The rain was heavy all night at Quelitales and as I wandered down to join the crew they were all watching something in the car park. I could hear this strange whistling and the memory banks were whirring away but I did not need to try very hard as a pair of Sunbitterns were feeding in the car park!
They were creeping around the edges and carefully stabbing
things that looked tasty. The male sang
the whole time before both birds eventually flew around the lodge and out of
sight. What an amazing encounter and One
I had longer for in Costa Rica. I had
only ever seen one before and that was on a gloomy, dark river bank in Brazil
so this was rather special.
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| 'It's under the van Ramon!' |
It did not take too long to refind the feeding in the special
rills that Jose and his team have created in the flood meadows below the lodge
and we even had a couple of flight views to show off those iconic wings. He walked back up towards us on the road and
crossed it, singing all the way before flying back across the pools and
amazingly to a nest on a horizontal mossy branch! It could not really get any better. Gill had opted for a lie in and would join us
at breakfast but I had no idea of this show would be repeated so I frantically messaged
her and suggested that she might like to hastily come and join us! Thankfully they were still showing when she
arrived.
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| Sunbittern - I did not deliberately take pictures mostly of it with its bill open but it just never stopped singing! |
As ever there was so much more on offer Yellow-throated,
Yellow-crowed and three rather hansom Elegant Euphonias and Streak-headed and Olivaceous
Woodcreepers were seen along with the dinky Smoky Brown Woodpecker and a host
of the regular Tanagers and Flycatchers.
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| Elegant Euphonia |
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| Elegant Euphonias |
Flocks of mostly Chestnut-headed Oropendolas flew through
the high, cloudy forest but only the Montezumas came down to the breakfast
feeders where we also picked up Scarlet-thighed Dacnis and a couple of brief
White-naped Brushfinches.
The latter went very nicely with the Sooty-faced Finches,
Chestnut-capped Brushfinch and White-eared Ground-Sparrows that we found. Four species before breakfast. One of the latter was taking a keen interest
in his reflection in a car wing mirror.
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| White-eared Ground-Sparrow |
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| White-eared Ground-Sparrow |
Vaux’s Swifts zoomed over us and there were Finsch’s Parakeets
and Brown Hooded Parrots but no Barred parakeets at this stage.
As we sat and had breakfast who should walk right by the window
but the Sunbittern – ridiculous.
We soon headed back down to the valley below passing a couple
of Least Grebes on the lake on the way before stopping in Paraiso by the park
and church to have a look for the Tropical Screech Owls. It was Easter Sunday but it was not as busy
as we thought it might be and for the first time Ramon was actually able to
park there rather than throw us out and came and joined us in watching two
adults and their fluff ball chick. There
were more Finsch’s Parakeet and several brown Jays too. Our exit timing was just a few minutes out as
the church began to empty out but we sat there and soaked up the atmosphere of
the Easter Parade complete with a rousing brass section and the waft of Frankincense
drifting through the air.
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| Tropical Screech Owls |
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| Ramon wanted a better view |
Fito took us up the Rio Macho Road next which allowed us to have a good couple of km walk back down the ‘road’ with lush jungle on both sides. It started well with a pair Gartered Violaceous Trogons around a large wasp nest but I did not realise at the time that they were not foraging but excavating the old nest to be used as a nest site. There was so much bird song with Collared Trogons heard too and Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrushes deep in cover where Ochraceous, Grey-breasted and House Wrens were seen.
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| Columnea oerstediana |
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| Anthurium formosum |
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| Field Paintbrush - Castilleja arvensis |
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| Palicourea padifolia |
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| Anthurium formosum |
There were quite a few of the typical wood warblers
but it is always good to see Golden-winged again and Tropical Parulas added
more colour. The regular Tanagers included
Passerini’s once again along with Speckled and several Bay headed and
Silver-throated and Buff-throated Saltators were counter singing. Among the Flycatchers we found another
Western Wood Pewee and a very showy Bright-rumped Attila and mobile flocks
contained several Lesser Greenlets and Yellow-throated Vireos and little gangs
of Common Chlorospingus leading the way. There were many butterflies including some huge Morphos.
.JPG) |
| Banded Peacock |
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| Cloud forest Monarch |
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| Common Morpho doing the unthinkable |
A Rufous-browed Pepper-Shrike unsurprisingly gave everyone
the run around but some good views were had and we had Red-faced Spinetail,
Dusky Antwrens and a Spotted Barbtail all ferreting around in the same tangle
of vegetated branches which was cool if you could keep track of them while a
Scale-Crested Pygmy Tyrant appeared right alongside us and even flared his
crown somewhat before zipping back away into the foliage. At least two Brown-billed Scythebills were in
song but did not reveal themselves – one of my heard only Costa Rican species and
Green Hermits and Purple-throated Mountain Gems represented the Hummers. A
couple of fluttery Blue-throated Emerald Toucanets moved through the trees below
us and Fito found a pair of duetting Prong-billed Barbets which sat for an age
not too far away. These were the first I
had ever seen away from the Cinchona feeders.
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Three Barred Parakeets whizzed over and were almost lost in the
lowering cloud and Red-tailed Hawks and the odd Swallow-tailed Kite were below
us over the valley with Vaux’s and White-collared Swifts.
All in all it was a very memorable walk and we could easily
have spent a whole day here.
We had pizza trauma lunch in Ujarras (very nice) before
heading into the coffee fields in search of our fourth Ground Sparrow / Finch
thingy of the day. I could hear Cabanis’s
Ground-Sparrows calling but it is very high and some of the crew could not hear them but
with some patience most people got some sort of views as they ran, mouse-like
between the rows but we would certainly have to return for another try.
Cabanis’s Wrens were vocal and aside from the big yellow
flycatchers there was a showy Dusky-capped.
Yellow-faced and Blue Black Grassquits were zipping to and fro and
occasionally perching up. The males of
the latter were performing their weird little display dance where they levitate
briefly and drop back down. The local Grey Hawks saw off a couple of passing
Broad-wings and Brown Jays had fledged young and were making so much noise
which doubled when they too found a Broad-wing perched up.
Time was needed back at Quelitales so we abandoned for the
time being and made our way back and straight up to the waterfall hoping that
the Green-fronted Lancebills would be in attendance. A pair of this odd little
Hummer were there on cue and performed wonderfully from their favoured sticks.
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| Green-fronted Lancebill |
There were other Hummers too with a brief White-bellied
Mountain Gem and a male Coppery-headed Emerald to go with the Violet Sabrewings,
Green Hermits, Rufous-tailed and Green Violetears. As the light fell I stayed to see if a Scaled
Antpitta would make an appearance although Jose had not seen one for over a
month. It did not but a Chestnut-headed Brush Finch and White-throated
Thrush dropped down and a Buff-rumped Warbler’s liquid refrain could be heard
over the waterfall and the wall of insect noise.
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| Chestnut-headed Brush Finch |
New Birds:
* World Lifer
** Costa Rica tick
1: Sunbittern **
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