29th March 2026 - Day 9 - Costa Rica for Bird's Wildlife & Nature

The final pre-breakfast walk at La Quinta was successful and the Northern Barred Woodcreeper showed well along with a couple of Chestnut-backed Antbirds at last. An Ovenbird was bobbing along the astro-turf path and down near the river Buff-rumped Warblers and Blue-Black Grosbeaks were singing with a female of the latter seen quite well.

Ovenbird

Rufous-naped Wood Rails were stalking around

Red-tailed Squirrel - it would appear that until a review takes place all these medium squirrels will be called this. 

Slaty-tailed trogons and Bright-rumped Attilas were high up somewhere and Mealy Amazons moved overhead while down at the feeders we all got another look at the Red-throated Ant Tanagers on the feeders with Summer Tanagers and both Yellow-crowned and Yellow-throated Euphonias but once again the Collared Aracaris seemed reticent about coming down. 

Breakfast done and we were on the road once again for the longish drive back towards San Jose and the Pacific beyond.

It was a day of RRS and our first pull off gave us close views of a pair of Red-lored Amazons much lower down that usual along with Olive-throated and Finsch’s Parakeets, Yellow-bellied Euphonias, Buff-throated Saltator, Red-billed Pigeons, Piratic Flycatchers and a dashing Bat Falcon.

Red-lored Amazon

Red-lored Amazon

Red-lored Amazon

The next was alongside a lake where a Great Egret fed while Swallow-tailed Kites circled around and on the adjacent grassy bank there were Black-striped Sparrows, Yellow-faced Grassquits and Cinnamon-bellied Saltators singing from the scrubby tangles.

Back up the Rio Sara valley where the big view down once again gave us flocks of soaring Swallow-tailed Kites, the pair of White Hawks and no less than four Barred Hawks while over 400 White-collared Swifts powered through.  The banks were lined with a beautiful orange Orchid.

Fire Star Orchid - Epidendrum radicans

Fire Star Orchid - Epidendrum radicans

A roadside immature Broad-winged Hawk was the next pull off and also gave us a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush – albeit only in song.

Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Cinchona for a coffee where at least the sun shone this time.  The Red-headed Barbet and Blue-throated Emerald Toucanet came back in and stayed longer along with the same tanagers and Hummingbirds. Dusky-capped Flycatchers called in the higher branches and out front there where Rufous-collared Sparrows collecting insects in the gutters while another Barred Hawk circled us.

Blue-throated Emerald Toucanet

Green Honeycreeper

pair of Scarlet-thighed Dacnis

Northern Oriole

Northern Oriole

Blue Grey Tanager

Blue Grey Tanager

Buff-throated Saltator

Crimson-collared Tanager

Red-headed Barbet

unknown Skipper

Golden Lipped Sobralia - Sobralia chrysostoma

On again to a valley road in San Rafael for a delightful walk down the road and back with lush forest and rushing waters to search from the comfort of tarmac. We did very well with three new flycatchers alone with Dark Pewees, Yellowish Fly and the punky Northern Tufted Fly. There were gangs of chattering Common Chlorospingus and with them we found Yellow-thighed Finches (Legwarmers), Rusty-faced Spinetail, Ruddy Treerunners and Silver-throated Tanager. 

Yellowish Flycatcher - super cute

Yellowish Flycatcher 

Slate-throated Whitestarts flashed white tail spots and chestnut crowns in the gloomy lower levels and higher up we found a fine Blackburnian and Golden Winged Warblers and two new Hummers with Purple-throated Mountain-Gem and a Coppery-headed Emerald.  The local race of Hairy Woodpecker (that does not really look like one – I think I say this every time) was another good time as I have only seen them at Savegre.  There was a real mix of species here with a hint of the highlands to come later in the tour.

Crocrosmia

Slate-throated Whitestart

Manzanilla Treador - Bidens reptans

Peruvian Primrose-Willow - Ludwigia peruviana

Pinto Peanut - Arachis pintoi

Ageratum corymbosum or similar

Begonia glabra

Lunch was taken near the main airport at the place I visited last time where tinny Christmas carols sung by little kids played continuously.  The food was still good and the grounds gave us inquisitive Rufous-backed Wrens, Yellow-green Vireos and our first Streaked Flycatcher along with Green Heron, Green Kingfisher on the stinky polluted stream and the pond with the plastic Muscovies and Whistlers had a couple of Northern Jacanas and some big Green Iguanas.  I would not let the crew tick farmyard Greylag or Peacock!

Rufous-backed Wren

Rufous-backed Wren

Rufous-backed Wren

Rufous-collared Sparrow

Inca Doves

Onwards and into the seriously hot and dry west.  Fito took us to the Orotina area and we started with a big tree with a suspicious hole in it.  Apparently it was being used by Fiery-billed Aracaris and before too long we realised that one was watching us.  We moved back and it eventually briefly visited the nest hole.  These are always a really tricky tour bird so to see one this close was a real bonus.

Fiery-billed Aracari - Simon Stirrup

Fiery-billed Aracari

Fiery-billed Aracari

Fiery-billed Aracari

Fiery-billed Aracari

The same tree also held a couple of pairs of Orange-fronted Parakeets and a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl that bogged us out as it un-necessarily sung in the heat of the day.

Red-billed Pigeon

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

Our first Pacific Scarlet Macaws powered over and along the track several stops gave us Northern Tropical Pewee, Blue Grosbeaks, various Seedeaters, Stripe-headed Sparrows, Common and Ruddy Ground Doves and Hoffmann’s Woodpeckers. A pair of Ferruginous Pygmy Owls were located right next to us while we were scoping a Harris’s Hawk despatching a small Ctenosaur and both Crested and Yellow-headed Caracaras drifted over us. 

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl - Simon Stirrup

The day was getting on so we made our way to the Tarcoles Lodge where we arrived in time to watch the sun go down over the expansive forest and mangroves below us while Sol dipped down towards the shimmering Pacific. Pacific Scarlet Macaws (I think that South American may be the more widely used epithet for this widespread form) and Yellow-naped Amazons head off to roost and out across the forest a pair of Laughing Falcons started duetting. I could hear weird song of Long-tailed Manakins that always remind me of a cross between a Star Trek communicator and a tricorder.

Flocks of Lesser Nighthawks woke up and the last of the Costa Rican Swifts joined them in hoovering up aerial insects before the light fell further and the Pauraque started up around our lodges.