COSTA RICA - A SUMMARY

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 birding with Diego was simply excellent! Costa Rica is indeed a brilliant destination for any naturalist however to travel with Diego made it even more so. He is probably the best bird guide I have ever had for any group I have organised anywhere in the world. His knowledge of birds, their habits, their songs and calls are all first class. His eye sight, aided I'm sure by experience, is amazing. 

Diego was a tourist guide before becoming a birding guide and it showed. He is a patriot of his Costa Rican homeland and he knows information and stories of geography, history, politics, environmental issues and current affairs well. This extra knowledge really added to our experience so we came away knowing much more than [some of] the birds. Costa Rica, I now believe, has many positive lessons to teach other countries. It was also our luck to be in the nation while a national election was taking place and we were delighted to allow Diego half a day off to travel so he could vote. His passion towards the politics and thus future of his nation was a joy, I'm sure, to all of us. He has energy, a sense of humour, patience and is able to read a group of people very well. I am looking forward to birding and travelling with him again. I have already taken the liberty of recommending his services to others.

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.