Blue Eyed Birder: 27th March 2026 - Day 7 - Costa Rica for Bird's Wildlife & Nature

On the move again but always time for a wander before breakfast. Three Long-billed Hermits were patrolling the track edges (and avoiding Chris) along with Scaly-breasted and Rufous-tailed Hummers and the White-collared Manakins were once again bouncing around. A Slaty Spinetail literally popped up in front of me for a few seconds before climbing back into cover. I had only ever seen this species on the Medio Queso boat trip.

White-collared Manakin

Long-billed Hermit - tail tips glowing

Both Woodcreepers were singing and the Bay Wrens were noisily fossicking in the Hermit bank. They are one of my favourites of their tribe. Down along the river both Bare-throated Tiger Heron and Green Ibis were loudly ‘singing’ in their own un-melodic ways and Caribbean Scarlet Macaws passed above us.

Blue Grey Tanagers

Baltimore Oriole

Great Kiskadee

Keel-billed Toucan

Breakfast and farewells and then back on the road where the Turkey Vultures had already left their night time roosts and joined the huge spirals of Hawks already climbing into the blue.

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

The road to Sarapiqui took us through Citrus and Pineapple country but there were still birds to be seen and Icterids ruled the show with Shiny, Giant and Bronzed Cowbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds and several Eastern Meadowlarks. The latter put on a find song and dance along the van where we stopped while a Crested Caracara strode across the ploughed field looking for inverts. A Laughing Falcon (guess who found that?) posed nicely at the roadside. They have such huge eyes.

Laughing Falcon

Crested Caracara

Eastern Meadowlark

Yellow-throated Toucan at a petrol station stop

where we let Chris stroke American Trucks

We stopped at the traditional spot overlooking the Rio Sara Valley and quickly found six Swallow-tailed Kites drifting in and out of the low cloud and a pair of gleaming White Hawks that were patrolling a little lower down. I still do not get how these striking raptors creep up on anything worth eating!

Swallow-tailed Kite

There were no Coatis this time but we did see many White-collared and Grey-rumped Swifts effortlessly cruised by us before we dropped down into the valley bottom itself for an enjoyable walk down to the river itself where I saw American Dipper on my last visit.

I was very happy to find them once again along with Louisiana Waterthrush, Torrent Tyrannulets, Black Phoebe and Buff-rumped Warblers on the rushing waters.

American Dipper

Away from the bridge we could actually hear the birdlife in the jungle edges although the level of cicada noise was astonishing at times. One particular fig tree was very productive with Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Palm, Black & Yellow, Blue Grey, Bay-headed, Silver-throated and Bay-headed Tanagers moving through along with Scarlet-thighed Dacnis and Green and Red-legged Honeycreepers along with Tropical Parulas, Wilson’s and Chestnut-sided Warblers.

Archaeprepona sp

Buddha's Lamp - Mussaenda philippica

Delicate Skipper - Apaustus gracilis

Golden Orb

Eirmocephala brachiata

Liabum asclepiadeum

Monopyle macrocarpa

Piper auritum

Red Tower Spiral Ginger - Costus barbatus

South India Balsam - Impatiens flaccida

South India Balsam - Impatiens flaccida The non-natives get everywhere

Fito found us a Red-faced Spinetail which felt like a small ginger woodcreeper that kept to the arboreal tangles and I found myself a male Magnolia Warbler in full breeding plumage making it two new birds in ten minutes! A olive flycatcher became an Eye-ringed Flatbill and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher was also found whilst searching for it while an Olivaceous Woodcreeper was watched clambering around.

There were of course wrens with Bay, Streak-breasted and White-breasted all heard but it was the haunting Nightingale Wren song that carried me off into the jungle once again where Black-headed Nightingale-Thrushes joined the soundscape. Sooty-faced Finches came to say hello but as usual the Orange-billed Sparrows were a little more reticent.

All in all it was an excellent session.

Back up to the main road to the newly revamped Cinchona. The view was still superb (although the rain and cloud hampered things at times) but the extensive works need time to settle in and the bird logs and hummer feeders still need time to settle in and for the local wildlife to become accustomed to the new lay out after several months of disruption.

The changing waterfall views

Saying that we did ok with two of the major targets – a male Red-headed Barbet and a Blue-throated Emerald Toucanet – both of whom came in for a feed along with the usual assortment of Saltators, Tanagers and Baltimore Orioles. There were no Warblers or Guans and the only Hummers were Green Crowned Brilliants, Green Hermits and Violet Sabrewings.

Crimson-collared Tanager

Baltimore Oriole

Buff-throated Saltator

Crimson-collared Tanager

Blue-throated Emerald Toucanet

Crimson-collared Tanagers

Red-headed Barbet - Simon Stirrup

Crimson-collared Tanager - Simon Stirrup

Blue-throated Emerald Toucanet - Tim Wilson

Red-headed Barbet - Tim Wilson

Violet Sabrewing - Simon Strirrup

Some of the crew were still feeling ropey from the stomach bug that has been affecting the region and the low light was not making the birds shine so we did not linger too long and continued along the course of the river and soon found ourselves back along its banks almost in Sarapiqui.

A White-ringed Flycatcher was quickly added – another of those Kiskadee-esque species along with a full suite of congeners with Social, Piratic, Grey-capped, Boat-billed and of course Great Kiskadee all breeding within sight of the stop. We all commented on how regularly we found active bird nests out here.

Grey-capped Flycatcher

A fruiting tree gave us Blue Dacnis, Green Honeycreeper and the lovely yellow-legged Shining Honeycreepers along with Baltimore and Black-cowled Orioles while Grey-headed Chachalacas crashed about the car park, spooking a Yellow-throated Toucan in the process that then showed very well.

Yellow-throated Toucan

A Purple Crowned Fairy darted around the canopy and a female Blue-chested Hummingbird was a new addition and down on the river we found Muscovy Duck, Spotted Sandpiper and a noisy Amazon Kingfisher.

From here it was not too long till we arrived at La Quinta where a quick look at the river pre-off loading gave us tail wagging Buff-rumped Warblers and an Orange-billed Sparrow briefly flashing his yellow shoulders. A short walk pre-dinner revealed that the forest pools were very low (which did not stop the deafening frog chorus) and a male Hooded Warbler joined a Wood thrush for a last minute drink before bedtime at one of the remaining puddles. Chestnut-backed Antbirds were starting up and I found one in the gloom where only the turquoise blue facial skin still gleamed. Back outside in the last of the light a Bright-rumped Atilla sat on a low branch long enough to be watched for a while as it scoured the ground for a last minute morsel.

Epidendrum flexuosum

Philippine Ground Orchid - Spathoglottis plicata

Buff-rumped Warbler

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

Chestnut-backed Antbird

Hooded Warbler & Wood Thrush - bath buddies

Hooded Warbler & Wood Thrush

Bright-rumped Atilla

After dinner we did a little bit of frogging and found several Red-eyed Treefrogs and a two large Cane Toads while countless Dink Frogs did what they do best out of sight.