6th April 2026 - Day 17 - Costa Rica for Bird's Wildlife & Nature

Happy Birthday to me and thank you for the pre-dawn duetting Crested Owls somewhere just outside my room.  Simon and Dan were up next door and I roused them to get outside and listen. 

The moth light had been quite productive overnight and I have not even tried to put names to most of what came in. However there were some standout visitors.

Chrysina resplendens - quite simply the most astonishing invert I have ever seen.

A large Forest Cockroach

Lappet type

A Geometrid

Pyralid sp

giant Leafhopper

Emeperor Moth sp - Automeris zugana or zozimanguana

A Carpet type

A Geometrid

Giant Silk Moth - Arsenura armida

Dobson Fly - Corydalus sp

Nematocampa sp

Oxydia sp

Xylophanes cyrene - if anyone can help at all with narrowing down names on any missing inverts that would be great!

A grand start to the day. We were heading out pronto as we wanted to get a quick stop in at Ujarras to have another quick look for Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrows on our way to El Copal.

We got lucky this time and had excellent views almost as we were giving up and these two were not even on the ground but clambered up into an open tree where everyone could see them.  Smiles all round.  The same other assortment of birds was present as yesterday but we were some what distracted with finding our quarry!

Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrows - Dan Duff

Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow - Dan Duff

And so onto El Copal.  We a slight issue wit ha soft patch at the side of the steep entrance track which left us trying unsuccessfully to unstick the bus but in the end we took our breakfasts and started the twenty minute walk to the lodge leaving Ramon to await tractor assistance!

The prize for most people here will always be Snowcap and we had all had fantastic point blank views by the time we regrouped on the balcony. There is something very special about this little Hummer but trying to capture one in flight is another matter entirely.  There were many other Hummer distractions on the flowering Verbena with Brown Violetears and Rufous-tails being the commonest but we also saw Green and Stripe-throated Hermits, Green Violetears, Violet Sabrewings and the exquisite Green Thorntails. 

Snowcap

Snowcap

Snowcap

Snowcap

Snowcap - female

Brown Violetear

Brown Violetear

Brown Violetear

Brown Violetear

Green Thorntail

Green Thorntail

Almost a full selection of Tanagers came to the feeders with several Speckled and Emerald amongst them and our first Tawny-crested Tanagers barrelled through the gardens at eye level which was good as they are often either deep in the shade or high in the canopy.

The skies are often very good here and today was no exception with Vultures, Swallow-tailed Kites, Barred and Short-tailed Hawks (of both colour phases) being joined but a juvenile Black & White Hawk-Eagle that Fito picked up on call – amazing. A largely pale not overly big BOPwith a distinct eye mask.  This gave us all three Hawk-Eagles in one trip which I have not heard of anyone doing before.

Barred Hawk

Barred Parakeets and White-crowned Parrots moved over and both Oropendolas were singing below us where Thicket Antpittas and White-collared Manakins could be heard.

Grey-breasted Martin

Chestnut-headed Oropendola - you can even see the wispy crest

My two favourite broccoli trees

the super funky cats of the Giant Silk Moth - Arsenura armida

Each over six inches long

We set off for our walk in the woods. It was hot and sultry but we eventually found some pockets of birds which gave us good views of Chestnut-capped Warblers, the Caribbean slope race of White-shouldered Tanager, Lesser Greenlets, Camiol’s Tanagers, the regular Wrens and a good selection of Flycatchers with Western Wood Pewee, Bright-rumped Attila, Mistletoe Tyrannulets, Dusky-capped, Slaty-capped and the tiny Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher. A Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush also gave itself up on the path for us and a couple of Pale-vented Thrushes ere seen feeding high in the canopy.

Western Wood Pewee

Dusky and Bi-coloured Antbirds were singing but only the Dull-mantled Antbirds could be tracked down but they did show very well on the path side. Woodcreepers were represented by Spotted and Olivaceous but Brown-billed Scthyebill once again stayed too far away.  Keel-billed Toucans and a Collared Trogan were heard along with a Latticed-tailed Trogon which we eventually found at the second attempt as it had moved to a more viewable area on the walk back down.  It still took 15 minutes to find him though be eventually excellent scope views were had.

Trogon watching

There was some great botany in here too along with quite a few butterflies and dragons although getting pictures of the insects was almost impossible but we did see a very long but quite chunky green snake that rocketed across the track and up into a tree.  Dan has been doing some digging and it seems to be a Green Sipo.  Fito was somewhat shocked at our group response to Dan’s cry of ‘Snake!’ as we all ran towards him to see it rather than away which apparently is what normally happens here!

Banded Peacock

Green Sipo - Chironius exoletus

Green Sipo - Chironius exoletus

 An Ameiva sp I suspect

A magnificent tree fern - Simon Stirrup

Philodendron verrucosum - Simon Stirrup

Passiflora vitifolia - Simon Stirrup

Nidema boothii  A wonderful orchid that had down with a branch from the canopy

Amazing Miconia sp leaves

I can't find anything anywhere to get me to family let alone species

and as you can see it should be quite easy to identify so if you can help, please do!

Drymonia turrialvae

Drymonia turrialvae

Columnea calotricha

Before lunch we tackled the steeper track for a short way – it was exhausting but worth the effort as there were still birds to be found with White-ruffed Manakins, Black & Yellow Tanagers, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher and two Ashy-throated Chlorospingus were picked up feeding quite low down with some Lesser Greenlets.  A Barred Forest Falcon was yapping just out of view and an immature Ornate Hawk-Eagle circled adding mire quality to the raptor list.

Back down for lunch with Yellow-faced Grassquits on the lawn and the Hummers dazzling us with their aerial battles and shimmering colours.  There was no other sound other than the birds and insects.

Yellow-faced Grassquit

We chilled for a while but it was all too soon time to go but the walk back to now freed bus almost gave us Thicket Antpitta.  It was so close but we just could not find it!  One day!  White-throated Crakes trilled from the grasses and the last male Snowcap saw us off.  The drive out even gave those f us in the back a Barred Forest Falcon as it zipped down the slope from one stand of trees to another!

Snowcap

Back at Quelitales the last of the day was spent up at the waterfall where the Lancebills danced and the White-bellied Mountain Gem once again briefly popped in for a visit to the feeders.  There was once again no Antpitta but a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush dropped down briefly and thanks to Valeria I saw a Rain Frog too.

Common Rain Frog - Pristimantis cerasinus

Time for a final steak dinner with the famous flambéed Bananas for dessert which had me suitably sated and quite merry for the final night of this tour.  The double English and Spanish versions of happy birthday were equally memorable! 

The moth light was on for one last time…

I told the crew that I would give the Antpitta one last attempt in the morning.

New Birds: 

* World Lifer

** Costa Rica tick

1: Black & White Hawk-Eagle *

2: Lattice-tailed Trogon *

3: Ashy-throated Chlorospingus *