Costa Rica 2017, Birding with Friends

Birding Costa Rica 9 - 20 March 2017

Part One.  Hotel Buena Vista to Savegre Mountain Hotel.


Even though the current weather is great here in Colorado Springs, we are off to Costa Rica again for two weeks of incredible birding with the fabulous guide Richard Garrigues and our leaders and friends Tom and Carol Sykes.  Our itinerary will take us to several of the great birding spots and one new location for me, the lush rainforests of Monteverde.  This time we are travelling with our two friends Ron and Jeannie, who are also from Colorado Springs.  This is their first time to Costa Rica and I know they will love it.


9 March:  We met up with the rest of the group at the Hotel Buena Vista on Thursday and got ready for a great trip.  We birded the grounds of the hotel in the morning and then went downtown to tour the city and bird the parks.  After that we went back to the hotel and birded again and enjoyed the view of city below.  In total we saw about 37 species of birds at the hotel.

Birding the hotel back yard

Our room Balconies

The view of San Jose from our room



Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl

Great Kiskadee

The Bus

Hotel garden flowers

Hanging out in the park, Ron, Jeannie, Risë, Peggy, Tom & Carol

Lesson's Motmot

Inca Dove

10 March:  On Friday we headed out to Poas Volcano early in the morning to hopefully beat the crowds and the clouds and actually see the crater.  We birded up to the crater in a fine mist and low-hanging clouds and saw several birds on the way.  Once at the top, there was just a hint of a view of the lake in the crater.  But then the skies opened up and the clouds blew away revealing a spectacular look at every part of the volcano.


Natural umbrella; Jeannie, Peggy & Ron

Poas Volcano crater

Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush

Collared Redstart

Slaty Flowerpiercer

Flame-throated Hummingbird



Black-and-Yellow Silky-Flycatcher

Swallow-tailed Kite

There are many wonderful birding places to stop on the highway to and from Poas Volcano and we chose to stop at a small restaurant on the side of a mountain called Cinchona-Mirador La Cascada.  It has incredible views of a waterfall as well as very active birds all around the deck that is surrounded by hummingbird feeders and feeding stations.  What a great place to stop and take a break.


Cinchona

The restaurant

Waterfall from the overlook

Magnificent Hummingbird

Prong-billed Barbets

Buff-throated Saltator & Silver-throated Tanager

Common Chlorospingus

Palm Tanager

Silver-throated Tanager

Pasaerini's Tanager

Green Thorntail

After birding for an hour or so it was back on the road to La Selva Biological Station for a change in climate and birds.  La Selva is hot and humid like southern Florida in August but without any breezes. 

Hook-billed Kite

11 March:  There were many new birds to see on all of the different trails and areas around the headquarters.  The specific times and locations of all the birds have started to blur together so I will show some of the birds and critters we saw over our day and a half at La Selva OTS.  So much for keeping accurate notes and a bird list during the entire trip.  I must do better next time we visit.

Main office

Sooty-capped Chlorospingus

Great Green Macaw

Long-billed Hermit

Crested Guan

Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (on seeping latex)

Gartered Trogon  (female)

Broad-billed Motmot

Slaty-tailed Trogon  (male)

Black-throated Trogon  (male)

Olive-backed Euphonia  (female)

Snowy Cotinga

Shining Honeycreeper (female)

Eyelash Viper

White-collared Manakin  (male)

American Pygmy Kingfisher

Laughing Falcon

Long-tailed Tyrant  (male)

Yellow-throated Tucan

Great Tinamou

Vermiculated Screech-Owl

Getting a picture of the Vermiculated Screech-Owl (picture from Jeannie Mitchell)

12 March:  From La Selva, we loaded up the bus to make the long drive southwest to the San Gerardo de Dota Valley and Savegre Hotel and Spa.  On the way we made a stop at Richard's friend's place, Casa de Cope.  Cope, is a birder, artist and naturalist with a special garden and local hot spots that contain an incredible array of bird life.  We were all thrilled to visit these spots and see some very special birds.

Gray-necked Wood-Rail

Spectacled Owls

Crested Owl

Thicket Antpita

Reg-legged Honeycreepers  (female & male)

As we made our way south toward Savegre, the change in altitude took us from almost sea level to 7,200 feet, almost the same altitude as our house in Colorado Springs, and we all enjoyed the mild temperatures and cool evenings.  Here we would have an opportunity to look for the beautiful target bird, the Resplendent Quetzal. 

13 March:  The Savegre Hotel gardens are full of flowers and flowering trees that bring in hummingbirds by the swarm.  Here we also saw many tanagers, sparrows, warblers, thrushes, and vultures.  This is one of my favorite locations in Costa Rica due to the quaint lodge, beauty of the valley, seclusion, and of course, Quetzals.  And did I mention the food which is fabulous!

Breakfast; Carol, Rick, Ron, Jeannie, Richard Garrigues, Peggy & Risë

Some of the flower gardens

Some of the great food.  Love that Plantain!

Spangle-cheeked Tanager

Stained-glass window in the bar

Flame-colored Tanager

Acorn Woodpecker

The dreaded Bot Fly

Resplendent Quetzal (male)

Resplendent Quetzal (female)

Long-tailed Trogon (male)   (as named by a friend)

Long-tailed Trogon (female)

Our driver "Eagle Eyes" Didier

Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher

Volcano Hummingbird (Talamanca Cordillera)

Spotted Wood-Quail

Spot-crowned Woodcreeper

Tom & Carol after a long day of birding

Tom, Risë, John, Rick and Ron enjoying the food.

What a great time we had at Savegre Mountain Hotel.  Another great stay with wonderful food and spectacular birding.  After breakfast we get back on the bus and head down the road to the next location.  Part two will take us from leaving Savegre on the 14th of March, to the Hotel Villa Lapas, Carara National Park and the roads to and from.