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Costa Rica 2/98
Part I Guanacaste
We spent two weeks in Costa Rica at three different locations. The first =
week was spent in Guanacaste near Flamingo, the second week was split =
between Monteverde and Carara. The week in Guanacaste was partly devoted =
to a conference, so birding activity was somewhat limited. I would take =
early morning walks along the hotel=92s golf course and we did go on a =
couple of tours =96 a float trip down the Corobici River and a boat tour =
of Palo Verde. Bird density in Guanacaste in the dry season is =
relatively low, many of the species seen we one or two individuals. It =
is easier to bird Guanacaste without a guide however, the forest is more =
open making the birds somewhat easier to see.
We were traveling with a non-birding couple, and had promised them some =
rest and beach time for this leg of the trip. Guanacaste was great in =
this regard, we especially enjoyed the Sugar Beach Hotel near Playa Pan =
de Azucar. I had hoped to make day trips to Santa Rosa Park or Rincon de =
Vieja from this base, but the travel times on Costa Rican roads were so =
long that this was not possible. Canas or Liberia would be better bases =
for birding the area, unfortunately they are not great places to stay =
compared to the coast.
I elected to take the boat tour of Palo Verde to avoid the long drive =
from Flamingo, and to avoid the notoriously bad road into the reserve. =
We booked with CATA tours, it was a reasonable good general nature tour, =
but I knew the birds better than our guide. If I had to do it again, I =
would look for a smaller operation, or even an individual with a boat to =
take me into the park. You should avoid that herded-cattle feeling that =
goes along with a larger tour.
SPECIES SEEN
All Dates ~ in Guanacaste=20
FRIGATEBIRDS
Magnificent Frigatebird
GANNETS AND BOOBIES
Brown Booby
CORMORANTS
Neotropic Cormorant
ANHINGAS
Anhinga
PELICANS
Brown Pelican
DUCKS, SWANS, GEESE
Blue-winged Teal
HERONS, EGRETS AND BITTERNS
Little Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Boat-billed Heron
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
IBIS AND SPOONBILLS
White Ibis
STORKS
Wood Stork
NEW WORLD VULTURES
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
OSPREY
Osprey
HAWKS, EAGLES AND KITES
Snail Kite
Plumbeous Kite
Crane Hawk
Common Black-Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
FALCONS AND CARACARAS
Crested Caracara
Merlin
LIMPKIN
Limpkin
JACANAS
Northern Jacana
SANDPIPERS
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
THICK-KNEES
Double-striped Thick-knee
PIGEONS AND DOVES
White-winged Dove
Inca Dove
Plain-breasted Ground-Dove
PARROTS
Orange-fronted Parakeet
White-fronted Parrot
ANIS
Groove-billed Ani
BARN-OWLS
Barn Owl
NIGHTJARS
Pauraque
HUMMINGBIRDS
Cinnamon Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Plain-capped Starthroat
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
TROGONS AND QUETZALS
Black-headed Trogon
KINGFISHERS
Ringed Kingfisher
Amazon Kingfisher
MOTMOTS
Turquoise-browed Motmot
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
CROWS AND JAYS
White-throated Magpie-Jay
WRENS
Rufous-naped Wren
Banded Wren
GNATCATCHERS
White-lored Gnatcatcher
SWALLOWS
Mangrove Swallow
Purple Martin
Gray-breasted Martin
OLD WORLD SPARROWS
House Sparrow
NEW WORLD WARBLERS
Yellow Warbler
BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, TANAGERS, ALLIES
Stripe-headed Sparrow
BLACKBIRDS, GRACKLES, ORIOLES
Streak-backed Oriole
Great-tailed Grackle
Species seen - 66
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<DIV><FONT face=3D"Courier New">
<P>Costa Rica 2/98</P>
<P>Part I Guanacaste</P>
<P>We spent two weeks in Costa Rica at three different locations. The =
first week=20
was spent in Guanacaste near Flamingo, the second week was split between =
Monteverde and Carara. The week in Guanacaste was partly devoted to a=20
conference, so birding activity was somewhat limited. I would take early =
morning=20
walks along the hotel’s golf course and we did go on a couple of =
tours=20
– a float trip down the Corobici River and a boat tour of Palo =
Verde. Bird=20
density in Guanacaste in the dry season is relatively low, many of the =
species=20
seen we one or two individuals. It is easier to bird Guanacaste without =
a guide=20
however, the forest is more open making the birds somewhat easier to =
see.</P>
<P>We were traveling with a non-birding couple, and had promised them =
some rest=20
and beach time for this leg of the trip. Guanacaste was great in this =
regard, we=20
especially enjoyed the Sugar Beach Hotel near Playa Pan de Azucar. I had =
hoped=20
to make day trips to Santa Rosa Park or Rincon de Vieja from this base, =
but the=20
travel times on Costa Rican roads were so long that this was not =
possible. Canas=20
or Liberia would be better bases for birding the area, unfortunately =
they are=20
not great places to stay compared to the coast.</P>
<P>I elected to take the boat tour of Palo Verde to avoid the long drive =
from=20
Flamingo, and to avoid the notoriously bad road into the reserve. We =
booked with=20
CATA tours, it was a reasonable good general nature tour, but I knew the =
birds=20
better than our guide. If I had to do it again, I would look for a =
smaller=20
operation, or even an individual with a boat to take me into the park. =
You=20
should avoid that herded-cattle feeling that goes along with a larger =
tour.</P>
<P>SPECIES SEEN</P>
<P>All Dates ~ in Guanacaste </P>
<P>FRIGATEBIRDS</P>
<P>Magnificent Frigatebird</P>
<P>GANNETS AND BOOBIES</P>
<P>Brown Booby</P>
<P>CORMORANTS</P>
<P>Neotropic Cormorant</P>
<P>ANHINGAS</P>
<P>Anhinga</P>
<P>PELICANS</P>
<P>Brown Pelican</P>
<P>DUCKS, SWANS, GEESE</P>
<P>Blue-winged Teal</P>
<P>HERONS, EGRETS AND BITTERNS</P>
<P>Little Blue Heron</P>
<P>Snowy Egret</P>
<P>Great Blue Heron</P>
<P>Great Egret</P>
<P>Cattle Egret</P>
<P>Green Heron</P>
<P>Yellow-crowned Night-Heron</P>
<P>Black-crowned Night-Heron</P>
<P>Boat-billed Heron</P>
<P>Bare-throated Tiger-Heron</P>
<P>IBIS AND SPOONBILLS</P>
<P>White Ibis</P>
<P>STORKS</P>
<P>Wood Stork</P>
<P>NEW WORLD VULTURES</P>
<P>Black Vulture</P>
<P>Turkey Vulture</P>
<P>OSPREY</P>
<P>Osprey</P>
<P>HAWKS, EAGLES AND KITES</P>
<P>Snail Kite</P>
<P>Plumbeous Kite</P>
<P>Crane Hawk</P>
<P>Common Black-Hawk</P>
<P>Broad-winged Hawk</P>
<P>Red-tailed Hawk</P>
<P>FALCONS AND CARACARAS</P>
<P>Crested Caracara</P>
<P>Merlin</P>
<P>LIMPKIN</P>
<P>Limpkin</P>
<P>JACANAS</P>
<P>Northern Jacana</P>
<P>SANDPIPERS</P>
<P>Lesser Yellowlegs</P>
<P>Spotted Sandpiper</P>
<P>THICK-KNEES</P>
<P>Double-striped Thick-knee</P>
<P>PIGEONS AND DOVES</P>
<P>White-winged Dove</P>
<P>Inca Dove</P>
<P>Plain-breasted Ground-Dove</P>
<P>PARROTS</P>
<P>Orange-fronted Parakeet</P>
<P>White-fronted Parrot</P>
<P>ANIS</P>
<P>Groove-billed Ani</P>
<P>BARN-OWLS</P>
<P>Barn Owl</P>
<P>NIGHTJARS</P>
<P>Pauraque</P>
<P>HUMMINGBIRDS</P>
<P>Cinnamon Hummingbird</P>
<P>Rufous-tailed Hummingbird</P>
<P>Plain-capped Starthroat</P>
<P>Ruby-throated Hummingbird</P>
<P>TROGONS AND QUETZALS</P>
<P>Black-headed Trogon</P>
<P>KINGFISHERS</P>
<P>Ringed Kingfisher</P>
<P>Amazon Kingfisher</P>
<P>MOTMOTS</P>
<P>Turquoise-browed Motmot</P>
<P>TYRANT FLYCATCHERS</P>
<P>Brown-crested Flycatcher</P>
<P>Tropical Kingbird</P>
<P>Scissor-tailed Flycatcher</P>
<P>Great Kiskadee</P>
<P>CROWS AND JAYS</P>
<P>White-throated Magpie-Jay</P>
<P>WRENS</P>
<P>Rufous-naped Wren</P>
<P>Banded Wren</P>
<P>GNATCATCHERS</P>
<P>White-lored Gnatcatcher</P>
<P>SWALLOWS</P>
<P>Mangrove Swallow</P>
<P>Purple Martin</P>
<P>Gray-breasted Martin</P>
<P>OLD WORLD SPARROWS</P>
<P>House Sparrow</P>
<P>NEW WORLD WARBLERS</P>
<P>Yellow Warbler</P>
<P>BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, TANAGERS, ALLIES</P>
<P>Stripe-headed Sparrow</P>
<P>BLACKBIRDS, GRACKLES, ORIOLES</P>
<P>Streak-backed Oriole</P>
<P>Great-tailed Grackle</P>
<P>Species seen - 66 </P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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