Costa Rica - The Middle Elevations

Holiday time again and our usual compromise of somewhere with birds for me and a bit of culture, sun and shopping for Sue. The result this year, Costa Rica and a TUI one week Grand Tour followed by a week relaxing at an all inclusive hotel on the coast. Plenty of birding at all the stopovers, including at the all inclusive, a bit of culture along the way and best of all, not too many shopping opportunities. Start Date 19th November.


                                                        Costa Rica - Grand Tour

Birding time will always be restricted on these trips, two or three hours most morning from dawn until breakfast, an hour or so late afternoon, plus opportunities on the organised tour events such as the boat trips and the farm, forest and hanging bridges walks. This year I even managed to get permission for a day out birding during the second week, using a local Costa Rican guide. More on that in a later blog.

The Clay-coloured Thrush  -  the national bird of Costa Rica

Our group of twenty met up late afternoon, after the long flight from the UK and headed off to our first destination at the Borinquen Mountain Resort. A nice enough place, but for me it was a bit of a disappointment. I had expected to be at the Hacienda Guachipelin and had researched the birding around that area. We also had to make an early start the next morning, to get back to the Guachipelin for the days activities, so I lost out on most of my first mornings birding.


The Middle Elevations referred to in the blog header? Costa Rica is split into a number of climatic zones. The Middle Elevations being around the foothills of the volcanic spine running down the centre of the country. It forms the border between the Pacific and Caribbean slopes with cooler temperatures and higher rainfall.

Turkey Vulture

I did get to see a few birds that first morning, there were around forty Turkey Vultures over the grounds before the sun had risen. It seemed funny to see raptors soaring in the pre-dawn light, but then I suppose, as carrion eaters, they are looking for something that died during the night rather than something to kill.


A small group of Groove-billed Ani, members of the cuckoo family, were my first unusual birds. A Coati, foraging in the gardens, was also a reminder that I was not in England.

Groove-billed Ani

Coati

We were joined at breakfast by a number of White-throated Magpie-Jays and there were distant views of a pair of Grackles and a White-tipped Dove.

White-throated Magpie-Jay

White-throated Magpie-Jay

Female Great-tailed Grackle

Not the best start to my bird list but worse was to follow, as I had allowed Sue to talk me into going horse riding instead of birding. Bad idea, last time I was on a horse we ended up in a gallop and I lost both stirrups and the reins. I'm probably lucky to still be alive. This time I managed to get to the end but then my foot got stuck in the stirrup as I was getting off. I managed to fall into what I can only assume was a small pool of horse piss. All part of the entertainment!

Still, I digress, the birding really started when we arrive at the accommodation for the next two nights, The Arenal Springs Resort close to the Arenal Volcano National Park. A great location with upmarket chalets set in neat gardens with good views of the volcano and with an impressive bird list.

A lot of the birds were easy to recognise but the Tyrant Flycatchers always had me double checking. These pictures make the Great Kiskadee and the Social Flycatcher look very different but in the field it is not always that obvious. When you add in the Boat-billed, Rusty-margined, White-ringed, and Gray-capped Flycatchers, which all look very similar it can be a bit of a challenge.

Great Kiskadee

Social Flycatcher

Other birds were easier to spot with many showing little concern when people passed close by them.

Tropical Mockingbird

Buff-throated Salator

Bananaquit

Streak-headed Woodcreeper

A rather wet Rufous-collared Sparrow

Blue-gray Tanager

Tropical Kingbird

Birds varied from the very small, around 10cms as in the two below up to the Crested Guan at 90cms (3 foot for those still pre metric).

Variable Seedeater which I initially took to be a butterfly

Common Tody-Flycatcher

Crested Guan

No Hummingbird feeders in the grounds which was a bit of a disappointment but then the locals seemed to prefer the Hummingbirds feeding naturally rather than relying on humans for food. I suppose I agree but I have to confess to a few regrets later in the tour, when we passed within a few kilometres of the La Paz Waterfall Gardens and I thought of all the pictures I was missing (26 different species of Hummingbird recorded there).

Fortunately we had a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird holding territory in the tree outside our chalet and there were a few good picture opportunities despite the frequent rain showers.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

and another just outside the hotel grounds along with what looks like a Scaly-breasted Hummingbird.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird

As part of the tour we had a trip out to the Mistico Hanging Bridges Park. I had great hopes of the birding around the walk but unfortunately we had constant rain and drizzle. It didn't spoil the walk but it did mean that the birds were keeping a low profile.

We saw a few including a couple more of the Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds but it could have been better. A brighter day would give more birds showing and better light for pictures but I guess it would also bring in the tourists and then I would only get annoyed at all the people disturbing my peace. Perhaps better to find your own tourist free area.

Black-mandibilled Toucan

Brown Jay

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird in the rain

Another or the same? Rufous-tailed Hummingbird in the rain

We did see a Rufous Motmot on the walk but I got better pictures later in the holiday and there was a Blue-black Grassquit at the Don Juan Educational Farm that we also visited.

Blue-black Grassquit

So ended our couple of days in the middle elevations. I needed more time. There was so much more to see and we hadn't even visited the highland areas.  Still the tour goes on and we were on our way down to the Caribbean coast and the Tortuguero National Park with a stopover at La Quinta Sarapiqui.

The sun was shinning, the tour group were beginning to gel and our fantastic tour guide Andres was ensuring that everything ran smoothly.