Green Hermit

 

The Green Hermit is a large hummingbird with long white-tipped central tail feathers. The male is entirely blue-green while the female has a gray belly, green back, and obvious stripes on face.

The bill is extremely long and decurved. They are found in forest, but also visits feeders at forest edge.

Hoffman's Woodpecker

The Hoffman’s Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker with bold black-and-white barring on back and a cream-colored belly. A patch of yellow on the lower belly can be difficult to see.

Common in open woodlands, second growth, and gardens. Distinctive in range, but hybridizes extensively with Red-crowned Woodpecker on the Pacific slope in Costa Rica.

Band-tailed Barbthroat

The Band-tailed Barbthroat is a scarce hummingbird of humid evergreen forest and edge in tropical lowlands. Favors shady understory, especially with Heliconia flowers. Usually visits flowers briefly and whips away with a sharp buzzy squeak.

Note long arched bill (yellowish below), striped face, blackish throat patch, and rusty breast patch. Striking tail pattern, black with white tips, and a white base that is only readily seen when the tail is spread. eBird

Semi Plumbeous Hawk

The Semi Plumbeous Hawk is a small forest hawk, usually seen perched inconspicuously in the canopy or at the forest edge like we observed here. White below and gray above with distinctive orange-red legs and bill.

The sexes are alike and the juvenile is similar to adult, but with whitish streaks on the head and very fine gray streaks on the breast. eBird

Summer Tanager

 

The Summer Tanager, a bird we observed almost every day in Costa Rica, is the only completely red bird in North America. The strawberry-colored male Summer Tanager is an eye-catching sight against the green leaves of the forest canopy. The mustard-yellow female is harder to spot, though both sexes have a very distinctive chuckling call note.

Fairly common during the summer, these birds migrate as far as the middle of South America each winter. All year long they specialize in catching bees and wasps on the wing, somehow avoiding being stung by their catches. eBird

Crowned Woodnymph

The Crowned Woodnymph favours evergreen forest and edge in tropical lowlands, often near streams. They feed mainly at low to middle levels in shady understory, but comes to feeders at edges and in clearings.

The male, seen here, is stunning but often looks all dark: note the fairly long, deeply forked tail and brilliant emerald and violet plumage. The female is rather dull and plain with a black bill, green-mottled flanks, and blue-black tail with whitish corners. eBird

Crested Guan

The Crested Guan is a very large, long-tailed game bird of tropical and subtropical forest. Often seen high in trees or flying through the forest canopy; usually not seen in areas near people except in some protected areas due to hunting pressure.

Their plumage is dark overall (often looks blackish) with bright red throat wattle and white streaking on body visible at closer range. Crest is bushy and usually not a striking feature.

Violet Sabrewing

The Violet Sabrewing is a very large, spectacular, and aggressive hummingbird of humid evergreen forest in highlands and foothills, descending locally and seasonally to lowlands.

Note the very large size, thick arched bill, and big, flashy white tail corners. The male’s amazing purple plumage often looks blackish overall. Even though it was raining a very cool bird to observe.

Chestnut-headed Oropendola

Montezuma Oropendola was by far the more common of the Oropendola that we observed however we were able to also see the Chestnut-Headed Oropendola. The Chestnut-headed Oropendola is a rather large, dark, yellow-tailed bird of humid evergreen forest and edge in tropical lowlands. Where present, colonies of large pendulous nests adorn tall trees.

It is often in flocks, usually in forest canopy at fruiting trees. The male is much larger than female, but sexes look similar, with a dark, rich brown head and body, blackish upperparts, pale yellowish bill, and bold yellow tail sides. eBird

Keel-billed Toucan

 

The Keel-billed Toucan is a large unmistakable toucan with a huge, rainbow-colored bill. It is often seen in pairs, but not usually in groups.

They fly with a few flaps followed by a swooping glide, sometimes high over the forest canopy,

It is heard more often than seen and its song is a far-carrying, frog-like croak, repeated steadily. Despite its large size and bright colours they can be difficult to see in leafy canopy, where it moves deliberately in search of food.

Blue-gray Tanager

 

The Blue-gray Tanager is a common and widespread powder blue-gray bird of open and semi-open areas with larger trees and hedges, towns, villages, and gardens in tropical and subtropical regions.

They mainly feed at mid-upper levels in trees eating fruit. A rather plain but distinctive appearance, with beady dark eye and fairly stout bill.

Buff-throated Saltator

 

The Buff-throated Saltator is a fairly common bird found in humid tropical lowlands. They favour forest edges, plantations, and dense second growth and are usually seen singly or in pairs, foraging quietly in flowering or fruiting trees.

Rufous Motmot

 

The Rufous Motmot is a large forest-dweller that likes to sit motionless. The head and breast are rufous-orange with a black mask and breast spot. They have a green back and long tail.

They are often found singly or in pairs inside forest, usually below canopy as was the case with this one.

Sunbittern

 

Unfortunately, I was not able to capture an image of the Sunbittern with its wings spread since it is considered one of the most dazzling of all the world’s birds; the intricate yellow, red, and black pattern on the spread wings is truly otherworldly.

They are found singly or in pairs along rivers or swamps, usually standing quietly along the shore. Listen for long whistles at dawn and dusk. It was a dark drizzly day when we were observing this Sunbittern, but still a cool bird to see.

American Pygmy Kingfisher

 

The American Pygmy Kingfisher is a tiny kingfisher of shady forest streams and mangroves. Often darts away when disturbed, but can be confiding if approached quietly and usually perches fairly low over the water as was the case here.

They are about half of the size of Green Kingfisher, and easily distinguished by rusty underparts and poorly contrasting pale neck collar.

Mangrove Vireo

 

The Mangrove Vireo, despite the name, is not found in mangroves in most of its range. It is common in scrubby woodland, brushy fields, and thickets.

The best field marks are the white wingbars and the yellow patch between the eyes and bill. Most birds are pale yellowish below, a few are paler and grayer overall. Birds in mangroves of Central America are often rather colorless, with very reduced yellow tones.

Cinnamon Hummingbird

The Cinnamon Hummingbird is a striking, medium-size hummingbird of dry tropical lowlands that favours scrubby woodland, gardens and semi-open areas with flowering trees.

The wholly cinnamon-colored underparts are distinctive along with a bright red bill.

Red-breasted Meadowlark

 

So, on my Costa Rica birding trip we lodged at three separate lodges spending three nights at each location. One day would be spent birding trails around that lodge however the other days would be spent birding around the area. Travel days were also spent birding backroads at different habitats usually with four or five different stops. On this particular day we were travelling on the busiest road, a two lane paved highway, travelling to Arenal Bird Observatory. One of the more popular areas of Costa Rica, at least for birding.

Suddenly, our driver Ricardo, also a great birder and asset to the team, spotted a Red-breasted Meadowlark off in a field. He had nowhere to pull over so just stopped on the highway. About eight of us jumped off the bus and moved to the edge of the field. Slowly moving closer and closer, keeping our eyes on the bird. Shooting all the way. When we turned around after the bird eventually flushed, we realized traffic was backed up way down the highway on our side of the road. I mean way backed up. Nobody was honking or yelling. People were actually giving us thumbs up signals. Crazy, can’t image that here in North America.

eBird says that the Red-breasted Meadowlark is found in open fields and often perches conspicuously atop grasses or small bushes. Seems accurate.

Brown Violetear

 

The Brown Violetear is a rather large but drab, fairly short-billed hummingbird of tropical and subtropical forest and edge. Can be aggressive when defending flower patches from most other hummingbirds. Occurs mainly in foothills, ranging seasonally down to lowlands.

One of the many hummingbirds we observed, the Brown Violetear, with its drab colours, was a rather cool bird to observe and photograph.

Northern Jacana

 

I was really excited to be able to photograph this Northern Jacana up close along the river bank. The Northern Jacana is a bird of freshwater marshes, lakes, and ponds in tropical lowlands, locally in highlands.

They walk with a high-stepping gait, often on top of floating vegetation. The adult is chestnut overall with black head and neck however the immature looks very different, with creamy-white face, neck, and underparts.

Their bright yellow wings are striking in flight and fly with stiff wingbeats and glides, the long feet trailing out behind.

Gartered Trogon

 

The Gartered Trogon is a relatively small and compact yellow-bellied trogon of tropical lowland forest, mainly in humid areas. Perches at mid to upper levels, often high in canopy.

They dig their nest in large arboreal wasp nests. Used to be known as Violaceous Trogon. Cornell All About Birds

Costa Rica birding trip planning

 

So, many people ask me if I was overwhelmed birding, by observing 387 species in 12 days. Starting at five each morning and basically hitting the sack around eleven thirty, or sometimes later each day. And the answer is no. It is a terrific experience.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I only had three days to prepare for my trip. However, Eagle Eye Tours emailed me my checklist. A 17 page list of the 573 species we could possibly observe.

So, I studied eBird to come up with possible birds we could see at the main birding sites. And I had already been to Costa Rica and kept pretty decent lists of birds I had already observed in the country, plus I had already downloaded the Costa Rica bird pack from Merlin for previous trips, which kept track of my previous sightings of lifers. Although I had previously marked off birds it my trusty old field guide, I soon found out it was impossible to keep up and that everything was done on the merlin app on your phone. Even ordering lunches ahead of time so that time wasn’t wasted at lunch spots.

So, I went through the checklist, marking previous lifers with the blue dots. Then with the guides doing the checklist each and every night it was easy to mark off species seen and which ones were new lifers. Species in blue, Lifers in orange.

And now, it’s absolutely great to be able to see what birds we observed on each day, and match them up with my images. Providing an easy way to log image frame numbers with each bird. It’s also fun learning more about the different birds as I research them for the blog.

So, that’s it. Probably doesn’t seem all that cool to a non birder.

Black-crowned Tityra

 

The Black-crowned Tityra is a handsome, mostly silvery gray bird of tropical lowland forest and adjacent semi-open areas with taller trees. Usually found at mid-upper levels of fruiting trees.

The male is more silvery overall, with a black cap and the female has a brown face and smaller black cap.

Tityras nest in tree cavities that they sometimes steal from woodpeckers.

Common Pauraque

 

The Common Pauraque’s subtle brown, black, and gray plumage provides such excellent camouflage that it might as well be invisible in its daytime sleeping spots on open ground. From dusk till dawn, the male’s songs are anything but quiet, ranging from rising whistles to grunts that sound like frogs. It is skilled at catching flying insects and like all nightjars has a gaping wide mouth behind a tiny bill. Widespread in the Neotropics, the Common Pauraque ventures into the U.S. just at the southernmost tip of Texas.

In the evening, we observed Common Pauraque at almost every stop on our trip.

It was really cool to observe them hunting insects and returning to the same spot. This one was lit up by lights from an old tractor shed and I watched for quite awhile as it would fly upward and catch insects heading toward the lights.

As is true of nightjars around the world, the Common Pauraque is the subject of many folk beliefs, among them that the male’s song identifies the presence of “Don Pucuyo,” a roving, romantic spirit.

The Common Pauraque lays two attractive eggs, buffy or salmon-buff in color, marked with reddish brown, cinnamon, gray, and lavender—quite distinct from the eggs of any other nightjar species. Cornell All About Birds

Red-billed Pigeon

 

The Red-billed Pigeon is a widespread inhabitant of tropical deciduous forests from Costa Rica to the Rio Grande of southern Texas. This large pigeon spends most of its time high above the ground, plucking fruits and berries from the crowns of trees and shrubs.

This species has only limited red on its mostly yellow bill, but this feature, along with its low-pitched song and dark tail, is useful in distinguishing it from similar pigeons across its range.

We seem to encounter Red-billed Pigeons everywhere we went.

Pale-billed Woodpecker

 

The Pale-billed Woodpecker is a large red-headed woodpecker of tropical forest in lowlands and foothills. It also resides in the pine-oak forest of lower mountain slopes. All plumages of Pale-billed have a white V on the back as seen here. Their loud double-rap drum is very distinctive.

White-whiskered Puffbird

The White-whiskered Puffbird is a plump brown bird of shady understories in humid evergreen forest of tropical lowlands. Found singly or in pairs, perched quietly at low to middle levels. I was extremely happy to get a decent image of this adorable little bird.

Often sits still for long periods and is easily overlooked. Note the stout bill, reddish eyes, streaky underparts, bushy white whiskers, and finely dappled whitish to buffy upperparts. Cornell All About Birds

Double-striped Thick-knee

The Double-striped Thick-knee is a large shorebird of lowland dry grassland and savannas that is usually found in pairs or small groups. Usually active at night.

During the daytime, usually seen standing or sitting quietly, often in the shade of small trees or bushes which is where we observed this bird. Named for the double stripes on it’s head. A bird we had observed in Panama but were certainly glad to observe up close.

White Hawk

 

We were standing on a outcrop fairly high up the side of a mountain observing a King Vulture soaring a fair distance out when a White Hawk came soaring past us.

The White Hawk is a spectacular, broad-winged, short-tailed hawk of lowland tropical forest. Usually seen soaring in mid-late morning or perched quietly in the forest canopy. Plumage is white overall with black wingtips and a black tail band.

Chestnut-capped Warbler

The Chestnut-capped Warbler is an attractive, perky warbler found in humid lowlands and foothills of Central and northern South America. Favors dense understory in forest and edge.

Usually in pairs or small groups which hop around low in brush. Rather stout-billed. Also note white eyebrow, rusty cap and cheeks, and yellow underparts. Another bird that we observed at our starting hotel grounds.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

 

Another bird we observed around our starting hotel, the beautiful Hotel Bougainvilla grounds, was the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird. Our first of many, many Hummingbirds to come. It is a handsome, medium-size hummingbird of humid tropical lowlands. 

They favour forest edges, second growth and gardens in some areas. They can be difficult to distinguish from the Buff-bellied Hummingbird, which favors drier habitats. The Rufous-tailed has a dingy, grayish belly and more extensive rust on the tail.

Cinnamon-bellied Saltator

 

The Cinnamon-bellied Saltator is fairly common in tropical lowlands of both drier and more humid areas. They favour forest edge, second growth thickets, hedges, and tangles, especially with morning glory flowers, which it munches quietly. 

Told from other saltators in Mexico and Central America by the grayish (not golden-green) upperparts, bolder white eyebrow, and plain breast. We observed this bird around the beautiful Hotel Bougainvilla grounds.

Black and White Owl

A new owl species for me, my 28th, was the Black and White Owl seen here roosting high in a tree in the daytime. They are a handsome but scarce large owl of tropical lowland forest and edge. Found in forests, plantations, gardens, and towns.

Mainly roosts high in trees during the day, but sometimes roosts in rather open situations. At night it hunts mainly at higher levels, but sometimes can be found pursuing bats under streetlights. 

Note the bright yellow bill and feet and boldly patterned black-and-white plumage. Varied hooting calls often end with an emphatic note. Cornell All About Birds

Tropical Screech Owl

We had observed Tropical Screech Owls while in the Amazon but again very cool to observe so close. This owl was very cooperative. As with all screech-owls, much easier to identify by voice: a short rapid trill with a pop at the end. If you’re lucky enough to see one, look for an overall grayish-brown or rufous bird with fine markings, including thin streaks on underparts. Black border to face. Sexes alike.

Found in wooded habitats, sometimes coming out into open shrubby fields or gardens with only a few scattered trees. Usually the most common screech-owl in range. Cornell All About Birds

Yellow-throated Toucan

 

The Yellow-throated Toucan was a very cool bird to observe. It is a large conspicuous bird with oversized bill. Mostly black overall with yellow throat and face. Note bicolored bill: dark below and yellow above.

Found in pairs or small groups, often parading through the canopy in search of fruit. Sometimes perches very obviously at the top of a tree.

Favors forested areas, but can also be found in gardens and edges. Yelping call helps distinguish from similar looking species. Cornell All About Birds

American Barn Owl

 

This was my ninth sighting of a Barn Owl. We have observed them in Florida, Utah, Arizona and Cuba.

Interestingly, in 2024, ornithologists split the widespread Barn Owl, found on every continent except Antarctica, into three species: American Barn Owl, Eastern Barn Owl, and Western Barn Owl. American Barn Owl is restricted to the Americas, Eastern Barn Owl occurs from South Asia to Australia, and Western Barn Owl is found in Europe, Africa, and western Asia. Cornell All About Birds

More images of Barn Owls can be found on previous blogs.

Mottled Owl

The Mottled Owl is a common, fairly large owl of tropical lowlands and foothills. Found in forests, woodlands, plantations, gardens, and towns. Roosts during the day at all levels in dense cover of taller trees, but at night it often hunts from low perches such as fence posts and road signs.

Note the rounded head, brown eyes framed with whitish crescents on either side of the bill, and overall brown plumage that is streaked below. Varied gruff hoots can suggest a dog barking.

We had observed Mottled Owls while birding in Panama but it was still very cool to observe them again.

Rufous-backed Wren

 

The Rufous-backed Wren, seen here collecting nesting material, is usually found in small groups, less often in pairs. Mainly in thorn forest and dry scrubby habitats, but also sometimes in more humid scrub and semiopen areas.

They have boldly barred wings and tail and bright rusty nape patch. It is often detected by its marvelous loud song, which consists of various bubbly, whistled, nasal, or harsh notes and is often given by multiple birds at once.

Lesson's Motmot

 

The first two birds I heard entering the gardens early the first morning were the national bird of Costa Rica, the Clay-coloured Thrush, a bird we would observe every day of our trip, and the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, a very common owl found in Costa Rica.

However, the coolest bird, at least to me was the Lesson’s Motmot. To observe and photograph this bird in the late evening light was a real treat and certainly started the trip on a great note.

Lesson’s Motmot is a large motmot of tropical lowland forest and edge, mainly in humid areas. Perches low to high, usually in shady areas. Blue crown with a big black central patch, unlike solid blue of Blue-capped Motmot, which occurs to the north. The name ‘motmot’ comes from double-hooting call of this species, which can sound like an owl, and is mainly uttered around dawn. eBird

Costa Rica birding trip

 

Recently I made the last minute decision to jump on a 12 day Costa Rica birding trip. Three days later I flew to San Jose where I joined a group of 12 like minded souls from Scotland, Alaska, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Alberta and Ontario. Our guides for this trip were Benny Jacobs-Schwartz and James Lees. We were very fortunate to have two absolutely incredible guides that made this a spectacular trip. In all we observed 387 species over the twelve days, enabling myself to pick up 178 new lifers.

                  Our guides hard at work during a lunch break.

Although we birded in many roadside locations and trails the three main stops were the Pacific coast near Puntarenas where we lodged at Hotel Villa Lapas and birded in Carara National Park as well as a river run,

Hotel Quelitales and area, with a stop at La Selva Biological Station alongside the Sarapiqui River,

                 My own cabin on the mountainside at Hotel Quelitales

and our final stop lodging at the incredible Arenal Bird Observatory. At each stop we spent three nights lodging in very comfortable accommodations.

                    View from my balcony at Arenal Bird Observatory

Also, each roadside lunch stop had bird feeders set up so the birding never really stopped. And, I spent the evenings either owling or herping. As you can image the frogs, toads and moths provided non stop entertainment. Sleep was at a minimum.

I should also mention that our driver/birder, Ricardo, was not only a great driver and birder but an all around great guy.

To start the trip, I had flown down a day early and stayed at our starting hotel near San Jose, Hotel Bougainvillea. This hotel has a very impressive, expansive property filled with many, many trees, shrubs and flowers. All conducive to attracting a variety of birds. In fact, we had over 40 species before we left the grounds the next morning.

Anyone who has birded in the rain forest will know photography can be very challenging at times however over the next few seeks I hope to explore some of the many birds we were able to observe on our trip. Today’s images were all taken with my iPhone.