We went to Costa Rica for two weeks in February last year. If you go in
December it is the end of the rainy season, by late January it is drier but
accomodations may be more expensive. We spit our time between Guanacaste in
the dry northwest, Monteverde in the mountains, and Carara reserve in the
wet Pacific coast. When we go back, I would like to include Arenal volcano
(everyone says it is wonderful there) and La Selva to catch some
Atlantic-side species.
In terms of birding, we had close to 300 species for two weeks, with nearly
200 of those life birds for me. I birded Guanacaste on my own, finding about
70 species. In Monteverde we hired Alex Villegas, a local birding guide who
traveled with us to Carara. Having a guide made a huge difference in the
range of birds that we could find and identify. Alex also helped with
accomodations, trip planning, and translation (we speak no Spanish). For
those who are interested, Alex is planning a trip to the Seattle area in
June of this year. Please e-mail me directly if you would like to meet with
him while he is here to discuss your plans.

Jack Stephens
jsteph02 at sprynet.com
Edmonds, WA