Costa Rica, walking in the clouds!

From Arenal to Monteverde, a long drive.

From vulcano grasslands / forests to cloud forests, a different ecosystem with different birds.

Monteverde is a small community in Puntarenas, located in the Cordillera de Tilarán.

Roughly a four hour drive from the Central Valley, and you know when you are in the region by the condition of the road: gravel!

Luckily we drove a 4WD. So we drove for an hour or more on the mountain roads and suddenly a big bird soared in front of us. Big, black and a typical red ugly non-feathered head: the turkey vulture. 

It soared for more than 10 seconds in front of us and then it disappeared in the valley below of us.

Its relative, the black vulture is shorter winged and tailed and has a different color pattern on the wings beneath: the turkey vulture's flight feathers on the wings appear to be silvery-gray beneath, contrasting with the darker wing linings. The black vulture's bases of the primary feathers are white, producing a white patch on the underside of the wing's edge, which is visible in flight.

Both beautiful birds, soaring the Costa Rican skies eyeing carrion.

At last we arrived in the lodge at the borders of the Monteverde city. A lodge, settled between trees and bushes, full of birds, butterflies and lizards. One tree especially struck me, I counted a lot of species of birds in it at first glance: amazone parrots, woodpeckers, grackles, different tanagers (summer, blue-grey, blue-necked) and even a turkey vulture in the top.

Amazone parrots, I never saw them on the wild and I was curious which Amazone species it was.

Its white-feathered forehead and thick red colouring around the eyes identified it as the white-fronted amazone. A Monteverde beauty.

When I examined the bushes in the garden the next day 2 amazones flew away from the bushes: loud and wing-flapping. Finally I came up, close and personal with a Central American bird I always wanted to meet in the wild. As most amazones, an acrobat on the branch, using its beak and legs to do crazy movements. I really enjoyed myself that early morning.

That afternoon we went ziplining in the cloud forests, an experience I can recommend.

Something I wanted to do for a long time, ever since I heard the stories of zip-lining researchers during my biology study.

As you may know, the flora and fauna in the canopy are completely different than on top of the forest: different insects and butterflies (blue morpho) , other plants living on the trees and a better sighting of birds including tanagers and high flying parrots.

 That brings me to the hummingbirds of Monteverde, but that will be the next story.

Costa Rica, going Volcano!

From the Caribbean it was now time for the Arenal region in central Costa Rica.
Arenal Volcano National Park is a Costa Rican national park in the central part of the country, forming the Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area. The park encompasses the Arenal Volcano, which "was" the most active in the country, which had previously been believed to be dormant until a major eruption in 1968. It neighbors Lake Arenal, which is the site of the country's largest hydroelectricity project, the Lake Arenal Dam.
Waking up by hummingbirds and viewing the Arenal Volcano is quite an experience.
A quiet hotel, but the scenery and birdlife were grand.
From our hotelroom hummingbirds were seen feeding from nectar, while a local squirrel was trying to get into the hotelrooms.
A logical bird to introduce here is the Quetzal, but I didn't see the bird, so I will focus on 3 other species:
the rufous-collared sparrow, the rufous-tailed hummingbird and the summer tanager.

Our first bird, a fine sparrow, was very present during breakfast, stealing food whenever possible.
Fast wing-flapping birds, but not afraid and a strong voice, singing from the top of a tree.
From a distance you could think it's a house sparrow. 
However, the house sparrow belongs to the genus Passer (family Passeridae) and the rufous-collared sparrow is a member of the genus Zonotrichia (family Emberizidae).
Seeing it closer it also looks more like relatives from the family Emberizidae. 
A joy to observe.

The rufous-tailed hummingbird is a bird you first hear and then see. The call reminded me of the wren.
Quick moving feeding on nectar it went from flower to flower. But I also saw it was territorial, bullying 
away other hummingbirds. Something I also saw in the future in Monteverde.
I have read this is one of the causes these birds are difficult to keep in aviaries. This always wondered me, 
because I did not see them in Burger's Zoo in my hometown Arnhem.
A great bird to see for a beginning hummingbirder!

Last but not least, the summer tanager, a winterguest from North-America. What a red color in the green canopy.
When seeing, you immediately recognize it.
Surprisingly, the first time I saw it (first heard the robin-like call), I thought I saw an escaped red canary 
(brings back memories), but bigger.
Tanagers are an unknown family to me, and I never thought they were so big with strong beaks.
Summer tanagers feed on wasps and bees which were abundant, but I did not see it.
Unfortunately I also didn't see the mustard-colored females. Next time!

Just a glimpse of the birds I saw. Next time Monteverde!



 
 

Costa Rica, Caribbean adventures: part 2

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, reggae time Costa Rica!

Well, Puerto Viejo was also reggae time for my birding.
Relaxing at the beach enjoying birds.
As with the Costa Rica locations I already discussed I will highlight 3 bird species:
the magpie jay, the brown pelican and the magnificent frigate bird.

You're drinking your coconut cocktail and suddenly you hear noises above in the trees.
There are those blue-white magpie jays again, with their long tails and crest of headfeathers.
But why were they so noisy?
The answer materialized nearby. Some kind of hawk was sitting silently in the top of the tree nearby. First time I saw mobbing in Costa Rica. Nice!

I always like observing birds hunting. And the brown pelican did not disappoint me.
Not afraid of anyone, it crashed into the water amidst swimmers and surfers.
But it also could soar for half an hour spotting fish.
A real reggae bird, laid-back pelican.

The forke-tailed magnificent frigate birds, one of the 5 species of frigate or Man-of-War birds
Soaring high in the sky (unfortunately without the scarlet throat pouch, not the breeding season), it attracted my attention because it was not afraid of the vultures which were soaring meters away.
Well, the magnificent frigate bird has a wingspan of more than 2 meters, so I can understand the vulture.

Just a taste of the laid-back birds of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.
Next time the birds of the Arenal region (we go vulcano!) will be discussed,
 

Costa Rica, Caribbean adventures part 1

Pura vida!

Well, that's what birding is in Costa Rica.
And especially traveling the Costa Rican Caribbean coast.
Travelling on foat, by boat and by car!

First we started at Tortuguero, where we had 3 days of discovering new birds in this wet, tropical, protected area.
Birds, spiders, bats, frogs, snakes, caymans and even a basilisks lizard. (the Jesus lizard, it can run over water, they really do :-)).
And don't forget the plantlife, which was plentiful.
All seen walking and by boat.
But, back to the birds. Next to the abundant vultures and  grackles, 3 bird species stood out.

The anhinga , the white-collared manakin and the magnificent great green macaw, which is a threatened species.

The anhinga is a bird, which I never saw in the wild. I am used to herons and cormorant, but this beauty was more of a heron / cormorant crossbread.
A long neck, and when wings spread, the wings looked like a set of piano tiles.
Near our lodge (anhinga lodge, awkward :-) ) always one was present.
A real wetlands beauty, and I can understand why they choose the name for this excellent lodge.

Another bird, the white-collared manakin, was more heard than seen.
But when you saw it, it was not inactive!
Hopping around, wings flapping, body shaking, the lot! And the sound, astonishing bird, which I also saw at more Caribbean spots.

Now, the greaty green macaw, my first macaw in the wild. A real macaw, which I immediately recognized. Not operating solo, but in a group of 4-5 birds foraging in the trees next to the river.
A threatened bird, food depended on the nuts of the almendro tree (tonka bean tree), which it can crack.
Habitat loss makes it difficult for this beautiful bird, which is a true Tortuguero treasure.

Three days bird Paradise, a shame I had to go.
No worries, the adventure continues.
Next time I will tell you about the birds seen at Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, another Caribbean treat.

Costa Rica birding, Pura vida!

Yes, I did it!

I finally went to the small Central American country of Costa Rica for a 2 1/2 week of adventure, beach-bumbing, cocktail-drinking and not to forget feast of bird-watching.

Well, the birds did not disappoint me.

Everywhere you went, there they were. In the highlands, at the volcanoes, the beaches and the wetlands, and even in the busy streets of San Jose.

Time for a blog series :-)

The next blog posts I will treat you with my experiences I had crossing the different parts of Costa Rica:

• The mysterious wetlands of Tortuguero
• The laidback atmosphere at Costa Rica's Caribbean coast
• The explosive times at the Arenal Volcano region
• The moist cloudforests of Monteverde
• The phantastic scenery at Costa Rica's Pacific Coast
• The busy streets of San Jose

Stay tuned the next weeks for a Costa Rica Bird extravaganza with some spectacular bird behaviour you have never seen.