Costa Rica has been on my mental birding bucket-list for a long time and it is fair to say that it fulfilled expectations totally. It is a wonderful country; small and easy to get around with lay back people and amazing biodiversity. And as much as statistics can summarise a wonderful three week experience; we managed to see over 500 species [including 39 spp of Hummingbirds] for our group; truly an outstanding effort in a three week period.
Full credit for the success of the trip must go to Costa Rica and only slightly less to our wonderful guide Diego Quesada.
Our driver, too, deserves a mention and a large vote of our appreciation. Johnny Chaves. Like Diego he has become our friend. His driving kept us safe on sometimes challenging roads most importantly and he really gave you the sense that hothing asked for was ever a bother when often it simply must have been. His words to me, posted after the trip summarises the man better than i could hope to [and I hope that he doesn't dislike me too much for posting them!].
"Hi, Great Chief. I hope the group is well [snip] I want to thank all of you for visiting Costa Rica and enjoying my country. It was a great pleasure to have taken them to all the places we visited and I am very happy to have some dear friends in a country as far away and as beautiful as Australia. I want to apologize for my not very good English and because on many occasions it was difficult for me to understand them by their accent. I want to wish you a very good trip. May God bless each one of you and your families ... and above all, know that Costa Rica has some friends. I hope this is not the last time we see each other, that maybe next year we will see each other again. Thank you very much for everything and a big hug. I miss you all very much."
During our tour we had a vote every evening for our bird of the day and then, at trip's end, through a voting process we worked out Bird[s] of the trip.
Below is our itinerary in brief [with changes made from the original itinerary] and for each day, Bird of the Day.
DAY 1,
March 17 : ARRIVAL TO COSTA RICA, Bougainvillea
DAY 2,
March 18: Day off, Bougainvillea
BIRD OF THE DAY - Lesson's Motmot
DAY 3,
March 19: Poas and Cinchona, Bougainvillea
BIRD OF THE DAY - Emerald Toucanet
DAY 4,
March 20: Tapanti National Park, San Gerardo de Dota, Miriam’s Quetzals
BIRD OF THE DAY - Golden hooded Tanager
DAY 5,
March 21: San Gerardo Valley *RESPLENDENT QUETZAL*, Miriam’s Quetzals
BIRD OF THE DAY - Resplendent Quetsal
DAY 6,
March 22: Savegre Valley and Paraiso de Quetzales, Miriam’s Quetzals
BIRD OF THE DAY - Fiery throated Hummingbird
DAY 7,
March 23: Birding at the Highlands, Bosque del Tolomuco, drive to San Isidro
Valley, Talari Lodge
BIRD OF THE DAY - Yellow throated Toucan
DAY 8,
March 24: Cloud Bridge Reserve, Garden House, and Talari Lodge
BIRD OF THE DAY - Speckled Tanager
DAY 9,
March 25: Los Cusingos Nature Reserve, drive to San Vito, Las Cruces
BIRD OF THE DAY - Red capped Mannikin
DAY 10,
March 26: San Vito area, Las Cruces Biological Station, Las Cruces
BIRD OF THE DAY - Collared Trogon
DAY 11,
March 27: Ciudad Neily , Playa El Rey, Drive to Carara, Cerro Lodge
BIRD OF THE DAY - Scarlet Macaw
DAY 12,
March 28: Boat Tour at Tarcoles River, Birding at Cerro Lodge, Cerro Lodge
BIRD OF THE DAY - Barred Antshrike
DAY 13,
March 29: Carara National Park, Birding on the way to Ensenada, Ensenada Lodge
BIRD OF THE DAY - Streaked Antpitta
DAY 14,
March 30: Birding at Ensenada Lodge and Cocorocas Salinas, Ensenada Lodge
BIRD OF THE DAY - White throated Magpie Jay
DAY 15,
March 31: Hacienda
Solimar, Sandillal Reservoir, drive to Bijagua Area, Heliconias Lodge
BIRD OF THE DAY - Spectacled Owl
DAY 16,
April 1: Heliconia
Lodge and Casitas Tenorio, Heliconias Lodge
BIRD OF THE DAY - Keel billed Toucan
DAY 17,
April 2: Heliconias, Donals+Pippa’s Tapir Valley and drive Caño Negro,
Caño Negro Natural Lodge
BIRD OF THE DAY - Snowcap
DAY 18,
April 3: Boat
trip to Caño Negro and drive to Medio Queso, Catarata Eco Lodges
BIRD OF THE DAY - Sungrebe
DAY 19,
April 4: Sky
Adventures Hanging Bridges, Peninsula Road, Catarata Eco Lodge
BIRD OF THE DAY - Crested Owl
DAY 20,
April 5: Arenal
and drive to Sarapiqui, Three-Wattled Bellbird and San Luis Feeders, La Selva
Biological Station
BIRD OF THE DAY - Three-Wattled Bellbird
DAY 21,
April 6: La
Selva Biological Station, Cope Arte Gardens, La Selva Biological Station
BIRD OF THE DAY - Sunbittern
DAY 22,
April 7: La Selva, La Selva Biological Station
BIRD OF THE DAY - Great Currasow
DAY 23,
April 8: La Selva and Cinchona, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Hotel El
Robledal
BIRD OF THE DAY -
DAY 24,
April 9:
Shuttle to International Airport
Bird of the Trip? Each participant had to prepare the impossible; their top three birds using what ever criteria or methodology they desired. Each person's top bird was awarded 3 points, 2 for their second preference and 1 for their third.
My top three failed to impress others; Montezuma's Oropendola, Violet Sabrewing and Three Wattled Bellbird.
Twenty-two species received a vote, out of a possible 36, showing a wide range of preference for species. This reflects both the variety of methodology and the great diversity and attractiveness of Costa Rican species. The winner, Sunbittern, only received 3 votes (9 points from only a quarter of the group) but they were all first preferences.
Equal second species, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron and Streak-chested Antpitta, each received 4 votes (8 points), a first, 2 seconds, and a third. Fourth place, Resplendant Quetzal had two first places (6 points), nine other species had a total of 3 points, 5 had 2 points, and 4 had one point only. Six out of 12 birders choose as first preference a species that no one else cast a vote for, highlighting the individuality of choice among the group.There wasn't a single vote for the two macaw species.
Of our guide's Diego's three choices (Jabiru, Streak-chested Antpitta,Sungrebe) only the Antpitta received any votes from the group, however Diego's comments about the experience of the Antpitta sighting reflected the experiences of a number of the group.
