Easy birding...COSTA RICA (24 Feb)

After finally moving out of the car park at Monteverde, (once the quail-dove had decided to move on), we admired their hummer feeders for a while: Magenta-throated Woodstars flitted around excitedly but seemed vastly overpowered and outnumbered by the mighty looking Violet Sabrewings which swooped in and out more regularly, but we were to come back to another set of even more lively feeders later...

Along the forest trails it was not to admire the forest itself, massive pristine cloud forest, suitably drenched in cloud by the morning's end, with a multitude of bromeliads weighing heavy on the limbs of many of the trees, it appeared to be just brimming with life; and so it was. The most comical moment of the morning, was when an uber-tame Black Guan appeared on the path, and shortly after we had found it a tourist came blindly by, so we frantically called for him to stop for fear of flushing the bird off the track, only to see him casually stroll up to it, slip out his I-Phone and photograph it from inches away. It seems the birders were less clued up about the birds here than the "general" tourists! Another tame creature was a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush which we tried to desperately to tease into the open, only for it to hop out onto the trail in the open when we had turned our backs on it for a moment! However, the tamest bird of the morning was arguably this Slate-throated Redstart (also called Whitestart, which refers to the white in the tail), which not only perched in the open but was so confident of our lack of threat he sung repeatedly to us...There may not have been an overwhelming amount of activity but what there was, was literally in our faces!

After this it was time to immerse ourselves with the Monteverde hummingbirds...

Bienvenidos a Monteverde...COSTA RICA (24 Feb)

Well, today was to be our first day in Costa Rica's flagship park: MONTEVERDE, arguably the most popular and well-known cloud forest reserve in the World. However, before we had even got there we had enjoyed a pre-breakfast pair of White-eared Ground-Sparrows (much to a few people's relief who had missed them on the opening day), and from the BUS, en-route to the park we had to "endure" close-ups of a male Orange-bellied Trogon; and then, on arriving in the park itself, our bus was prevented from parking for a good five minutes while this Buff-fronted Quail-Dove fed within our parking space. I was getting a good feeling about this place, and I had yet to set foot on its soil!

More Costa Rica cloud forest favorites to come, very soon...

ANTS!...COSTA RICA (23 Feb)

The most legendary name in all of Costa Rican parks was looming on our horizon: Monteverde. However, we had a little more time around the steamy lowland jungle within Carara National Park first, where we walked a different trail and saw a different Baird's Trogon, this time a male. Although, dawn found us watching a Tiny Hawk which had recently began nest building in the area (thank you Richard Garrigues for your tip off!). After quickly adding Fiery-billed Aracari to the list we were on our way for the final fling at Carara, before we departed for higher elevations and the mist-enshrouded cloudforests of Monteverde. The trail was good that morning with Riverside Wrens giving repeated views of their smartly banded undersides, and another dapper wren, Black-bellied Wren did likewise too. However, our progress along the trail was halted by a flurry of bird activity right beside the trail: ants were swarming and the birds were following suit. Many birds, some of which are in the "antbird" family follow army ants, although not to eat the ants but prey on the various creatures fleeing the swarming ants.

...And this is exactly what we were treated to, a feeding frenzy of birds around us, that included Grey-headed Tanagers, Tawny-winged and Northern Barred Woodcreepers, Bicolored Antbirds, and flycatchers and manakins dropping by too to feast on the desperate insects. This is one of the classic tropical forest experiences, and it never gets old. The excitement is always palpable, and you never quite know what might dramatically, and suddenly, drop by (as were to find out later on this trip at another swarm-TO COME!).

Up next: MONTEVERDE...

Cruisin'...COSTA RICA (22 Feb)

We enjoyed a superb, relaxing meander through the mangroves and around the mouth of the Tarcoles River, near Carara National Park. The boat had barely spluttered to life when a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron was spotted, ever-so-slowly, prowling the muddy banks-a lifebird for me right off the bat! Large, menacing, but unmoving, jaws were waiting in the shallows, which revealed a number of American Crocodiles lurking with intent to attack anything that strayed into its substantial range. 

Then  a flash of blue alerted us to a strikingly beautiful Turquoise-browed Motmot perched alongside a steep bank. The normally difficult to see Boat-billed Heron was anything but; instead of being buried within a tangle at close range, to the frustration of photographers like me on the boat, this time it just sat out in the open, unblemished and set out perfectly for photography, with it odd, swollen bill in full, glorious view. Scouring the edges eventually led us to cryptic pair of nocturnal shorebirds, the goggle-eyed Double-striped Thick-knee, which were visibly panting from the intense heat, and which shared the shore with a pair of Southern Lapwing (a bird that is still scarce, though spreading, in Costa Rica). 

Although it was a very gentle, slow cruise, and we never traveled far, we also never experienced a dull moment: Mangrove Swallows were a constant presence, sallying regularly low over the water to pick insects out of the air or to dip in the water to drink, flashing their clean white behinds as they did so. The ride finished with a meander along a mangrove-lined section of the river, where tall mangroves provide habitat for the subtle Panama Flycatcher, which was, eventually, teased out of its hiding place high in the mangrove, and a few Mangrove Warblers were also seen, along with a regular number of Common Black-Hawks, standing like sentry posts, as if "guarding" the mangrove roots from invasion from foreign enemies. A good smattering of ibis and spoonbills were seen too, with a sprinkling of northern shorebirds, down here for the season to avoid the cold Boreal winter. It was an extremely enjoyable trip, which ended with a large squadron of Lesser Nighthawks emerged at dusk to hawk around the boat dock. An extremely relaxing afternoon indeed, with several lifebirds to boot (tiger-heron & Panama Fly). 

More to come from Costa Rica soon...

"Dinosaurs" & Birds...COSTA RICA (22 Feb)

After the cool mountain air, and even cooler mountain birds, we were back in sweaty country when we dropped down into the Pacific lowlands around Carara National Park. We were staying in the grand Hotel Villa Lapas, named Lapas after the Scarlet Macaws which were so prevalent in the area, we had seen them before we had even checked in. Just after check in, and before we had even a plateful of food from the dinner buffet we were feasting on an impressive, and imposing, looking pair of Spectacled Owls, perched, just outside the restaurant. My feverish looks around the hotel for a Red-eyed Tree Frog, the marquee frog species for Costa Rica, came to nothing but dejection and disappointment however!

After arriving in the late afternoon the next morning was spent walking, and sweating, our way along a super trail through gorgeous forest, where a female Baird's Trogon was found in a massive rainforest tree as we'd hoped. However, our day started right on the hotel grounds, where an unplanned, five minute, sleep-in by me, (not being the guide for the trip I had this luxury at my disposal, unlike Michael Retter, the actual tour guide for the tour), almost cost me a key regional endemic: Costa Rican Swiftlet which scythed by before I had even got out of the door to play catch up. The hotel grounds and river did though hold a Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Muscovy Duck, and a large, prehistoric-looking iguana-the mighty Ctensosaur, of which we were to see many by the end of the morning. The morning walk produced some impressive wrens-both Black-bellied and Rufous-breasted Wrens avoiding my camera lens, but filling my binoculars, at various points; although the undoubted star of the walk were several "flame-doused" male Orange-collared Manakins; simply gorgeous.

In the afternoon, we went on a river cruise, by way of a roosting Black-and-white Owl, which our driver, come secret birder/guide, led us straight to.

The river cruise highlights to come next...

Hummers on Fire...COSTA RICA (20 Feb)

We ended a landmark day on the tour (i.e. scoring quetzal), by being surrounded by these guys in the cloudforest-FIERY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD. The cloud and heavy rain moved in, although we barley noticed as we scrambled for pictures of their electric throats, and the other hummers on offer, including this male Magnificent Hummingbird which I photographed during the day at Savegre Mountain Lodge...

Much, much, much more of the "Pura Vida" to come from Costa Rica...

Flame on...COSTA RICA (20 Feb)

Aside from Costa Rica's flagship bird, the quetzal, our full day in the Savegre Valley was frankly, magical. Any first time visitor (and lister) to Costa Rica's highlands is going to be happy, as it is loaded with "Chiriqui" endemics (occurring only there and the mountains of western Panama too), which therefore produces a rush of new birds (and possibly also a "rush of blood to the head" too!) This day therefore produced a significant bounce to the bird list. The other nice thing about highland birding, is it is generally easy, and many new birds came to us thick and fast and simply posed in front of us at length. This Flame-throated Warbler exemplified this situation, as it dared us not to see it, it was so damned close. On any other, normal, day, this would have been the standout moment of the day; however, this was no ordinary day, and sharing the limelight with one of the World's greatest birds-the quetzal-is no easy task, even this stunning little bird simply never had a chance!

As well as this frollicking "Flamethroat"; we picked up a number of Long-tailed Silky-Flycatchers (including a pair nesting in the lodge grounds); watched Ruddy Treerunners behaving as if they should be renamed "treehuggers"; gasped at the dashing beauty of another endemic in the form of the super Spangle-cheeked Tanager (every bit as beautiful as this romantic name suggests); and marvelled at the more simple, traditional beauty of the Flame-colored Tanagers visiting our lodge feeders with Acorn Woodpeckers as support. There was plenty to write home about, and the day was far from over; I have not even mentioned the hummingbirds yet, which always excel themselves, as far as most birders are concerned...more from the hummers later!

Another (or more) Savegre update(s) to come...