Costa Rica for Bird's Wildlife & Nature - Day 7 - 10th November 2024

We rendezvoused by the La Quinta feeders as the light tried to push through but as usual it was very dark where they are situated so we concentrated on the foliage above.  A Purple-crowned Fairy dashed in to the tower of flowers on the huge clumber, hovered, flashing that gleaming white belly and was gone. Red-throated Ant-Tanagers were our target and they soon came in and were joined by Passerini’s and Crimson-collared Tanagers and both Black-cowled and Baltimore Orioles and a feisty gang of Collared Aracari.  A Rufous-winged Woodpecker perched up too and showed off its pale eyes.

Crimson-collared Tanager

Red-throated Ant-Tanager

Rufous-winged Woodpecker

Collared Aracari

Grey-capped Flycatcher

Red-throated Ant-Tanagers - Neil Colgate

Cinnamon-bellied and Buff-throated Saltators were late to the party and a Cocoa Woodcreeper was clambering up the closest Cecropia.  Northern Mealy and Red-lored Amazons headed off to feed and so did we.

Whilst collecting our gear to head out afterwards I found a smart Blue-Black Grosbeak singing outside my room while metallic ‘pinking’ Orange-billed Sparrows hopped around the borders.

Blue-Black Grosbeak

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

On the way to La Selva we saw our first Great Green Macaws flying through a small township and then stopped to watch two Caribbean Scarlet Macaws having an intimate moment in a tree top. The crew was quite emotional at seeing their first Macaws through a telescope.  These birds were actually the first Scarlets of this race that I had seen in Costa Rica (they have more blue) and unlike the Pacific birds which are on the increase, these ones are declining fast.  Their Great Green cousins steal all the limelight on this side when in fact they too need urgent help. From talking to Jose, there is a push to split the Scarlets which would automatically up its status, bringing it into the limelight where conservation interest would be generated.

Caribbean Scarlet Macaws

Caribbean Scarlet Macaws

The humble House Sparrow - you know I have a soft spot for them

Red-lored Amazons - Neil Colgate

The driveway in to La Selva is always excellent and we walked the last few hundred yards.  It was fairly quiet to be honest but we did find an obliging male Northern Black-throated Trogon and one of my missing Hummers with the delightfully red legged Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer.  Quite a large species and it kept trying to return to a favoured heliconia patch but the Scaly-breasted HBs kept it on the move.

Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer - Neil Colgate

Northern Black-throated Trogon

We soon signed in a picked up our reserve guide and headed up and over the long bouncy bridge with the river raging, brown, below us.  The permanent moth sheet had a few goodies still sheltering there as we walked past. The rain had started once again but we spent the next hour vaguely sheltered and concentrating our efforts on the fig trees which were full of a constantly changing panoply of bird life.

Dobsonfly

There were Tanagers galore with Palm, Silver-throated, Summer, Scarlet, Golden Hooded, Passerini’s and a new one with a couple of poorly named Plain-coloured along with three Manakins with a female Red-capped amongst the usual duo.  Yellow-crowned was a new Euphonia amongst Yellow-throated and Olive-backed and a full suite of Honeycreepers and Dacnis added Shining (with its yellow legs) and Blue respectively.

It was neck jarring but at least the distance to the birds was not great – just the angle of approach! There were Chestnut-sided and Tennessee Warblers, Yellow-throated Vireos, Common Tody-Flycatchers, Lesser Greenlets and the regular four ‘yellow’ Flycatchers along with Ochre-bellied Flycatcher too.  There was even a Crested Guan lurking in there.  You just had to keep looking and calling whatever you could see.  It was a grand team effort.

Whilst stood there we picked up Black-crowned Tityras, Amazons, Collared Aracaris and Yellow-throated Toucans and had a couple of good views of a vocal Semi-plumbeous Hawk while Grey-rumped Swifts passed over.  Ramon’s sharp eyes once again picked up something special with a Snowy Cotinga briefly sat up on the top of the biggest trees.

Snowy Cotinga 

We hit the trails and were soon watching a pair of very disgruntled Crested Owls sheltering deep in cover and a Bright-rumped Attila came down low enough to see well along with a two Plain Xenops and another Cocoa Woodcreeper.

Crested Owls

Crested Owls 

Army Ants were suddenly picked up alongside the track and we stopped and looked quietly into the trees where to our delight birds could be seen.  There were three species present and it was a real privilege to once again watch Bi-coloured, Spotted and the mighty Ocellated Antbirds as they flicked up and down after prey pushed ahead of the marauding hoards on the forest floor.  The swarm was taking the birds away from us be it was still a memorable twenty minutes with such iconic jungle dwellers.

Ocellated Antbird - Neil Colgate

Spotted Antbird - Neil Colgate

Two female Great Curassows strutted along the track in front of us and a couple of Collared Peccaries  dashed the other way.  There were Orange-billed Sparrows in the leaf litter and a pair of Black-crowned Antshrikes quietly fed alongside us and we soon moved on as it felt like they probably had a nest.  A Great Tinamou was heard and Great Green Macaws moved overhead but were obscured by the canopy.

Python Millipedes

Great Curassow

Black-crowned Antshrike

Black-crowned Antshrike - Neil Colgate

At this point the light rain became a deluge and we abandoned our walk and retraced our steps before seeking shelter under the huts by the fig trees and when it eventually abated enough we sloshed our way back to the visitors centre and a hot lunch. 

We still chose seats with a view and there was a good flock of feeding common species to watch whilst adding a couple of new ones too with a Blue-chested Hummingbird and an Eye-ringed Flatbill.

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Common Tody-Flycatcher

Green Honeycreeper - female

Suitably fed and vaguely dried out we soon headed our for round two and took the trail before the bridge.  A pair of Rufous Motmots got us off to a good start and an Eastern Wood Pewee gave good identifiable views and called to seal the deal and we also heard Great Crested and Acadian Flycatcher.  

A Northern Royal Flycatcher was a welcome find but did not hang about and we found a White-whiskered Puffbird sitting motionless on a vine and only it’s high pitched call drew attention to it. There were plenty of invisible Wrens singing and we got close to a Squirrel Cuckoo but although we were at one stage surrounded by three singing Fasciated Antshrikes we just could not find one.  Our guide randomly found the best of the afternoon with a Great Potoo just visible in a tiny hole in the canopy.  He had the right to look smug! A White-tipped Dove trotted across the path and another shouty Semi-plumbeous Hawk was mantling a large Basilisk that it had caught.  We stood quietly to see if its mate flew in but nothing happened and we left it to it wait. It was soon time to head back and an Osprey sitting dejectedly in a riverside treetop was our last bird before leaving.  

Squirrel Cuckoo - Neil Colgate

Rufous Motmot

Rufous Motmot

Semi-plumbeous Hawk 

White-tipped Dove

Pug-faced Anole - we saw some Strawberry Bluejeans too

mini Earth Star

Jose took us to a spot in the nearby town where some incredible trees still remained in disappointing isolation as he hoped they might give us some Great Green Macaw views.  He was spot on and we counted ten of these huge parrots clambering around noisily and munching on the large seed pods.  The gradually flew leisurely away in pairs towards their evening roost.  There was a mixed flock of Oropendolas and a pre-roost of 21 Black-crowned Tityras with some Finsch’s Parakeet while both the local Amazons also headed off for the night.  Bat Falcon and Grey Hawk were up on high points looking for a last snack and a couple of vibrant Yellow Warblers were in the bushes.

Great Green Macaw - Jose Pablo Castillo

Great Green Macaw 

Great Green Macaw 

There was time for one last stop and they re-opened the chocolate shop just for us while Mantled Howlers dangled in the trees and a single Caribbean Scarlet Macaw rounded up our day in the field.

There was just time for a short walk around the gardens at La Quinta before it got totally dark.  The frog chorus was insane and bats were everywhere but the only bird seen was a Green Ibis in the gloom.

Red-eyed Treefrog