Costa Rica: Selva Verde

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Our 90-minute visit to the Selva Verde biological station started off in style: A sloth was hanging out in a tree overlooking the parking lot. Although my photos show nothing more than a dark blob among the leaves, we were able to see the sloth fairly clearly through binoculars.


Next up was a 20-minute hunt for poison dart frogs. This took us past a few butterflies and fungi, and lots of interesting plants, including red (inedible) bananas.






It didn't take long to find a "strawberry" frog.


A few minutes more and I spotted a "blue Jeans" poison dart one also - but this time my flash malfunctioned.


Heading back to the lodge for lunch, we passed another stunning iguana and several small lizards.




The biggest lizard was a Jesus Christ Lizard, so called because it can walk - well, run - on water.


We also passed some very large termite nests in the trees.



Although birds were largely conspicuous by their absence, I got a brief glimpse of a Violet-crowned Woodnymph hummingbird, which appeared almost totally black from the front.


A nearby bird-feeding table was attracting Montezuma Pendulas and Blue-gray Tanagers.

Montezuma Pendula

Blue-gray Tanager

With the help of a young researcher, we also saw a larger green frog with its eggs ...



and a Praying Mantis.


The lunch buffet looked very appetizing but I contented myself with bolting down some forkfuls of beans and rice, so that I could spend a few extra minutes around the bird-feeding table. On my way there, I met up with the Jesus Christ Lizard again.


The fruit on the table had brought in a Black-cheeked Woodpecker as well as a Clay-colored Robin. A Summer Tanager popped in but was scared away by the arrival of a pair of Montezuma Pendulas.




Then, just as I had to leave to get back on the bus, I was thrilled to see a Gray-headed Chachalaca come down from the trees to eat. A wonderful bird and a great way to wrap up the all-too-short visit to Selva Verde.


Tomorrow: An aerial tram ride through the rain forest and a great final sighting

Costa Rica: Sarapiqui River

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I originally thought of renting a taxi for my free Sunday but was persuaded instead to take a bus tour. Unfortunately, I ended up being the only person for the recommended tour - a day birding trip to Carara National Park - and so it didn't run. Instead I took a 3-in-1 tour, starting at 7:15 and visiting the Sarapiqui River, the Selva Verde reserve, and the aerial tram near the Braulio Carillo Park before returning to Los Yoses at about 5:30.

Although I would have preferred a birding-focused trip, the 3-in-1 tour turned out to be very good. The driver was very pleasant and there were only four other passengers in the minibus. We started with an almost 2-hour drive through the huge Braulio Carillo rainforest park and down through some picturesque scenery to Sarapiqui. On the final stretch of the road we were treated to flyovers by numerous Black and Turkey Vultures.

Sarapiqui

The main feature of the morning was a 90-minute ride in a smallish boat along the Sarapiqui River. I had heard that these rides often last only an hour but ours was very unhurried and lasted well over the scheduled time.




From the moment we set off, we were accompanied by Mangrove Swallows, which swooped low over the water and stopped every now and then to perch on the boat's roof.


The next birds to appear were all familiar ones: a Tricolored Heron, an Anhinga in breeding plumage, and several Spotted Sandpipers.

Tricolored Heron

Anhinga

After admiring several dogs lazing on the riverbanks and a group of cows accompanied by Cattle Egrets, we had a very brief glimpse of a new bird: Green Kingfisher.

Cattle Egret

The guide/pilot pointed out a troop of Howler Monkeys, and then a family of White-faced Capucin Monkeys, followed by more Howlers.

Howler Monkeys

Howler Monkey

Capuchin Monkey

We also had great views of Green Iguanas sunning themselves on the upper branches of trees. I hadn't realized that iguanas could be so big or so colorful! These were well over 6 feet long and all shades of gold and orange.



Apart from Spotted Sandpipers, birds were few and far between. However, a brief look at several male Passerini's Tanagers and a couple of Montezuma Pendulas was soon followed by great views of Chestnut-mandibled Toucans in some banana trees.

Passerini's Tanager

Chestnut-mandibled Toucan

Back at the jetty, while the others had a bathroom break, I spotted a Swainson's Thrush and then a bird I couldn't identify. I later discovered it was a female Passerini's Tanager. Both were in shade too deep for photos and I had to content myself with a picture of a butterfly and some nearby houses. Boy, what I wouldn't give for a garden like those and others I saw in Costa Rica!




As it was now about 11:00, we got back into the bus for a 20-minute drive to the Selva Verde reserve, the second featured stop on our trip.

Tomorrow: Frogs, Iguanas and Birds at Selva Verde

Costa Rica: Birding the University Campus

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On my first afternoon in Costa Rica, I walked up to the university campus in San Pedro. Although the light was already fading - it gets dark at 5:30 every day of the year in Costa Rica - the campus clearly had a lot of potential for birding.


One huge tree near the entrance was busy with Great Kiskadees and Clay-colored Robins, the national bird.

Clay-colored Robin

More exciting still, some small trees nearby had Tennessee Warblers and a new bird: Blue-gray Tanager. In the dusk light, the Tanagers appeared almost ghostly.

Blue-gray Tanager

I returned to explore other parts of the campus early on Monday morning but I saw very little, except for more Kiskadees, Robins, Rufous-collared Sparrows, Blue-gray Tanagers and Crimson-fronted Parakeets.

Great Kiskadee

Clay-colored Robin

Young Rufous-collared Sparrow with deformed beak

Blue-gray Tanagers

Crimson-fronted Parakeets

However, when I went back to the tree near the entrance, it was again pretty busy with Kiskadees and Robins. Then, at about 8:30, the tree positively erupted with bird action. Scores of Kiskadees and Robins began flying madly around, making an incredible amount of noise. They were joined by Blue-gray Tanagers, Tennessee Warblers, a Black-and-white Warbler, a Chestnut-sided Warbler, and Yellow-throated Vireos.

Tennessee Warbler

Although the lighting was difficult, I spotted a Summer Tanager and some Baltimore Orioles, followed by another new bird, a Hoffmann's Woodpecker.

Summer Tanager

Hoffmann's Woodpecker

Then, after 15-20 minutes of frenzied activity, the tree returned to normal. I guess what I had witnessed was a mini-version of a well-known feature of bird behavior in Costa Rica, a mixed flock.

I spent my final morning in San Jose up at the university campus again. There was no frantic activity this time but there was still plenty to see.

This spider was one of only a handful I saw on my trip.


Several trees had squirrels but they were very shy and difficult to photograph.


Something in one tree made an amazing sound - a cross between a dog in pain, a turkey gobbling and a car alarm. It turned out to be the call of a pair of Montezuma Pendulas. Certainly the oddest bird call I've ever heard.

Different sections of undergrowth had two new birds, a Plain Wren and a Grayish Saltater.

Grayish Saltater

At long last I managed to get some slightly better photos of Blue-gray Tanagers.

Blue-gray Tanagers

My final sighting was a bird that I'd been hoping for throughout my trip, a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Tomorrow: The Sarapiqui River

Costa Rica: Birding Los Yoses (San Jose)

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I arrived in Costa Rica at lunchtime on Saturday and was out of the airport in only 10 minutes. Soon after getting into the taxi that had been sent to pick me up, I saw my first bird: a Great-tailed Grackle. I didn’t notice any other birds during the taxi ride, mainly because I was so terrified by the driving around us that I had my eyes closed much of the time.

It was still only early afternoon when we reached our destination, a bed-and-breakfast in Los Yoses, an affluent eastern suburb of San Jose.So, after checking in, I spent an hour or so birding the streets of Los Yoses.

I did similar walks at dawn on the following mornings, too.

The first birds I noticed were Great Kiskadees. Lots of them! Every street block seemed to have at least one, and most of them were not at all shy about calling out their name.

However, even the Kiskadees’ calls were drowned out every few minutes when small flocks of Crimson-fronted Parakeets passed overhead. The noise of the Parakeets was one that I was to become very familiar with during my short time in Costa Rica.

The Dove family was well represented. The main road had Rock Doves/Pigeons while the smaller streets had White-winged Doves ...

and Inca Doves.

Then I spotted my first “new” birds: Red-billed Pigeons.

I was half-expecting to see hordes of House Sparrows and European Starlings but instead the most common street bird was the delightful Rufous-collared Sparrow.

Although many of the area’s gardens were full of flowers, I was disappointed not to see a single hummingbird. As compensation, I came across a Yellow Warbler exploring a tree.

Most of Monday was spent assessing a teacher-training course in Los Yoses, the main reason for my trip. Luckily, I was able to do some time of my work sitting in the school’s beautifully-kept garden, where I added a House Wren and several Baltimore Orioles to my trip list. The garden had some very interesting-looking caterpillars also.

Tomorrow: Birding the University Campus.