Costa Rica Photo Journey: July 2017

Costa Rica Photo Journey: July 2017

Tropical Birding Trip Report

Costa Rica Photo Journey

16-25 July 2017

Tour Leader: Jay Packer

Many thanks to Deepak Ramineedi for allowing us to include his photos in this trip report. This Yellow-throated Toucan at Laguna del Lagarto wasn’t bothered at all by the rain.

Note: Except where noted otherwise, all photos in this trip report were taken by Jay Packer.

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Introduction

This Costa Rican photo journey featured visits to five regions of this small Central American country. We covered the moist Caribbean slope, Caribbean lowlands, dry forests on the Pacific slope, a large tropical river, and cloud forests of the volcanic highlands. The clients on the tour were a young couple and their 8-month old son. Given the considerations of traveling with an infant, the pace of the tour was relaxed and much of the photography was done at feeders or from the car. Even so, the diversity of Costa Rica was impressive as we encountered almost 200 species, photographing most of the targets that we hoped to see. Photographic highlights of the trip included stunning shots of toucan species in the rain, great hummingbird multiflash photography, a nesting pair of Turquoise-browed Motmots, Spectacled Owl, King Vultures, Resplendent Quetzal, very cooperative Great Green and Scarlet Macaws, Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl, and more.

16 July 2017

We began the tour with a drive out of San Jose to the well known Casa de Cope, west of Guápiles. Here, local artist and conservationist Cope caters to photographers with an impressive backyard habitat that features fruit feeders and hummingbird nectar. We spent three hours in the morning enjoying an introduction to the birds of the moist Caribbean slope. Passerini’s Tanagers, Green Honeycreeper, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, and Longbilled Hermit all offered great pictures, while an elusive White-tipped Sicklebill toyed with us, darting in to feed on nearby Heliconia flowers but then leaving as fast as he arrived. Non-avian highlights included Strawberry or “Blue Jean” Poison Dart Frogs and an Eyelash Pit Viper.

The camouflage of the Eyelash Pit Viper is exquisite. Photo courtesy of Deepak Ramineedi.

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This male Green Honeycreeper enjoyed the fruit feeders at Casa de Cope. Bronze-tailed Plumeleteers fiercely guarded the feeders at Casa de Cope.

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After lunch at a nearby restaurant owned by Cope’s friend, we continued our drive to Selva Verde, a lodge protecting some 500 acres of wet Caribbean-slope lowland forest. We enjoyed a relaxing evening before dinner and enjoyed views of the basilisk lizards (capable of running short distances over water with their large hind feet), Green and Black Poison Dart Frogs, and a shy Rufous Motmot.

17 July 2017

In the morning, we were greeted by Mantled Howler Monkeys who graciously provided a wake-up call at 5am, despite not being asked to do so. After a delicious breakfast with our daily infusion of coffee, we headed west to Finca Calaveras, a farm owned by Don Alvaro. It is here that a group of Scarlet and Great Green Macaws have become habituated to a steady supply of peanuts on offer each morning. Witnessing the routine alone is

impressive enough. “Lapaaaaa! Lapa, lapa, lapa, lapa, lapa, come lapaaaaaaa!” (Macaws! … Come eat,

macaws!) The pictures were the icing on the cake.

One of the many habituated Scarlet Macaws at Don Alvaro’s farm.

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When the farmer calls them for food, they fly in nice and close for their daily treats.
Great Green Macaws also come in to feed at the farm.

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Where there’s food to be stolen, you’ll find White-throated Capuchins ready to steal it.

Having enjoyed the macaws, we returned to the lodge for some lunch and well earned rest. Satisfied, we headed back out in the afternoon to Dave and Dave’s Nature Park, the home of one of Costa Rica’s premier photographic destinations. Formerly known as Nature Pavilion, the location is the home of Dave Sr. and his son Dave Jr. The former was a native of San Francisco that moved to Costa Rica some 40 years ago, and his son now helps run the family business. Their house features extensive feeders with fruit and sugar water for the toucans, tanagers, and hummingbirds that spent the day enjoying the buffet set out for them. We spent a little time at the fruit feeders but decided to focus instead on using multiflash photography to capture the variety of hummingbirds coming in to feed. Dave Sr. was incredibly helpful as we setup on his back porch to enjoy and capture the afternoon show and the furious burst of activity that occurred as dusk fell. Multiflash uses multiple off camera flashes to freeze fast motion in birds like hummingbirds. The results can be stunning, and we were certainly pleased with our results at Dave and Dave’s. Highlights included Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, a species largely confined to Central America, the beautiful Crowned Woodnymph, and more common denizens like White-necked Jacobins and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds. We were also awed by our first looks and pictures of a toucan when a Yellow-throated Toucan decided to yelp from the top of a tree above us for an extended period of time.

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Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, one of the common species at Dave and Dave’s feeders.

We returned to Selva Verde for dinner and a well-deserved night’s sleep.

18 July 2017

Blessed by howler monkeys that evidently decided to sleep in themselves, we awoke this morning at 6am. After packing up and grabbing a quick breakfast, we hit the road for a bit of a drive to the lowlands of Laguna del Lagarto, a lodge in northern Costa Rica not far as the Harpy Eagle flies from Nicaragua. As we drove from paved roads known to Google Maps to dirt tracks off the labeled path, it began to rain – a phenomenon not unknown in rainforests. It didn’t let up either, and we feared that the afternoon would be lost to the weather.

When we arrived at the lodge, we walked into the covered dining area to witness a continuous stream of activity that had us immediately running back out into the rain to the car to grab our camera gear. We spent the next six hours, save a short break for lunch, photographing the nonstop activity that came into the feeders and the surrounding trees from the lodge, all while staying dry and enjoying the occasional refreshing glass of juice.

For much of the afternoon, we had repeated opportunities to photograph all three toucan species in the area. Yellow-throated Toucans, the iconic Keel-billed Toucan, and the slimmed down Collared Aracari all came in throughout the day at close range. The real challenge at times was fitting them into a 500mm lens!

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Keel-billed Toucan, perhaps the most famous bird in Central America.

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Yellow-throated Toucans also sat for absolutely stunning portraits.

In addition to the croakers and the yelpers above, we enjoyed a large supporting cast around the lodge that included at least three separate nests of Black-cheeked Woodpeckers, Long-tailed Tyrants, and Black-crowned Tityras.

Also offering excellent photos were a host of tanagers including Passerini's, Blue-gray, Palm, Golden-hooded and the three honeycreepers: Shining, Red-legged, and Green. A troop of Montezuma Oropendolas came through from time to time scaring everything off, like a band of teenaged misfits at the local shopping mall. To top it all off, we saw Brown-hooded, Mealy, and Red-lored Parrots in the area as well as a pair of Great Green Macaws that announced their presence with a scream as they flew past the lodge.

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A mother Collared Aracari with her nearly full-grown chick.
This Black-cheeked Woodpecker was just one of 30 species seen from the lodge dining room on our first afternoon at Laguna del Lagarto.

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The Golden-hooded Tanager is one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful tanagers.
The Brown-hooded Parrots around the lodge were downright adorable.

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Long-tailed Tyrants are distinctive little flycatchers with tails longer than their bodies.

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The Shining Honeycreeper can be separated from the similar Purple Honeycreeper by its bright yellow (as opposed to red) legs.

The Montezuma Oropendola is an extremely large and odd member of the blackbird family.

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As we tore ourselves away in the late afternoon for a canoe trip through the lagoon, we were greeted by a White-nosed Coati walking by as though he owned the place. Nothing demonstrates trust for your guide quite like getting into a boat and hoping for the best. We returned safe and sound, having only gotten stuck once for five minutes on a fallen tree. We didn’t see much – a Black-bellied Whistling Duck, a pair of Green Kingfishers, and a heard (never seen) Great Tinamou – but the experience of canoeing through still waters was the perfect end to an amazing day in the tropics.

This White-nosed Coati, a member of the raccoon family, took his sweet time crossing the lodge grounds.

19 July 2017

Our second day at Laguna del Largarto began much the same as the first. It rained. We enjoyed the show at the feeders again but lamented the weather and the impact it would likely have on our hopes of photographing King Vultures (more on this later).

In addition to the repeat customers from yesterday, we had great looks at the recently split Russet-naped WoodRail, a couple of Slaty-tailed Trogons, and a family of Great Curassows complete with a male, female, and a young bird about 2/3rds the size of the adults.

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A pair of Russet-naped Wood-Rails seemed to enjoy the rain.
Black-crowned Tityras were one of several species nesting outside the lodge.

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This Slaty-tailed Trogon created quite a stir as he streaked by and perched in a nearby tree.

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Laguna del Lagarto is perhaps one of the best places in the world to photograph King Vultures, a species that needs large tracts of undisturbed tropical forests. Through the use of a permanent hide built low into the ground, photographers can get up close and personal with this spectacular, colorful New World vulture. When the rain finally broke, we didn’t have to wait long before spotting several in a tree above the blind. After a quick hike up the road, we reached the blind and settled in for the show. One bird was visiting the hide, snapping and hissing his supremacy towards the horde of Black Vultures tyring to challenge him.

A King Vulture struck a majestic pose at the vulture hide of Laguna del Largarto.

The morning a resounding success, we returned to the lodge for a good lunch and then took some rest in the afternoon. When we returned for dinner, we were privy to a pair of Scarlet Macaws that flew by and as it was getting dark, views of Short-tailed Nighthawks fluttering over the lodge. The real surprise came as we started our night walk. We had a Crested Owl perched in a tree right by the lodge, giving good looks to all. He never made a sound. Though they’ve been seen in the forest, this was a first sighting by the lodge itself, and I can confidently say that this was the first time I’ve ever looked up in a tree at night and just happened to see an owl sitting silently. Not anticipating photos, we naturally had left the cameras behind. Still, it was quite an experience. We also enjoyed good looks at several Spectacled Caiman along the lagoon’s edges before returning to the lodge for some night photography. We got excellent shots of confiding Red-eyed Tree Frogs and Strawberry or ‘Blue Jeans” Poison Dart Frogs and then returned for bed, tired but happy.

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For those with the energy to power into the night, Costa Rica’s frogs are a sight to behold. This Red-eyed Tree
Frog sat on a Heliconia flower for photos. Photo courtesy of Deepak Ramineedi.

One of Costa Rica’s most popular frogs is the tiny Strawberry or “Blue Jeans” Poison Dart Frog.
Photo courtesy of Deepak Ramineedi.

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20 July 2017

During our final morning enjoying the beautiful birds at the feeders, we added Violet-headed Hummingbird in the lodge’s gardens. After breakfast, we packed up and made the long but scenic drive west, across the volcanic mountains that divide Costa Rica.

We bid farewell to the Collared Aracari and his toucan friends as we headed west to the Pacific slope.

After lunch in La Fortuna, we drove past the large and scenic Lake Arenal before reaching our final destination, Hacienda Solimar. A working cattle ranch situated in the dry forests on the Pacific side of the country, the ranch gets its name from the Spanish words for Sun and Sea, as the Colorado Gulf is visible on a clear day from the ranch’s highest hills. The habitat changes decidedly here, with much shorter trees adapted to long periods in the year with reduced rainfall. Our visit to the dry forest coincided with the rainy season, however, so the vegetation was lush and green. We arrived in the late afternoon, in time to enjoy flocks of curious Groove-billed Anis and vocal Yellow-naped Parrots.

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Don’t be fooled. The Groove-billed Ani is not a blackbird but a member of the cuckoo family.

Tired from the drive, we relaxed, sitting outside on the large front porch where we enjoyed the sweeping vistas of the hills and forests as the sun drifted below the horizon. A Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl sounded off as it got dark. We then enjoyed an excellent dinner and made an early departure to bed in anticipation of the day to follow.

21 July 2017

We got an early start this morning, grabbing the life-sustaining chemicals in coffee and then heading out at 5:30am to the vast wetlands of Hacienda Solimar. Paradoxically, the conditions are a little harder this time of year during the wet season, since the large amount of suitable habitat has species spread out across the landscape instead of congregating in dwindling puddles.

We were greeted by a plague of small doves, consisting of Ruddy, Common, and Plain-breasted Ground-Doves along with a smattering of Inca Doves that flew up from the road in huge numbers as we drove out from the house. As we entered the wetlands, a lone Jabiru greeted us but sadly flew before we could obtain pictures.

The wetlands were teeming with life, but we had to work harder for our shots. We had perhaps grown a bit lazy, spoiled by the excellent hides and feeders at our previous location as the birds came to us. We had ten species of