Costa Rica for Bird's Wildlife & Nature - Day 13 - 16th November 2024

There was time for a final walk around the Savegre grounds but the pesky Spangle-cheeks were not in their trees this time.  The Spotted Wood Quails were a happy bunch that morning with at least four gangs singing simultaneously on either side of the valley.  Once again I failed to see one!  We may have corrupted poor Jose by saying that they sound like they are singing ‘Remember you’re a Womble’ over and over again and then had to explain to him all about Wombles…

I took us round to the orchards where I hoped there would be some Goldfinches but alas no.  The Spangle-cheeks were way off up the track in a big bare tree but closer to us there were Tennessee and a stunning male Black-throated Green Warbler feeding in the grass along with a boisterous pair of Grey-breasted Wood-Wrens. A female Golden-browed Chlorospingus dropped in like a luminous Golden Delicious and proceeded to gorge on the small red apples still on the stunted trees. She was glowing.

Golden-browed Chlorospingus 

Golden-browed Chlorospingus 

A final breakfast beckoned so we wandered down past the usual Hummers, Flame Coloured Tanagers and a couple of noisy Acorn Woodpeckers.

Mistletoe Tyrannulet

We headed out of the valley for the last time and began our descent down the other side towards Cartago.  A side road took us down into La Cagreja – a farmed but well vegetated valley and we stopped on the way down as a flock of Band-tailed Pigeons came in to feed on roadside fruits.  I have never seen them that close before and they are a stunning species with bright yellow legs and bills and green and white collars.  At least seventy were counted but most landed out of view below us.  Whilst watching from the van we could hear Silky-Flycatchers calling over us and a family of Brown Jays were clambering around an adjacent tree.

Band-tailed Pigeon

Band-tailed Pigeon

Band-tailed Pigeons

Band-tailed Pigeons

Band-tailed Pigeons

Brown Jay

The verge was lined with planted Verbena and we had a pleasant walk and the sunshine brought out quite a few Butterflies to nectar alongside the Stripe-tailed, Rufous-tailed, Lesser Violetears and Purple-throated Mountain Gems. A flock of Barred Parakeets hurtled over at breakneck speed and Short-tailed Hawks circled above us.

Montezuma Oropendola nests

On again to a very busy Paraiso town square where unsurprisingly there were no Tropical Screech Owls this time.  It was market day too and there were Scouts and Cubs and various people playing music and waving bibles.  One of the American Barn Owls were trying to get some shut eye in the palms but I gave it little chance of success!  A White-tailed Kite drifted over and TK’s hunted from the lampposts.

The community has bought in big time to the Cabanis's project

American Barn Owl

Tropical Kingbird

Tropical Kingbird

Jose booked us in for another pizza lunch before we dropped down into the market garden lands of Ujarras and we spent the whole afternoon either side of repast walking the lanes searching the coffee plantations and chayote vines for a whole suite of small birds.  Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow was our main target and although we heard quite a few, it took quite a while and some quiet patience before we all got to see this incredibly localised endemic.

Coffee plantation

Coffee 

Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow in a strip of Basil bushes

Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow

Tennessee Warblers were everywhere and the Chayote vines on their supports jumping with these and Yellow Warblers and quite a few Hummers with Rufous-tails, Green-breasted Mangos and Ruby-throats.  Another warbler felt slightly odd and turned out to be a Cape May which was cool and flocks of Baltimore Orioles and various Pigeons and Doves were seen moving between the crops. Roadside Hawks were on the wires but how they ever catch anything given how vocal they are I do not know.

Chayote vines

Cape May Warbler

Red-billed Pigeon

Roadside Hawk

Black Phoebe

A couple of close Southern Lapwings offered themselves up for shot or two and while Neil was crouched by a small bush in his stalking endeavours, I spied a Warbler in the same bush level with is head.  I knew what I had found and told him not to move but to look left! It was a Mourning Warbler all decked out in yellow with a blue-grey cowl. My third new bird of the afternoon.

Southern Lapwing

Soon afterwards we found another in a field with a couple of Yellow Warblers and a Cabanis’s Wren sang from cover. Finsch’s Parakeets and White-crowned Parrots were milling around and Bruce found our final square on the Motmot Bingo sheet with a pair of Lesson’s in a roadside tree.  They had obviously both been excavating a burrow.

Lesson’s Motmot

Lesson’s Motmot

A couple of coloured up Rose-breasted Grosbeaks appeared in a tree top but were spooked by a Ringed Kingfisher that flew through with prey.  It stopped to consume it and it looked like it was baby terrapin!

Ringed Kingfisher

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

A juvenile Hook-billed Kite noisily followed its parents across the view and it was good to see this odd species at low level.  That bill and bare facial patches are really quite odd.  Short-tailed and Broad-winged Hawks circled with the Vultures and a flock of Bronzed Cowbirds were out feeding with some Grackles.

Hook-billed Kite

Hook-billed Kite

It had started to spit and time was moving on so we moved on to Quelitales stopping briefly at the dam and lake where unfortunately the whole surface was covered in Water Hyacinth with no free water (or birds) at all.  The Bat Falcons were using the dam stanchions as hunting lookouts. 

Bat Falcon

We were soon there and checking into our rooms and a mixed flock did so as I reached mine which included a couple of Brown-capped Vireos.  We reconvened up at the waterfall and while the feeders were checked we kept an eye on the waterfall for the Green-fronted Lancebill that comes in in the late afternoons for a snack of micro Midges which he duly did.  He had several favoured spots from which to sally forth after the tiny flies that were almost invisible to us. 

Green-fronted Lancebill

Violet Sabrewings bullied all comers at the feeders which were made up from Green Crowned Brilliants, Green Thorntail, Rufous-tailed HB, Green Hermits, Black-bellied HB, an out of range Fiery-throated HB and two White-bellied Mountain Gems. A Louisiana Waterthrush came in as the light fell and bobbed around the sides of the waterfall.

White-bellied Mountain Gem

Green Hermit

Green Hermit

Louisiana Waterthrush

Sooty-faced Groundfinches were vocal and came into the log feeder that had been topped up but the Black-breasted Wood Quails have not visited for some time.  The trees around us held Silver-throated Tanagers, Golden-winged Warbler and a smart White-ruffed Manakin. A flock of 170 Band-tailed Pigeons flew over as we called it a night and were shortly followed by a chattering flock of Barred Parakeets.  One day I will see them perched.

 Essence of Barred Parakeets

The others had gone back but I lingered for a short while, enjoying the sounds of tumbling water and a jungle both going to sleep and also waking up.  I heard Jose Alverez (the lodge owner, birder and chef) back up by the screen call for Lulu the Scaled Antpitta but I knew that they had not seen one for several days but I thought I would walk back up anyway.  Much to my amazement there was one already in on the path in the gloom bouncing around like an russet pear on a sticks before disappearing once more back into the forest.  I would just have to hope that we got another chance the following evening.

I put on the moth trap for one final chance of having a good session… fingers crossed.