What better way to escape bitter February temperatures than to visit fabulous Costa Rica? Each trip stop is carefully planned, providing many new birds with changing habitats. You start off by visiting the Arenal Volcano area. Arenal Observatory Lodge ranks number two in eBird hotspots, with over 500 species listed. You can expect to see Emerald, Bay-headed, Silver-throated, and Carmiol’s Tanagers at fruit feeders, joined by Orange-billed and Black-striped Sparrows.
One highlight of this trip is the short drives from one lodge to the next. Though Costa Rica is only the size of West Virgina, it can take hours to move not great distances. Your drives will often be less than two hours and never longer than three hours. Even these short trips highlight diverse habitats, greatly increasing the species you'll see.
The first stop is the beautiful Hotel Quelitales, where a year-round waterfall creates a cool mist many birds enjoy. White and Purple-throated Mountain Gems are among the hummingbirds you should see, joined by the endemic Coppery-headed Emerald. The owner is a French-trained Tico chef, and the food here is outstanding. Fruit feeders at the lodge almost make savoring the delicious cuisine a challenge.
You’ll depart Quelitales for the warm and humid areas around La Selva Biological Station amid a lowland tropical rainforest. The diversity here is simply stunning, with Great Curassow, Great Green Macaw, Giant Tinamou, Snowy Cotinga, and Red-capped Manakin being some targets. We’ll also search for Slaty-tailed and Northern Black-throated Trogon and Stripe-breasted, Band-backed, and Black-throated Wren among the almost 500 bird species seen here.
You’ll next venture to the very productive Arenal Observatory Lodge for three days. Birds like Black-crested Coquette, and Emerald Tanager feed on the grounds here. You’ll also explore the productive Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge and nearby Media Queso, where targets include White-throated Crake, Jabiru, Olivaceous Piculet, Boat-billed Heron, Pinnated Bittern, and many other waterbirds.
Our last destination is the cloud forest at Monteverde. The cooler temperatures prepare you a bit for the mid-February temperatures you’ll return home to. The main draw of many birders who choose Costa Rica is the Resplendent Quetzal, and you have excellent chances of seeing these stunning birds. Three-wattled Bellbirds are another target.
By the end of the trip, our list should surpass 300 bird species. You’ll also see three species of monkey, American Crocodiles, and a poison arrow frog. You'll also eat some delicious meals, always with locally sourced food, stay in very comfortable lodges, and get to know the people of Costa Rica, who are as friendly as any.
Your drive to Hotel Quelitales is under two hours. Luis Barrantes, our guide and driver, knows terrific spots to bird before we arrive at the lodge. Hotel Quelitales seems like an idyllic wonderland. water-loving birds. The Spotted Barbtail, Red-faced Spinetail, Black-faced Solitaire, golden-browed chlorophonia, White-bellied Mountain-gem, and Green Thorntail are all common birds at Quelitales, which ranks #14 on eBird’s hotspot list for Costa Rica, totalling 464 species. The food here is world-class, with a French-trained Tico as the proprietor. Overnight Hotel Quelitales
One of the big draws here is the Scaled Antpitta. A bird challenging to see in other parts of Costa Rica, here birders spot several of these every. You’ll also search for Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Red-faced Spinetail, Spotted Barbail, White-ruffed and White-collared Mankin, and Chestnut-capped Brushfinch, all of which are commonly spotted on the grounds.
Meals here are excellent, but it's hard not to be distracted by the frequent visit of frugivores like Montezuma, and Chestnut-heade Oropendola, Tropical Parula, and more than 10 species of tanagers.
Your next stop is Ara Ambigua Lodge, nestled in a lowland tropical rainforest. We’ll likely see Green Honeycreeper, Blue-vented, Cinnamon, and Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Black-and-White Owl, Golden-winged Warbler, Gartered, and Slaty-tailed Trogon, Orange-billed Sparrow, Red-capped, White-Collared, and White-ruffed Manakin, and Masked Tityra. In addition, Fasciated and Bare-throated Tiger-Heron are spectacular water birds we’re likely to see. Great Green Macaws sometimes visit the almond trees scattered around the nearby villages.
You group then heads to La Selva Biological Station for a night walk. With some luck, we’ll spot an owl or two. Mammals like kinkajou and tamandua are often visible on the grounds.
It’s an early wake-up this morning, as we want to take advantage of the “cooler” morning temperatures. We’ll return to the world-renowned La Selva Biological Station, the most studied tropical forest in the world. Birds we hope to see include Slaty-tailed, Black-throated, and Gartered Trogons, Rufous and Broad-billed Motmots, Snowy Cotinga, Great Curassow, and a long list of other birds.
Mammals that frequent La Selva include collared peccary, tamandua, and three species of monkeys (spider, howler, and white-faced capuchin). The trees provide quite a spectacle, with a massive kapok tree and walking palms providing highlights. Strawberry poison dart frogs are familiar sights near forest trails.
Depending on energy levels, we may dine in the biological research station cafeteria and then return to the trails of Ara Ambigua for some recuperation. After dinner, you can join Luis owling. This area commonly has Black-and-White, Specaclted, and Crested Owls.
What birds might you spot before breakfast? By now, you’ll be gleefully looking forward to a hearty breakfast and fantastic coffee. After breakfast, we’ll head to La Fortuna, a VERY touristy town. We'll check intou our hotel for the next three nights , Arenal Observatory Lodge. Birding here is excellent. It's currently ranked as the #2 eBird Hotspot in Costa Rica, with over 500 species listed. Fruit feeders here attract a wide range of tanagers, and Great Curassow often feast on the fruit droppings from overly enthusiastic smaller birds.
After lunch, your group will bird the grounds around the lodge, where there are always many birds. Black-crested Coquettes are abundant feeders on the verban bushes.
Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is a vast wetland on the northern edgue of Costa Rica. During the dry season, which is while you're visiting, it attracts a tremendous number of waterbirds. Birding doesn't get easier than this, as we'll tour the wetlands on a flatwater boat. Many bird sightings are within 20 feet. On previous trips, participants' bird sightings included Jabiru, Boat-billed Heron, Bare-throated Tiger-heron, Black-collared and Roadside Hawks, White-breasted and Yellow-throated Crakes, and several hummingbird species.
After lunch at a wonderful, authentic roadside cafe, we'll drive to another wetland, Media Queso. Bird targets here are many and include Pinnated and Least Bitterns, Lesser-Yellowhead Vulture, Nicaraguan Seed-finch, Nicaraguan Grackle, Canebreak Wren, and Laughing Falcon.
Previous groups of birders tallied over 90 species of birds on this one day. You aer also likely to see spectacled caiman, howler and white-faced capuchin monkeys, and some massive iguans sunning in trees near the riverbank.
Today is a laid-back day of birding. You can join your group in early-morning birding before breakfast or choose to sleep a bit later. Eventually, you'll join your fellow birders on a visit to La Bogarin Trail. Expect to see Red-legged and Green Honeycreepers, Golden-hooded, Scarlet Rumped, and Palm Tanagers, Uniform Crake, Russet-naped Woodrail, and White-throated Manakin doing their lek dance.
This area is also outstanding for great photos of sloths, which frequent the trees here. But you'll have to move fast; it's a sloth!
Luis will also take you to a special place, where you'll likely get great chances to photograph Spectacled, Crested, and Black-and-White Owls. The small pool is also a favorite for many colorful tanagers, kingfishers, and honeycreepers.
Your trip changes pace by heading to Santa Elena, the bedroom community of famous Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. This is an excellent spot for seeing what many consider the word's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal.
It seems that vegetation grows on every branch in this special forest. Beyond the quetzal, you'll join your group in a search for one of Costa Rica's few true endemic birds, the Coppery, Headed-Emerald. Other hummingbirds you should see include Violet Sabrewing, Purple-throated Mountain-gem, Magenta Woodstar, and Blue-vented. Other stars of the show include Three-wattled Bellbird, Long-tailed Manakin, Slate-throated and Collared Redstarts, among the more than 425 species that inhabit these productive lands.
Where you go today depends largely upon what Luis is learning about bird sightings. At times, quetzales can prove challenging, while at others there can be more than a half-dozen in one tree. Your small group means gerater flexibility on where you'll visit, but options include Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Curi Cancha Resere or Santa Elena Reserve. All offer excellent birding, but you'll go where the best sightings are.
Your group slowly makes its way back to Hotel Bougainvillea. One highlight for past participants is visiting Luis's home to meet his family. It is special to see how Ticos live, and Luis will invite us to celebrate with a delicious piece of cake made by his award-winning spouse.
By now, you'll want to smuggle Luis home...or, more likely, move to Costa Rica. His affable personality exceeds his outstanding birding skills. He's always looking for one last bird, and the fields above his house often yield the stunning Gold-browed Chlorophonia, feeding on the fruits of guava trees. You'll also search for Elegant Euphonia and other birds you might have missed.
You'll spend your last night at the Bougainvillea Hotel. If we arrive early enough, you can roam the spectacular birds, looking for more birds.
You'll depart Bougainvillea in plenty of time to board your flight home.