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
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment