Trip Report January 2024

Costa Rica. The ”coast of riches” as Christopher Columbus named it, when after weeks of sailing across the Atlantic, he arrived and saw the indigenous people wearing an abundance of gold. Ten of us modern-day intrepid adventurers decided to follow in his footsteps – fly many miles over many hours to explore this land, seeking to discover its real treasures.

Our expedition began with the New Year when all of us congregated in the capital San Jose. Armed with hiking boots, rain proof gear, insect repellents, cameras and binoculars, our quest began at the breakfast table where the scent of a freshly baked baguette was ignored for the lure of flashing fire opals, dazzling aquamarines, shimmering topaz, iridescent emeralds, rubies and sapphires….our first introduction to the bewitching, colourful wealth of Costa Rican bird life! We spent the next eleven days under the very able and knowledgeable guidance of Alfredo Scott, our Costa Rican host and friend and avian expert and tour operator all rolled into one! We travelled huge distances, scouring the Caribbean side, the Pacific side, the coast, the salt pans, the rain forest, the mountains, the scrub, the highlands …. And we return immeasurably enriched with an accumulation of experiences, and memories and images that are truly wonderous and awe-inspiring!
In brief, we garnered a list of 274 birds, 13 mammals and 15 reptiles and amphibians.
At length below, ten pages for ten days, is a rambling account of a selection of highlights- peruse at your own peril and at your leisure, you have been warned!

Day 1: 3rd January, 2024

Our day of introduction to Costa Rica’s birds – the highlight? You guessed it, the Hummers! We went to La Paz Waterfall Gardens where zipping between sets of feeders and flowers was a bewildering array of hummingbirds. No matter how many documentaries you have watched, the real deal leaves you stunned. The way they hover, standing in the air at one spot with wings buzzing in a blur, then reverse, go up, go down, go sideways and suddenly seem to teleport to another spot. By the time you turn your neck to follow them they have already moved on! They fly in front of your face almost touching your nose, study you as if you might be a giant nectar feeder and then rapidly buzz past your ear, their wings almost brushing your cheek and making you take evasive action. And the colours! Oh My God! They would put the Queen’s jewels (now the King’s), the Tiffany Collection, and the Faberge eggs to shame. The depth and variety of shades, the brilliant iridescence and the constant shift with the light….just breathtaking! Their names try vainly to capture some of the magic – Scintillant, Bronzy, Fiery throated, Coppery headed, Sapphire, Goldentail, Ruby throated, Charming….Their hearts beat 1200 times a minute, their wings beat an incredible 80 times a second and they are never still. They fuel this high energy life-style on a diet of sugar and have enough spunk left over to shout and fight with each other. On our last morning at Savegre, I woke to a constant, non-stop, loud, metronome, metallic sound. I was convinced it was the water sprinkler till I saw a Lesser Violetear, perched and calling! And it and its friends continued for the whole day. They are territorial and feisty, will bully and chase each other off feeders. Their thin tongues flick out of their long beaks as they perch on tiny feet, they preen, they stretch, their every movement is captivating. You can never ever get enough of them, these truly priceless jewels of Costa Rica!

La Paz also has a monkey enclosure with White-faced Capuchins and Spider Monkeys, a reptile enclosure with many snakes, as well as a beautiful butterfly conservatory. Here we saw the eggs, caterpillars and pupae of the Blue Morpho Butterfly. A few of them emerged and spread their large wings as we watched, and a huge number fluttered amongst a myriad of other colourful species. A walk to the lovely waterfalls with their sprays of cool water and we left for our lunch stop – Cinchona.

In Costa Rica you usually eat your meals with the birds (at least the places that were specially selected for us). The restaurants have feeders with fruits and at Cinchona we were told to look out for our first Toucanet – the Emerald Toucanet, as we would probably not see it anywhere else. As we arrived, guess who was waiting on a papaya? J We also had great views of both the male and female of the Red-headed Barbet and the Prong- billed Barbet, amid many other birds. Lunch was a yummy Costa Rican staple – beans (rajma) and rice in a bowl with vegetables and salad and your choice of protein. Add to this some spicy Lizano and fiery red chilli sauce…just delicious!

Day 2: 4th January, 2024

We were now at Laguna (lake) Lagarto (crocodiles) and to justify its name there was a large Spectacled Caiman who lay at the edge of the water looking like, being as still as, and perhaps it was, a log.

6:00am – It was a misty morning as we came to the dining area for a strong coffee. Walking in the lawns were a pair of Great Curassow, tall and majestic, both the male and female equally handsome. As the sun rose so did the number of birds who rapidly appeared. Keeled billed and Yellow throated Toucans chased off the Collared Aracari and the Montezuma Oropendolas; bunches of Brown-headed Parrots devoured the bananas; brilliant Honey Creepers and Tanagers flitted in; a Squirrel Cuckoo lurked at the edges; Woodpeckers hammered at the stumps; Black and Turkey Vultures basked with wings spread out…by 8:30am it seemed as if the entire bird book had ventured out to be marked present! Amid this riot of noise, shapes, sizes, colours, in walked the National Bird. Given the variety of dazzling choices, which one do you think Costa Rica selected? The Clay- coloured Thrush! It looks exactly as it sounds, a more upright version of our Jungle Babbler. It has the dubious honour of being the most ubiquitous and yet the most non-descript and ignored bird in the country!
By 9:30am we had moved to the next theatre- the vulture hide. The birds could be seen circling, riding the thermals and slowly descending towards the banquet of pig’s heads and offal that awaited them. While Black and Turkey Vultures are ever present, the species we were after were the King Vultures. They are white and black birds with the most astounding heads – featherless with tiny black bristles, a large strong orange-red beak, bright red neck, a yellow caruncle, shades of black, blue and purple on the cheeks and shiny white irises. The head is so different from the rest of its white and black body and the way the skin is folded and plaited at the nape made me imagine an alien warrior from a sci-fi movie wearing a hi-tech helmet of some sort! The Kings live up to their name by ruling the feeding site. They settle at the centre, feed first, tearing out the best morsels and dominate the lesser Black and Turkey vultures. Soon their bare crops are full and sticking out from between their chest feathers as they fly up to low branches, settling down to bask and digest the feast.

10:15am and we are on a walk to see the Spectacled Owl roosting in the forest. Large Green Macaws make their presence heard and seen as they hurtle through the sky and land on a tall tree. The call of a Trogan is heeded and we track it down to reveal a Black headed Trogon. We circumambulate the lake and spot a Pale billed Woodpecker, a foot long bird with a completely red head. As we walk past the water a commotion alerts us to the presence of the “Jesus” lizard, the Basilisk with its ability to walk on, or more precisely, run upright across water! The afternoon is spent with more intrepid hummingbirds on artistic real flower feeders (they syringe extra nectar onto the petals) and a pond with a Jacana, a Gallinule and the Ringed and Green Kingfishers – all distant cousins of our Eurasian species. At night when we are ready to collapse, overwhelmed with a surfeit of new experiences, there is a knock on the door – the nightwatchman has found an owl. Shoes and headlamps are hastily donned and off we go to see the Mottled Owl in its habitat, ready to start his night. We return and 15 minutes later, another knock – the Crested Owl this time.

This was the pattern of all our days – out at 6am, break for breakfast, out again to a different location, break for lunch (most likely at a feeder so no break), out again to a new habitat, grumble about how tired you are, but when the next call comes, onwards we march because of course we all suffer hugely from the Fear of Missing Anything at All! After dinner the amphibians croak loudly and we are out once more……..but isn’t that the only way to do it? When are you ever going to fly for 40 hours and come back here or have an opportunity to experience all this again? Best to take a recovery holiday when you get back home!

Day 3: 5th January, 2024

This morning’s walk adds the Fasciated Antshrike, White fronted Nunbird, Slaty tailed Trogon and Black Crowned Tityras to our list. We leave and head out to the Sarapiqui region with many halts on the way. Coffee break is with the Green Iguanas that are actually bright orange in colour and clambering up and down the trees next to the restaurant. Next stop is on a bridge with a clear flowing stream and a beautiful Fasciated Tiger Heron standing on a stone. A Black Phoebe flits about as does a Torrent Tyrannulet and an Amazon kingfisher makes a brief appearance. Lunch is a buffet spread. A word of caution on Costa Rican buffets – they are not like our wedding banquets where you can help yourself to a teaspoon of everything (because of course you do not want to Miss Anything at all!). They have a vast variety of food laid out on at least 2 sides of the hall – salads, soups, meats, vegetables, grains, desserts, fruits, drinks – and you are supposed to walk along with your tray and point to whichever ones you would like. These are served up and your desperate cries of “poquito, poquito por favor” are lost in translation and your tray is now weighed under with three plates heaped with food! You end up trying to eat most of it but fail dismally and carry away a huge Indian guilty conscience at having wasted food! Lesson learned, henceforth at future buffets we were much more circumspect in our choices!

After lunch we reached Cope’s place. Donde Cope, the private residence of José “Cope” Perez, an artist, photographer and avid naturalist, is located in La Unión de Guápiles. He has set up a fantastic backyard garden complete with a natural pond.

There are both fruit and hummingbird feeders to attract a variety of birds. We crept softly close to the water to see the Gray Cowled Wood Rail and a huge Basilisk, Chest-nut Headed Oropendola visited, Bronze-tailed Plumeteers bagged the nectar feeders vying with the Long-billed Hermit, White-necked Jacobin, Green Breasted Mango, Scaly breasted and Rufous tailed Hummingbirds.

After half an hour Cope suggested that we might like to go with him and see some roosting owls and perhaps the Great Potoo – we were in his loaned gumboots and on our way before you can say Costa Rica! As we parked near the patch of forest and entered the trail, I fancifully felt like I was on an adventure in the Amazon. All the layers of the rainforest were visible – the undergrowth, the understory, the canopy and the emergents. Ferns and bromeliads and epiphytes latched onto every available space, lianas hung thick from tall trees. The light was dim and we were constantly being buzzed and devoured by countless insects. Our feet squelched and slipped in the mud and our gum boots were being sucked in. Leaf-cutter ants marched in endless busy lines carrying their precious cargo to their fungus farms. Cope strode ahead loping off overgrown tendrils with his machete….I was having the time of my life! And to make it even better, we found the Spectacled Owl, the Crested Owl and the Great Potoo! I can die in peace now!

Day 4: 6th January, 2024

Day 4 dawned with us at La Quinta Lodge in Sarapiqui. Coffee at the feeders with our regular Tanagers – Blue-grey, Palm, Golden hooded, Crimson collared, Scarlet rumped; regular HoneyCreepers – Green , Red-legged, Shining and a new Red-throated Ant-tanager and Black Cowled Oriole. Breakfast, and we were on our way to the La Selva Research Station. As our guide Chris informed us, this research station was officially set up in 1968 by the Organization for Tropical Studies. Before this it was a farm dedicated to sustainable forest research owned by Dr. Leslie Holdridge. Today it serves as a key training and research site for numerous professional scientists and has pioneered private forest conservation in Costa Rica, as it was the first of what is now a large network of private forest reserves in the country. According to their data, the species richness of La Selva is outstanding, with more than 2,077 species of plants; 125 species of mammals (72 of them bats); 470 species of birds; 48 amphibian species; 87 species of reptiles; 45 species of freshwater fish; and tens of thousands of insects, arachnids, and other arthropods, and we spent a few hours trying to find them. Upon entering the trail we were greeted by a very loud call and a miniscule Blue Jeans Poison Dart Frog, so named because it is bright red with blue hind legs as if it were wearing a pair of blue jeans! This little poisonous cutie had us transfixed till Chris led us away to discover more. He showed us the sleeping quarters of four tiny Honduran White Bats. They had strategically nibbled on the midrib of a large understory leaf, making it fold and form a tent for them to roost under. We saw the Masked Tityra, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Rufous MotMot, Scarlet-thighed and Blue Dacnis………. We crossed a bridge and in the water we could see numerous turtles chasing each other, fish resting in a pool and an iguana sheltering on a log. We had a zero waste buffet lunch at the canteen surrounded by scientists and research students from various universities who were working and staying at the reserve. After lunch it was on to another research station, the Lapa (Macaw) Verde (Green) research station.

Here we met with another young local guide – Randi, whose enthusiasm for the birds and animals as well as his great desire to find and share them with all of us was palpable. We walked through this beautiful reserve with its many pristine lakes and bright flowers and saw the Least Grebe which was least interested in showing itself off as it kept submerging each time we focussed the scope on it! We tracked this very shy bird across the lake and after multiple attempts managed to get satisfactory views. At another waterbody we spotted the Pied-billed Grebe but the birds that were most vociferous, raced in flocks and demanded our attention were the large Grey-headed Chachalacas, their name makes you want to break out in a jig doesn’t it? The highlight of the visit sat quietly way up in a tree. It looked like a grey ball, almost like a large ant nest, moved not at all, and only Randi’s trained eyes knew what it was. The scope was affixed and as we looked through it, the round ant nest transformed into a ball of fur and a curled up three-toed Sloth! This was the creature of my dreams! More than the flamboyant toucans and the macaws, it was this mammal that I had really wanted to see. He moved nary a muscle till Alfredo whistled like an amorous lady sloth and up came the round head, the masked eyes and the wide mouth that is always smiling! What an endearing animal, just so so cute! He lives his life in the slow lane and still gets everything done. The pace is leisurely, every movement is measured. He takes a month to digest his meal, descends from his heights once a week to poop and pee, loses one third of his body weight with the poo and apparently does a little dancing movement to help it out! He is so slow that algae grow on his fur and moths lay eggs in it- the algae provides camouflage and the moths can be eaten- clearly it pays to pause, deliberate, and continue to stay still till absolutely necessary!

Day 5: 7th January, 2024

We woke up to a drizzle, but undeterred, walked the La Quinta property to the river and saw the Buff-rumped warbler. A small black quick moving bird, that merges with the background, the buff white rump giving it away. We spent many minutes in the rain trying to get our binoculars on it, and then in the next couple of days, we saw it everywhere and out in the open! After breakfast we drove to a place with tall Almendro or almond trees, a favourite habitat of the Great Green Macaws. As we approached we halted for a Green Ibis on the path. As we were watching it, loud raucous “aak raak” calls were heard and in flew pairs of Macaws to land in the high branches. We scoped them and watched them and were ready to move on when Alfredo spotted a Bat Falcon perched atop a tall bare stump. The scope was reset and we admired this lovely little predator while a car with very patient occupants, silently waited for us to get our fill and move off the path! Our lunch destination was the Bogarin Trail in La Fortuna, which promises the best chance of seeing Sloths! Sloths! Sloths! (as they advertise) in their natural habitat. The parking area had a water body with resting Yellow-crowned Night Herons and a Boat-billed Heron as well as an active Green Heron. Almost as soon as we entered the trail we saw people milling about and tilting their heads, looking way up – a Sloth! A little further and we got the gorgeous Black and White Owl. A Broad-billed Motmot posed patiently, giving views from all sides and all angles, showing off its curved bee eater like bill, its deep rufous and green colours, the black spot on its breast, its bright blue tail with rackets much like a Drongo…a mesmerizing bird and high on every birders wish-list. This sumptuous sighting was followed by a sumptuous lunch with delicious colourful fruit drinks and thus fortified, after lunch a few of us decided to sit at the feeders while a couple of us went back to find the Sloth again.

We got lost, never found the first Sloth but saw four more instead! A young one resting (of course) in the V of a tree, a Mom and baby longer haired two-toed Sloth ( never saw the baby though, asleep) and another beautiful male three-toed with a bright orange patch on its upper back and a black stripe. This one was having an active day, lifting his head, scratching his bum with long toes, and finally he clambered up the tree, quite fast actually, giving us great views of his long arms and claws and steady gait till he settled once more. Mission accomplished we returned to the feeder to watch all the frenetic action and it was time to head to our hotel, the Arenal Lodge.

The Arenal is Costa Rica’s young and perfectly shaped active stratovolcano. After a period of intense destructive volcanic activity that killed 87 people and destroyed three villages, the volcano now towers majestically and benignly, gently puffing out a few gases. When we arrived in the evening it was mysterious and shrouded in clouds. A dip in the hot tub, dinner followed by an amphibian walk – red eyed tree frog and a large brown frog – and we were ready to call it a night.

Day 6: 8th January, 2024

In the morning the Arenal was still hiding, it was drizzling gently and we were scheduled for a visit to the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park. The 16 bridges, 6 of which are hanging suspension bridges, form a part of a 2-mile (3 kilometre) self-guided interpretive trail through a private rainforest reserve. If you ever find yourself in this part of the world, make sure not to miss this two hour walk. The forest is lush lush lush, fungi grow everywhere, you walk along the canopy in some areas, looking down at a bewildering and stunning expanse of rich healthy vegetation in all shades of green. Even though this morning the birds were still taking shelter, the walk in the rain added to the rainforest mystique and left all of us quite spellbound. A true forest of Enchantment!

After lunch the rain had ceased and we ventured out for a walk around the reservoir. As we parked we were greeted by a large group of Coatis (one even tried to climb into the bus) who were clearly accustomed to being fed tit-bits by people. We watched their antics for a few minutes till our attention was drawn to the antics of a lovely little bird – the Long-tailed Tyrant. It settled on a branch, flew off on a short mission and then returned to the same perch making it possible for us to scope it and see it in detail. We walked the path and caught glimpses of the cryptic Antbirds and Antshrikes. We had an Agouti sit up and finish his meal in front of us and a male Great Curassow ran in front of our bus on the road, unable to figure out a way to veer to the side! We were going to be leaving the Caribbean side and heading over to the Pacific side the next day, so that evening a few bhajans were sung, the Arenal God was invoked to kindly come and give us darshan and …

Day 7: 9th January, 2024

5am eyes opened to a spectacular sight – from our balcony the sky was still a deep purple of early dawn, the Crescent Moon shone as did a bright Venus, and looming among them was a dark conical shape – the Arenal! We congregated in one balcony, tea and coffee was made as we celebrated and watched the unfolding beauty of this perfect mountain through the many shades of the rising sun. A post volcano-watching morning walk on the property had our heads tilted backwards, vertigo and dizziness threatened, but it was all worth it for the sight of busy feeding parties of numerous little birds!

Post breakfast we packed our bags and headed off to a completely different habitat, the Guaneste saltpans. It turned warmer, the vegetation changed from lush green rainforest to dry scrub and bush and trees. A small country, Costa Rica has 12 climatic zones and a variety of ecosystems – tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, Atlantic and Pacific coastline, cloud forests, and mangrove forests, wetlands, coral reefs- all accounting for its rich biodiversity. One of the principal reasons for this is that the country, together with the land now considered Panama, formed a bridge connecting the North and South American continents approximately three to five million years ago. This bridge allowed the very different flora and fauna of the two continents to mix so that now Costa Rica is considered to possess the highest density of biodiversity of any country worldwide. As we alighted to the glare of the sun, the first bird we saw flying overhead – the Magnificent Frigatebird! Soon to be followed by groups of Brown Pelicans. We focused on the water which was full of Marbled Godwits, Willets, Black-necked Stilts, Sandpipers, Plovers, Gull billed Terns, American Skimmers and Royal Terns – a veritable feast of distant cousins from familiar bird families. We got back onto the bus only to get off again – a Black headed Trogon had been sighted. After getting great, almost eye-level views, we drove to La Ensenada Lodge, a working cattle, salt and fruit ranch. We arrived in time for a late lunch and were greeted by a large troop of Howler Monkeys. Hunger and lunch were forgotten as we watched them move up and down the trees, stretching out to reach soft succulent leaves and distant fruits and branches, adeptly using their prehensile tails like a fifth limb. The larger adult males kept a watchful eye and occasionally admonished with a loud howl. The slimmer smaller females, some with babies wrapped around their abdomens, moved with great speed and agility while juveniles teased and played with each other. After a late late lunch we braved the heat to walk down to the pier where Royal Terns with their beaks open lined the railings along with Sandwich Terns and Laughing Gulls while Brown Pelicans swan in waters. A Pacific Screech Owl roosting on the property demanded our attention and then we drove to different saltpans and climbed up a mini-mountain to get great views of the surrounding mangroves and the crimson sunset painting the horizon. Dinner time had the resident cats all agitated, they had spotted and cornered a large, long, slightly venomous Cat-eyed snake. While they hissed and swiped at it, the snake coiled and unfurled like a spring, hissing right back. This dramatic face off was ended when someone from the kitchen rescued the snake and moved it away!

Day 8: 10th January, 2024

A morning walk around the ranch showed up a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, White fronted Parrots, White throated Magpie Jays on the backs of cattle, Streak backed Orioles, an Orchard Oriole, multiple Hooked Kites, an elusive Long tailed Manakin and Scissor tailed Flycatcher amongst others. After breakfast we left for the Tarcoles region and river, another yummy lunch buffet stop en route, a five minute halt to ogle at a handsome pair of Scarlet Macaws that were in the courtship and nest building phase, and we reached just in time for our river safari. Our boat captain and guide was Juan Carlos or Juanco for short. The boat ride started with a Dark Hawk perched on a post, followed by an Osprey, Muscovy Ducks, Blue winged Teals, Crested Guan, Neotropic Cormorants, Anhingas, Bare- throated Tiger Herons, Great Blue, Little Blue and Tri-coloured Herons, Yellow crowned Night Herons, Great, Snowy and Cattle egrets, Double Striped Thick Knees…..both the shores were teeming with birds and we were moving portside to starboard and back again, with each new sighting! The few basking American Crocodiles were largely ignored as there was so much action among the birds! A Little Blue Heron ran up and down the water’s edge, twisting and turning as it tried to, and succeeded in, grabbing a large fish and gulping it down. Crested Caracara’s and Yellow-headed Caracaras argued with each other and soon we reached the dark muddy flat land where we sighted the stars of the show – Roseate Spoonbills! Three of them scoured the shallow waters in typical Spoonbill fashion- beaks tips immersed and heads moving side to side as they walked and fed, the difference was the beautiful pink feathers on their wings and flanks. The deep colour is diet-derived, much like a flamingos. White Ibis fed in the flats and with the golden rays of the setting sun we reached the sand banks of the estuary where many shore birds had come in to roost – terns, gulls, skimmers, waders, all jostled for space on the ground while frigate birds and pelicans ruled the skies. The sun dipped lower in the horizon calling in the night and it was time for us to pack our gear, pause and reflect on the myriad sights we had seen and sounds we had heard and head to Villa Lapas, dinner and the nightly amphibian walk. The brown form of the Yellow Toad sat outside our door while the ponds had the Savages Thin toed frog, Grainy Glass Frogs and a Hourglass Tree Frog that called lustily, inflating his tiny throat sac.

Day 9: 11th January, 2024

In the morning the grounds were crawling with Basilisk lizards and Spiny tailed Iguanas while the canopies of tall venerable trees were abuzz with numerous feeding parties of birds flitting in and out . A few of us decided to stay back and explore Villa Lapas grounds while the rest of us went for a walk to the Caracara Forest Reserve. At the place where we stopped for permits and information, a guide had his scope on the Lesser Nighthawk, a cryptic Nightjar, sleeping on a branch. Looking through the scope you could see him clearly with his eyes half open, but look away and try and find him again with your binoculars – impossible! He just merged into the mottled wood and vegetation! A little stream had a Fer de Lance basking on leaves in the shallow water. This lancehead pit viper holds the dubious record of being responsible for the most number of deaths due to snakebite in this region. We drove to the point where our trail began and one step in – we found ourselves standing in the middle of an ant swarm! And the action began – we hopped and jumped around trying to escape them while news spread and the birds flew in to snap up a feast! If you are a bird-watcher finding a large ant swarm is like hitting the mother-lode. This foraging raiding party moves as one, under leaves and over leaves, in crevices and branches and their concerted attack panics all the denizens of the undergrowth who scramble to get out of the ants’ pincers only to be grabbed up by eager beaks. Ant swarms attract swarms of insectivorous aves and we stood at a safe spot watching them arrive– the aptly named Dot-winged Antwrens, Dusky Antbirds, Chestnut-backed Antbirds, Bi- coloured Antbirds, Long-billed Gnat-wrens; Ruddy Treerunners made short work of fat hawkmoth caterpillars, knocking them senseless against the trunk; Tennessee Warblers and Prothonotary Warblers came to check out the menu…the action continued but we left them to it, for high on our birding menu was the Turquoise-browed Motmot we had come to see. Alfredo heard the call and we hotfooted in that direction only to find a guide playing it. But then there was an answering call! The conversation continued, with the respondent moving closer and with great excitement we headed out to locate him and there walking towards us was another guide holding his speaker….the two guides had been calling each other! The travails of modern birding! We left them to it and wandered around the verdant reserve chasing other little skulkers. We got great views of the White-whiskered Puffbird and a raucous troop of White-faced Capuchins when again, we heard the call, and this time something flew in. I managed to focus my binoculars on it and gave elaborate descriptions to verify the id – confusingly the signature motmot tail was missing – and then elaborate directions – the thousandth tree and the millionth branch seen through the fifth v that opens up to a patch of sky with a yellow leaf! Fortunately birders are great at cracking the code and everyone got to see it. Task successfully completed, we drove back to Villa Lapas to collect our bags and the rest of our team and head out to the cloud forests in the highlands. It was a long drive through San Jose where after a yummy ice-cream treat we said good-bye to Alfredo and hello to Oscar, our guide for the highlands. Our aim had been to reach and have our lunch at Aunt Miriam’s in San Gerardo de Dota Valley, but Costa Ricans have their own internal laid back clocks – 15 minutes usually means at least 45- and after much angst over the fading light (cloud cover in the cloud forest) we finally arrived by 4:30pm and had our lunch at 5:30! The sun peeped out and the hour flew by as we moved our focus from feeder to feeder, branch to branch, ground to sky, and spotted new species (for us) of birds that Oscar very patiently identified. Lesser Violetears, White-throated Mountain Gems, Blue throated Goldentails, Talamanca Hummingbirds, Volcano Hummingbirds, Acorn Woodpeckers, Sooty Thrushes, Yellow-thighed Brushfinches (they actually have feathered yellow thighs), Large-footed finch, Yellow bellied Siskins, Sooty-capped Chlorospingus, Flame- coloured Tanagers…..we were happily satiated even before we dived into the flavourful Chicken soup, strong coffee and moist cake!

Day 10: 12th January 2024

Today was d-day. Our last official day of birding in Costa Rica, by tomorrow all of us would have climbed aboard our steel-birds and winged it home. And Alfredo had saved the best for last. You know how you feel on the morning of a tiger safari? You approach it with equal amounts of excited anticipation and nervous trepidation – will we see it, will we not? That’s how we set out to find the Resplendent Quetzal. This gorgeous bird of the Trogon family was revered by the Mesoamericans. Their serpent god Quetzalcoatl is inspired by it (the bird’s 3 foot long trailing feathers look like an undulating flying snake at it moves from tree to tree). It is the national bird of Guatemala and the name of its currency, much as its iridescent tail feathers were considered a sign of wealth by the Indian Chieftains. Birders from all over the world flock to see this stunning creature and as we set off in the morning we saw 50 of them standing on the road peering up at a tree – a Quetzal at our doorstep! We hurriedly tumbled out of the bus and everyone focused on the bird high up in the tree, visible through the patch of blue sky among the leaves…. you get the picture. While the photographers in our group were not thrilled , everyone heaved a sigh of relief, chalo dekh to liya, the pressure was off. We drove on and had barely covered a kilometer when the eagle eyes of Heimer, our bus driver and constant companion, spotted another one. A pair this time. Building a nest! The male flew from a weathered tree stump to perch under the branch where the female was sitting. We got to study them both in detail, oooh and aaah over every remarkable feature, watch her as she excavated the nesting hole, cleaning and enlarging it and then in an effort not to disturb them too much, we tore ourselves away and left them to it. “Happy?”, asked Oscar looking at our beaming faces, we responded with “Ye Dil Maange More!”.

More was in store as we were heading to the Paraiso Quetzal Lodge where a family has involved the local farmers in Quetzal monitoring and conservation. The farmers plant and maintain some wild avocado trees, the fruit being a favourite with the Quetzals who swallow it whole and regurgitate the large seed. When we arrived a Quetzal sighting was reported from William’s farm and we trekked in that direction. A flutter in the middle of the tree revealed bits of a male and if we contorted ourselves in various ways we got to see more bits. Ye Dil Maange More! Mr. Gorgeous upped and flew to another tree a little below and we went and camped a little higher by a wild avocado tree hoping he would drop in for breakfast. After waiting patiently for sometime we decided if the mountain will not come to Mohammad then Mohammad must go to it and we scrambled down to where the Quetzal was calmly sitting on a branch quite oblivious to the commotion he was causing. The scope was focused, multiple 5 second turns were taken by everyone, each viewing showing up a new noteworthy feature – look at the soft head feathers, see how the feathers helmet the beak, what a bright red on his breast, have you seen the pattern of the wing feathers, what a looong tail, oh he’s preening, he’s stretching, he is going to fly, he’s gone! We followed in hot pursuit. Our guide found him perched nonchalantly on a horizontal branch, open view, almost within touching distance, so close that you could not see all of him in your binoculars or scope. We sat in front of him like worshipping acolytes of a zen Buddha! Thus we stayed for half an hour, absorbing every aspect of this truly resplendent bird. Eventually we left him there, would you believe, we walked away! Yeh Dil Is Finally Full! The rest of the morning was spent at the gardens and the feeders of the lodge adding Fiery-throated Hummingbirds, a Black-billed Nightingale Thrush, a Mountain Thrush, a Mountain Elaenia, Black and Yellow and Long-tailed Silky-Flycatchers and a vibrant Golden-browed Chlorophonia to our list. An evening walk along the beautiful and sparklingly clean Savegre river was a fitting end to our day.

Day 11: 13th January, 2024

Six of us had left at 3am for the airport and the rest of us spent our last couple of hours at the feeder at the lodge watching a dramatic Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a White-naped Brushfinch, and a Brown Violetear amongst others. A hot coffee, a full replete breakfast and we were on our way to the airport and a final goodbye!

What a truly resplendent way to start the new year! In a beautiful country with pristine rainforests and birds that seem to have co-opted all the fashion designs, highlights and accents, all the colours of the rainbow, and added to it their own iridescent sparkle and brilliance! With a guide like Alfredo who knows all the birds and their calls and their habitats and their stories, and generously shares it all; with a trip organizer like Nik where every little detail is meticulously planned, every little problem solved, every requirement met, everything made possible; with a group of giant hearted friends who freely share an inexhaustible supply of snacks and songs and advice and laughter and anecdotes – Nik, Mamta, Aditi, Manjula, Archana, Dinesh, Mona, Rajiv and my vibrant, sporting bhabhi Meena – Thank You! I am privileged to have you as travel buddies and would gladly explore the world with you, anytime, anywhere.

Yeh Dil Could Not Ask For More!
Wishing you happy birding and many adventures Sheila