Blue Eyed Birder: 28th March 2026 - Day 8 - Costa Rica for Bird's Wildlife & Nature

The pre-breakfast wander round the grounds at La Quinta was excellent with a singing Northern Barred Woodcreeper in the gloom followed by both Cocoa and Streak-headed too while the Orange-billed Sparrows were calling all around and with a little patience excellent views were had as they hopped about on the path. The bill and yellow shoulder patches gleamed in the gloom.

The Antbirds were being stubbornly silent but back at the bird feeding stations the Red-throated Ant-Tanagers duly turned up for their breakfast with the usual assortment of other Tanagers but the Collared Aracaris moved through and did not come in for ‘nanas. White-necked Jacobins and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds danced around the blooms and a couple of Plain-coloured Tanagers paused for a while but the highlight was the Green & Black Poison Arrow Frog bouncing through the leaf litter.

Red-throated Ant-Tanager

Green & Black Poison Arrow Frog

The route to La Selva was interrupted by a vaguely RRS where both Great Green and Caribbean Scarlet Macaws were watched clambering around one of their big breeding trees and whilst watching them we also found a Bat Falcon, Black-crowned Tityras, Lineated Woodpecker and another gang of Collared Aracaris. Ramon found a vaguely awake Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth rammed in a Cecropia fork

Caribbean Scarlet Macaw

Caribbean Scarlet Macaws

Great Green Macaw

Great Green Macaw - Garry Barker

Soon we were turning into La Selva and walking the last few hundred yards of the entrance road which amazingly provided me with two new birds. The first were a group of Black Swifts powering through which Fito got quite excited about as this is a rather randomly seen nomadic species and this was followed up with a rather striking male Cinnamon Woodpecker high in a roadside tree which left me only needing a couple of this family for the country. The same tree held a full adult male Scarlet Tanager and we could hear Black-faced Grosbeaks but only got glimpses. There were strangely very few Hummingbirds with just a couple of Rufous-tailed and a male Blue-chested.

Ramon did his usual trick of finding a Snowy Cotinga in a tree top and while trying to get the scope on it I found a second one in the same tree. No males this time but no one was complaining. Ramon looked rightly smug. Short-billed Pigeons were calling – ‘Who cooks for you?’ and our just about annual Scaled Pigeon was likewise singing from a snag and this is always one of my favourite pigeons to encounter.

Scaled Pigeon

We met up with our local guide, Chito, for our walk around the grounds. The usual Flycatchers and some tame White-tipped Doves got us off to a good start before the weather opted to change and we had a but of deluge but everyone was kitted out and it did not last too long.

Teleus Long-tailed Skipper - Urbanus teleus

White-tipped Dove

The birding was, as expected, excellent with Pale-billed Woodpeckers putting on a show along and everyone got to hear that iconic double-tap. Chestnut-coloured Woodpecker made it two ginger ones in a day and with a bit of patience we tracked down a White-whiskered Puffbird after hearing its thin high pitched whistling song.

Garry in full rain gear

There were Wrens with White-breasted and Stripe-breasted and several Black-throated were singing well but proved trickier to see but with patience we had a little more success with the Blue Black Grosbeaks grovelling in the thickets. So many birds here have thin, high songs and calls. An oily Green Ibis sat quietly low down in a tree and watched us pass by. Only a shuffle of its feathers had given it away.

Green Ibis

Ochre-bellied Flycatchers and Black-crowned Antshrikes were found close to the path and noisy Scarlet-rumped Caciques played chase through the trees where Great Green Macaws called but remained hidden. A Great Tinamou appeared mysteriously alongside and furtively continued to feed on the forest floor. A 'family' tick for most of the crew and one of the best I have seen here.

Great Tinamou

We retraced our steps towards the bridge passing the odd Collared Peccary and tiny Strawberry Blue Jeans Poison Arrow Frogs on the way and just before we got there a group of noisy Tanagers came through which included a several Dusky-faced Tanagers – another species I had only seen poorly before.

Yellow-throated Toucan - Simon Stirrup

Keel-billed Toucan - Simon Stirrup

Collared Peccary

There was only time for a short walk on the other side of the river at this stage but it was worth the effort with a Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth to give us the daily double and best of all Chito was able to find a roosting Middle American Screech Owl which on previous visits the guides had eluded me. It was a ‘one at a time’ viewing situation but it was worth the wait.

Middle American Screech Owl

Smoky Rubyspot - Hetaerina titia

Tiger Leafwing - Consul fabius

We left site for lunch at a local taverna before trying out the grassy farmland area quite close to where we had the Macaws on the drive it. A family group of Groove-billed Anis were entertaining and along the fenceline we found the nests of Blue-Black Seedeater and Social Flycatcher. White-throated Crakes trilled from the damp grass and Bronzed Cowbirds were up on the wires. A Swainson’s Thrush paused long enough for a scope and both Macaws were on patrol.

Social Flycatcher

Social Wasp nest - amazing lilac wings

Not an Ant but a fly

Groove-billed Ani

In the skies above there were a few Hawks and TVs moving along with Barn, Northern Rough Winged and several Cliff Swallows but the main movement was of Black Swifts with several groups in the low hundreds seen powering through in swirling silent flocks. Even Fito had not see a movement like it. Right place right time.

Black Swifts

Back into La Selva for our after lunch walk with Chito. It always amazes me how the same area can yield such different species on two walks and this time we picked up Acadian Flycatchers, Rufous and Broad-billed Motmots, Northern Black-throated and Slaty-tailed Trogons, Rufous-tailed Jacamars and closer views of both Black-crowned Antshrike and Black-faced Grosbeak.

Black-faced Grosbeaks

Black-faced Grosbeak

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Black River Turtles

Broad-billed Motmot

Northern Black-throated Trogon in the gloom

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warblers flapping in a puddle

Great Curassow and Crested Guans were in the gardens and Shining and Red-legged Honeycreepers were in a fig trees. The Shining are somehow even more stunning that the Red-legged. A microscopic Black-capped Pygmy Tyrant was heard cricket-like in the canopy and snag checking eventually gave us the hoped for White-necked Puffbird as a fine way to finish up our day on the reserve.

Crested Guan

Great Curassow

A two inch long Bullet Ant

Python Millipedes - Nyssodesmus python

We returned for dinner at La Quinta but there was still time for dusk walk around the grounds. My Antbirds again did not play ball but we had ample reward with a Chuck-Will’s-Widow flying low around us and even landing on the path. A large Nightjar with a big head and as well as plumage details the low level hunting is seemingly another confirmatory feature. I was just pleased that some of the crew had ventured out with me!