher before walking into open areas where fruit trees had been planted. It was fantastic and most of the group agreed that it was our best birding yet. The young saplings in the field were full of birds with some very nice finds too!

A Golden-browed Chlorophonia was the star it is another regional endemic found only in Costa Rica and Western Panama. The male Blackburnian Warbler was superb whilst Golden-crowned, Mourning, Macgillivray's and  Chestnut -sided provided a supporting cast.

on the veranda at Rancho Naturalista

There were many Euphonias flitting about and we caught up with three species in a very small area, the White-vented and Tawny-capped showed the best. We also saw Green Honeycreeper, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Slate-throated Redstart, Tropical Perula and so much more.

Eventually things went quiet and so we walked back into the forest, over the next 30 minutes we listed a few new species; Slatey-capped Flycatcher, White-ruffed Manakin and Roadside Hawk.
Before we returned to Rancho for lunch we stopped off at a nearby farm where a lovely garden was attracting some special birds. We were there for ten minutes before first a Black-crested Coquette and then a Snowcap turned up to feed on the flowers, what a fantastic way to end the morning.

The afternoon was anti-climatic except for our first river walk. We drove to the local River Mina where it was possible to see a Sunbittern. Well the first one we found was down to Anita, we had all walked passed the bird but a more vigilant Anita found a beautiful Sunbittern lurking in the shadows, amazing. We went on to find a nest with a sitting bird and even had the luck to see the chick under the adult, superb birding.

Sunbittern on the nest - in a tree 10 meters above the water

Other species found along the river were; Black Phoebe, Torrent Tyrannulet, American Dipper, Amazon & Green Kingfishers, Spotted Sandpiper and our first Dusky Antbird.

We made a brief visit to the Tuis River where we found another Flycatcher species and we had great views of Bay-headed, Emerald and Silver-throated Tanagers.

Back at Rancho at 5pm we still had time to visit the 'hummingbird pools', these are a series of small shallow natural pools that form in the dry season along the course of a stream. For some reason hummingbirds love to go there to bathe, it was magical to see those tiny creatures hovering over the pools making tiny splashes as they dipped quickly in and our of the water.

One final thing to report - as I sit here on the terrace at 9pm when everyone else has gone off to bed I can hear several sounds coming from the garden and the forest. A Common Paraque is driving me mad with incessant calls, but a Common Potoo has just rendered its cascading call and a Mottled Owl began to deliver its two-note hoot.......... time for bed.

 

 

COSTA RICA - DAY 5 - FEBRUARY 12TH 2014

LA SELVA MORNING WALKS – TRANSFER TO RANCHO NATURALISTA

Violet-crowned Woodnymph

 Our day started at the usual time of 5:45am to the sound of the Common Paraque, we saw several of them as we drove along the track to the start of our walk. For this first hour we walked through the forest back towards the visitor’s centre, it was fairly quiet probably due to the fact that a heavy rainstorm had come over an hour before we got up. It was the larger forest birds that grabbed our attention for most of the time as we found a beautiful male Great Currasow, then a Crested Guan and finally we had two sightings of Great Tinamou, the second sighting was of an adult with chicks.

The smaller species began to appear but only the Ochre-bellied Flycatcher was new for us, however we had excellent views of some species that were only glimpses yesterday.

We ate breakfast at 7:30am before going out for another walk and again it proved to be frustrating as not many birds were seen in the dense primary forest where we walked. Usually you bump into a feeding flock or an ant swarm but we found neither. A ‘lek’ was found of the Stripe-throated Hermit but it only held one bird. We did get good views of White-breasted Wood-Wren and later of a Stripe-breasted Wren and many of the species seen yesterday also showed up.

CRESTED GUAN

 

We then loaded up the bus and set off for our next venue – Rancho Naturalista which sits at a higher elevation and offers a lot of new species for us to find.

We stopped for lunch and to look for Nicaraguan Seed-Eater which showed for some and not for others, however, as consolation a White-tailed Hawk hovered in the background and then a Short-tailed Hawk flew right over the top of us.

GOLDEN-HOODED TANAGER

 

Our journey lasted 2 hours, we arrived  at Rancho at 4pm and after a very short settling-in period we were all found on the superb verandah in the main building. It was chaotic at first as dozens of hummers were dashing about, visiting the feeders and often perching very close to us. Several bird tables held other species and 3 small pools held even more species.

Several really special species stand out in my memory: a male Golden-winged Warbler bathed as a Swainson’s Thrush looked on. Both Orange-billed and Black-striped Sparrows also visited the pools and then a Wood Thrush pop in!

But it was the hummers that stole the show with a beautiful array of colour and agility that held us spellbound for a good hour or so. We saw Snowcap, Violet-crowned Woodnymph, Brown Violetear and Green-breasted Mango which were all new for us, in addition another 8 other species were identified.

EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE

All in all we saw about 30 species in that short time, simple watching from the verandah, how amazing is that?

Our dinner was early at 6pm, we completed the birdlog by 8pm and everyone went off to bed in readiness for another early start tomorrow, can't wait.

 

 

COSTA RICA - DAY 4 - FEBRUARY 11TH 2014

 

TRANSFER TO LA SELVA - BIRDING LA SELVA ALL DAY

Well it poured down all night with some really heavy downpours, that's what everyone told me because I slept through it!!

We got up to a dull, drab morning, our meeting time was 7am so we had an hours daylight before then. Some of the group went for a walk others had a lie-in. A couple of good birds were recorded during that time: Great Tinamou and a  Ruddy Quail-Dove. Others went looking for poison-dart frogs and found 3 species.

We set off at 7:45am and took a short detour before heading off to La Silva, the detour was to see a Great Potoo news of which had come our way at breakfast, it was an opportunity not to be missed. The bird was magnificent, although it was fast asleep we appreciate it's size and significance of it's rarity value in Costa Rica.



GREAT POTOO

So we finally set for La Selva and arrived at 8:45am when we met our guide for the day. We spent 30 minutes or so listing the species in and around the visitor's centre where a host of species was seen.

 

We then set off for our morning walk and one of the first birds that we found was a Snowy Cotinga, what a fantastic, beautiful bird and well named too! We also found a Plain -coloured Tanager on the nest and a small flock of Dusky-faced Tanagers.

Further into the walk we bumped into a small flurry of activity, first we found a Rufous-tailed Jacamar, then a Red-throated Ant Tanager and that was followed by Dusky Antbird, Rufous Mourner, and a Fasciated Antshrike. We then tried to track down a Long-billed Gnatwren but only got brief glimpses of it.

 

Next we found a Yellow-olive Flycatcher followed by a Slaty-tailed Trogon.. Birds just kept on coming and back at the visitor's centre just before lunch we added Common Tody Flycatcher, Black-thighed Grosbeak, Blue Dacnis, Green Honeycreeper and Black-cowled Oriole.

 



 IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY YOU CAN JUST
ABOUT MAKE OUT ITS EYE AND MOUTH

After lunch we continued to add new birds to our list, however the clouds thickened and the rain returned to spoil the afternoon somewhat. Two Motmots were seen, first the Rufous variety and then Broad-billed, both showed extremely well. A Kentucky Warbler was a nice find as was a Cinnamon and then a Chestnut-coloured Woodpecker. Two more Flycatcher went onto the expanding Flycatcher-list, Dusky-capped and Great-crested were both seen well.

We then took another pathway  and saw a lovely Black Currasow in the lower branches of a tree. A few Collared Pecary were walking about and we did find a very interesting and poisonous snake, the Eye-lashed Pit-Viper as well as Long-nosed bats, Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, Black River- Turtle, Variegated Squirrel, Two-toed Sloth, Spiny-tailed Iguana and lots of unnamed butterflies, moths and other insects.



THE BEAUTIFUL SNOWY COTINGA

In the main compound of the field study centre we stood and watched the tall trees all around the perimeter, many birds were feeding there: Golden-hooded Tanagers joined lots of Baltimore Orioles, Yellow-crowned and Olive-backed Euphonias, Masked Tityras, Buff-throated Saltators and several other species. One nice species was a Lesser Swallow-tail Swift which flew over and one of the group happened to look up at the right time, well done Patrick.

On the way back we stopped on the 'rope-bridge' and found White-ringed Flycatcher, Great Blue Heron, Green Kingfisher and White-crowned Parrots.

We returned at 5pm to end the day's birding but we got carried away chasing more species with the Band-backed Wren finally being added to the day's tally.

Finally as we ate dinner we could hear a Common Paraque calling so we went out to see it. This nightjar was very confiding and let approach quite close, smashing!! Good night.

just after an all night down pour

RED-THROATED ANT TANAGER

GREATER KISKADEE

COLLARED PECARY

EYE-LASHED PIT-VIPER

BROAD-BILLED MOTMOT

SLATY-TAILED TROGON

GREEN AND BLACK POISON-DART-FROG

 














COSTA RICA -- DAY 3 - FEBRUARY 10TH 2014

SELVA VERDE LODGE - LA VIRGIN CLOUD FOREST

A day of overcast sky and bout of rain with prolonged rain in the late afternoon.

Our day began at 6am with a pre-breakfast walk in the lovely grounds and forest at Selva Verde. But first we watched the bird feeders. Not many species came to feed however we did find a Red-throated Ant-Tanager and a Pale-billed Woodpecker nearby. Our walk took us to the river where we enjoyed a hour or so watching both water birds and forest birds along the water's edge.

BARE-THROATED TIGER HERON - JUV

In and near the water we found two species of Tiger-Heron, the Bare-throated and the Fasciated, they were both in juvenile plumage and it took some time to separate them from one another. We also had great views of Amazon Kingfisher, Spotted Sandpiper and Buff-rumped Warbler.

Many other species flew over the river or perched high in dead trees, we found both Chestnut Mandibled and Keel-billed Toucans, Neotropic Cormorant and several other nice species. Back on the forest trail we found Orange-billed Sparrow, White-collared Manakin and Streak-headed Woodcreeper.

BRONZE-TAILED PLUMELETEER

We ate a lovely breakfast at 8am and by 9am we were on the trails again, this time we walked across to the small area of gardens where meant species were seen flitted about in the numerous trees and shrubs. Birds such as Cinnamon Becard, Golden-hooded Tanager, Yellow-crowned Euphoria, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Tropical Gnatcatcher and others kept us busy for a long time. We walked along a dirt and found a Black-throated Trogon, Tennessee Warbler and Chestnut-sided Warbler. A couple of other sightings were made by the reception area: Stripe-throated Hermit and a lovely Wood Thrush.

After a quick break we jumped onto the bus and headed for our next venue the "cloud Forest" at La Virgen. Our destination was a small restaurant where we intended to eat lunch, they had some very active feeders there. Some great treats awaited us AMD we quickly list about 15 new birds for the trip. Some excellent sightings were made of Coppery-headed Emerald (one of the four endemics of Costa Rice), also the Prong-billed Barbet ( a regional endemic) and the star of the show had to be the Emerald Toucanet, what a fabulous bird.

EMERALD TOUCANET

Other species kept our attention, Common Bush-Finch, Silver-throated Tanager, Green Thorntail, Violet Sabrewing, Green Hermit, Rufous-winged Woodpecker and such a lot more, it was really fantastic and the birds came so close to it was magical.

RUFOUS-WINGED WOODPECKER

We then ate a lovely lunch served  in the restaurant, our food was cooked over an open fire and it was superb.

It clouded over (well we were in the cloud forest!) and light rain began but it didn't stop us going for a walk a few kilometres down the road. The track we chose dropped steeply down into a steep sided gorge and it was full of birds. There were several American Warblers we had good views of Wilson's, Tennessee, Chestnut Sided and Townsend Warblers, as well as Tropical Perula, Slate-throated Redstart, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Bay-headed Tanager and a couple of new hawks, Barred hawk and Swanson's Hawk.

A little further down the track a beautiful Collared Redstart showed brilliantly, it came so close us that we didn't bins, it was a photographer's dream, absolutely gorgeous.


BIRDING THE TRACK AT LA VIRGIN

More warbler sightings followed but the rain got steadily worse and eventually we arrived at TH bottom of the gorge where we stood on bridge scanning the river. All we found was Black Phoebe, it now getting quite dull too so we called it day and got back onto the bus which had followed us down the track.



TROPICAL PERULA

We met up again at 7pm and drove into town for our dinner and the heavens opened up, it poured for an hour or so and eased off just in time for us to get back to the lodge to finish another day.

The trip total now stands at 165 species, coming on nicely!

 

COSTA RICA - DAY 2 - FEBRUARY 9TH 2014

 EARLY MORNING WALK AT VISTA DE VALLE – TRANSFER TO SELVA VERDE WITH STOPS AT BRAULIO CARRILLO AND LA SELVA

BREAKFAST THE FIRST MORNING

Our group was finally fully assembled after last night’s arrival of the last 6 members. We all met up at 5:45am at the reception area for our first official birding trip of the tour. We walked the grounds again and found many of the same species that we recorded yesterday with the addition and omission of a few. The Hoffman’s Woodpecker showed well again as did the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl and the beautiful Baltimore Orioles. We added Boat-billed Flycatcher, Greyish Saltator, White Hawk, Groove-billed Ani and Rose-throated Becard to name but a few.

ferruginous pigmy OWL

During breakfast we also found Keel-billed Toucan, what stunner that bird is. At 9am we packed our cases onto the bus in readiness for our trip to the Caribbean slopes. About 1 ½ hours into the journey we stopped at the roadside to look at a Bat Falcon which was perched in its regular roost, nice bird. Then we drove a short way to the entrance of Braulio Carrillo reserve. We had climbed up from the Central valley heading eastward and were a few hundred meters above sea level, Braulio is a National Park of some 50,000 hectares (118,000 acres) and consists of mainly primary forest.

We spent 3 ½ hours on one single trail which loops around one small section and it was full of birds, we were luckily enough to bump into 2 or 3 feeding flocks that held lots of species. We soon got overwhelmed with new birds flitting past at a fast rate of knots but we several accomplished birders in the group and soon many species were pointed out. Black-faced Grosbeak, fed with a number of tanagers, the Blue and Gold was one of prizes. A couple of Euphonias were found with the next group, we saw the Olive-backed and Tawny-capped varieties.

RUFOUS-NAPED WREN

One super bird and a lifer for most of us was the Brown-billed Sythebill, It is a woodcreeper with the most curved bill you may ever see. Other flocks held, Lesser Greenlet, Plain Xenops, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Black and White Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Olive Tanager, White-shouldered Tanager and a couple of good finds the Black and Yellow tanager and the Tawny-crested Tanager. We also found Trogons, Motmots, more woodcreepers and warblers, it was a superb walk and we really had to drag ourselves away for lunch.

It was quite late in the afternoon when we finished lunch so we had to press on to our next lodge but we did make a couple of short stops before we arrived there. The first stop was at the roadside where we look over a large expanse of grassland, we were hoping for Nicaraguian Seedeater, but found only Passerini’s tanager, Blue-black Grassquit and Variable Seedeater. In the distance we saw a very large mixed flock of Red-winged Blackbirds, Groove-billed Anis, Grackles and Cpwbirds.

Next we pulled onto a track which led us near to the reserve at La Selva, we stood watching several large fruiting trees in search of Great Green Macaws. It wasn’t long before one turned up, calling loudly, it was huge. Whilst there we also found another Bat Falcon, a Laughing Falcon and to our great surprise and delight five Scarlet Macaws flew in, they looked fantastic in the afternoon sunlight, we also found several parakeets,  a couple of parrots and at least 5 Chestnut –mandibled Toucans.

Our last stop was an impromptu one to look at more grassquits seen at the side of the track,  but the stop it soon developed into much more as new birds appeared in all directions! We watched from the bus as a heavy downpour began, but we had fabulous views of a Hooded Warbler bathing on a large leaf just after the rain-shower. We also saw another species of woodcreeper, our first Social Flycatcher, a Black-striped Sparrow which was tracked down as we followed its wonderful melodic song, did I really say that about a sparrow!

The light began to fade, and fast, so we jumped back onto the bus and drove the few kilometres to the Salva Verde Lodge.  After settling in we drove into the local town to sample local food in a lovely restaurant.

To date we had seen 114 species with some very special sightings in the bag.

 

 

COSTA RICA - DAY 1 - FEBRUARY 8TH 2014

ARRIVAL DAY AND MEETING UP

NO PHOTOS BECAUSE SOME DIPSTICK TOOK HIS CAMERA WITHOUT A MEMORY CARD

Some of the group arrived last night, including me, so we arranged to meet up mid-morning to transfer to our first hotel. Six others were arriving later in the evening and were to be collected from San Jose airport.

This morning the weather was bright and sunny and a little breezy with a temperature of 15C

 

My first birds seen from the hotel room window were Clay-coloured Thrush (the national bird of Costa Rica), the beautiful Rufous-collared Sparrow, Great-tailed Grackle and Great White Egret which flew over.

 

After breakfast I had a couple of hours to kill so I went for a short walk and found myself in an industrial estate very near to the airport. However despite the environment there were well maintained gardens with flowering shrubs and a babbling brook. It was smashing, I stood and watch a family party of Hoffman's Woodpeckers, both the parents were visiting a nest hole, Blue -grey Tanagers flew over as did a Great White Egret, Turkey & Black Vultures and a few White-winged Doves.

 

At the stream I spent a magical hour watching from the vantage point of a large rock. The melodic song of the Rufous-naped Wren rang out and I soon found a pair of these beautiful beasts in the hedgerow and luckily for me more two other species of wren came and foraged at the stream, I saw Rufous and White Wren and the common House Wren. Two kingfishers perched near me too, alas I never took my scope and camera as both the Ringed and the Green Kingfishers sat very close. A Black Phoebe jumped from rock to rock along the stream catching flies and a Chestnut Sided Warbler worked the bushes on the opposite bank.

 

On the way back I saw my first hummer of the trip the Rufous-rumped variety and a Tropical Kingbird hawked flies from a post. Well that wasn't a bad start I hope the others in the group are doing equally as well at their hotel this morning, if not I'd better keep my mouth sealed!!

Roy my Costa Rican guide turned up on time and we drove to the meet the group members that had already arrived. We sat and chatted for a while before taking our bus to the Hotel vista de valle where we tour begins and where the second half of our group will come to meet this evening after their late flights.

After a brief settling in period we set off for a walk in the grounds of the hotel. The lodge and most of the cabin are built not far from a very deep gorge where fantastic views can be had of the gorge and surrounding countryside. It has extensive gardens and trails we hadn’t got far before finding a pair of lovely Rufous-capped Warblers, such stunning colours on such a small bird. We then moved onto open ground and discovered a couple of flowering Poro trees where a couple of dozen of Baltimore Orioles were feeding, they were joined by 2 Hoffman’s Woodpeckers, Palm tanagers, Blue and Grey Tanagers, Black-cowled Oriole, and a Yellow Warbler. We then found a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, lots of Montezuma’s Oropendolas, Masked Tityra and a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak .

As we approached the ‘creek trail’ we stopped to watch a Yellow-throated Vireo and a Blue-throated Goldentail, this was our third hummer of the walk! We then walked to a small lake which was both pretty and quiet, just a few Kiskadees and Tropical Kingbirds. On the way back we found a huge mixed flock of swifts overhead, they included White-collared, Chestnut Collared and Vaux’s Swifts. Other sightings included: White-winged, White-tipped and Inca Doves, Red-billed Pigeon and a beautiful Blue-crowned Motmot.

We then sat on the veranda which overlooks the gorge and watched as the sun went down, we added a male Rose-breasted  Grosbeak to the list as well as Broad-winged Hawk.

Well that ended our first  day in Costa Rica, a very good start to a promising trip. We ate dinner before myself and Roy drove to the airport to collect the remaining six group members.

 

 

 

 

GUYANA TO TRINIDAD - DAY 16 - JANUARY 30TH

TRANSFER TO GEORGETOWN THEN TO TRINIDAD.

After our last early breakfast , the group parted ways. Rick and Deitmar were staying at Arrowpoint for the rest of the day, whist the rest of us set off by boat to Georgetown International Airport. It was dull and overcast and we had light rain through the trip, hence no birds were reported except the large Ringed Kingfisher.

THE VERANDA AT ASA WRIGHT

Our flight to Trinidad was on time and only took 60 minutes to get to the airport at Port-of-Spain. There the group split again, John and Gill went on to Tobago for a few days whilst Penny, Mike and myself had 8 hours to kill.  We had planned to visit the Asa Wright Lodge and bird watching centre.

We took a cab and arrived within an hour after a long drive up a steep hill. We had a nice lunch before taking a guided walk in the expansive grounds.

The superb terraced 'birders-veranda' overlooks a fantastic  flowering garden and had many bird feeders including quite a few for hummer-feeders.

 

The walk produced a nice list of species some of which were new for the trip and included the Bearded Bellbird of which we saw several at a lek making strange calls. W

SPECTACLED THRUSH

e also had excellent views of the White-bearded Manakin which was also lekking.

WHITE-BEARDED MANAKIN

 

After the walk we spent a couple of hours on the terrace watching the very active garden and it's feeders; the hummers were fantastic, but so were the tanagers and the thrushes. We saw 3 new thrushes: Spectacled, Cocoa and White-necked Thrushes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GREEN HONEYCREEPER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEARDED BELLBIRD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a list of the birds recorded at ASA Wright - listed roughly on the order that we saw them;

Green Honeycreeper		Green Hermit
Purple Honeycreeper		Tropical Parula
White-Necked Jacobin		Great Antshrike
Tufted Coquette		Barred Antshrike
Banaquit		White-Necked Thrush
Reddish Hermit		American Redstart
Rufous-Breasted Hermit		Golden-Fronted Greenlet
White-Lined Tanager		Boat-Billed Flycatcher
Violaceous Euphonia		Bearded Belbird
Copper-Rumped Hummingbird		Cocoa Thrush
Blue-Chinned Sapphire		Spectacled Thrush
Little Hermit		Turkey Vulture
Turquoise Tanager		Black-Faced Mango
White-Chested Emerald		Ruddy Ground-Dove
Blue-Grey Tanager		Blue Dacnis
Bay-Headed Tanager		Orange-Winged Parrot
Palm Tanager		Long-Billed Starthroat
Golden-Headed Manakin		Tropical Mockingbird
White-Bearded Manakin		Yellow-Rumped Cacique
Crested Oropendola		Ochre-Bellied Flycatcher

Well our time was soon up and we departed for the airport and flight back to the UK. The trip really was over, all that was left was a head full of lovely memories, hundreds of photographs and a huge list of species.

 

At Gatwick, early on the 31st we all parted company and went our separate ways.