Unlike our last trip to Costa Rica where we stayed at remote cabins in National Parks this time we stayed at a huge resort with family and friends. However, our resort was fairly isolated and close to forested areas in the northwest section of the country and even though the grounds can become fairly sterile it is still a true pleasure to wake early and listen to the jungle awaken. I would set my alarm for 5 each morning however I was out the door long before that. By Costa Rica’s positioning they receive about 12 hours sunlight all year long in pretty much the same time frame every day.
First up was Ferruginous Pygmy Owls. The most I seen at one time was a pair however more were definitely heard in the distance. Pacific Screech Owls could also be heard and seen around the resort. Next was the Common Pauraque. They were everywhere. Even all over the pool umbrellas. Their call, although not nearly as romantic as the Whip-poor-will is definitely rather unique.
Then, just as the sun crests the mountains each morning, an assortment of parrots, parakeets, orioles, jays, wrens and grackles could be heard. Parrots and parakeets especially would be continuously flying in from the mountains surrounding the resort.
However, it was the Howler monkeys that would steal the show. Honestly, I think I would love a Howler Monkey alarm clock. It is so cool to just stand there at the jungle edge, sunlight breaking through the trees as it crests the mountains, and listen to the growl of the Howlers as they move along next to the resort. Since it was always early morning, and the Howlers were almost always backlite in the dark jungle cover, photography wasn't the greatest, but the growls were really cool.
The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was just one of a variety of flycatchers we observed,
however I wish I had been able to capture a better image of this unique bird.
They are an elegant gray and salmon-pink flycatcher festooned with an absurdly long tail, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is the bird to look for on fence wires in the south-central United States. They typically perch in the open, where their long, forked tails make an unmistakable silhouette. The tail proves useful as they expertly catch insects on the wing with sharp midair twists and turns. In late summer and early fall, scissor-tails gather in large, bickering flocks to migrate to Mexico and Central America. Cornell All About Birds
The White-throated Magpie-Jay is a spectacular, large, and often conspicuous jay of tropical lowland forests, plantations, and semi open areas with hedges and tall trees.
It is usually in small groups and can be surprisingly inconspicuous if feeding quietly.
The White-throated Magpie-Jay ranges in Pacific-slope thorn forest from Jalisco, Mexico, to Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Magpie-jays are noisy, gregarious birds, often traveling in easy-to-find flocks, mobbing their observers and were easy to find around the resort in the mornings.
The Broad-billed Motmot is a medium-sized forest dweller that sits motionless on horizontal branches in the mid-story like this bird we observed while looking for Sloths.
The head and breast are a rufous-orange with black mask and breast spot. Note the green back and belly and long tail. Often found singly or in pairs inside forest, usually below canopy.
