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By Diane Wong-Kone  Tamara Bekuo painting a Three-Wattled Bellbird at Hotel Bougainvillea, by Diane Wong-Kone (Author’s note: Links to some of the places mentioned in this article are listed at the end. Full eBird Trip Report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/217643 ). I have been lucky to have visited Costa Rica multiple times during my life. With each visit, I learn a little more about this country, meet beautiful people, and see new birds, because, after all, this place hosts some amazing biodiversity! This most recent trip to northern Costa Rica added even more memorable experiences. The wildlife and bird sightings were fantastic, and meeting the artists, local guides, and conservationists was inspiring. Seeing some of the most intact forested areas and wetland complexes on Earth is an experience not to be missed, and I am grateful to Lahontan Audubon Society, who has been hosting multiple international birdwatching opportunities that promote local conservation efforts for the birds we all love. Pura Vida! Pura Vida means “pure life” and is an apt greeting in an area that teems with life everywhere. Eleven of us, including Steve and Paula Gessler, Paula Townsend, Patty Moen, Dave Emme, Bill and Barbara Ramsey, Sue Stevenson, Rich Rossi, Lou Loftin, and myself have recently returned from a tour of northern Costa Rica with Crescentia Expeditions and their expert guide and driver, Anthony Arce Guido and Rodrigo Barrientes. The northern section of Costa Rica, on the border with Nicaragua, contains some of the largest, intact forest for wildlife in Central America. Many areas are not accessible except by waterway or boat. This area hosts a great variety of flora and fauna, and some phenomenal opportunities to see birds and other wildlife! Crescentia Expeditions offers multiple tours in Costa Rica, and this recent tour of the north represents a complete circuit of the country, as their past tours with LAS visited habitats in the central mountains, and the Osa Peninsula to the south. Like many Costa Rica birding tours, our tour began at Hotel Bougainvillea, located on the outskirts of San Jose and about a 20-minute drive from the airport. Upon arrival, several of us were greeted by the local gardener, who eagerly showed us some of the garden’s beautiful residents, such as the Mottled Owl, Lesson’s Motmot, and the nocturnal Blue-sided Tree Frog. Our group individually arrived a day or two early and had a little time to enjoy the hotel grounds. One nice surprise at the hotel was seeing famous artist Tamara Sibaja, who also goes by Bekuo. I chatted with Tamara in my broken Spanish and learned that she has participated with and continues, through the sale of her art, to support the Cabanisi Project. Like many birds, the Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow is threatened by habitat loss from urban growth. Fortunately, people like Tamara are helping to band and monitor this bird, learning about its habitat needs, so that the habitats can be saved for the bird to survive. This beautiful sparrow thrives in secondary growth forest and although limited in range, it can sometimes be found in coffee plantations. Tamara’s goal is to paint the wildlife and plants of Costa Rica, to show everyone the special species that can be found there. When we arrived, Tamara was painting a Three-Wattled Bellbird! Her art is beautiful, and it was a joy to see her paint and to meet with her. Our mutual love of birds and understanding of ecology broke down the language barriers. Mario Cordoba, owner of Crescentia Expeditions, and Tamara are friends, and as a surprise for our group, Mario arranged a gift of a water bottle with Tamara’s art to each of our group members. Everyone received a bottle with an illustration of a different bird, many of which we saw on our tour!  A White-eared Ground-Sparrow, a bird that is closely related to the Cabanis's Ground-Sparrow at Hotel Bougainvillea, by Diane Wong-Kone Close to Hotel Bougainvillea is Toucan Rescue Ranch, a wildlife rescue center that began rescuing toucans, but they have partnered with a local group and this facility now also takes in sloths and many other animals, recently including a crocodile! Can you imagine being a vet caring for a croc?!? We have ties to Toucan Rescue because the owner, Leslie Howle has family and friends right here in Reno and Sparks! Growing urbanization in Costa Rica can lead to problems when animals become electrocuted, are hit by cars, or otherwise injured at the urban interface. Leslie’s medical staff takes in all sorts of animals from the rainforest, and they have developed a “sloth school” program, to raise orphaned baby sloths in captivity for successful release to the wild. Prior to our Costa Rica tour, I arranged to have our group transport needed medical supplies for the Toucan Rescue vets. Another LAS member, Kath Giel, has visited and supported Toucan Rescue on previous LAS Costa Rica trips and in this way, our chapter is helping conserve birds and wildlife not just in our area, but in the tropics as well. Our group met our guide, Tony, in the evening and the next morning, we were off to Tortuguero! There are no streets here, only waterways, and what a way to see wildlife! The Caribbean coast and caños (canals) lined by lowland rainforest are full of life, and our group saw so much even in this first spot. You will have to imagine walking the grounds of the lodge and looking up to see the webs and golden silk of beautiful orb weaver spiders. Above the webs is the forest canopy where Howler Monkeys, White-faced Capuchins, and Spider Monkeys lounge and play in the tree branches. Those wacky Montezuma Oropendulas court and display by hanging upside down. A Rufous-tailed Hummingbird flits by as the Yellow-throated Toucan gives a piercing yelp of “Díos … te dé te dé” which is what the locals hear when this bird calls. In the early morning, Great Green Macaws seem to float in the sky as they fly across the river. On the rivers and the quiet caños, the guides expertly move their boats to show the hidden animals of the forest, including sloths, Boat-billed Herons, and even a Crested Owl, though this would not be the only time we would see this bird! Lou was one of our top spotters for reptiles and we saw more iguanas and basilisks thanks to his sharp eyes. Below are just a few of the reptiles we saw on our trip: One of the interesting stops we had was a visit near Guapiles to the home of José Perez, who most folks know as Cope. Another amazing photographer and artist who is self-taught, Cope knows the rainforest like no other. He has dedicated time to plant native plants from the rainforest around his house, converting an urban pond into a small oasis that birdwatchers may visit for up close views of many beautiful birds, like the Long-tailed Hermit, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Scarlet-rumped Tanager and Collared Aracari. There is a piece of forest, close to his house, and Cope and local guides have cleared a narrow trail through the forest to walk. Located adjacent to Braulio Carillo National Park, this piece of land is home to many special creatures and Cope will show you where to find them. Honduran Tent Bats sleeping under their leaf tent, a Northern Black-throated Trogon on her nest, more Crested Owls and even a Great Potoo are some of the species we saw. One of our other local guides called Cope “the witch” because all of the animals of the rainforest seemingly can be found in this special patch of forest. Unfortunately, this piece of forest is in an area close to a highway with many fincas or ranches. The land is currently for sale, and we do not know if this forest and the inspiration for Copé’s art will survive. There is a chance, if visitors keep coming to visit the forest, that the owners could turn this into a conservation easement and be reimbursed, but the future of the forest is uncertain. It is a special place and I hope that it may be preserved. A Northern Black-throated Trogon on its nest, Summer tanager, and Crested owl, by Anthony Arce Guido, Steven Gessler, and Rich Rossi (left to right) The people of Costa Rica are closely tied to their landscape and value the health of their natural spaces. One of the reserves we visited was EcoVida’s Lapa Verde Nature Reserve. Our group supported their ongoing conservation work through direct donations. EcoVida Foundation works to protect the rainforest, through land purchases, reforestation, protection from poaching, local education, ecotourism, and networking with other forest reserve groups. The EcoVida reserve we visited was once abandoned farmland. Through active planting of native trees important for the Lapa Verde, or Great Green Macaw, this group has transformed a mostly barren patch of land back to rainforest. Local scientists come here to study the birds and a hawk watching tower up a hill allows them to monitor raptors on migration. Active restoration is not an easy task, but it is inspiring to see this place and hear the stories of the animals that thrive here. In a quiet lagoon, our group had nice look at our first Sungrebe, a bird that hides in the shadows of the backwaters and hanging branches. We were also treated to the sound of a singing Clay-colored Thrush, the national bird of Costa Rica. Although a rather drab thrush, this bird has a beautiful song, similar to our American Robin, but more melodious. When this bird sings, rain may soon follow, and its song is sweet news to the local farmers. Going deeper into the rainforest, our next stop was La Selva Biological Station. The sounds and sights of this place are unlike any other place I have visited. The loud double note of the Bright-rumped Attila, loud buzzes of the cicada, mournful call of the Great Tinamou, roar of a distant Howler Monkey, a quick grass movement that may very well have been a coral snake, a moving trail of leaf-cutter ants, flyby Common Pauraques, and the quiet, watchful gaze of a Broad-billed Motmot – all of this was just outside the room where I stayed. Early morning walks here revealed sightings of many birds, such as Scarlet Macaw, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, White-whiskered Puffbird, Great Currasow, King Vulture, and a beautiful Chestnut-colored Woodpecker foraging in a heliconia. A night exploration revealed an oppossum high in a tree and a small earth snake, about the size of a large earthworm, that had an indigo rainbow iridescence and a head that glowed under black light. A Chestnut-colored (left) and Black-cheeked Woodpecker (photos by Paula and Steven Gessler). I could have stayed at La Selva, but there was more to come. En route to Caño Negro, we stopped at Medio Queso wetlands, which, according to Tripadvisor, is the best place to see a Pinnated Bittern. No joke! Not only did we see the bittern poking its bill out of the tall grass, the way you would typically see a bittern, but we were treated to a whole body view when the bittern came out to catch a fish. Yellow-headed Vultures were another specialty bird to be seen here. Although we didn’t arrive until late morning, this place was full of bird activity! Northern Jacana, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Purple Gallinule, Green Heron, Ruddy-breasted Seedeater and a Black-collared Hawk were just some of the birds we saw here. Close to Caño Negro, a road stop revealed a Jabiru nest, a huge stick nest with two very tall storks. It looked unreal. Jabirus, being large, over 4-feet tall, storks, look odd enough standing in the water, and even odder standing in a tree! Jabirus are relatively rare in Costa Rica, with numbers likely less than 100, so seeing a nest is very special. This particular road stop was really fun, because our group also saw our second Great Potoo and a ribbon of hundreds of vultures migrating high in the sky. Maybe some of them are arriving in Reno now!
Our group enjoys lunch at Caño Negro and a nearby Jabiru nest (photos from Anthony Arce Guido). Caño Negro is a Ramsar wetland of international importance in the far north of Costa Rica, near the border of Nicaragua. At over 10,000 hectares, this important refuge protects many birds, and several Threatened and Endangered species. When this refuge was established in 1984, the borders included not just wildlife, but indigenous and local people too. A local community living on the Caño Negro Refuge is another group that was supported by donations from our group. The Caño Negro Development Association works to bring funds for this community, which is small and isolated. Government funds to build a community school have been slow to arrive, and five years after this announcement, they are still waiting for a proper school. Rosi Arguedes, our community guide and active board member of the Development Association, showed us a nature trail that their community is building. Once built, the hope is that the trail will bring funding and job opportunities to the local community, to improve the quality of life in the village. The trail enables the commmunity to bring visitors into the forest, and to promote ecological learning and respect for the environment. Donations from our tour can help with the trail building project. In the early morning hours as dawn broke, Rosi took us to a hidden lagoon, where hundreds of wading birds roosted at night. Imagine touching your boat to shore and walking up a grassy slope. At the top of the slope, you peek over the edge and see a lagoon, filled with patches of white. These white patches are all birds, Great Egrets, Wood Storks, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Black-necked Stilts, and yes, even Jabiru! At dawn they take off and you can look in any direction and see a bird! The dawn flight of hundreds of these graceful birds in the sky is a spectacle well worth waking up for. Caiman, an Orchard Oriole in orange flowers, another Sungrebe, a Mangrove Swallow sitting on our boat, a family of Pacific Screech-Owls with fluffy chicks, courting Bare-throated Tiger-Herons, and multiple species of kingfishers were some of the sights we saw here. Moving out of the wetlands and back into the hills, brought our group to Tapir Valley Nature Reserve. This was the one spot on our trip where it rained, but if you’re in the rainforest, at some point, you will likely get wet. Water brings life, and this fabulous preserve along with our stay at Heliconias Lodge and trails revealed even more to see! Tapir Valley is a private reserve and a well-known birding spot. It was here that we watched a pair of Snowcap Hummingbirds in the rain. The Snowcap is one of the smallest hummingbirds in the world, generally uncommon, and only found in Central America. The male is a deep purple, with a white crown that gives this bird its name. It is one of the birds that birders seek and it is a beautiful one! At one point, Patty, or possibly Dave, looked down on the trail, looking at what appeared to be really large horse droppings. Asking about this, a local guide revealed that it was from a tapir. Moving along the trail, our guide started to show us a tree where an Eyelash Pit Viper was resting, but our group had just barely started down the trail when they all started heading back up again. Being at the back of the line, I did not understand all the commotion until Rodrigo, our driver, pointed in front of me and a Baird’s Tapir (A TAPIR!) appeared out of the forest, walked through a clearing, and disappeared into the forest again. My cousin calls these rare mammals “horse rhinos” and we were very lucky to see one. Our guide, Tony, says this was only his second tapir sighting. Tapirs have an appetite for fruit, using their prehensile snouts to root through leaf litter. They range through large tracts of unbroken forest and, in their trails with droppings, seeds from the fruit they eat will sprout. Tapirs are known as the gardeners of the forest.
A male Snowcap Hummingbird and a Baird’s Tapir sauntering through the forest at Tapir Valley (photos by Anthony Arce Guido). The tapir droppings were not the only reason to watch your step, however, as we soon found out that army ants were on the move. These voracious ants eat insects in their path and all insects generally hop and flee when the army ants come their way. Certain birds have adapted to this and feed on the fleeing insects in the army ants’ path. Carefully not standing in the middle of the ants, we peered through the rain and the wet leaves to see bird movement. Following the insects, the birds did not stay still long, but our patience was rewarded with the sighting of three antbird species, including the Chestnut-backed, Spotted, and, my favorite, the Ocellated Antbird. Moving west, we reached the Pacific side of the country, where the local climate is hot and dry. By this point, I think most of us were pretty happy with all the birds we had seen, but little did we know that we would see two more owl species, totaling seven different owl species for our trip! Hiding in a relatively low tree, Tony found an adult and baby Spectacled Owl and on the grounds of our hotel at Ensenada, multiple Ferruginous Pygmy Owls were found. We saw more owls in this short trip than I usually see in multiple years! One more boat ride in the mangroves of the Pacific revealed the Mangrove Yellow Warbler with a chestnut-red head, soaring Magnificent Frigatebirds, Brown Pelicans, and a dock lined with Royal Terns.
A Ferruginous Pygmy Owl and Royal Terns at Ensenada Reserve along the Nicoya Gulf (photos left and right by Steven Gessler and Anthony Arce Guido). “A cachete!” is a slang term used by the locals. Sue, one of our members, wanted to learn some of the language. “A cachete” was the phrase Tony taught to Sue, and it became the catch phrase for our tour. A cachete, loosely translated, refers to when your cheeks are full and everything is good. Costa Rica is a place to see abundant wildlife, to experience natural habitats, to gain new views on conservation strategies, and to make new friends. Birds connect our world and they connect us. How was our tour of northern Costa Rica? Pura vida? A cachete! Would I go back? In a hummingbird’s wingbeat – yes!  Photo of our group in the rainforest at Tapir Valley (photo from Anthony Arce Guido). Related Links: Crescentia Expeditions: https://www.crescentiaexpeditions.com/ EBird Trip Report and full bird list from our tour: https://ebird.org/tripreport/217643 Tamara’s website, Bekuo: https://bekuocr.com/ Blog about Birding with Cope: https://birdingcraft.com/wordpress/2017/09/06/birding-in-costa-rica-with-cope/ Lapa Verde Reserve: https://www.ecovida.ch/en/nature-reserve-lapa-verde La Selva Biological Station: https://tropicalstudies.org/portfolio/la-selva-research-station/ Information about Caño Negro: https://www.canonegroexperience.com/ Tapir Valley Nature Reserve Instagram photos: https://www.instagram.com/tapirvalleycr/?hl=en |
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