Subject: Costa Rica - Monteverde
Date: Mar 22 22:03:02 1998
From: "Jack Stephens" - Jsteph02 at sprynet.com
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Costa Rica 2/98
Part 2 - Monteverde
When we left Guanacaste for Monteverde the birding really exploded. =
With the combination of more time in the field, higher bird density and =
an expert guide, our heads were soon swimming with new sightings. I =
can=92t say enough good things about our guide, Alex Villeges =
(506-645-5343). A Monteverde native, he is a self-trained bird guide and =
naturalist. I have been out with many hard-core birders and several =
professional guides, but this guy is awesome. His observation skills, =
his ability to ID birds by call or song, and his ability to bring them =
in by imitation is truly amazing. While the general level of expertise =
of Monteverde guide seems to be fairly high, several times I saw other =
guides approach Alex for advise or confirmation of an ID. Besides his =
skills in the field, he was a warm and outgoing person, and we left the =
country feeling that we had a friend in Costa Rica. I would highly =
recommend his services for birding Monteverde. He will travel to other =
parts of the country as well for guiding by special arrangement, and he =
has the ability to arrange birding tours complete with transportation =
and lodging for small groups.
I would recommend a guide for Monteverde. We passed several groups =
that were birding on their own, and were clearly disappointed at the =
difficulty of finding and identifying birds in the thick forest. If you =
are on your own, don=92t neglect the many dirt roads that branch off of =
the main route to the reserve. These are more open, the birds are easier =
to see, and you will find many different species at this slightly lower =
elevation. We also found the trails behind the Monteverde Lodge to be =
productive. The nearby Ecological Farm yielded views of agouti and =
coatamundi within just a few feet.
Travel tip - we took the all-nylon travel shirts and convertible pants =
on the trip and they were great. Get dirty and sweaty during the day, =
rinse them in the sink at night with a dash of soap, hang in the shower =
and they are clean and dry the next day. You can pack lighter and not =
hassle with laundry.
The following species list is for Monteverde proper. Below it is a list =
of the few species we saw on the road up to Monteverde that weren=92t =
seen elsewhere.
SPECIES SEEN
All Dates ~ in Monteverde=20
NEW WORLD VULTURES
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
HAWKS, EAGLES AND KITES
Swallow-tailed Kite
GUANS, CHACHALACAS AND CURASSOWS
Black Guan
PIGEONS AND DOVES
Band-tailed Pigeon
Red-billed Pigeon
Chiriqui Quail-Dove
PARROTS
Crimson-fronted Parakeet
Brown-hooded Parrot
White-fronted Parrot
NEW WORLD CUCKOOS
Squirrel Cuckoo
HUMMINGBIRDS
Green Hermit
Violet Sabrewing
Green Violet-ear
Fork-tailed Emerald
Steely-vented Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
Coppery-headed Emerald
Purple-throated Mountain-gem
Green-crowned Brilliant
Magenta-throated Woodstar
TROGONS AND QUETZALS
Resplendent Quetzal
Orange-bellied Trogon
MOTMOTS
Blue-crowned Motmot
AMERICAN BARBETS
Prong-billed Barbet
TOUCANS
Emerald Toucanet
WOODPECKERS
Hoffmann's Woodpecker
Golden-olive Woodpecker
WOODCREEPERS
Olivaceous Woodcreeper
Streak-headed Woodcreeper
FURNARIDS
Red-faced Spinetail
Spotted Barbtail
Ruddy Treerunner
Lineated Foliage-gleaner
Streak-breasted Treehunter
ANTBIRDS
Plain Antvireo
Slaty Antwren
COTINGAS
Three-wattled Bellbird
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Paltry Tyrannulet
Yellow-bellied Elaenia
Mountain Elaenia
Eye-ringed Flatbill
Yellowish Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Golden-bellied Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Masked Tityra
CROWS AND JAYS
Azure-hooded Jay
Brown Jay
VIREOS AND ALLIES
Rufous-browed Peppershrike
Yellow-throated Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Lesser Greenlet
THRUSHES
Black-faced Solitaire
Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush
Mountain Robin
Clay-colored Robin
White-throated Thrush
WRENS
Plain Wren
House Wren
Ochraceous Wren
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren
SWALLOWS
Blue-and-white Swallow
NEW WORLD WARBLERS
Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tropical Parula
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Slate-throated Redstart
Collared Redstart
Three-striped Warbler
BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, TANAGERS, ALLIES
Rufous-collared Sparrow
White-eared Ground-Sparrow
Bananaquit
Common Bush-Tanager
Yellow-throated Euphonia
Golden-browed Chlorophonia
Silver-throated Tanager
Spangle-cheeked Tanager
Scarlet-thighed Dacnis
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Buff-throated Saltator
BLACKBIRDS, GRACKLES, ORIOLES
Baltimore Oriole
Bronzed Cowbird
Species seen - 89
SPECIES SEEN Road to Monteverde
HUMMINGBIRDS
Green-breasted Mango
TOUCANS
Collared Aracari
Keel-billed Toucan
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Rose-throated Becard
WRENS
Plain Wren
BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, TANAGERS, ALLIES
Stripe-headed Sparrow
Painted Bunting
BLACKBIRDS, GRACKLES, ORIOLES
Montezuma Oropendola
Jack Stephens
Jsteph02 at sprynet.com
Edmonds WA
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<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">
<P>Costa Rica 2/98</P>
<P>Part 2 - Monteverde</P>
<P> When we left Guanacaste for Monteverde the birding =
really=20
exploded. With the combination of more time in the field, higher bird =
density=20
and an expert guide, our heads were soon swimming with new sightings. I=20
can’t say enough good things about our guide, Alex Villeges=20
(506-645-5343). A Monteverde native, he is a self-trained bird guide and =
naturalist. I have been out with many hard-core birders and several =
professional=20
guides, but this guy is awesome. His observation skills, his ability to =
ID birds=20
by call or song, and his ability to bring them in by imitation is truly =
amazing.=20
While the general level of expertise of Monteverde guide seems to be =
fairly=20
high, several times I saw other guides approach Alex for advise or =
confirmation=20
of an ID. Besides his skills in the field, he was a warm and outgoing =
person,=20
and we left the country feeling that we had a friend in Costa Rica. I =
would=20
highly recommend his services for birding Monteverde. He will travel to =
other=20
parts of the country as well for guiding by special arrangement, and he =
has the=20
ability to arrange birding tours complete with transportation and =
lodging for=20
small groups.</P>
<P> I would recommend a guide for Monteverde. We passed =
several=20
groups that were birding on their own, and were clearly disappointed at =
the=20
difficulty of finding and identifying birds in the thick forest. If you =
are on=20
your own, don’t neglect the many dirt roads that branch off of the =
main=20
route to the reserve. These are more open, the birds are easier to see, =
and you=20
will find many different species at this slightly lower elevation. We =
also found=20
the trails behind the Monteverde Lodge to be productive. The nearby =
Ecological=20
Farm yielded views of agouti and coatamundi within just a few feet.</P>
<P>Travel tip - we took the all-nylon travel shirts and convertible =
pants on the=20
trip and they were great. Get dirty and sweaty during the day, rinse =
them in the=20
sink at night with a dash of soap, hang in the shower and they are clean =
and dry=20
the next day. You can pack lighter and not hassle with laundry.</P>
<P>The following species list is for Monteverde proper. Below it is a =
list of=20
the few species we saw on the road up to Monteverde that weren’t =
seen=20
elsewhere.</P>
<P>SPECIES SEEN</P>
<P>All Dates ~ in Monteverde </P>
<P>NEW WORLD VULTURES</P>
<P>Black Vulture</P>
<P>Turkey Vulture </P>
<P>HAWKS, EAGLES AND KITES</P>
<P>Swallow-tailed Kite</P>
<P>GUANS, CHACHALACAS AND CURASSOWS</P>
<P>Black Guan</P>
<P>PIGEONS AND DOVES</P>
<P>Band-tailed Pigeon</P>
<P>Red-billed Pigeon</P>
<P>Chiriqui Quail-Dove</P>
<P>PARROTS</P>
<P>Crimson-fronted Parakeet</P>
<P>Brown-hooded Parrot</P>
<P>White-fronted Parrot</P>
<P>NEW WORLD CUCKOOS</P>
<P>Squirrel Cuckoo</P>
<P>HUMMINGBIRDS</P>
<P>Green Hermit</P>
<P>Violet Sabrewing</P>
<P>Green Violet-ear</P>
<P>Fork-tailed Emerald</P>
<P>Steely-vented Hummingbird</P>
<P>Rufous-tailed Hummingbird</P>
<P>Stripe-tailed Hummingbird</P>
<P>Coppery-headed Emerald</P>
<P>Purple-throated Mountain-gem</P>
<P>Green-crowned Brilliant</P>
<P>Magenta-throated Woodstar</P>
<P>TROGONS AND QUETZALS</P>
<P>Resplendent Quetzal</P>
<P>Orange-bellied Trogon</P>
<P>MOTMOTS</P>
<P>Blue-crowned Motmot</P>
<P>AMERICAN BARBETS</P>
<P>Prong-billed Barbet</P>
<P>TOUCANS</P>
<P>Emerald Toucanet</P>
<P>WOODPECKERS</P>
<P>Hoffmann's Woodpecker</P>
<P>Golden-olive Woodpecker</P>
<P>WOODCREEPERS</P>
<P>Olivaceous Woodcreeper</P>
<P>Streak-headed Woodcreeper</P>
<P>FURNARIDS</P>
<P>Red-faced Spinetail</P>
<P>Spotted Barbtail</P>
<P>Ruddy Treerunner</P>
<P>Lineated Foliage-gleaner</P>
<P>Streak-breasted Treehunter</P>
<P>ANTBIRDS</P>
<P>Plain Antvireo</P>
<P>Slaty Antwren</P>
<P>COTINGAS</P>
<P>Three-wattled Bellbird</P>
<P>TYRANT FLYCATCHERS</P>
<P>Paltry Tyrannulet</P>
<P>Yellow-bellied Elaenia</P>
<P>Mountain Elaenia</P>
<P>Eye-ringed Flatbill</P>
<P>Yellowish Flycatcher</P>
<P>Brown-crested Flycatcher</P>
<P>Tropical Kingbird</P>
<P>Golden-bellied Flycatcher</P>
<P>Social Flycatcher</P>
<P>Great Kiskadee</P>
<P>Masked Tityra</P>
<P>CROWS AND JAYS</P>
<P>Azure-hooded Jay</P>
<P>Brown Jay</P>
<P>VIREOS AND ALLIES</P>
<P>Rufous-browed Peppershrike</P>
<P>Yellow-throated Vireo</P>
<P>Philadelphia Vireo</P>
<P>Lesser Greenlet</P>
<P>THRUSHES</P>
<P>Black-faced Solitaire</P>
<P>Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush</P>
<P>Mountain Robin</P>
<P>Clay-colored Robin</P>
<P>White-throated Thrush</P>
<P>WRENS</P>
<P>Plain Wren</P>
<P>House Wren</P>
<P>Ochraceous Wren</P>
<P>Gray-breasted Wood-Wren</P>
<P>SWALLOWS</P>
<P>Blue-and-white Swallow</P>
<P>NEW WORLD WARBLERS</P>
<P>Golden-winged Warbler</P>
<P>Tennessee Warbler</P>
<P>Tropical Parula</P>
<P>Black-throated Green Warbler</P>
<P>Black-and-white Warbler</P>
<P>Wilson's Warbler</P>
<P>Slate-throated Redstart</P>
<P>Collared Redstart</P>
<P>Three-striped Warbler</P>
<P>BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, TANAGERS, ALLIES</P>
<P>Rufous-collared Sparrow</P>
<P>White-eared Ground-Sparrow</P>
<P>Bananaquit</P>
<P>Common Bush-Tanager</P>
<P>Yellow-throated Euphonia</P>
<P>Golden-browed Chlorophonia</P>
<P>Silver-throated Tanager</P>
<P>Spangle-cheeked Tanager</P>
<P>Scarlet-thighed Dacnis</P>
<P>Yellow-faced Grassquit</P>
<P>Rose-breasted Grosbeak</P>
<P>Buff-throated Saltator</P>
<P>BLACKBIRDS, GRACKLES, ORIOLES</P>
<P>Baltimore Oriole</P>
<P>Bronzed Cowbird</P>
<P>Species seen - 89</P>
<P> </P>
<P>SPECIES SEEN Road to Monteverde</P>
<P>HUMMINGBIRDS</P>
<P>Green-breasted Mango</P>
<P>TOUCANS</P>
<P>Collared Aracari</P>
<P>Keel-billed Toucan</P>
<P>TYRANT FLYCATCHERS</P>
<P>Rose-throated Becard</P>
<P>WRENS</P>
<P>Plain Wren</P>
<P>BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, TANAGERS, ALLIES</P>
<P>Stripe-headed Sparrow</P>
<P>Painted Bunting</P>
<P>BLACKBIRDS, GRACKLES, ORIOLES</P>
<P>Montezuma Oropendola</P>
<P> </P>
<P>Jack Stephens</P>
<P><A href=3D"mailto:Jsteph02 at sprynet.com">Jsteph02 at sprynet.com</A></P>
<P>Edmonds WA</P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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