MORE PHOTOS TO COME ONCE I GET FLICKR TO COOPERATE AGAIN! (Full album at the following link: Costa Rica Mar-Apr 2025)
We made it to our hotel in Charlotte in the early evening after and the grounds around the hotel had some good habitat and I added quite a few species to my North Carolina list. Nothing crazy unusual, just a nice selection of expected species.
Rufous tailed Hummingbird, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 23, 2025
Lake Arenal, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 23, 2025
We flew down from Charlotte in the morning into Liberia Airport in the northwest part of the country before making the three hour trip to our first stop at the famous Arenal Observatory Lodge. It was sunny, hot and windy during our time in the lowlands as we worked our way toward our destination. I managed to get two life birds on the way with the first being a Cinnamon Hummingbird near the airport and the second a distantly seen Jabiru in a sod field southeast of Liberia (species number 2165 and 2166 for me). The sun and heat was replaced by clouds and intermittent rain as we climbed up in elevation and made our way around Lake Arenal. We finally arrived at the lodge a bit after four and the rain let up a little so I could at least bird right around our room.
White necked Jacobin, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
White throated Thrush, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
Brown Violetear, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
Black crested Coquette, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
Violet headed Hummingbird, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
Chestnut sided Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
Bananaquit, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
Red legged Honeycreeper, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
Scarlet rumped Tanager (Passerini's), Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
Wilson's Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
Black crested Coquette, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
Pale billed Woodpecker, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
Crowned Woodnymph, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
I was up before dawn and thankfully the rain had stopped overnight although it remained quite gloomy with low clouds. I tried for owls early on but came up empty likely due to continued windy conditions. I walked out to the far southwest corner of the property before making my way back around eight to have breakfast. I found a few pockets of birds as well as some mammals with the highlight being another life bird with a Pale vented Thrush singing (species 2167). I would have stayed out a little longer before breakfast but the rain started up again. The rain then continued for the vast majority of the day with a few dry periods in between. I got out and birded the grounds a bit and the remainder of the time was spent birding from our deck. The afternoon was pretty much a washout unfortunately and the rain continued until after dark.
Black and Yellow Tanager, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025
Golden hooded Tanager, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025
Slate colored Grosbeak, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025
Great Curassow, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025
Crested Guans, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025
Green Thorntail, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025
Tennessee Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025
Great Kiskadee at nest, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025
Red lored Amazons, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025
Moth, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025
On the second full day at the observatory lodge I hoped to walk out to the far northeast corner of the property and was up again before first light. Almost as soon as I started walking (and right after hearing a Crested Owl) the rain started up again and forced me to seek shelter for a bit before the rain finally relented for a bit. It constantly looked like it would downpour at any minute but for the first couple hours I just had to deal with some drizzle as I walked miles out to some primary forest. I added several new species for the trip as well as one life bird. On the edge of the property is some primary forest and I got to an area that looked good for one of my targets (Middle American Leaftosser) and I decided I would try a quick playback of the bird and almost immediately a bird responded and popped into view briefly. Unfortunately it was just too dark and the views too brief to get any photos. The Middle American Leaftosser became species 2168 for me. I ended my walk around eight and then we had breakfast and the birds continued. A pair of Great Kiskadees were quite busy building a nest just off the deck near the restaurant. The rain continued on and off for the rest of the morning with a fairly long period of fairly dry weather late in the morning and I got a bit more walking in. By early afternoon the rain picked back up and sadly continued for hours before we finally got a reprieve late in the afternoon that continued through sunset. It was the most sun we had up until that point. As we walked back to our room after an early dinner we had a couple howler monkeys making the most nerve racking screams I have heard from the species…no idea why. Not long after sundown the rain started back up again. With the ability to cover more ground and knowing where certain species had been hanging out I finally topped over a hundred species in a day for the first time on the trip with a total of 107 species.
On the last full day at the observatory lodge I was yet again up before dawn and was greeted with some drizzle and breezy conditions. I did get a Mottled Owl as I wandered around trying to decide if I should chance another long walk out to the edge of the property for more species and hopefully some photos of birds I missed getting photos of before. I decided to chance the long walk and after making it out about a mile and a half I regretted that decision as the rain started up again. I made it to one of the rain shelters scattered on the property and stayed there for perhaps 15 minutes before there was a slight lull and I started the long walk back. The rain quickly picked back up and it was absolutely pouring at times. Not long after making it back the rain stopped and after drying out a little I headed out again before heading down to the lodge for breakfast. There was actually some sun and a little blue sky which lulled me into thinking I could make another try for a long walk. I once again got caught in a downpour while at least a mile out….the fun of being in the tropics! At least it was still warm and I was prepared for it somewhat. The walk also produced some birds as well as a large troop of Howler Monkeys including a few with young. The rest of the day continued with the on again, off again rain although we had more sunny periods then on any previous day and the afternoon was not a total washout and I got some walks in. I almost made another attempt on a long walk but I really didn’t want to get caught in a tropical downpour a long way from shelter for a third time in a day. Without the ability to cover as much area as I hoped my total species for the day was lower with just under a hundred species for the day.
On Thursday the 27th we would be making the trip late in the morning down to Arenal Kioro Suites for Sherri’s conference. I had a few hours available in the morning before we had to leave at 10AM. Much to my surprise when I got up before dawn it was raining a little and it was breezy…a real surprise for sure! Nonetheless I managed to get two owls species before the sun came up in spite of the weather. After getting caught twice yesterday in downpours when I was well away from any shelter I decided to not make any long walks. The rain and wind continued on and off for the morning but I still found birds as I was still in the tropics. At ten we got picked up for the 25 minute ride down to Arenal Kioro Suites where Sherri would start her conference. The location is not a birding destination but the property had some habitat that I would scour as much as possible to see what I could turn up. Although we had a few peaks of sun not long after arriving we also had bouts of rain..not a big surprise given the weather ever since arriving in Costa Rica. I walked the property for a few hours and certainly turned up some birds and almost got a full view of the volcano…almost. During my time at Arenal Observatory Lodge I logged 144 species.
On my first full day at Arenal Kioro I got up before dawn to try to track down some nocturnal species (the main target was a Pacific Screech Owl although the location is not perfect for them). Although I failed to find any owls or nightjars I was not too surprised given the limited area I had available to cover on the lodgings grounds. The big surprise for the day was having almost a totally rain free day with just a few short bouts of drizzle. I was able to spend a good portion of the early morning, post breakfast as well as a little of the afternoon out birding the grounds and by the end of the day I had managed to find 87 species…a really good total for such a small area. We also visited one of the nearby hot springs for a soak which was a great way to spend some of the afternoon.
For the last full day at Arenal Kioro I got out early again to look for owls and although I missed again on the screech owl I did get a pair of Spectacled Owls calling back and forth. There was actually some clear patches of sky in the morning and we hung on to at least some sun through almost the entire day with no rain. After my search for owls I spent some time looking for birds before breakfast and came across a decent mixed flock made up mainly of northern breeders including several warblers. A good selection of other stuff too with multiple species either making nests or carrying nest material. After another filling breakfast I headed out again and spent most of the morning covering the property fairly completely. I added a few more species for the location but nothing unexpected. After lunch I had a relaxing hour massage before birding a bit more through the afternoon. It was another fairly successful day with a total of 91 species on the property.
Sunday would be a travel day as we would be leaving Arenal Kioro and heading to San Jose to drop off Sherri and then I would continue on to Hotel Quelitalas (more on that portion of the trip in another post). I had the morning free to bird around the grounds once again and I was up again before the dawn to try for owls. As soon as I went outside I could once again hear Spectacled Owls and I then decided I would try a different part of the property. As I walked I had a Black and White Owl calling. I tried multiple locations for Pacific Screech Owl and finally had one calling very distantly as it was getting light and I failed on a recording as it was just too far away (quite happy to get another lifer). After a very successful bit of owling I headed down the entrance road to the same area I had a flock of mainly northern breeders on the day before. Although it seemed a bit less active than the previous morning there were still birds around and what the area lacked in numbers it made up for in diversity with two new warblers for me during the trip with Magnolia Warbler and Prothonotary Warbler. I then joined Sherri for an early breakfast before she went on a tour of the nearby hanging bridges. I stayed around the property again and came up just shy of a hundred species for the morning. After a lunch and a little more relaxing we started the journey to the airport to drop off Sherri for her flight the next day while I continued on to Hotel Quelitalas where I would spend three nights before making the trip back home (more on that portion of the trip in another post). Arenal Kioro produced 127 species for me during the few days we were there, which is fairly good considering the limited area I had available to me to explore.
