Blue Eyed Birder

Those cicadas, frog and Pauraques at Boca Tapada were joined in their last gasp predawn chorus by the stirring Mantled Howlers and Clay-coloured Thrushes and before too long I was outside with one or two of the crew in tow. Streak-headed and Cocoa Woodcreepers sung and White-collared Manakins wing snapped from the herbage and we found a lek in a more open tree where the males bounced around in the low light accentuating their lemon merenguedness.

White-tipped Doves joined both Common and Ruddy Ground Doves and Red-billed Pigeons occupied the higher song posts. The first Hummers were up and the flashing white tail tips of a Long-billed Hermit were initially all you could see as it foraged for insects along the trackside bank and the proper little song of Scaly-breasted Hummingbirds came from several bare sticky perches that marked the centre of each male’s territory. They may be dour in HB standards but I like them as they have lots of character.

The San Carlos was largely obscured but Green Ibis could be heard (very weird) and both Toucans sung on the other side while pairs of Caribbean Scarlet Macaws drifted over the trees and while looking up we found a Black-cheeked Woodpecker nest.

Caribbean Scarlet Macaws

We made our way up to breakfast which afforded a wonderful view with more Macaw action and a gang of Golden-hooded, Passerini’s and Plain-coloured Tanagers (my best views ever of this small species) kept tabs on a Squirrel Cuckoo. Tropical Mockingbirds, Baltimore Orioles and Blue Grey Tanagers came down to the banana feeders. A roadside stop at the local football pitch gave us some Giant Cowbirds with the Great-tailed Grackles and a displaying pair of Bare-throated Tiger Heron in the damp patch alongside!

Bare-throated Tiger Heron

We were soon back up the road to Laguna Lagarto (where we mistakenly pulled in yesterday). The King Vulture feeding station was the priority and we soon set off on the short walk through the lakes to the hides where the morning carnage was well underway. I have only seen KVs spiralling above in the past and so to not only see them perched but at such close range and in a full suite of ages was a real privilege. They do not feel appreciatively bigger than Black Vultures where high above but actually they dwarf them in all respects.

And as for that head gear! It is so colourful and intricate and despite their lifestyle choices, everyone was immaculately clean.

While we watched the ground the sky above was full of thousands of migrating Turkey Vultures, Broad-winged and Swainson’s Hawks. These trains seemed continuous and not a flap was noted until they felt the need to catch the next thermal to regain height to effortlessly continue on their northwards journey back to North America.

We walked back to the lodge seeing Cinnamon Becards, Black-striped Sparrows and Montys on the way as well a couple of shimmering mega Morphos and some dragonflies. A male Slaty-tailed Trogon glared at us for a while. They are not the prettiest of the Trogons in the face department and that lumpy heavy bill makes them look like they been in a bar brawl somewhere after ten pints of fermented fig juice.

Cocoa

Tropical Woodskimmer - Uracis imbuta female

Red-faced Dragonlet - Erythrodiplax fusca male

Slaty-tailed Trogon

We explored the lodge grounds and lakes but it was already too warm and it was almost birdless with just a few butterflies to keep our eyes active. Parrots moved over and we found Red-lored Amazons, Olive-throated Parakeet, White-crowned Parrots and our first Brown-hooded Parrots.

Ramon and Gill

Leafhopper sp

White Peacock - Anartia jatrophae

I think that this is one of the Gliders

Teleus Long-tailed Skipper - Urbanus teleus

Ruby-spotted Swallowtail - Heraclides anchisiades

A Dancer but not sure which one yet

Red-faced Dragonlet - Erythrodiplax fusca female

Morinda citrifolia is related to Coffee!

Brown-hooded Parrot

Olive-throated Parakeet

There were a few butterflies and dragonflies to keep us busy though but no Agami Herons. Lunch was to be taken at the lodge overlooking some big bamboo poles, one of which was apparently occupied by a pair of Central American Pygmy Owls but it took the starting up of a petrol strimmer to cause the irate micro Owl to pop its head out of the hole. It was even smaller than the Ferruginous seen and just as angry! The rear head ‘eye’s were equally prominent. We enjoyed two prolonged views as the strimmer did the job of keeping this brooding bird awake. I saw this species on my very first visit out here when it taunted us from the high canopy at Tapirus Lodge and was only seen as an illuminated Sparrow-sized bouncy thing so I very much appreciated such views.

Central American Pygmy Owl

Central American Pygmy Owl - just let me sleep!

There were other lunch time specials with both Tityras, Osprey, two Double-toothed Kites and a zipping Stripe-throated Hermit while a pair of Yellow-throated Euphonias obligingly built a nest. A female Slaty-tailed Trogon put on a show as good as the male earlier.

Yellow-throated Euphonia

Slaty-tailed Trogon

The fruit feeder was had a fine mist sprinkler above it to keep the mossy log alive and allowed me to get some wonderful shots of a Montezuma Oropendola as it came in for ‘nanas and cool down. A male Great Curassow strutted incongruously across the lawns where an Agouti fed!

Great Curassow

Great Curassow - Simon Stirrup

Montezuma Oropendola

Clay-coloured Thrush

Great Green Macaws flew across our view majestically while there were still some King Vultures in the sky with the Blacks and higher up the trains of TVs and hawks just kept on going.

Great Green Macaws

Great Green Macaw

King Vulture

The heat had beaten us so we returned to Boca Tapada for a light roost before heading out late afternoon. There were birds around the lodges with a pair of Mistletoe Tyrannulets nest constructing, a mobile Northern Waterthrush, singing Buff-rumped Warbler and a very obliging Squirrel Cuckoo that attracted a beefy Bay Wren and some chattering Passerini’s Tanagers. Eight Caribbean Scarlet Macaws continued our luck with the biggest parrots.

Passerini’s Tanager

Squirrel Cuckoo

Ruddy Ground-Dove

Our route back out went beyond Laguna Lagarto and a RRS for some small Swifts gave us excellent close views of Grey Rumped and a couple of the elegant Lesser Swallow-tailed Swifts. As ever there were Flycatchers with Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Dusky-capped Fly and Yellow Tyrannulet and other roadside birds at several stops included Olive-crowned Yellowthroats and trilling White-throated Crakes in a marshy area where gangs of Groove-billed Anis fluttered around while Mealy Amazons showed better.

Social Flycatcher

Dusky-capped Fly

Black-crowned Tityra

Olive-crowned Yellowthroat

A troop of Mantled Howlers also gave us our best views of with a small family group by the road.

Mantled Howlers

Mantled Howler - Simon Stirrup

But the sky still held sway and the emphasis switched from TV trains to great spirals of the hawks and thankfully just separate to one kettle were four Mississippi Kites – my first full CR lifer of the trip.

As the light dropped these kettles began to disperse as the bird descended to find roost sites for the night and we had some of our closest views of both Broad-winged and Swainson’s Hawks including several dark phase birds of the latter species.

pale Swainson's Hawks

both phases of Swainson's Hawk

A King Vulture checking out the migrating TVs before drifting back down

A lower local TV

Swainson's Hawk and three Broad-wings

2cy Broad-winged Hawk

Retracing our steps allowed for atmospheric scope views of a huge Great Green Macaw in a dead tree where the Yellow-throated Toucans with it were made to look suitable small. Back at the lodge the TVs were spiralling into the local radio mast and the surrounding trees and we could hear them in the trees above the rooms as darkness fell.

Great Green Macaw

Roosting Turkey Vultures

Roosting Turkey Vultures - Simon Stirrup

After dinner I walked back down to my room and was lucky enough to find two Pauraque on the track. Always a nice way to end a day.

New Birds:

* World Lifer

** Just a Costa Rica tick

1: Mississippi Kite *

Blue Eyed Birder

Wednesday, 20 May 2026

26th March 2026 - Day 6 - Costa Rica for Bird's Wildlife & Nature