Costa Rica ~ January 10th - 24th ~ '26

Sunday, 12 April 2026

 Costa Rica

January 10th -24th ~ 2026


I was invited to going Andy Lawson on a trip he was planning to Costa Rica for two weeks, it was the first visit to Costa Rica for us both and it was good, very good, We had a fantastic time birding dawn till dusk. Struck lucky a few times being guided and given info on other guides which then lead on to some fabulous birds that We just wouldn't have seen without the shared info ..

Costa Rica is a fantastic birding location and the photography wasn't bad either, plenty of feeder set ups at the hotels with a few more dedicated to the photographer ..

I won't bore you with how each day went like location, hotels and exactly what was seen mainly because at the speed it takes me to write a paragraph is ridiculous, these three have taken two hours, I've not got enough life left to make it to the end, with a word rate that bad at the ripe age of 58 I'd never complete it ..

Instead images and plenty of them will be either singularly or grouped to a location  ..

The trip summarised at the end with Totals etc ..  


Carara National Park - guided

Streak-chested Antpitta


Cerro Lodge

Rufous-backed Wren


Carara National Park

Velvety Manakin

Pale-billed Woodpecker

Great Tinamou

Dot-winged Antwren

Marbled Wood-Quail


Road out to grasslands from Cerro Lodge

Variable Seedeater

Common Pauraque


Tarcoles Boat tour

Green Kingfisher

Bare-throated Tiger-Heron

Great Blue Heron

American Pygmy Kingfisher


Calle La Barca, near the boat tour - Guided

Black-and-white Owl


Road out to the grasslands from Cerro Lodge - Guided

Turquoise-browed Motmot

Turquoise-browed Motmot

Barred Antshrike

Spectacled Owl

Stripe-headed Sparrow

Pacific Screech-Owl


Carara National Park

Orange-collared Manakin

Rufous-tailed Jacamar


Mistico Rice Fields

Yellow-bellied Elaenia


Esquinas Rainforest Lodge 

Grey-cowled Wood-Rail

Ochre-bellied Flycatcher

Tawny-winged Woodcreeper

Mourning Warbler


Ecocentro Calathea - Guided

Northern Jacana

Buff-throated Saltator

Great Kiskadee

Great Kiskadee

Giant Cowbird

Clay-coloured Thrush


Calle La Gamba meadows

Red-breasted Meadowlark

Striped Owl

Common Pauraque


Wilson Botanical Gardens

Lesson's Motmot

Lesson's Motmot

Mistletoe Tyranulet

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Yellow-bellied Elaenia

Gray-capped Flycatcher


Calle Olan dirt track

Eastern Meadowlark

Yellow-headed Caracara


Alto Salitre savanas - Guided by Leonardo

Ocellated Crake

Ocellated Crake


Peje - Volcan -- Guided by Leonardo

Rosy Thrush-Tanager

Rosy Thrush-Tanager


Talamanca Nature Reserve

Acorn Woodpecker

Tropical Mockingbird

Speckled Tanager

White-crested Coquette

White-crested Coquette

White-crested Coquette

White-crested Coquette


San Gerardo's Birds

Brown Violetear

Silver-throated Tanager

Acorn Woodpecker

Speckled Tanager

Silver-throated Tanager

Red-headed Barbet

Red-headed Barbet

Snowy-bellied Hummingbird

Brown Violetear

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

Green Hermit

Buff-throated Saltator

Red-crowned Woodpecker

Green Honeycreeper

Red-legged Honeycreeper

Red-legged Honeycreeper

Red-legged Honeycreeper


Miriam's Restaurant - Savegre Valley

Lesser Violetear

Talamanca Hummingbird


Hotel Gema Del Bosque

Spotted Wood-Quail


Miriam's Restaurant - Savegre Valley

Lesser Violetear

Volcano Hummingbird

White-throated Mountain-gem

Talamanca Hummingbird

White-throated Mountain-gem

Talamanca Hummingbird

Lesser Violetear

Talamanca Hummingbird


Savegre Hotel 

Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush

Black-cheeked Warbler

Yellow-olive Flatbill


Miriam's Restaurant - Savegre Valley

Fiery-throated Hummingbird

White-throated Mountain-gem

Sooty Thrush

Talamanca Hummingbird

Flame-coloured Tanager

Talamanca Hummingbird

White-throated Mountain-gem

Talamanca Hummingbird

Lesser Violetear

Talamanca Hummingbird

Talamanca Hummingbird

Talamanca Hummingbird


Savegre Hotel

Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush

Stripe-tailed Hummingbird


Lago de Cachi Dam

Cabanis's Wren


Rancho Naturalista

Short-billed Pigeon

Green Thorntail

Gartered Violaceous Trogon

Stripe-throated Hermit

Violet-headed Hummingbird


From the bridge near the Mill

Sunbittern


Alrededores Cementerio Tayutic

Black-headed Saltator


The Lodge y Eco Refugio - Guided

Lattice-tailed Trogon

Grey-headed Piprites

Snowcap

Snowcap

Dull-mantled Antbird


Tranki Gardens

Black-striped Sparrow

White-throated Crake

Green-breasted Mango

Green-breasted Mango

White-necked Jacobin

Green-breasted Mango

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Green-breasted Mango

Green-breasted Mango

Green-breasted Mango

Green-breasted Mango

White-necked Jacobin


You all know Costa Rica is fantastic for birds and in two weeks my total bird species was at 436 !!
With a lifer tally of 234 .. !!

What a brilliant fortnight of birding ..... 

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