During the tour we stayed at Hotel Bougainvillea, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Trapp Family Lodge, Punta Leona Hotel Resort and Rancho Naturalista. Places visited while staying at and traveling between these lodges/hotels were Arenal National Park, Lake Arenal, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, the Hummingbird Gallery, Carara National Park, Rio Tarcoles Bridge and the Orotina town park.

(a composite list of birds and other animals follows this report)

The day started off on a very wet note with heavy rains the morning I left from Newark. It was a bumpy ride to Charlotte, NC, but the lay over and connecting flight to San Jose was uneventful. Unfortunately it was raining in San Jose as well. I met the three members of the tour who came from the Philadelphia area at baggage claim and we then proceeded to meet our driver who was waiting at the window near the exit. After loading everything into the vehicle we continued onto Hotel Bougainvillea, which is located north of San Jose in the town of Heredia. Because of the rain not a lot was seen but we had a few birds including Great-tailed Grackle, Mourning Dove, and Tropical Kingbird.

Day 2:

The next morning most of us were up and out by 6 am to get some birding in before breakfast. Once again the rain was coming down but much lighter than the previous day. While strolling the beautiful gardens we were able to locate among others, White-tailed Kite (which we got great views of), Red-billed Pigeon, White-winged Dove, White-tipped Dove, Crimson-fronted Parakeet,Steely-vented and more Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds, Brown Jay, Plain and House Wrens and more Clay-colored Robins than you could ask for. Tennessee and Yellow Warblers were seen lurking in the shrubs. A Summer Tanager was observed in a cecropia tree in the back of the gardens. By the compost area we located White-eared Ground-Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Blue-crowned Motmot, Grayish Saltator and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We got some Bronzed Cowbirds in the trees near the hotel too. I also heard Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and inexplicably heard the unmistakable call of Plain Chachalaca in the distance .

Most of the day was spent watching for birds from our rooms or from the observatory located above the rooms at the main part of the lodge. Even in the rain and clouds we were able to get some decent views of Arenal in all her glory. At night from our rooms we could listen to her rumble and spew out lava, quite a treat!

After a morning of birding, which finally got sunny around 10, we headed back to the lodge for the afternoon. Of course it once again started to rain but we were able to bird from our rooms and the observatory when it was wet. During periods of no rain we got to walk around the grounds of the lodge some. During this time we got a few new birds including, Red-lored Parrot, Black-crested Coquette, White-necked Jacobin, White-throated Robin, Yellow-rumped and Buff-rumped Warblers, Palm and Emerald Tanagers, Green Honeycreeper and Black-striped Sparrow. Vermiculated Screech-Owl was heard after dark the night before calling from the trees.

Our driver arrived at 2:15 pm and we headed out for the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and the Trapp Family Lodge. On our way down to the main road we came upon several van loads of tourists taking photos of a troop of mantled howler monkeys in a tree next to the road. This was a nice treat since they were so close and low to the ground they even included a few infants. To get to Monteverde we needed to cross Lake Arenal by boat, which enabled us to get some aquatic birds we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. These included Amazon and Belted Kingfishers, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Osprey, Neotropic Cormorant, Anhinga, Northern Jacana and Spotted Sandpiper. After crossing the gorgeous lake we boarded another van along with three other Americans who were on our boat and headed up to our lodge. The ride was very bumpy and windy but we had a beautiful sunny day and saw lots of beautiful scenery. As we neared Monteverde we realized we were going to have a tough time seeing birds with the amount of wind blowing. After arriving about 5:30 pm we checked in and went to our rooms until dinner. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and then retired early in anticipation of what was to be seen tomorrow.

Today we awoke to more rain with fog and wind. It didn’t look to good for birding but we went out after an early breakfast to see what could be seen. We weren’t to be denied. After taking the leisurely fifteen minute walk up the road to the reserve and spotting Mountain Robin, Mountain Elaenia and Olive Tanager we arrived at the Hummingbird Gallery. This little building and garden adjacent to the reserve entrance is amazing! Even in the rain the hummer feeders were buzzing with birds. Violet Sabrewing, Green Violet-Ear, Stripe-tailed and Magnificent Hummingbirds, Coppery-headed Emerald, Purple-throated Mountain-Gem, Green-crowned Brilliant and Magenta-throated Woodstar all were observed coming to the feeders. What a display of color! Also coming were several Common Bush-Tanagers. These birds turned out to be very common in the surrounding forests and tricked us many times, thinking we were seeing a different bird. We spent an hour or so at the feeders taking photos and identifying birds, at which point it was decided to head up into the cloud forest.

This morning we arose to a sunny day so we decided to head out to Monteverde again before our driver arrived at 11 am. We found most of the same birds along the road as before but got an awesome bird about halfway to the reserve. A beautiful male Black Guan came out into the sun up on the hillside above the road in the trees for great views and a bird I really wanted to see! This was our only chance to see one. After looking at the guan for a short while we headed to the Hummingbird Gallery again for a brief visit. After going there we went onto another trail in the reserve, which led to a fabulous waterfall in a small clearing. Along this route we had fewer birds than yesterday but did see briefly a large trogon of some kind. On our way back we saw another coati begging for food at the entrance. As we headed back down the road we encountered a massive movement of army ants crossing the road and were walking in them before we knew it. After flicking off several ants we noticed several birds going after them. A Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush was the only new one for us though.

Rushing back to meet our driver, three of us had great views of a pair of Orange-bellied Trogons next to the road. When we got back Manuel was waiting for us to take us on our journey to Hotel Punta Leona located on the central Pacific coast. After another long ride we stopped at the Rio Tarcoles bridge near the coast, which is famous for its huge American crocodiles. Along with many other tourists we stopped and took a walk out onto the bridge and weren’t disappointed, for down below us in the semi dry riverbed must have been 25 plus crocodiles, ranging in size from 3 feet to over 12 feet! Quite spectacular. Also from the bridge several birds were seen including six species of herons, Collared Plover, White-fronted Parrot and Scarlet Macaw. We spent about an hour here at which point we continued on to Punta Leona, a short ride down the road. As we entered the gates we could tell this wasn’t the usual lodge or hotel. The paved road meandering up through the forest came out onto a large resort on the beach, which you wouldn’t think would be good for birds. But this place was very well landscaped and was surrounded by hundreds of acres of pristine forest. Birds were everywhere so we couldn’t wait to start birding. After checking in and dumping the luggage we went out to do some birding and the others also did some shopping. Before I caught up with the others I had already seen many of the birds we’d seen before plus a pair of Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls, several Orange-chinned Parakeets, more Scarlet Macaws, a flock of Brown Jays, Streaked Flycatcher and lots of Hoffmann’s Woodpeckers. When we all reconnected we spotted a pair of Fiery-billed Aracaris. Three-wattled Bellbirds were heard in the surrounding forest but never seen. By this time it was getting dark so we returned to our rooms and got ready for dinner. After a fabulous buffet meal we adjourned to the rooms for an early sleep.

After arising early we went on a casual walk around the grounds of the hotel before meeting our driver at 8:30 am. The trees were alive with the sounds of birds. Species seen this morning included Long-billed Hermit, Blue-crowned Motmot, Pale-billed Woodpecker, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Rose-throated Becard and several Baltimore Orioles. Meeting our driver, we took off for the short trip to Carara National Park. All morning was spent at this wonderful site of lush forest interspersed with grassy openings and river marshes. After being dropped off we hiked on the main road leading to the river. We immediately started seeing birds including Plumbeous Kite, Gray Hawk, Gray-chested Dove, Green-breasted Mango, Royal Flycatcher, Orange-collared Manakin, Yellow-throated and Philadelphia Vireos, Rufous-naped and Black-bellied Wrens, Tropical Gnatcatcher, Prothonotary Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush and Blue-black Grosbeak. Pale-billed Woodpecker was heard making the characteristic loud double rap of the genus Campephilus. This is the same sound the recently rediscovered Ivory-billed Woodpecker is famous for making. At the river we found five Boat-billed Herons in a tree very close to us and a Roseate Spoonbill. A large troop of about 25 coatis were seen on the walk back running across the road. While waiting for our driver to come pick us up we found Bicolored Antbird, Gray-headed Tanager and White-lined Tanager. On our way home we spotted a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron in a stream crossing under the road leading to the hotel.

After consuming a good lunch we went back to our rooms for a short siesta and then regrouped about 3 pm for an afternoon walk up the main road to see what was around in the forest. This proved to be fairly interesting with sightings of Broad-winged Hawk, Yellow-headed Caracara, Crested Guan, Red-billed Pigeon, more macaws, Masked Tityra, Riverside Wren and Yellow-throated Euphonia. Seen on a side trail were a troop of Central American spider monkeys. They gave us some nice looks as they clambered around in the trees. As darkness fell the others decided to go back to the hotel before it got to dark to see, but I kept going a little further to see what night creatures might be about. That idea ended up paying off with views of Orange-billed Sparrow and Chestnut-backed Antbird. As I emerged from the forest near the hotel a Crested Owl was heard calling in the woods behind the rooms. A very nice way to end the day.

This morning I arose early again while the others woke up a little later and headed onto the grounds again to see if any new birds could be found before heading out on the five hour drive to Rancho Naturalista. Most of the same birds were seen again this morning but a few new ones were seen or heard. Lineated Woodpecker, Tawny-winged and Streak-headed Woodcreepers were observed and Black-hooded Antshrike was heard in the woods. A Northern Barred-Woodcreeper was seen by the others near the rooms. The woodpecker was observed where the Pale-billed was seen earlier and happened to appear when the latter showed up for a second time. This enabled some great comparisons of the two species. Both were males, which was a great bonus! Nice looks at Chestnut-mandibled Toucan and Violaceous Trogon were had too. The trogon was calling back and forth to others in the woods. At about 7 we went down to have a nice breakfast and observed some white-faced capuchins in the trees slowly making their way to the dining area. Several variegated squirrels and raccoons were seen during our stay here as well, usually up in the trees above the rooms.

At 8:30 am we met our driver and headed out for our long journey. On our way we stopped in the town of Orotina, which is world famous for its resident pair of Black-and-white Owls that roost in a small park in the center of town. It took a few minutes but we found them in the open about 20 feet up. We also had a nice surprise, a brown-throated three-toed sloth was sleeping in one of the trees too. After arriving at Rancho about 2:30 pm we went right to the veranda to see what birds were about. Visiting the fruit feeders were many Gray-headed Chachalacas, White-tipped Dove, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, a flock of Brown Jays, many Clay-colored Robins, White-shouldered, Passerini’s and Blue-gray Tanagers, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Black-headed Saltator and Montezuma and Chestnut-headed Oropendolas. This site is most famous for its hummers and we weren’t to be deprived. At the feeders on the veranda and the flowering verbena shrubs we had Little Hermit, Violet Sabrewing, White-necked Jacobin, Brown Violet-ear, Green-breasted Mango, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Violet-crowned Woodnymph, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and Green-crowned Brilliant. What a show!!

Even though today was our last day in Tico land, we got up early and met for another trip up to the pasture. It was a gorgeous sunny day, perfect for birding. As soon as we entered the forest a Wood Thrush and Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush were seen on the trail in front of us. As we entered the pasture a Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant gave great looks. These birds are tiny little creatures no bigger than a silver dollar. Also seen at this spot was a Golden-winged Warbler. Moving out into the center of the field where we got a nice 360 degree view of the area we picked up several more birds including a large flock of Band-tailed Pigeons, Short-billed Pigeon, Brown-hooded and White-crowned Parrots, Blue-crowned Motmot, great views of three Keel-billed Toucans, Bright-rumped Attila was heard, Masked Tityra, Tennessee, Chestnut-sided, Blackburnian and Black and White Warblers, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Summer, Crimson-collared, Silver-throated, Bay-headed and Golden-hooded Tanagers, Yellow-billed and Scarlet-rumped Caciques. Green Honeycreeper was also seen in the trees with the tanagers.

After digesting all the birds we’d seen the breakfast bell rang so we headed down slope to the dining area for a last delicious meal and to enjoy the birds at the feeders one last time. All the same birds were seen while we ate with the addition of another Crimson-collared Tanager and two Collared Aracaris. A dark phase variegated squirrel also came in for a meal of fruit. What a way to end the trip and make us want to come back for more. We only wish we could’ve stayed at all of the places more than a day. Unfortunately our driver came at 9:30 am to take us back to the airport where I said goodbye to everyone and we all headed to our respective airlines.

Continued on following pages are the lists of birds and other animals seen.