Blue Eyed Birder: Costa Rica - Day 9

Another pre-sunrise meeting with the Thrushes and Howlers before a circuit of the gardens. I met Angie and we followed the woodland trail and found a foraging Chestnut-backed Antbird that decided to sit there and ‘sing’ for us. The Grey-chested Doves were ‘whoooo’ing and one perched up nicely near the restaurant. There was no sign of the American Redstart which was the bird Angie was after but we heard the Blue Black Grosbeaks again and above the Mealy Parrots were on the move with small flocks of square tailed Vaux’s Swifts higher up.

Chestnut Backed Antbird - you can just see it

Morelet's Seedeater

We were soon on the road and working our way back up into the mountains to the famous café at Cinchona stopping only to watch a Bat Falcon on almost the same perch above the valley as in 2020.

Bat Falcon

The café was great and we saw a lot but it has be reworked and has fewer feeding stations and does not seem to have the drawing power that it once did. Saying that there were a few Hummingbird species including Violet Sabrewings, Green Hermits, Rufous Taileds and Green Crowned Brilliants but there were no Thorntails, Coppery Headed Emeralds or Black-chested. There were not even that many Tanagers with just a handful of the usual species and no Barbets either. Thankfully a couple of Blue-throated Emerald Toucanets did arrive but they did not linger.

Green Crowned Brilliants - all females bar the male on the red flowers

Green Hermit

Violet Sabrewing

Blue-throated Emerald Toucanets

There were a few other small birds to follow and watch and we saw a couple of Chestnut-capped Brush-finches and Grey Breasted Wood-Wrens down below us and Tennessee Warblers and Baltimore Orioles came in for a banana.

Blue Grey Tanager

Chestnut Capped Brushfinch

Crimson Collared Tanager

Red-legged Honeycreeper

Silver-throated Tanager

Tennessee Warbler

Baltimore Oriole

Up in the canopy I picked up another Wood-warbler and was delighted for it to be my first Blackburnian. A striking bird despite the winter plumage. It was joined by a Philadelphia Vireo and a female Hepatic Tanager.

Blackburnian Warbler

I glanced across the valley to the waterfall revealed a large oddly shaped raptor cruising across and I instinctively knew what it was and shouted – a Hook-billed Kite. I was unaware that we had in fact already seen one at this point in the trip.

Hook-billed Kite

After this I headed back out onto the road to watch the sky and Ramon, Angie and I found a few raptors circling with the expected Vultures. Ramon pointed out a Short-tailed Hawk and then a couple of Barred Hawks came into view and we managed to get everyone outside to watch as they displayed up in the blue. A distinctive raptor with a full dark hood, gleaming white looking underparts and a short black barred tail.

Barred Hawk

On again and around San Jose passing more House Sparrows and a couple of Tropical Mockingbirds on the way and then out into the heat and dry to the east. We stopped for lunch in a large eatery that the locals seem to also use and bumped into Steve and Annette and their Swallow Birding party too. It was now not the ideal time of day for going to check the Guacimal Road but it was only ten minutes away and so we gave it a go.

Gunnera

As it turned out it was a blinding decision that exceeded expectations and started almost immediately with a shout from the back of ‘Owls!’. There beside us on a roadside tree was a flock of Pacific Screech Owls, yep a flock. Two adults stared us down and the three or four (I got confused) almost fledged youngsters were inquisitively trying to see what was going on. It was a magic encounter and after a few snaps we managed to move on without disturbing them.

Pacific Screech Owls,

We then tried for Lesser Ground Cuckoo and could hear them out in the dry scrub but they would not reveal themselves but it is easy to be distracted when Scarlet Macaws fly over…

A Ferruginous Pygmy Owl was also seen in the roadside trees and then a flock of White-throated Magpie-Jays appeared. We bundled out and walked back up the track to where they had flown and they showed well in the dappled shade. They were a big bird – certainly bigger than a Magpie and are decked out in pale blue and white with a ridiculous quiff.

White-throated Magpie-Jay

The same spot also completed our Motmot set with Turquoise Browed in song before coming in to say hello and flash those gleaming eyebrows. Orange Chinned and Orange Fronted Parakeets nibbled flowers above us and two Nutting’s Flycatchers performed for us before we quickly added two chunky Stripe-headed Sparrows that were sharing a tree with a Hoffmann’s Woodpecker.

Nutting’s Flycatcher

Orange Fronted Parakeet

Stripe-headed Sparrow

Turquoise Browed Motmot

White-lored Gnatcatcher was another key species to see along the road and we found four while driving along. This is a very localised species and like the Nuttings, is a key target here. We parked up in the shade towards the end of the road and explored down to the river. Inca, Common and Ruddy Ground Doves were seen and Yellow-green Vireos could be heard in the tall trees where Capuchins were leisurely slumped.

Capuchin

An Olive Sparrow was tempted into song and unusually came right out in the open. This was once conspecific with Black-striped although they feel very different to me. There were quite a few birds coming down to the river and we added Lesser Greenlet, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and a surprise Greenish Elaenia. The latter is more associated with rivers in mature forest rather than a tree lined stream in farmland but we then trumped that with a pair of Royal Flycatchers that should be in the same environment so perhaps these species are spreading out into more marginal habitat.

Olive Sparrow

Tabebuia ochracea

The male Royal Flycatcher put on a stunning performance and was obviously showing off. You could see the red and even a hint of a blue in the central crest and at one stage it flared the whole thing out as he landed in a flash of fanned colour. A proper wow moment. I saw a female Painted Bunting although I think others saw a male and a Black-headed Trogon flew over our heads and landed opposite so that he could stare at us for a while.

Royal Flycatcher

Royal Flycatcher - it was great through the bins!

It was seriously hot and it was good to get back on the air conditioned bus with some fine birds under the belt but there was one more treat on the road back out when a pair of Blue Grosbeaks flew across in front. It was one of those ‘I know what that is’ moments. Fortunately we were all able to get a good look eventually as the male moved back and forth across the road with a couple of White-lored Gnatcatchers for company.

Blue Grosbeak - Angie Merrick

Onwards and down towards the Pacific coast and our wonderful lodge at Villa Lapas. It may not be the grandest place that we stay in but I feel very at home there. We were greeted by some large brown Bats in the foyer as we checked in and then dropped the bags off before an early evening stroll up the valley.

A Cocoa Woodcreeper entertained Dad and I before we met up with the others and two Blue Vented Hummingbirds dashed around about half way up the trees where Yellow-Olive Flatbills and the usual yellow and brown Flycatchers all fed. White Tipped Doves were near the river side and Short-billed Pigeons sung from deep in the woods – ‘who cooks for you?’ Ctenosaurs were draped about the lawns and trees.

Grey Capped Flycatcher

Ctenosaur

Cocoa Woodcreeper

A Louisiana Waterthrush bobbed along a streamlet by the main river looking quite different from the Northerns that fed along the path a little further along. The supercilium feels whiter, broader and longer and the ground colour of the underparts seems slightly more buff and at times almost cinnamon.

Louisiana Waterthrush

Red-faced Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax fusca)

Mealy Parrots and Scarlet Macaws were noisy above the canopy and we found one Macaw pair at a high nest hole with a pair of Yellow-throated Toucans keeping a close eye. I am not sure if it was a double booked home viewing or an eviction proceeding. One of the Toucans had half its upper mandible missing. Both species looked fabulous in the late evening sunshine up there.

Scarlet Macaw

Yellow-throated Toucan - that must have smarted a bit

Down below it was a little more gloomy but we still found Buff-rumped Warblers singing Canary-like on the river where a Muscovy Duck incongruously flew by and two Pale-billed Woodpeckers were setting out their territorial boundaries with uber loud double taps.

Pale-billed Woodpecker female - this bird looks more like Lineated but the black central crown confirms Pale Billed - if I have read things correctly

Pale-billed Woodpeckers - the male is up higher on both shots

Long-billed Hermits zipped around us and Orange Billed Sparrows squeaked from the undergrowth. A White-whiskered Puffbird was heard and we then found two sitting a few metres apart surveying the ground for prey.

White-whiskered Puffbird

Cicada time

Dinner beckoned so, led by our bellies we wandered back. Afterwards we did the log and then headed off for some quality Frogging. It was a bit of a Tree Frog Fest and with the Central American Bullfrogs there may have been nine species involved.

Tree Frog #1

Tree Frog #2

Tree Frog #3

Tree Frog #4

Tree Frog #5 - Hourglass TF

Tree Frog #5 - Hourglass TF and Anole sp

Tree Frog #5 - Hourglass TF

Tree Frog #6 - Glass TF?

Tree Frog #7 - 'Yellow Striped' Red-eyed TF?

Tree Frog #8

South American Bullfrog noisliy guarding the ladies toilet door...
I think he liked the echo

Cane Toad and the Cicada...

Cane Toad

If any one out there can help with the frog id at all it would be much appreciated!

We also found a fair sized Raft-type spider and a couple of newly emerging Dragonflies. I initially thought this was odd but, unlike at home, it is warm enough and probably safer for them to do the dangerous wing pumping at night-time.

Raft-type spider

Pumping up

A large Mirid

Water Hyacinth ?

A giant yellow Locust was sitting around the edges and a Katydid was pretending to be a leaf and avoid the gazes of over ambitious House Geckos.

House Gecko

Katydid

Locust - over 5 inches long

Steve’s Bat detector was going mad and we could see several dashing in and out of the light and the gizmo was telling us that they were Greater Sac Winged and Southern Red.

With that we called it a night and retreated to our rooms.

New Birds: * = life tick ** = new to Costa Rica but previously seen elsewhere

47: Blackburnian Warbler *

48: Barred Hawk*

49: Pacific Screech Owl*

50: Lesser Ground Cuckoo (H)*

51: White-throated Magpie-Jay*

52: Blue Grosbeak*

Blue Eyed Birder

Tuesday, 17 May 2022

Costa Rica - Day 9 - 21st March 2022

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