Birding in Costa Rica #4: Central Pacific Coast

A big treat: a Common Potoo

Finally, after months of preparation and hours of travel and biding time (albeit with some great bird sightings) at our San José hotel, we were on our way to our first stop: the Pacific Coast, which was a little over an hour’s drive to the southwest. 

Alvaro’s Place 

Alvaro (with Juan Diego behind him)

We started out by veering from the published itinerary. 

We were supposed to depart after breakfast, but we left earlier because one of Juan Diego’s guiding friends had alerted him to a Long-tailed Manakin that was beginning to lek on the property where he lived. 

So, the plan was changed to drive to “Alvaro’s Place,” which I am certain I could never find on a map, to do a quick hike through the dry forest and see what we could see. 

Even though we left the city early, traffic was crazy heavy as we worked our way out of the country’s most populous region. As we drove along, we saw lots of birds on wing – none of which I was able to photograph. This included Crested Caracaras, Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures, all of which I had seen and photographed before, and Yellow-headed Caracaras, Scarlet Macaws and an assortment of Parrots and Parakeets. Fortunately, we encountered all of them later in the trip. 

Alvaro’s was down a rough road off the main highway. He and his sister live in a typical small Costa Rican home and manage the property for the landowner. Apparently, it is a popular birding site.

A typical home (most are made of corrugated metal)

Before we even started our hike, we got a lifer: A Streak-headed Woodcreeper … 

And, it was creeping

Little did I know that there are lots and lots of Woodcreepers in Costa Rica and this one was a beauty. 

Then, we walked to the head of the trail (which was really a dusty road) to see a Pacific Screech-Owl nesting in a pole (Owls seem to love power and telephone poles). 

The Costa Rican dry forest

The light was harsh, but fortunately it softened and the Owl woke up by the time we came back from our hike. 

Waking up and, then, giving us a look

I also missed a shot of a White-tipped Dove because I misheard Juan Diego and thought he said, “White-winged,” and I've seen a lot of those. I saw more White-tipped several times on the trip, but never got a photo. Fail! 

We hiked down a dusty trail and got our first dose of Costa Rican heat and humidity – and this was the dry side! 

Alvaro leads the way

But, it didn’t take us long to start racking up birds, including a Turquoise-browed Motmot … 

With a beautiful racket-tail

... a Tropical Pewee …

A little cutie

... an Olive Sparrow … 

One of the more "mundane" birds

... and, we saw a Rufous-tailed Jacamar that was so far away, it was impossible to photograph. Luckily, we eventually saw another. 

Then, we reached “the spot” and started looking for the Manakin. 

Our stake-out

This was my first dose of how difficult jungle birding and bird photography is. A number of birds completely escaped me. And, because I was foolishly still clinging to my aversion to high ISO settings (which I abandoned later), I had a hard time getting the fast-moving birdies in the deep, dark foliage. But, I managed to get a few and, despite frustrations, it was a fun session. And, an eye-opener. 

I saw, but missed photographing, the male Red-legged Honeycreeper (not to worry, I got lots later in the trip), but I did get a few good shots of his pretty olive-green wife … 

I missed the Mr., but got the Mrs.

You would never guess that the male and female are the same species. 

Although I missed the Green Kingfisher (once again, not to worry), I was able to photograph a really cool-looking lifer, a Barred Antshrike …

This one looks like a mini-Roadrunner

There were, as is to be expected, Great Kiskadees … 

The nearby creek was a big draw

... and Common Ground-Doves (my first time getting a photo of one) around … 

Also visiting the stream

After waiting a while, the main attraction showed up: a male Long-tailed Manakin who was preparing a branch for his famous mating dance … 

A beautiful, colorful bird

Although he never did the full dance, he did portions, almost as if he were rehearsing …

A partial, solo dance

Actually, he was rehearsing. Juan Diego said that he was removing small imperfections from the branch so that when it was show-time, the “stage” would be smooth and free of obstacles.

Cleaning up his branch

Long-tailed Manakin males form a long-term partnership duo or trio. They sing together and, for any female who is attracted by their singing, perform a complex coordinated courtship dance. If she in interested, she mates with only the alpha male. 

An impressive tail designed to attract the ladies

Among many displaying male partnerships in a locality (a dispersed lek), only one or a very few males may account for the vast majority of matings in a given breeding season. As in other lekking species, the female then builds the nest and raises the young without involvement by males.

Since we saw just the one male, it was obviously a bit early in the season. But, oh so cool. 

 

An objective met

And, while looking – and listening – for these tiny birds, we heard some deafening sounds. Mantled Howler Monkeys climbing through nearby trees!

And, watching us!

A handsome male

One of the largest Central American Monkeys, Mantled Howler Monkeys really aren’t as large as they appear. According to my research, males can weigh up to 22 lbs., although from the distance we saw them, they looked almost human-size.

They live in groups of up to 40 members, although all the groups we saw were less than a dozen. This group may have numbered eight.

A mother and baby

The only Central American Monkey that eats large quantities of difficult-to-digest low-nutrition leaves, Howler Monkeys are generally lethargic, spending most of their time resting and sleeping. They are important to rainforest ecology as a seed disperser and germinator. 

Although affected by deforestation, they have adapted better than other species because they can feed on abundant leaves and live in a limited amount of space. 

Their name comes from their deafening call, which we heard day and night throughout our visit. Male Mantled Howlers have an enlarged hollow bone near the vocal cords that amplifies their calls, helping them locate each other without expending energy on moving or risking physical confrontation.

Contemplating, then howling

Almost all Mantled Howlers have full three-color vision, unlike other types of New World Monkeys that have two-color vision. This allows them to distinguish young from more mature leaves. They live in the canopy, walking, running, bridging (crossing gaps by stretching), climbing and leaping to get around. They use their prehensile tails to grasp a branch when sleeping, resting or when feeding. They can support their entire body weight with the tail, but more often hold on by the tail and both feet.

Climbing through the canopy

Mothers carry infants on their chests for the first two to three weeks and, then, transport them on their backs. When the baby is about three months old, the mother will usually start to push it off, but will still occasionally carry until it is five months old. Even after this, mothers will sometimes carry babies across difficult gaps in trees.

A mom with a youngster

It was hard to decide whether to watch the Monkeys or the birds. I did both. After, spending about an hour watching birds and monkeys, we headed back up the trail. On the way back, we encountered a Female Gartered Trogon and, then, her mate …

Two Gartered Trogons

... and, a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak (no sign of her mate) … 

Most likely migrating to the U.S.

Breakfast

Then, Alvaro and his sister treated us to a typical Costa Rican breakfast – gallo pinto, eggs, toast, plantains and fruit. 

They had some really good hot sauce that really elevated the gallo pinto. It was hot for such a heavy breakfast, so I just tasted it. But, it was the best gallo pinto we had anywhere. 

And, while we ate, we had a few more visitors, including a Streaked Flycatcher …

Another pretty bird

… and a White-winged Dove (where or where was the White-tipped?) … 

White-WINGED Dove

On the Road

Then, we hit the road to get back on schedule. Almost immediately, we passed a palm with a tiny head sticking out. Another Ferruginous Pygmy Owl. What a great find!

What a cutie (and only about 5-6 inches tall)

We birded on the way to the coast, stopping to the find a Lesser Cuckoo that was so hard to see that it really drives home how valuable an experienced guide is.

 

A striking bird skulking in the brush

The area, which had big, dry fields (you can see how dry in the photos) and some cattle, also delivered several Double-striped Thick-knees ...

You can see those thick knees in the left photo

… two Southern Lapwings …

Standing guard in the tall grass

… a whole flock of Stripe-headed Sparrows …

A very vocal Sparrow

… a female American Kestrel (the same species we have in the U.S.) with a freshly caught vole ...

A morning snack

... and some of the ever-present Black Vultures, which I generally ignored rather than photographing. 

We saw Black Vultures every day; this may be the only picture I took

Common Potoo

Before lunch, we made a quick stop at what looked like a picnic area or community park, to see a bird I had really hoped to see but thought I wouldn’t: a Common Potoo. 

Pretending to be a tree

This is one weird bird.

Notable for its large, yellow eyes and comically wide mouth, the Common Potoo is similar to an Owl, a Nightjar and a Frogmouth.

Striking several poses

Standing about 18 inches tall, this nocturnal critter pretends it is a branch or log by day. It stands still and straight with its head lifted up to resemble a broken-off snag.

You can see the slits if you look close

Its eyelids have two or three slits so that it can see when the eyelids are closed; the notches are always open. It can move its upper and lower eyelids independently so that the bird may adjust its field of vision.

The Common Potoo has an unusually wide mouth with a tooth in its upper mandible it uses for foraging. 

A very odd-looking mouth

It hunts insects from its perch like a Shrike or Flycatcher and uses its wide mouth to flies, moths, ants, termites, grasshoppers, locusts and crickets. 

Even though it didn’t move much, it was cool to watch. I just wish it had opened its eyes, ‘cuz that’s really weird.

Left, Critterfacts; Right, eBird

Back On The Road

Even lunch offered some opportunities. Because most restaurants are indoor/outdoor and many have terraces overlooking forest or jungle, you can bird as you eat. Today, we saw some Scarlet Macaws, Red-lored Parrots, Tropical Kingbirds and Baltimore Orioles. But, the most fun was the Black Spiny-tailed Iguana in a big tree just off the terrace.

Black Spiny-tailed Iguana

After lunch, we drove to Tárcoles and our hotel, the Villa Lapas.

Tárcoles is in Puntarenas, the largest province in Costa Rica. It covers an area of 4,350 square miles and has a population of 411,000. 

Mountains meet the sea in Puntarenas

The Río Tárcoles empties into the Gulf of Nicoya here and would be the site of a boat trip the next morning.

Río Tárcoles

We had to cross the Tárcoles Bridge, where we saw a few Costa Rican Crocodiles. 

Hotel Villa Lapas

The Hotel was a lovely, sprawling Spanish-style campus with a beautiful pool, which I was, once again, tempted to swim in, but didn’t. 

Hotel Villa Lapas

Like all our mainland accommodations from here on out, we stayed two nights. It was comfy, with an OK restaurant and a big contingent of bullfrogs in the reeds and stream surrounding the lobby. I could hear them, but never saw one. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll come back to the hotel later. 

Bijagual

After our brief (very) “siesta,” we headed out to Bijagual Road, for some late-afternoon birding. The road winds up a mountain past a hike to a waterfall that may or may not be a tourist trap. The hike costs $20 per person and the trail is guarded to prevent people from sneaking in. We didn’t do the hike. We just birded until it got too dark. The landscape was lovely … 

Bijagual Road

This was the first place where we noticed the plethora of bromeliads in the trees.

There is a Yellow-throated Toucan in that tree

Part of the family of tropical plants that also includes the pineapple, Spanish moss and several colorful houseplants, Bromeliads are “air plants” that don’t need roots to survive. Instead they soak up moisture from the air around them through tiny, silvery scales on their leaves. They have so many of these scales that the whole plant can look grey. They grow on tree branches (or even telephone wires) in rainy and misty areas. We saw them everywhere and they are beautiful.

Our sighting “haul” for the evening included White-nosed Coatimundis (also called Coatis; I have written about them before) …

A Coati walking down the mountain

… Groove-billed Anis …

Really interesting-looking birds

… a small number of birds and several very pretty butterflies …

CW: Phaleros Hairstreak Butterfly, Inca Dove, Plain Satyr Butterfly, Squirrel Cuckoo, Postman Butterfly, Streaked Saltator

… and several Yellow-throated Toucans, one of which had a damaged bill … 

A pretty bird (with a bad bill) in a pretty tree

We saw lots more, but this was one of those times when I struggled, mainly because the light was fading quickly and because, being evening, a lot of birds, such as Scarlet Macaws and White-fronted Parrots, were flying rapidly over toward their evening roosts. 

Time to go home. We had an early morning the next day.

Let's check out the river!

Trip date: March 9-27, 2022