COSTA RICA April 2016
Author: Lois Olive Gray Photos: Kay Ellen Gilmour, MD
Travel Web Site: KayGilmour.SmugMug.Com
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Costa Rica "Carousel" Imagine yourself on a merry-go-round where all the "rides" are birds—no horses or elephants or lions. All of them marvelous, flamboyantly colorful, huge and small, great talons and tiny fragile legs! Instead of reaching for the brass ring at every turn, you are trying for the best photograph of their live counterparts—or at least the clearest and longest look at them. No typical carousel tinkly music, but instead melodious calls, squawking croaks, high-pitched hawk screams, quiet tiny clucks, and the airy swoosh of great wings overhead. How marvelous an experience that would be—right? Well, let me tell you that we six friends and relatives just enjoyed that magical ride in the beautiful Central American country called Costa Rica. What a blessed country it is too: spectacular mountains including active and dormant volcanoes, cloud forests, desert landscapes, thick tangled rainforest jungles, gorgeous Atlantic and Pacific coastlines, picturesque grasslands! Best of all: it is a peaceful stable country with friendly people and large tracts of national parks and preservation areas. We can all rejoice that Costa Rica has been assiduous in protecting its great biodiversity. Considered to contain 5% of the world's biodiversity, it has established formal protection for 25% of its land mass. In comparison, the USA protects 14% of its lands. Costa Rica lags behind the USA in establishing marine protected areas: the USA has 12% marine protected areas while Costa Rica at present preserves only 1%. However, the good news is that the country is working with many global agencies on oceanic preservation and will no doubt increase that low percent in the near future. In all the United States, there are 784 documented species of birds but in tiny Costa Rica (often compared to West Virginia in area) there are 894 documented bird species. In our 8 full days of birding, we saw 207 species! What a paradise for birders of all "feathers": those that just like to find and record their sightings, those that want to take photos of the avian "jewels," those who just like to "watch" birds and even those who are completing life lists of birds seen so they can enter the world's record books on most birds ever seen. Whatever your interest in birds—Costa Rica should be on your "bucket list" of must visit places!
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TRIP LOGISTICS Following my effusive praise of the country, I must include the company we travelled with in that general accolade. The company is called "Birding Pals" and there are many countries known for great birding that have "branches" of this worldwide loose organization. We simply googled "birding trips in Costa Rica" and up popped this outfit. All the arrangements are done online through the local head of the company—Roy Orozco. We were dazzled by the itinerary Roy planned for us, totally impressed and happy with the guide who accompanied us throughout the 10 day exploration—Carlos "Tavi" Cruz, and disbelieving of the oh so reasonable price per individual. Not only did Roy provide us with the guide/driver (Tavi) in a new & very comfortable van, but all our accommodations were also included as well as all meals! We of course had to arrange and pay for our own airline reservations. But pick up and return to the airport were also included. We were in the country from April 20 to April 29, 2016. Total price for all this excellence: $1500.00 each!
CERRO LODGE Our first two nights were spent in Carara National Park in the Cerro Lodge which is one of only two places to stay in that Park. We were very happy to find that the cabins were airconditioned since it is very hot and humid in Costa Rica pretty much all year long. Our meals were served buffet style and were quite tasty with typical Costa Rican foods: black beans & rice, chicken prepared in a variety of ways, plantains, soups, squash vegetables, salads and a choice of several desserts. The dining area overlooked the large property out into the mountains and also featured a bird feeding platform right off the deck so all meals were accompanied by bird watching. It was there we were introduced to the national bird—the very ordinary "clay-colored thrush." This unassuming looking little brownish gray bird is ubiquitous in the country and was chosen partly for that reason as the national bird. We learned that a school teacher had suggested this little fellow because he was ordinary looking and everywhere—a fine democratic symbol for the state. The cabins were basic with few frills but the most important requirement was met in full— they were clean and neat and were serviced everyday. All six of us enjoyed our nights in those cabins. There were walking trails in and around the facility so we could explore on our own a bit if we were not completely satisfied with the day's outings. But usually we were more than satisfied—we were elated.
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Carara National Park is near the Pacific coast and close to the capital city of San Jose. It contains 11,614 acres of protected land with altitudes varying from 328 ft to 1640 ft. It is a dry forest area with two distinct life zones which makes birding very good since there are overlapping species to be seen. The scarlet macaws here comprise Costa Rica's largest population. The other creature most folks want to see is the American Crocodile—a very large fellow indeed. The Rio Tarcoles forms the northern boundary of the park and the river is home to many of these reptiles. We took several hot sticky walks and a wonderful much cooler boat ride on the Rio Tarcoles and were lucky enough to see & photograph dozens of birds, many American Crocodiles and even a couple of mammals—chiefly the cuddly looking agouti scurrying about in the underbrush of the forest. The birds of the Carara are song birds, raptors, parrots and water birds as well. A veritable feast for the cameras and the binoculars.
SAVEGRE HOTEL NATURAL RESERVE & SPA The next two nights and days found us in this beautiful mountain lodge in a 909 acre cloud forest environment. It was touted as one of the best places for hummingbirds AND the Resplendent Quetzal Bird. And it definitely lived up to its boasts! The property has 41 cabins, a spa, dining area, bird feeding sites, 18 miles of trails varying from easy to somewhat more challenging. The cabins were pleasant and comfortable and the lack of air-conditioning was not a problem here because we h ad reached a cooler altitude. The dining area and the spa both included that important amenity. If one arrives without a naturalist guide, the hotel will recommend one for your level of interest. Of course, we were so lucky to have Tavi who was quite familiar with the trails and opportunities for birdwatching at this lodge. The "Holy Grail" bird sought after by even tourists of only the mildest of interests in birds is the "Resplendent Quetzal Bird. Tavi had informed us that this reserve would provide not only our best opportunity to see and photograph this magnificent creature but probably our single chance on our itinerary. So we were all keyed up and ready to go even at the early hour of 5 a.m. on two consecutive mornings. We had to board our van to be driven to the home of our quarry which was beyond easy walking distance. The Resplendent Quetzal" is the national bird of Guatemala, so Costa Rica is not the only country where it can be observed. Actually it is found from Mexico to Panama but it is considered
endangered
everywhere
because
of
forest
destruction
and
human
interference. We were fortunate enough to see and photograph the male quetzal on two 3
mornings and the female once. The males are the most vibrant in color and they are the ones that sport the 24 inches tail. Colors are iridescent greens to golds to blue indigo and the bird also has a brilliant red breast. The male also wears a helmet-like crest. Females are the same colors but not nearly as bright, nor do they either the long tail or the headdress. The birds are secretive and prefer the cover of the forest so it is not easy to see them even when being told just where they are sitting. Indeed, one of our party snared a wonderful picture of a male when he did not even see the bird and thought he was photographing a particularly large white flower. When he looked at his picture on his camera's viewing screen, he was flabbergasted the see the beautiful Quetzal in full view. It was probably the best picture that anyone got of that bird and he didn't even know he was "shooting" it. The other chief avian attraction at this reserve is the large number and variety of hummingbirds and their near cousins. These tiny flying jewels are feisty and fast—making it a challenge to photography them well. But the bird feeders around the main lodge drew them in and provided good looks for the always present crowds of watchers. Just a few names of the hummers will describe their vibrant colors and wonderfully shaped bills: the Magnificent Hummingbird, the fiery-throated hummer, the white-throated gem, the green violet-ear, and the blue-chested hummer—just to name a very few. It was quite amusing to observe the antics of these rapid flyers. Their wingbeats are so fast as to be almost invisible, they are quite territorial and often sparring with one another across species to maintain their favorite spots on the feeders. They dip and dive, coming perilously close to the heads to humans surrounding the feeders. There was rarely a time of day when the feeders were not crowded with birds, reaching into the flowers with their stiletto-like beaks, all the while hovering in the air.
SELVA VERDE LODGE We were next based in the tropical rainforest habitat at the Selva Verde Lodge—the hottest and steamiest place we lodged (for two nights with no air-conditioning anywhere. There were large fans over all the beds which did make sleeping tolerable. There are 47 rooms all with balconies and all elevated to a 2nd story on "stilts" to avoid the regular flooding during the rainy season. There was a pleasant dining area with friendly and helpful personnel. There was one large feeding station central to the lodges at the dining hall which provided entertainment during the meals. Food was plentiful and tasty.
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A pretty river (the Rio Siripiqui) created one boundary for the reserve and while it was not very rambunctious during our visit, photos and personal testimonials certainly reminded us that it could become quite tumultuous if the seasonal rains were heavy. The river was full of large rocks over which it tumbled merrily but which would be completely invisible during flooding. The most prized birds sought here were to the two kinds of toucan: the black mandibled and the keel-billed. Again, Tavi made sure that we saw them both on several occasions, insuring good views and excellent photo ops.
There were also many little colorful
songbirds in this habitat and we all enjoyed watching them as well. Another tiny creature that enthralled all of us lives right outside the stairway to the dining area in the palm trees and other lush tropical vegetation: the fetching little green tree frog with the big red eyes. He sat so patiently under the glare of our flashlights in the dark of night while we photographed him, stared at him, and marveled over his adorable "factor." Since we were still entranced with the amphibian world, Tavi stirred the leaves under a big tree and revealed the equally cute "Blue-jeans frog whose back legs were the same color as denim while the rest of his body was a greenish color. While visiting areas around La Selva, we were privileges to see the "Spectacled Owl" (such a beautiful bird whose white facial feathers are so arranged that the owl appears to be wearing large white eyeglasses. Even a two-toe sloth was on one of the paths we walked. Collared peccaries with babies also ran away from us but not fast enough—we still got photos and excellent looks at the family. One of my personal favorite sightings was the "tent-making white bats." These creatures are just exquisite. They are pure white and no bigger than a cotton ball. Their endearing activity is making themselves a shelter for the daylight periods. They choose a large leaf, like a banana frond, and proceed to chew tiny holes in the leaf along its central spine. This causes the leaf to semi-collapse creating a cozy tent for these tiny creatures. When their night-time hunting is done, they fly back to their tent home and spend the day out of the sun and hidden from possible predators. The tropical rainforest is indeed a wondrous world of plants and animals, birds, reptiles and insects. Our last and one of our greatest adventures in La Selva was a visit to a very private home created by an interesting and sensitive young man and his family as a haven for all wildlife. Because Tavi knew him we were invited into his private sanctum. Hummingbirds galore, a great cassowary bird, peccaries, egrets, and a rare sighting indeed, the Gray-necked Wood Rail. 5
But the crowning event of the day was found a couple of miles away from the hidden preserve just along a quiet roadside. There in the crotch of a very tall tree sat a mother Common Potoo and her young chick. They sat snuggled together with Mom dozing a bit and not particularly worried about the eight of us staring in wonder up at her. The chick was more curious and eyed us through half-closed lids. Occasionally he would close his eyes completely as if in hopes we would disappear by the next time he opened his eyes. Only a picture of this amazing bird can give any idea of its bizarre and primeval appearance.
ARENAL OBSERVATORY LODGE The only property located within Arenal Volcano National Park, this 48 room lodge was originally built in 1987 by the Smithsonian Institute (of the USA) for scientific research purposes. The Lodge sits on the flank of the volcano 1.7 miles from the base. Despite this proximity, the Lodge is not considered to be on dangerous ground due to the deep gorge and river between the base and the Lodge. The Park comprises 30,000 acres and the Lodge sits in 870 acres of mixed manicured gardens and rainforest foliage. There are four different life zones within the national park. Many trails lead from the Lodge to various parts of the park as well as all around the Lodge acreage. Arenal Volcano last erupted in 1968 to devastating effect on the surrounding communities. However, it has been dormant since that time. There are occasional puffs of steam and vapors seen at the summit but although it is monitored continuously, it is not considered a threat at present due to its lack of activity. Over 400 bird species have been identified on the property and there are monkeys, red brocket deer, peccaries, ocelots and tapirs as well. Wish I could report that we saw anything other than birds, but our only mammals were coatimundis which are not inconsiderable—very cute. But nothing like seeing wild felines for me. It was meltingly hot while we were staying here and we all had to drink continuously to avoid dehydration and heat stroke. But we were determined to see every creature we could so we kept on hiking with Tavi from morning to darkness (which came late) and just endured our wet clothing and plastered hairdos! But we were so happy with the birds we saw and with the grand scenery of this area. The manicured sections of the lodge property were beautifully maintained and the flowers were vibrant like the birds we saw. 6
The restaurant/dining area here was also interesting because there was a large feeding area off the deck leading into the restaurant which invited platoons of birds of all species from the cheeky oropendolas to the tiny hummers. Coatis and larger flightless birds (the crest curassow) fed under the platform, so there was almost always a "big show" to be enjoyed and photographed. The trails were well maintained, some of them actually paved and others underlaid with wire to present slipping on the damp leaves. Some of the hikes we took involved moving to a more distant location in the van but that was a plus since we were able to see more of the park than mere walking would have permitted. It would be difficult to decide which of the places we visited was the most productive, enjoyable, comfortable or even fun, because all of the were wonderful. But Arenal was a fitting place to end our adventure because the setting was so spectacular what with the magnificent cone volcano, the many lovely lakes, the special species of vegetation, and the many birds we saw.
A FUNNY SIDE NOTE One late afternoon at Arenal, we were birdwatching on a slope overlooking a mirroring lake far below us. The view was inspiring and there were many little birds flitting around making identification a challenge. The sky began to show the gathering dark clouds in the distance over the lake. Some smaller dark clouds were above us on the slope as well. We all protected our cameras and binoculars but kept following Tavi as he pressed on with his identification efforts. Suddenly, there was a tremendous clap of thunder and, without saying a word among ourselves or to Tavi, we 6 Floridians moved as one running to relative safety of the van. Tavi looked around in amazement from the slope at his fleeing clients, obviously unaware of what we Floridians know—lightning strikes ahead of clouds and rain. Florida being the lightning strike and lightning-caused deaths capital of the world, we are all hypersensitive to being caught out in the open when there is probably lightning around. Tavi ambled to the van and looked at us quizzically. "Did I say something to offend you?" We all assured him that nothing of the kind was true. He then asked, "Why did you run to the van without saying a word to each other or to me?" "Did you not want to be rained on?" That's when we enlightened him about our home state and its fearsome lightning reputation. He told us that there are very few lightning strikes in Costa Rica and further that he had never even read of a person being struck by lightning in CR. No wonder he couldn't figure out why we had all made such a hasty retreat. But such reactions are just normal to us Floridians. We didn't have to discuss what to do—we all instinctively knew! 7
Just like we know not to swim in murky canals (alligators!) or to walk in Florida woodlands without watching for snakes!
CONCLUSION Birding Pals and our guide Tavi made this quick dip into Costa Rica's wild bird treasures an unqualified success by every measure: Quality of Guide Services, comfort of transportation, excellence in lodging and meals, numbers of species seen, and the amazingly low cost for all this wonderment. Cheers to Roy Orozco, representative of Birling Pals in Costa Rica, and to Tavi, our most excellent guide!
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