4th April 2026 - Day 15 - Costa Rica for Bird's Wildlife & Nature

Time to move on once again but there is always time for one last look round the Savegre grounds.  The familiar assortment of garden birds were present and correct but it was good to also see the Spangle-cheeked Tanagers once again as well as a Black-faced Solitaire feeding in the same tree.  A Black Guan barrelled past me twice but never stopped and the Spotted Wood Quails were Wombling en masse around me.  Two Crested Caracaras headed up valley and Sulphur-winged Parakeets dropped into the orchards to raid the apples.

Mountain Elaenia

Red-tailed Squirrel with a whole Avocado

Green Violetear

Fortunately I was looking out of my window and down as we drove out of the valley as two of those pesky Spotted Wood Quails were feeding in the gutter! Ramon stopped a little way up the road and some of the crew walked back and got lucky and saw them in the bamboo.  At last!

Our first stop of the day was at a Resplendent Quetzal nest site that I first visited several years ago in a small local community where the birds use a log nest provided which then give us the best chance of some amazing views which is exactly what happened.  A little patience was required but we ended up with two nest changes and prolonged views of both sexes.  The light was fantastic and the birds shone even more than usual.  

Resplendent Quetzal 

Gold-dusted Crescent - Anthanassa [Phyciodes] sosis

Resplendent Quetzal - Simon Stirrup

Resplendent Quetzal - Ian Wilson

Legwarmers came to visit the small feeder along with several Wilson’s Warblers and various Hummers attended a feeder.   Happy with our views we opted to move on do some more birding elsewhere.

Heliotrope-throated Volcano Hummingbird

White-throated Mountain Gem

White-throated Mountain Gem

White-throated Mountain Gem

White-throated Mountain Gem

White-throated Mountain Gem

White-throated Mountain Gem

Wilson's Warbler

Wilson's Warbler

Rufous-collared Sparrow

On to Paraiso Quetzal where I enjoyed the crew’s faces stunned expressions as they walked out onto the big viewing area and were engulphed in Hummingbirds.  The expected assortment of Fiery-throated, Talamanca, White-throated Mountain Gems, Green Violetears and Volcanos delighted.  The thrum of wings, the whoosh of air as one whisks past your face, the shock as one sits on you knee, phone or camera. 

Fiery-throated HB: 

Fiery-throated & a Talamanca

This one sat just 10 inches from me and had a kip for five minutes

...and turn

Green Violetear:

Talamanca:

They use so much energy so quickly that they have to stop to regroup and if that means at your feet or another available perch then they will do so.  I will never tire of seeing this.

We dragged ourselves away to check the gardens which as expected delivered with a pair of showy Golden-browed Chlorophonias muching mistletoe berries in the rain while Long-tailed Silky Flycatchers and their close relative the Black & Yellow Phainoptilas sat on high points.  Bigfoots and Legwarmers hopped around the flower beds with Black-billed Nightingale-Thrushes, and Slaty Flowerpiercers were tackling the tubes of Red Hot Pokers with some vigour!

Yellow-bellied Siskin

Golden-browed Chlorophonia

Golden-browed Chlorophonia

Golden-browed Chlorophonia - stuff it in!

Slaty Flowerpiercer

Slaty Flowerpiercer

Black & Yellow Phainoptila

Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher

Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher

There were a few birds bouncing around the feeding station with Thrushes and Tanagers but I was not expecting a big gamebird to walk out.  I knew what it was although I had not seen one before – a Buffy-crowned Wood Partridge.  It stayed a while and our group and others descended to get a better look.  People ask me why I keep coming back?  There is still so much more to see!

Buffy-crowned Wood Partridge

Buffy-crowned Wood Partridge

‘Oh look! There goes a male Quetzal!’ was our parting gift.

Lunch and then onwards in the increasing rain – well I think we were actually enveloped in the cloud that gives the forest its name.  We tackled a bit of the muddy Route 71 which gave us close but no cigar singing Zeledonia and views of Black-cheeked Warblers and Grey-breasted Wood Wrens feeding in the dark and damp tangles.  Quetzals sung and one male flew a silhouetted circuit high above our heads with that amazing tail waggling along behind. 

Aiouea montana

Begonia sp

Centrapogon talamancensis

Centropogon ferrugineus

Fuchsia microphylla

Fuchsia splendens

Glossoloma ichthyoderma

Jessea cooperi 

Mexican Slipperwort - Calceolaria mexicana

Monnina aestuans - non native I think

Monochaetum floribundum

Monochaetum floribundum

Monochaetum vulcanicum

Oxalis spiralis

Oxalis spiralis

Sabazia sarmentosa - florally, Route 71 was fantastic but was hampered by the rain.

With the weather closing in we hit the road for the long and tedious drive back down into Cartago and then up through Paraiso to our final base – the wonderful, if slightly damp, Quelitalis where we were warmly welcome by Jose and his team.

New Birds: 

* World Lifer

** Costa Rica tick

1: Buffy-crowned Wood Partridge *