Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 Costa Rica Photo Journey February 18 – March 1, 2017 Report by George Lin Many thanks to Paula Dulski, BarbyQ, Rich Frank, Larry Thompson, and Nina H for allowing us to include their photos in this trip report www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 Trip Summary On the Costa Rica Photo Journey, we cover the Caribbean Moist Forest, Central American Dry Forest, Moist Pacific Mangroves, Pacific Moist Forest and Talamancan Montane Forest. We targeted birds that are not only colorful or unique, but easy to photograph. Some of the highlights from this tour included Thicket Antpitta, Turquoise-browed Motmot, FIVE Resplendent Quetzales, a Three-toed Sloth, and up close encounters with Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 2/19/2017 Having arrived in San José the night before, we started off or first full day with a sunny morning as we drove through Braulio Carrillo National Park. It was the first time I had ever seen clear skies in this area. We descended the Caribbean side and went straight to Cope’s place west of Guápiles. His backyard sanctuary has both fruit feeders and hummingbird feeders, and it was an exciting start when the very first wildlife we encountered there was a sloth! It was hanging upside down and being very photogenic as we snapped away at the gentle face. At the feeder, we were able to photograph the Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, Passerini’s, Blue-gray, and Palm Tanagers, White-necked Jacobin, Long-billed Hermit, and Montezuma Oropendola. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 We then headed out to a nearby tract of forest next to a farm. In the forest, we photographed several Spectacled Owls. Along the road outside the forest, we were able to photograph a Crested Owl who annoyingly had a small stick and a leaf right in front of his face. We then went to a nearby farm where there was a nesting Hoffman’s Woopecker and a nest of the Orange-chinned Parakeets out in the open field, along with a nest of Long-tailed Tyrant. We continued and entered into a forest alcove where after several minutes of calls, the Thicket Antpitta made an appearance to the photographers’ delight. We had lunch and went back to Cope’s place to shoot some more birds. The Crowned Woodnymph made a flashy appearance by sitting patiently near the hide, letting us photograph it. We then continued to Selva Verde in the mid- afternoon and photographed some more birds at their fruit feeder. The birds that came to the feeder included Buff- throated Saltator, Collared Aracari, and Green Honeycreeper. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 2/20/2017 We started the morning with breakfast at Selva Verde, and a few people managed to photograph a Red-throated Ant- Tanager at the feeder before boarding our bus. The Mantled Howler Monkeys called to us as we made our way out to Alvaro’s farm. Alvaro was there tending to his macaws when we arrived, and we were able to photograph Scarlet Macaws, Great Green Macaws, and some hybrids. There was a Yellow-naped Parrot and a Red-lored Parrot hopping along the ground fighting for peanuts. A troop of White-faced Capuchin Monkeys were also in the trees snatching the peanuts away from the macaws. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 We went to a field where we were able to shoot some flybys of the macaws, then continued to the river and found a pair of Black-throated Trogons digging in a snag to create a new nest. After lunch, we headed to Dave & Dave’s (which used to be called Nature’s Pavilion) where we photographed more tanagers and hummingbirds. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 Activity was great with White-necked Jacobins, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteers, and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds at the hummer feeders, while Yellow-throated Toucan, Collared Aracari, Blue-gray Tanager, Passerini’s Tanager, Golden- hooded Tanager, and Green Honeycreeper voraciously chowed down on the fruit. A pair of Rufous Motmots, a Lineated Woodpecker, and some Gray-headed Chachalacas also made an appearance. In the late afternoon, a Crimson-collared Tanager made a brief appearance as well. We shot until it started to get a bit cloudy and rainy, so we headed back to the lodge. After dinner we photographed a few Red-eyed Treefrogs before it started raining again. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 2/21/2017 The day started with a troop of Mantled Howler Monkeys foraging for fruits on the trees next to the cabins at Selva Verde. We had breakfast and continued to the northern Caribbean lowlands. We stopped by a restaurant near the lodge where there were some giant Green Iguanas roaming the grounds, and a fruit feeder where we got our first look of the Brown-hooded Parrots & Orange-chinned Parakeets. There was also a beautiful nest of a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird with the mother sitting on the eggs. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 We continued on to Laguna del Lagarto and had a strange encounter with a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron sunning itself on the side of the lagoon. I've never seen this behavior before. Some highlights of the afternoon included the Great Curassow and Slaty-tailed Trogons. Barb and I paddled through the quiet, lush lagoon and got to see Black-throated Trogon and a few Kingfishers, including Ringed, Amazon and Green. The fruit feeders at the lodge were busy with Red-legged Honeycreepers, Brown-hooded Parrots, Montezuma's Oropendola, and Black-cheeked Woodpeckers. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 2/22/2017 Brown-hooded Parrots and Yellow-throated Toucans made an early visit to the fruit feeders. The background was still shrouded in the early morning fog, and it gave them an almost ethereal appearance on their mossy perches. We were lucky when a male Chestnut-colored Woodpecker made an appearance at the feeder as well. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 The morning’s excitement continued with the early arrival of the King Vultures. The hungry vultures fought each other over the cow heads that were left in the open to attract them. We snapped away from the hide and got some really nice interaction photos between the dominate King Vultures and the smaller Black Vultures scrambling for food. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 We spent the early afternoon shooting herps. We photographed the Yellow morph and Green mottled morph of the Eyelash Pit-vipers, juvenile Fer-de-Lance, and both the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog and the Black-and-Green Poison Dart Frog. Later in the afternoon, we tried the multi-flash setup again where a Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer fought with a White- necked Jacobin for the sugar water, while others shot more tanagers and parrots at the fruit feeder close by. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 2/23/2017 Breakfast this morning was exciting for all as we finally got a good shot of a pair of Keel-billed Toucans that landed on the mossy perch above the feeder. We shot some more birds here and also at Diego's garden where Passerini’s Tanagers and Plain-colored Tanagers competed for the fruit, and a Chestnut-colored Woodpecker pecked at an open coconut. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 Today was largely a travel day; we drove along the huge Lake Arenal and crossed the mountains to the Pacific side into the Pacific Dry Forest. While approaching the lodge, Lisle spotted and excitedly pointed out a Lesser Nighthawk perched on a tree next to the road. We also found a few Turquoise-browed Motmots, Ferruginous Pygmy Owls, and Streak- backed Orioles along the way. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 2/24/2017 The morning started off with a pair of Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls perched nearby. They continuously dove into the grass for insects. We also saw two individual Pacific Screech-Owls roosting in the area. Afterwards, we headed into the lagoons where the wetland habitat created by the cattle ranch provided a haven for some of the water birds and migratory birds as well. www.tropicalbirding.com +1 (409) 515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Costa Rica Photo Journey – February 2017 There were Roseate Spoonbills, Black-necked Stilts, thousands of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and we got to see Jabiru parents and their 3 juveniles in their nest.