Costa Rica part 2, January 20-27

White eared Ground Sparrow, La Casa de la Montana, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 21, 2022

Blue vented Hummingbird, Santuario Ecológico, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 22, 2022

Azure hooded Jay, Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 24, 2022

Magenta throated Woodstar, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 24, 2022

I spent a lot of the day on Thursday trying to figure out a place to stay and secure transportation to a new location (the other option was to stay at a hotel near the airport the entire time which I definitely did not want to do). I finally found a place in Santa Elena near Monteverde that would allow me to be isolated but not stuck in an airport hotel. 

The whole day was not totally lost as I was able to track down a Cabanis’s Ground Sparrow in a small wood lot behind a Wal Mart about a half a mile from my hotel. It is a known spot for this rather rare and unique species. The hotel also hosted a large roost site for Crimson fronted Parakeets that noisily fill the palm trees every evening. 

Orange billed Nightingale Thrush, La Casa de la Montana, Monteverde, Jan 21, 2022

Golden olive Woodpecker, La Casa de la Montana, Monteverde, Jan 21, 2022

 Northern barred Woodcreeper, La Casa de la Montana, Monteverde, Jan 21, 2022

 Lesson's Motmot, La Casa de la Montana, Monteverde, Jan 21, 2022

White eared Ground Sparrow, La Casa de la Montana, Monteverde, Jan 21, 2022

On Friday the 21st I made the trip up to the Monteverde area in the northern mountains to spend six nights and try to salvage something out of all this Covid mess. The ride took a bit over three hours with a thirty minute delay due to road construction. I stayed at La Casa De la Montana in the town of Santa Elena. I made a walk around town to get supplies and then spent some time late in the afternoon poking around the small area of woods around my lodging and ran across some good birds (most in the area of an army ant swarm). The highlight was a lifer White eared Ground Sparrow (my second ground sparrow lifer in as many days). The weather in the area was quite breezy but warmer than I expected. Rain came in around sunset and I just managed to make it back from dinner before the deluge started.

Chestnut capped Warbler, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 22, 2022

Long tailed Manakin, Santuario Ecológico, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 22, 2022

Blue vented Hummingbird, Santuario Ecológico, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 22, 2022

Agouti, Santuario Ecológico, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 22, 2022

Slate throated Redstart, Santuario Ecológico, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 22, 2022

Hook billed Kite, Santuario Ecológico, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 22, 2022

Golden browed Chlorophonia, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 22, 2022

White faced Capuchin Monkey, La Casa de la Montana, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 22, 2022

On Saturday I explored some areas within walking distance with a large portion of my morning spent at Santuario Ecologico covering several trails over almost four hours. Among the highlights there was a lifer (Blue vented Hummingbird) and a large variety of warblers (ten species) plus great looks at a variety of other species. I added another lifer while walking the local area with two flyby Red fronted Parrotlets. I walked a few other areas after a lunch break but didn’t find too much. The wind was yet again an ongoing issue in tracking down birds. I did have a few close mammal encounters for the day with multiple White faced Capuchin Monkeys near my lodging and some vary tame Agoutis. 

Cinnamon bellied Saltator, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 23, 2022

Hoffman's Woodpecker, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 23, 2022

Ovenbird, Santuario Ecológico, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 23, 2022

Rainbow, Santuario Ecológico, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 23, 2022

Brown Jay, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 23, 2022

Sunday was another day of covering areas nearby on foot and I headed back to Santuario Ecologico where I spent a few hours. Before I got there I had a nice selection of species on the road in the preserve where I had a lifer Nutting’s Flycatcher. The preserve itself was a bit more quiet than the day before but I did find a number of new species for the trip including a very uncooperative Kentucky Warbler. The rest of the morning was spent trying to figure out a flight home. In the afternoon I walked around the neighborhood. 

Azure hooded Jay, Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 24, 2022

Buff fronted Quail Dove, Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 24, 2022

Costa Rican Warbler, Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 24, 2022

Ochraceous Wren, Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 24, 2022

On Monday I hired a guide and we went out birding with a early meeting time of 5:30. It was a very windy and cool morning (coldest one yet for the trip). With the targets I was still after in mind we decided on going to the lower part of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. We got there before it opened at seven and birded around the gates before paying the admission fee and heading into the reserve. Even before we made it into the preserve proper I had picked a lifer with a Magenta throated Woodstar. Once in the reserve we walked one of the trails and over the course of the next three plus hours I picked up three more lifers including Prong billed Barbet, Azure hooded Jay and Chiriqui Quail Dove. We had to work hard to get these as the chilly conditions and the wind kept activity quite low. The preserve is a super popular spot and I was surprised at the number of people around. As we looked for our target species we also came across some other stuff and I got some photos of species I had seen before but not photographed.

Rufous collared Sparrow carrying food, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 24, 2022

Magenta throated Woodstar, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 24, 2022

Pale billed Woodpecker, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 24, 2022

Townsend's Warbler, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 24, 2022

The day eventually warmed up and the wind died down and the late morning into the afternoon ended up being the most pleasant one so far with lighter winds and no on/off light rain or drizzle. I walked quite a bit along the road and picked up quite a few birds along the way and got some photos of a number of good species. 

Kentucky Warbler, Santuario Ecológico, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 25, 2022

Keel billed Toucan, La Casa de la Montana,  Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 25, 2022

Baltimore Oriole, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 25, 2022

On the morning of Tuesday the 25th I got a notice that my quarantine time was up (I never got notification of how long it would be so had to guess by looking online and that information pointed toward 10 days and possibly more). I was happy to start planning my escape back to the cold north. With all the details to be worked out I picked Thursday as the day to make my flight back home. I had to change my flight, hotels, and try to get a doctors note saying I recovered from Covid just in case my new Covid test came back positive again. The day turned out to be sunny almost the entire day and the wind almost became calm by later morning. I decided to spend my last full day in Monteverde seeing how many warblers I could turn up over the course of the day and managed a total of 13. I visited the nearby Santuario Ecologico once again early in the morning (which became my 37,000th complete eBird checklist!) and then spent the rest of my day (in between working out details of the trip home) exploring a few spots around the town of Santa Elena. 

Rufous and White Wren, La Casa de la Montana, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 26, 2022

Northern Emerald Toucanet, La Casa de la Montana, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 26, 2022

Golden winged Warbler, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 26, 2022

Gray headed Chachalaca, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 26, 2022

Looking toward ocean, Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jan 26, 2022

I had a few hours free in the morning before making the trek back to San Jose and I walked the road up toward the cloud forest preserve as well as a few areas in the neighborhood with the goal of turning up a Sunbittern. Nothing particular unusual (no sunbittern) but nice to stretch my legs before the long journey home. 

Overall for the trip I found 270 species with 10 life birds bringing my total to 1674. My Costa Rica lists now stands at 537 (14 new species added on this trip).  Life birds seen included Scaly throated Leaftosser, Cabanis's Ground Sparrow, White eared Ground Sparrow, Red fronted Parrotlet, Blue vented Hummingbird, Nutting's Flycatcher, Azure hooded Jay, Prong billed Barbet, Magenta Throated Woodstar and Chiriquí Quail Dove. 

Link to all the photos:  Costa Rica January 2022

Link to more details on warblers for the entire trip: Costa Rica warbler January 2022

Costa Rica part 1 -January 10-20

Scaly breasted Leaftosser, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 13, 2022

Tropical Parula, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 14, 2022

Snowy bellied Hummingbird, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2022

After a two year absence from Costa Rica we finally made it back down there. We arrived into San Jose in the mid afternoon on January 10 and after a long wait in immigration and customs we began our journey down to the incomparable Rio magnolia lodge. This was the first time we have been able to make it down here in two years due to the pandemic and this became our 14th trip down. We arrived around 7:30pm after a four hour drive and had a late dinner with the occasional Common Pauraque calling.

Black striped Sparrow, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 11, 2022

Gray headed Chachalacas, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 11, 2022

Laughing Falcon, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 11, 2022

Yellow throated Toucan, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 11, 2022

Sunset, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 11, 2022

On my first day back at Rio Magnolia I made the first of many walks to the gate (a walk through primary forest along the road into the lodge) plus a few shorter walks around the property. The weather was a bit cooler than usual but still nothing like the subzero temperatures at home. 

Boat billed Flycatcher building nest, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 12, 2022

Rufous winged Woodpecker, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 12, 2022

Baird's Trogon, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 12, 2022

Bicolored Antbird, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 12, 2022

Ruddy Quail Dove, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 12, 2022

The second day started out sunny and eventually clouded up a bit midday with short bouts of rain but overall a little warmer. I made several walks in the morning and eventually had to take it easy in the afternoon after developing some blisters on my feet. Nonetheless the birds were still around and I ended the day with 106 species.  Highlights included Ruddy Quail Doves, great looks at multiple trogon species, Bicolored Antbirds, Boat billed Flycatchers building a nest plus lots of other stuff.

Scaly breasted Leaftosser, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 13, 2022

White Hawk, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 13, 2022

White crested Coquettes, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 13, 2022

Turquoise Cotingas, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 13, 2022

White tipped Sicklebill, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 13, 2022

Waterslide, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 13, 2022

The third day dawned clear and I was out the door before sunrise.  I then finally made the steep walk down to the water slide area of the Rio Magnolia. The trail was freshly cut back so it was easy to find although it was a steep walk down. After being here so many times I figured I was long overdue to make the walk there (on a previous walk down toward the area several years ago we came across a Fer-de-lance curled up along the trail and wisely turned around. The trip down was well worth the effort because as I was walking back out I flushed up a Scaly throated Leaftosser and it perched up on a low branch for a few minutes and allowed me to get some photos. This is a species I have been looking for here but had missed up until this point. Not only was the bird a new species for me at the lodge it was a life bird (species # 1665).  The afternoon was mainly spent around the lodge and although the skies looked threatening at times the expected rain held off until early evening. There were a number of birds around (as always) including a brief appearance of an Ornate Hawk Eagle.

Tropical Parula, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 14, 2022

Scarlet rumped Cacique, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 14, 2022

Roadside Hawks, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 14, 2022

Butterfly species, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 14, 2022

Friday stayed cloudy for a good portion of the day and the cooler than typical weather continued. The highlight of the day came late when I was picking through the various species feeding along the hillside below our balcony. Lots of expected stuff and then I saw a new species for me at the lodge with the sighting of a Tropical Parula…the second new warbler species for me at the lodge for the trip! 

Ornate Hawk Eagle, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 15, 2022

Ornate Hawk Eagle, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 15, 2022

Black and White Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 15, 2022

Ruddy tailed Flycatcher, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 15, 2022

Bicolored Antbird, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 15, 2022

Coati, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 15, 2022

Butterfly, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 15, 2022

Green flash at sunset, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 15, 2022

The first day of the weekend was much sunnier than the day before and we had no rain at all for the entire day. I managed to find 125 species over the course of the day. On my way back from my walk to the gate I ran across my first army ant swarm and had a close encounter with a group of Bicolored Antbirds partaking in the feast of insects being pushed in front of the army ant swarm. The birds were very cooperative and fed almost at arms length sometimes…too close for my good camera to even focus sometimes and I got photos with my phone (check out the linked eBird list above with videos). A juvenile Ornate Hawk Eagle rounded out the great birds during the morning. The afternoon featured lots of activity on the hillside below our room with a wide variety of species moving through and feeding. 

Slaty tailed Trogon, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 16, 2022

Tennessee Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 16, 2022

Howler Monkey, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 16, 2022

Howler Monkey with baby on its back, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 16, 2022

Golden hooded Tanager, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 16, 2022

Squirrel Cuckoo, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 16, 2022

American Redstart, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 16, 2022

Golden naped Woodpecker, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 16, 2022

Late morning view of mountains, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 16, 2022

Sunday started sunny and stayed that way for a good portion of the day with no rain at all. The day turned out to be the most diverse day with 134 species total.  I made the usual walk out to the gate in the morning and then hit a few other spots closer to the lodge the remainder of the morning into the early afternoon.  I finally came across a large mixed flock early in the afternoon along the river and added a number of species for the day (and for the trip). Always fun sorting through the various woodcreepers, flycatcher, migrant species and others as they move through the jungle. Every little bit of movement is worth a look as one species after another shows itself (at least briefly). It can be frustrating as the looks are typically brief but worth the effort to sort through as many species as you can. The day also turned out to hold my highest number of warblers in a single day for the trip with eleven species (including my first American Redstarts and Blackburnian Warbler for this trip). The afternoon was spent around the lodge and beyond a few more species of birds the reward for looking around was a family of Howler Monkeys that paid a visit to some trees across from the lodge (five adults and two youngsters). It was loads of fun to watch them feed and they stayed around for about 45 minutes before disappearing back into the jungle. The biggest group of this species I have seen and some of the best views I have ever had of them. 

Buff throated Saltator, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Jan 17, 2022

Tropical Kingbird, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Jan 17, 2022

Golden winged Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Jan 17, 2022

Marbled Wood Quail (a tough species to get a photo of), Rio Magnolia Lodge, Jan 17, 2022

Agouti, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Jan 17, 2022

Sunset with a toucan in a tree, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Jan 17, 2022

After a more intense day on Sunday I took it a bit more easy on Monday with more birding from the deck and a little less walking. Nonetheless I still added some new species to the trip list and ended up with 123 species for the day including another new one for me at the lodge with a brief view of a Long billed Starthroat. This also turned out to be one of the sunniest and warmest days of the trip (much more typical of the usual weather down here in the dry season). The evening again featured a number of birds feeding in the low bushes near our deck plus a couple Agoutis moving by together. 

Baird's Trogon, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2022

Turquoise Cotingas, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2022

Snowy bellied Hummingbird, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2022

Wilson's Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2022

Barred Hawk, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2022

Ant, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2022

Moon at dawn, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2022

The last full day at the lodge I hit the same areas once again for most of the morning and the reward was yet another new species for me at the lodge with the sighting of a Wilson’s Warbler. I also found the outer reaches of another army ant swarm but could only find a few Bicolored Antbirds and Gray headed Tanagers attending the swarm. A bit of afternoon rain put a damper on my plans to explore a bit more so I had to be content with birding from the balcony (which is always productive). Among the many highlights of the final afternoon on the balcony were three species of trogon in view at once and a group of five Turquoise Cotingas.

Yellow headed Caracara, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 19, 2022

Northern Waterthrush, Hacienda Baru NWR, Costa Rica, Jan 19, 2022

Summer Tanager, Hacienda Baru NWR, Costa Rica, Jan 19, 2022

We left the lodge around 9:30 to begin the long trek back to San Jose for the night (with an early morning flight scheduled for early Thursday morning). There was enough time in the morning for a leisurely walk to the gate and then a final breakfast before beginning the trip. We arranged for a stop off at Hacienda Baru (about an hour from the lodge on the coast) so we could walk around the trails and then have lunch. A stop in Quepos to get a Covid test took much longer than expected and we finally arrived at our hotel near the airport at dinner time. Unfortunately that is when the trip took a bad turn. I tested positive for Covid which meant I would not be able to leave as expected on Thursday the 20th. I went and got another test done at the airport that evening and it also came back positive. I had no symptoms beyond what seemed to me to be a very minor cold a few days before. The positive test meant I would be stuck in Costa Rica for another ten days. Thankfully Sherri tested negative so she could go (if she stayed and then tested positive later she would have to stay for the full quarantine time). At first glance an extra ten days in the warmth sounds good but not when you had no plans to do so…not enough money, clothes, supplies, lodging, transport, etc.  More details on the unscheduled extension to the trip can be found at the following post.

During my time at Rio Magnolia I found 181 species with an amazing seven of those new for me at the lodge including one lifer (Scaly throated Leaftosser). It really speaks volumes to the diversity there that even after 14 trips I still find new species at the lodge. I have now had 277 species total at the lodge over the course of all my trips there.

All of my photos during my time at the lodge at the following link.

A post on all the warblers for the trip can be found at the following link.