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Lowlands - 0 - 400 meters All along the eastern coasts of Costa Rica, you will find there are extensive, almost straight, lines of beaches. In this area, you will find lush mangroves and lowland forests. |
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Tortuguero
On one trip, our guide, Patrick, led 10 members on a 3-day trip to Casa Marbella B&B on the coastal island of Tortuguero, near the far northeastern corner of Costa Rica (and accessible only by boat or plane). The group met at Pavona dock and took a fast public boat to the home of Tortuguero National Park in the province of Limón. On the first day, the group saw Peregrine Falcons, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Red-eyed Vireos and an American Redstart.Saturday started with coffee, cakes & muffins at 5:15 AM and with a look at Dickcissels and other migrants on the way to the park. The group saw Green Ibis, Mississippi Kite, Mealy and Brown-hooded Parrots, and heard Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, Red-capped Manakin, and other species. Daryl, from the B&B, spotted a White-necked Puffbird and a nesting Rufescent Tiger-Heron, which is hardly ever seen there. On the way back to breakfast, the group saw Great Green Macaws, and a foraging Sungrebe. The stars of the afternoon were a Gray Kingbird and a Western Kingbird who are rare in Costa Rica during migration. After good birding in park in the afternoon as well, the group went to dinner at the Wild Ginger restaurant.On Sunday morning, after coffee and muffins, Roberto took the group out in the boat where they saw Swainson’s Thrushes, lots of Eastern Kingbirds, one Piratic Flycatcher, a Common Yellowthroat, a Golden-winged Warbler, several Red-eyed Vireos, and Chestnut-sided, Bay-breasted, Blackburnian, and Prothonotary Warblers.Breakfast followed, but unfortunately there was no time to do the birdlist together, as they had to catch the 11 AM boat back to Pavona. |
The total count was 124 seen and 21 heard, for a total of 145 species.
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Manzanillo
Another October birding trip was to Manzanillo, in the southeast corner of Costa Rica on the Caribbean coast near Panama. The group stayed at the Cabinas Manzanillo where they saw lots of migrating swallows, martins, Eastern Kingbirds, vultures and Mississippi Kites passing overhead on their arrival. Later that afternoon, they saw Common Black Hawk, Pale-vented Pigeons, Eastern Kingbirds and a Least Flycatcher. On Saturday morning, they saw Indigo Buntings, Blue Grosbeak, a few warblers, and Dickcissels. After lunch, they visited the Botanical Garden at Puerto Viejo, where they saw several flycatchers and pewees before they went into the second growth where they saw in one of the first trees a Collared Forest-Falcon. They didn't get far into the forest before they saw such beauties as White-whiskered Puffbird, Dot-winged Antwren, Checker-throated Antwren, and White-flanked Antwren. On Sunday they did some birding along the Recope road where Bicolored Antbird and a group of Purple-throated Fruitcrows stole the show. They also saw Chestnut-colored and Cinnamon Woodpeckers, woodcreepers, Black-crowned Antshrike, many Red-eyed Vireos, and some other lowland species. They finished the bird list before breakfast. |
They logged140 species seen and 23 more heard for a trip total of 163 species.
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Laguna del Lagarto
This was the club's 3rdor 4th trip to this birdy lodge and, as with past visits, this one delivered many good birds. Fruit feeders at the lodge entertained with close looks at toucans, Brown-hooded Parrots, Plain-colored Tanagers, and other species. The feeders at the lodge manager's place were even better with looks at Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, Blue Dacnis, more parrots, and a suite of hummingbirds. Away from the feeders, the group had great looks at multiple King Vultures, Great Green Macaws, and Short-tailed Nighthawks at dusk. The weather even cooperated with little rain for this humid region, and slightly cooler weather than expected. In the forest, they managed good looks at Bicolored Antbird, Checker-throated Antwren, Black-throated Trogon, and other species. Out in the garden, they had scope views of one of the stars of the trip, a White-fronted Nunbird. At night, they heard calls from Central American Pygmy-Owl, and Vermiculated Screech-Owls but they remained unseen. A drive on roads near the lodge turned up Nicaraguan Seed-Finch, migrating Swallow-tailed Kites, Pied Puffbird, and a pair of Scarlet Macaws. And a walk in scrubby habitat produced Hooded Warbler and Blue-winged Warbler.
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In all, the group saw 138 and heard 29, for a total of 167 apecies.
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