Costa Rica Part 5

Day 9, Friday 22nd

We met up at 5.45 and drove down the road, passing a large sculpture and several murals of the bird we were about to look for, the endemic Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow. We soon found one feeding in a field but it took a while for it to show well. Nearby we saw Chestnut-capped Warbler before we headed back for a late breakfast. We checked out and left at 08.40.

Cabanis's Ground-Sparrow

Our next stop was another productive one with excellent views of Zeledon’s Antbird, Elegant Euphonia and Streaked Antbird as well as others. 

Zeledon's Antbird

Olive-sided Flycatcher

We had a fair way to go so lunch was snacks as we were driving along. We climbed up high into the paramo at over 3,200 metres and the default thrush was now Sooty Thrush which were seen by the roadside. The air was thin and cold as we got out so were well wrapped up. We tried first for Zeledonia (Wrenthrush) and one showed superbly. Across the road was a Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher. We drove up even higher and found a couple of Volcano Juncos and a Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush.

Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher

Sooty Thrush

Volcano Junco

We left the paramo and dropped down a fair way to Miriam’s where we spent some time checking out the feeders. New hummers included White-throated Mountain-gem, Fiery-throated, Volcano and Talamanca Hummingbirds. 

Fiery-throated Hummingbird

female Purple-throated Mountain-gem

Talamanca Hummingbird (male & female)

Volcano Hummingbird

Taking advantage of the bananas were Flame-coloured Tanagers and Acorn Woodpeckers while on the ground Bigfoot fed with Rufis (Large-footed Finch and Rufous-collared Sparrows). 

Acorn Woodpecker

Blue-throated Toucanet

Flame-coloured Tanager

Tennessee Warbler

Golden-browed Chlorophonia

Large-footed Finch

Mountain Thrush

Sooty-capped Chlorospingus (nee Bush-Tanager)

We checked a river for Dipper but only saw another Torrent Tyrannulet so we drove to our lodge and checked in for the night.

Torrent Tyrannulet

skipper sp

Day 10, Saturday 23rd

We met for coffee at 5.30 then drove a short way to a Quetzal nest. A large twitch had already gathered with buses and cars parked nearby and groups of people dangerously standing in the middle of the road. The only sign for ages was a couple of green tail feathers sticking out of the hole. 

Snoozing Quetzal

Eventually the male woke up and poked his head out, then flew a short distance so we could see him in all his resplendence. Over the next hour we good views of both male and female Resplendent Quetzals. In the area we also saw Black Guan, Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush and Tufted Flycatcher.

Black-faced Solitaire

Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush

We went back to the lodge for breakfast and then walked around the forest trails. Highland Tinamou and Spotted Woodquail were the star birds but we also saw Black-thighed Grosbeak, Mountain Elaenia, Scintillant Hummingbird, Flame-throated Warbler and Collared Trogon while Collared Peccary made it onto the mammal list.

Yellow-winged Vireo

Green Spiny Lizard

We packed up our bags, had lunch and then decanted a few hundred metres down the road to our next lodge. 

Out of one lodge...

... and into the next

We were out again at 2.30pm, this time visiting the high cloud forest. 

New birds were Timberline Wren, Black-and-Yellow Phainoptila and Buffy Tufted-cheek. On the way back down we came across another Quetzal. 

Female Black-and-Yellow Phainoptila (nee Silky-Flycatcher)

Male Black-and-Yellow Phainoptila

Resplendent Quetzal

We stayed out until dusk hoping for the aptly-named Dusky Nightjar. A couple were heard calling almost immediately then one flew in and landed on some nearby rocks. It was then time to head back for dinner and the birdlog. 

Dusky Nightjar