Birding in Costa Rica #1: Foundation

Scarlet Macaw on the Osa Peninsula

Prior to the pandemic, I was often reluctant to take too many trips in a year. It seemed too selfish or extravagant. This is especially true of the several opportunities for birding trips that came my way. In particular, I turned down a trip to Ecuador that my friend Susan invited me to attend. Then came almost two years of sitting home doing nothing. I vowed that I would not be so reluctant in the future.

Now that I am vaccinated and the world is opening up, I am staying true to that decision. When Susan brought up a birding trip to Costa Rica with the Partnership for International Birding (PIB), I said yes. 

Even though it was fairly pricey. 

Even though it was two and a half weeks long. 

And even though it was wedged between my birthday and my 48th wedding anniversary. 

Black-headed Trogon

The trip offered a four-day extension to the Osa Peninsula that, at first, I declined because of the extra cost and time. 

Then, I decided, heck, I may never return to Costa Rica again. So, I signed up for Osa. That was a great decision. 

I saw 347 bird species, of which 267 were lifers, bringing my lifetime bird list to 975. 

That's important because my (pre-pandemic) goal for 2020 was to hit 700. I didn't accomplish that until 2022 and I ain't getting any younger.

Plus, I saw a few really cool animals, including all four of Costa Rica's species of Monkeys. 

CW: Mantled Howler, Central American Spider, White-faced Capuchin, Geoffroy's Spider

I was a bit surprised that the scenery, while pretty, wasn't drop-dead gorgeous. But, it was a struggle to photograph both birds and scenery, so that actually worked out to be (kind of) a plus.

Costa Rica 
This was not my first trip to Costa Rica. But, it was my first vacation there and my first trip since I became interested in birds. 

Ah! Business travel!

I had visited in 1994 when we were producing a nature-themed capabilities video for GTE's Yellow Pages. 

It sounds weird, but it was actually a fantastic video. I wrote the script and was the executive producer. 

I traveled with a small company team, including the head of GTE's video group, the head of my video team and an outside U.S.-based producer and members of his team. Then, we added some local videographers to the mix. We did a fair amount of travel and taping, but I have no recollection of any birds or animals. Weird. 

So, now I was off to really experience the country's natural beauty and see as many of the almost 1,000 birds that could possibly be seen there.

Not only are there lots of birds, but many are colorful

So, before I talk about the trip, let me talk about Costa Rica.

Map: VectorStock

Officially the Republic of Costa Rica, this Central American country is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. It also has a maritime border with Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. 

It has a population of about 5 million in a land area of 19,710 square miles. 

About 334,000 people live in the capital and largest city, San José, with another 2 million in the surrounding metropolitan area. Most of the places we visited were sparsely – if at all –populated. San José, however, was quite crowded with some pretty intense traffic.

San José

The country is known for its long-standing and stable democracy, high literacy rate and educated workforce. Costa Rica spends roughly 6.9 percent of its budget on education, compared to a global average of 4.4 percent. Its economy, once heavily dependent on agriculture, has diversified to include finance, corporate services for foreign companies, pharmaceuticals and ecotourism.

Costa Rica has vast wild areas

Costa Rica has consistently performed favorably in the Human Development Index, placing 62nd in the world as of 2020. It has also been cited by the United Nations Development Programme as having attained much higher human development than other countries at the same income levels, ranking 37th in the state of democracy, 7th for press freedom and 12th for subjective happiness. The happiness rank is said to result from robust social services, the caring nature of its inhabitants, long life expectancy and relatively low corruption.

History

Costa Rica was inhabited by indigenous peoples (an overlap of Mesoamerican and Andean native cultures) before coming under Spanish rule in the 16th century. It remained a peripheral colony of the Spanish Empire until independence as part of the First Mexican Empire, followed by membership in the Federal Republic of Central America, from which it formally declared independence in 1847. 

Illustration: Costa Rica Travel Guide

Following the brief Costa Rican Civil War in 1948, the country permanently abolished its army in 1949, becoming one of only a few sovereign nations without a standing army (now, we can see why it can afford social services and education ... hmmmm).

Photo: Culture Trip

Stone tools indicate that groups of hunter-gatherers arrived around 10,000 to 7,000 years BCE. Around 5,000 years ago, indigenous Costa Ricans transitioned from being hunter/ gatherers to agriculture, growing tubers and roots. The earliest use of pottery appears around 2,000 to 3,000 BCE. However, Costa Rica never developed a strong native civilization and most of the native population was absorbed into the Spanish-speaking colonial society. 

The Bribri and Boruca tribes still inhabit the mountains of the Cordillera de Talamanca, in the southeastern part of Costa Rica, near the border with Panama.

Illustration: Costa Rica.org

The name "La Costa Rica," meaning "rich coast" in Spanish, may have come from Christopher Columbus (who has his fingerprints all over Central America). He sailed to the eastern shores of Costa Rica during his final voyage in 1502 and reported vast quantities of gold jewelry worn by natives. 

Or, the name may have come from conquistador Gil González Dávila, who landed on the west coast in 1522, encountered natives and "obtained" some of their gold, sometimes by violent theft and sometimes as gifts from local leaders.

During most of the Spanish colonial period, Costa Rica was the southernmost province of the Captaincy General of Guatemala and was largely autonomous. Distance from the capital of the Captaincy, a legal prohibition under Spanish law from trade with Panama and lack of gold and silver (let's assume some Spanish explorers may have exaggerated) made Costa Rica a poor, isolated and sparsely-inhabited region within the Empire. Ironically, Costa Rica was described as "the poorest and most miserable Spanish colony in all America" by a Spanish governor in 1719. So much for "rich coast." But the name stuck and, today, the country is known for other riches.

Costa Rica now considers the environment its greatest treasure

Because Costa Rica had such a small indigenous population, the Spanish had no real source for slave labor. Therefore, most of the Costa Rican settlers had to work on their own land, preventing the establishment of large plantations (haciendas). Unappreciated and overlooked by the Spanish Crown, Costa Rica was left to develop on its own, resulting in many of the positive traits the country exhibits today: it is far more egalitarian society than the rest of Central and South America with no oppressed mestizo or indigenous class. Sometimes being underappreciated and overlooked has its perks.

Still, Spain had major influence on everyday life and culture, with the Spanish language and the Catholic religion supplanting local language and beliefs.

Catholic Chapel at the Hotel Villa Lapas in Tárcoles

Like the rest of Central America, Costa Rica never fought for independence from Spain, instead being set free as a result of the Spanish defeat in the Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821). Upon independence, two factions formed: Imperialists who favored joining the Mexican Empire and Republicans who wanted full independence. A brief civil war was won by the Republicans, who established San José as the capital.

Coffee was first planted in Costa Rica in 1808 and, by the 1820s, it surpassed tobacco, sugar and cacao as a primary export. 

Photo: Mapache Travel and Tours

Coffee production remained Costa Rica's principal source of income well into the 20th century, creating a wealthy class of "Coffee Barons." The revenue helped modernize the country. 

Costa Ricans take coffee seriously

Most of the coffee exported was grown around the main centers of population in the Central Plateau.

Coffee for export was transported by oxcart to the Pacific port of Puntarenas. 

But, because the main market for coffee was Britain, developing an effective transportation route to the Atlantic Ocean became a priority. 

In the 1870s, the Costa Rican government contracted with U.S. businessman Minor C. Keith to build a railroad from San José to the Caribbean port of Limón. 

Immigrants from Jamaica, Italy, China and the U.S. (many of whom were convicts) came to the country to build the railroad and helped diversify the population. Despite difficulties with construction, financing and tropical diseases, the railroad was completed in 1890.

In exchange for completing the railroad, the Costa Rican government granted Keith large tracts of land and a lease on the train route. He veered away from the coffee track and began growing and exporting bananas to the United States. 

Photo: Imagene Tropicales

Soon, bananas rivaled coffee as the principal export. Foreign-owned corporations began to hold a major role in the national economy and eventually created an exploitative export economy. A major labor dispute between peasants and the United Fruit Company (AKA "The Great Banana Strike") eventually led to effective trade unions in Costa Rica.

Flag of Costa Rica

Historically, Costa Rica has enjoyed greater peace and more consistent political stability than many of its fellow Latin American nations. But it did experience two significant periods of violence. In 1917-1919, the country's military dictator was overthrown and forced into exile. 

In 1948, an armed uprising followed a disputed presidential election. With more than 2,000 dead, the resulting 44-day Costa Rican Civil War was the bloodiest event in Costa Rica in the 20th century. The victorious rebels formed a government junta that abolished the military and drafted a new constitution by a democratically elected assembly. Since then, Costa Rica has enjoyed an uninterrupted democracy, making it Latin America's most stable country.

The Natural World
Costa Rica has 14 known volcanoes, six of which have been active in the past 75 years. The highest point in Costa Rica is Cerro Chirripó at 12,530 feet and the highest volcano is Irazú at 11,257 feet. The largest lake is Lake Arenal. 

Left, Arenal Volcano; Right, Lake Arenal

Costa Rica experiences a tropical climate year-round, with two seasons: the dry season is December to April and the rainy season is May to November. Thank goodness this trip was in the dry season. Of course, in most places "dry" just means it isn't pouring rain. It is still humid. Very humid.

Costa Rica is truly a rich country in terms of plants and wildlife. It is internationally renowned for its biodiversity, including big cats and tapirs, four Costa Rican Monkey species (White-headed Capuchin, Mantled Howler, the endangered Geoffroy's Spider Monkey and the Central American Squirrel Monkey, found only on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and in a small part of Panama) ...

Central American Squirrel Monkey

... and, of course, more than 900 different species of birds ... 

Mind-boggling diversity

Recognizing the value (and potential income from) this biodiversity, Costa Rica is the first tropical country to stop and reverse deforestation. In 1996, the Forest Law was enacted to provide direct financial incentives to landowners who provision environmental services. This helped reorient the forestry sector away from commercial timber production and towards tourism. By 2004, tourism was generating more revenue and foreign exchange than bananas and coffee combined.

The climate has made reforestation relatively fast

Costa Rica is the most-visited nation in the Central American region, with almost 3 million visitors a year, the largest number being from the U.S. A pioneer of ecotourism, Costa Rica draws many tourists to its extensive series of National Parks and protected areas. The Camino de Costa Rica trail even makes it possible for travelers to walk across the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. We chose instead to travel by van/bus.

Preparing to Travel
In today's world, health concerns are always a big part of traveling to and from the United States. Fortunately, Costa Rica had lifted testing and quarantine requirements for vaccinated visitors. 

Simple, but a pain

All we had to do is upload our vaccine data and obtain a QR code that granted us entry into the country (exactly as we had to do to visit Hawai'i). The lodge we stayed at in the Osa Peninsula required a negative COVID test, which PIB arranged for us. And, of course, we needed a negative COVID test to get back in the U.S. PIB arranged this, as well. 

Since insurance does not cover travel-related COVID testing, you can count on trips outside the U.S. to cost several hundred dollars more than in the past.

Costa Rica is subtropical and that means mosquitoes. And that means disease. So, there's a whole health thing on top of COVID. As suggested by PIB, I set up an appointment with the Travel Clinic at the El Paso Health Department to determine what I needed. 

PIB provided good info

They recommended: Hepatitis A vaccine (I had for Africa and it lasts a lifetime); Hepatitis B vaccine (I had not had this and was able to squeeze in shots 1 and 2 of the three-part series before departure); Typhoid vaccine (I had had this for Africa, but it lasts only two years, so I got another); Tetanus vaccine (I was five years out from my last shot; it's good for 10 years); and an anti-malarial (I got Malerone, which I also took in Africa; I took for the entire trip plus seven days after); a "just in case" antibiotic (that I carried with me and never needed); plus all the routine vaccinations I had already had (measles, mumps, etc.). 

Plus, it was recommended that I treat my clothing with Permethrin, a spray-on insecticide that deters bugs (I did this for Africa, as well, but we didn't see any bugs – maybe it really worked!) and that I have a goodly supply of insect repellants (I took both DEET and Picaridin). I drenched myself in repellent every day and – thank goodness – was bitten only a few times. I have no idea what bit, but each bite was different, so I suspect it was a variety of critters. And, I did accidently stand in an ant pile one of the few times I wore sandals. That was pretty brutal. 

I've been wearing this since Africa

Finally, PIB suggested that our clothing choices be "somber," so as not to scare off birds. This was the same issue I had when prepping for Africa. In the summer, I wear lots of bright colors and white and most of what I had bought for Africa five years ago had just worn out (although I did take several of the hearty items). 

So, I needed new clothes. 

PIB informed us there would be affordable laundry service, so my goal was to have at least six full outfits for 18 days of travel/touring. 

I managed to pack three pairs of pants (one tan pair I found that I didn't remember I had and they're quite comfy) and three pairs of capris, twelve shirts (mainly sleeveless) and four campshirts/overshirts. Plus, of course, a bathing suit, jammies, rain jacket, hat, rain hat, rubber flip flops, sandals, sneakers, hiking boots and the short wellies I bought for Iceland (it's the dry season, but I anticipated potential wet walking).

 

We needed rain jackets only once and a poncho would have worked

The clothing was adequate, but I did have to hand-wash a lot in addition to doing one hotel laundry load. I only wore the wellies and the rain jacket once, so I could have left them behind. And, I packed many things on PIB's suggested packing list that I never needed, including towels, which take up lots of suitcase space. Next time, I'd take fewer peripheral things and another pair of long pants. 

When we went out, the guides suggested (and wore) long pants and long-sleeved shirts to protect from bugs. I did a couple of times, but that was steamy. My repellent seemed to do the job pretty well, so the capris and sleeveless shirts were fine (I always had a long-sleeved shirt with me). Of course, all the tourists and locals we saw were in shorts and flip-flops.

For checked luggage, I opted to pack two small rolling suitcases (carry-on size) rather than one big bag. This was to make it easier to lift and to permit me to leave a whole suitcase in San José when we went to Osa because the airline that flies there has some pretty strict luggage regulations. 

These planes can't hold much

Of course, I also took cameras (Canon 90D, Canon 80D and Canon 5D), lenses (Tamron 160-600mm, Tamron 28-300mm and Canon 20mm), binoculars (mine are not fancy, but I usually use my camera for scoping), a tripod and various and sundry outdoor items including water bottles, bags, a walking stick and so forth. So, I ended up with the two checked bags, my camera bag and my small under-seat rolling carry-on. 

Photography was often difficult to maneuver

I dragged the tripod around several times, but never used it. There were times when it would have helped, but we were moving too rapidly to make it practical. A fellow traveler had a walking stick with a large grip that worked as a monopod. That was a much better plan.

A Word about Food

A fruit smoothie at the Macadamia cafe

Costa Rican is a blend of multiple Native American, Spanish, African and many other nationalities' foods. Dishes such as the very traditional tamale and many others made of corn are the most representative of its indigenous inhabitants, and similar to other neighboring Mesoamerican countries. 

Spaniards brought many new ingredients to the country from other lands, especially spices and domestic animals. And later in the 19th century, African provided influence. 

The most prevalent food is rice and beans, which are served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Being a narrow country bounded by two oceans, Costa Rica has lots of seafood. Plantains are frequently served (hallelujah!) and there is a wide variety of fruit. Of course, coffee is a major part of the culture. I brought my own tea bags, but gave up on tea after two days, I just drank water.

Water is safe throughout the country. Although leery at first, I drank it and was fine.

Photo: Travel Noire

The food was fine, but not outstanding. Breakfast included eggs and gallo pinto ("spotted rooster"), which comprises white rice, black beans, onions and peppers. The name refers to its speckled appearance, not its ingredients. It was tasty and could be improved by hot sauce and sour cream. Costa Ricans traditionally douse it with Lizano, a vinegary sauce somewhat like Worcestershire. 

Frequent breakfast items also included plantains, pancakes and white toast. Almost all the bread we saw was boring white bread, although we drove past lots of bakeries with yummy things in the windows.

Lunches often offered rather heavy options, including: casado, which is a plate of rice, beans, salad, tortillas, fried plantains and meat (beef, pork, chicken or fish); and olla de carne, a huge bowl of giant chunks of corn, potato, yuca and meat covered in hot broth. I never had either, just too much for the hot climate.

 

Quite a few casual restaurants ("sodas") also had bird feeders; this is Soda Cinchona

All meals offered delicious pineapple and watermelon. Fruit drinks and smoothies are served everywhere. I didn't have much worth mentioning except a spectacular salad and cold avocado soup at Mar y Tierra in Monteverde. 

Absolutely delicious

Oh, and coconut flan. Yum.

Now that you have some background, let's talk about the trip ...

Yellow (Mangrove) Warbler

... starting with the next post.

Trip date: March 9-27, 2022