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Costa Rica Living and Birding - Nature & Animals
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Agami Heron in Costa Rica- Not Actually Rare – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Costa Rica's got a lot of birds in store, a heck of a lot avian waiting to be admired. Tanager flocks in the wet, mossy foothills, a host of hummingbirds, several stunning trogons, Ornate Hawk-Eagles calling above tropical forests...yeah, it's a pretty nice birding scene. Who doesn't
Recent Birding Highlights from Varablanca and Cinchona – Costa Rica Living and Birding
During a year of birding in Costa Rica, I usually end up visiting most major parts of the country. By "major", I mean principal ecoregions like the dry forests of the northwest, lowland Caribbean slope rainforest in the east, high elevation oak forest, and other habitats that culminate in
Tips for Birding Costa Rica- Caribbean Lowland Specialties – Costa Rica Living and Birding
In Costa Rica, there's a lot of cool birds everywhere. Parakeets and parrots make morning flybys over busy urban roads, Gray Hawks call from above while doing their daily soaring over my minimally green neighborhood, tityras oink from big trees, and so on and so on. Those birds are definitely c
Three Days of Quality Birds and Rain in Costa Rica – Costa Rica Living and Birding
These days, May in the north is a time for cocoa-cappuccino Bay-breasted Warblers, chatty Wilson's Warblers, and other latter May day migrants. Listen for the high-pitched calls, look in that general location and you might find breeding colors peeking through fresh green foliage. Warbler neck,
Global Big Day in Costa Rica, 2025 – Costa Rica Living and Birding
May 10th was the 10th edition of Global Big Day; a day where the celebration of birds is paramount. Although we could celebrate feathered life forms by raising glasses, baking cakes, or having bird call contests, those endeavors alone would not do them justice. Instead, us birders laud birds and giv
May Birding Expectations from Costa Rica – Costa Rica Living and Birding
May isn't considered prime time for birding in Costa Rica. If anything, the 5th month is when the fewest birders bring their binoculars to this land of quetzals and many vociferous wrens. Most have already made their visit during the previous months, the suggested, drier time for visiting Costa
Recent Highlights from Birding Costa Rica, Late April, 2025 – Costa Rica Living and Birding
The rains are happening in Costa Rica. It's all good, expected, and the forests need it. The water is just getting started and it doesn't affect birding all that much anyways. Head out early, it'll probably be dry and the birds will be singing. If it stays cloudy, the birds will also
Birding in Costa Rica- Recent Sightings of Interest – Costa Rica Living and Birding
In Costa Rica, we just finished another Holy Week. As banal as that may sound, those who reside in Costa Rica are well aware of the weight that statement carries. It means traffic is back in the Central Valley, that the beaches and ways to and from the coast have suddenly become much less crowded, a
Tips for Birding Costa Rica Around Carara – Costa Rica Living and Birding
During the past week, I had a long, fruitful day in the Carara area. No surprise there, that's usually how the birding goes in that mega ecotone. While birding from Orotina to Tarcoles, near Villa Lapas, and on the Cerro Lodge entrance road, we identified 167 species. Check out the trip report!
Costa Rica Birding News, April, 2025 – Costa Rica Living and Birding
April is just around the corner and with it comes one of Costa Rica's biggest avian waves; a massive movement of birds that starts in South America and flows all the way to Canada. On the way, the birds ebb through Costa Rica, sometimes in trickles, other times in fantastic streams and rushes.
Starting a Costa Rica Birding Tour with Quality Birds – Costa Rica Living and Birding
All birds are good birds; experiencing the avian kind is a guaranteed win. Folks who partake in the birding way, who felt the spark and started walking the avian appreciation path know what I mean. Non-birding folks may not but, you take some time to check out a bird or two with binoculars, go on a
Important Costa Rica Birding Updates- March, 2025 – Costa Rica Living and Birding
March is high time for birding in Costa Rica. For the most part, it's still dry, birds are tuning up for the nesting season, raptor migration is happening, and Three-wattled Bellbirds are in the house! It's a good time to be here. You could also run into umbrellabird, and maybe even one of
Quality Birds with Avocet Birding Courses in Costa Rica – Costa Rica Living and Birding
We finished the tour just two days ago and I can still see the juncos staring back at us from bushes in the high, windy paramo. From an anthropomorphic viewpoint, they peered with angry, masked yellow eyes. In reality, the isolated, flesh-billed sparrows were curious, likely wondering what those two
Where to Watch Birds in Costa Rica- the Drive to Fortuna – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Where to watch birds in Costa Rica? Ask and you'll get a wealth of answers, most based on personal experience or commercial interest. You'll eventually find the right ones but you'll probably have to wade through dozens of comments and website fluff to get there. In general, the answe
Birding News from the San Luis Canopy, February, 2025 – Costa Rica Living and Birding
"Canopy" has more meanings than you think. I hear or see the word and envision the most evasive and alluring parts of a forest. Canopy is where tree crowns could be topped with silent and colorful cotingas, a tip top might be graced by an Olive-sided Flycatcher, and where eagles nest. An O
Birding Ciudad Neily- Suggestions and Recommendations – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Ciudad Neily wasn't always on the regular birding circuit. Heck, even these days, this southern Costa Rican town is still very much off the usual beaten track. Although some birding tours in Costa Rica pay a visit, the majority of visiting birders spend time much closer to San Jose. Neily being
Birding Sites in Costa Rica- Maximum Species in Minimum Time – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Good birding sites in Costa Rica are too numerous to count. Anywhere with habitat will have birds, often, more birds than expected, even in the semi-urban locales of the heavily populated Central Valley. Even there, even among coffee field flanked by treed hedgerows, remnant riparian zones, and patc
Starting 2025 with Quality Birds in Costa Rica – Costa Rica Living and Birding
This is 2025. This is the latest of the "new years" and you can bet that 1,000s of birders are already working on their year lists. Or just keeping track of the birds they identify, or traveling to see birds, or simply watching and enjoying birds. Pausing to focus on a cardinal's red
The Arenal Christmas Bird Count, 2024- Some Highlights – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Blinking lights and inflatable decor are waving in the breeze, the malls resound with Christmas-themed songs, and Yellow Warblers are chipping from the bushes. These factors and tamales can only mean one thing; it's Christmas bird count time in Costa Rica! Well, they mean other things too but i
Costa Rica Birding News- December, 2024 – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Are you going birding in Costa Rica? If you've never been, I hope you visit soon. If you've already been, you already know what to expect and I also hope you visit soon. No time to wait to bring the binos to this birdy place! Whether your birding time in Costa Rica is nigh or in a few mont
Urban Birding in Costa Rica (and Walmart) – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Urban birding in Costa Rica? Does Costa Rica even have urban areas? Well, obviously yes but if all your conclusions about Costa Rica came from tourism marketing videos, that would be a valid question. According to images and videos, Costa Rica is (1) beaches, (2) zip lines through tropical forest, (
It’s Rare Bird Time in Costa Rica – Costa Rica Living and Birding
The birding is always exciting in Costa Rica. Come on down, make an easy hour's drive from the airport and you can take in the beauty of toucanets, barbets, seven hummingbird species and more without getting up from your seat. Make a little more effort and there'll be tanagers, flycatchers
Should Birders Move to Costa Rica? – Costa Rica Living and Birding
These days, there's a lot of talk going around about moving out of the USA. After the recent presidential election, Internet searches for moving away abroad rose by 1,000 percent! Following any presidential election, folks looking into moving to another country is par for the course but this ti
Which are the Best Sites for Birding in Costa Rica (Honestly)? – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Planning a birding trip? Aside from making sure you won't be birding in unstable and dangerous places, a birder's gotta know where to bird. When planning a birding trip to Costa Rica, you might wonder if it's worth visiting that urban park you saw on a map? How about intriguing eBird
Highlights from Two Weeks of Birding in Costa Rica – Costa Rica Living and Birding
I slept in this morning, didn't even go birding! That will change tomorrow when I awake before dawn for guiding in the Poas area. It'll be good, in the highlands of Costa Rica, the birding always is. I experienced some of that memorable montane birding last week along with another week of
A Big Morning on October Big Day in Costa Rica – Costa Rica Living and Birding
This past Saturday, birders celebrated another October Global Big Day. It was a day dedicated to birding, to be part of a massive birding collective and see how many birds you can find. You don't have to do October Big Day like that, the sole requisite is watching birds and recording your lists
Birding in Southeastern Costa Rica- Highlights, Observations, and Recommendations – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Costa Rica may be state-sized but it's still got regions! What I mean is that this small nation has distinct areas with their own ecological and cultural flavors. That's a fine bonus for birding, especially with regions being so close to each other. After watching Great Green Macaws flap t
Birding News from Costa Rica- Late September, 2024 – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Going birding in Costa Rica? If your answer is "yes" but any time from January to March, you aren't alone. After all, those sunny days are when most folks visit Costa Rica, birders included. However, if you are headed to Costa Rica soon, the following birding tidbits and news items mi
Recent Birding Highlights Near San Jose, Costa Rica – Costa Rica Living and Birding
In Costa Rica, birding highlights are easy to come by. Most places, you don't need to do much more than walk outside and you'll see something cool! Another birding bonus is having the chance to see such an incredible variety of birds in such a short distance. Thinking about it, there'
Fantastic Bird Photography in Costa Rica- 5 Easy Sites – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Bird photography in Costa Rica is pretty darn exciting. There are literally hundreds of exotic, tropical bird species, dozens of glittering hummingbirds, beautiful tanagers, trogons, and more, always more. Resplendent Quetzals too! While it's true that mature forests harbor the highest species
Best Birding Day Trips from San Jose- 5 Tips – Costa Rica Living and Birding
What birding day trips are possible from San Jose, Costa Rica? Is it worth birding in the city itself? How far can you go in a day and, most importantly, which birds can you see? Oh yes, you can see Fiery-throated Hummingbirds. Before we start answering those questions, there's a few important
Birding Trip to Costa Rica- Driving Dos and Dont’s – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Driving in Costa Rica. Should you do it? What's it like? What about taking the bus? How about road issues and birding by car? If you are thinking about driving in Costa Rica, wondering if you should take the wheel or let a local do the driving, this post is for you. If you don't plan on dr
Hints of Fall Birding in Costa Rica – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Fall migration doesn't really start in autumn. It happens as soon as birds feel like moving. Several shorebirds get that urge, not that long after arriving in the Arctic! Despite flying thousands of miles north from their wintering grounds, as soon as Surfbirds, plovers, and various sandpipers
Birding Costa Rica- Late July, 2024 – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Historically, July isn't the most exciting time for birding. At least that's how the birding rumors tend to roll in the temperate zone. No migration, birds finishing up nesting on lazy summer days, not much to see... Those mid-summer times always seemed better for studying your field guide
Observations from Birding the Old Cinchona Road – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Birding hotspots are brewed from a blend of particularly good birding (rare species and/or high numbers), and accessibility. That access part is key because without it, of course a birding hotspot is "only good for the birds". Yes, healthy ecosystems and birds having places to live are wha
Expectations for Birding in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca and Manzanillo – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Going birding in Costa Rica? I hope so! The birding excitement in the tropics is constant and Costa Rica is no exception. Believe me, there's lots to see in Costa Rica and always more. In Costa Rica, among the many nice birding things is the fact that so many birding hotspots are so accessible.
Costa Rica Birding Expectations for July- The Mini High Season – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Costa Rica is a popular destination, especially during the winter. Warm and welcoming weather instead of slushy driveways? Toucans, parrots, macaws, and manakins? Throw in a few dozen hummingbirds and it's a sweet combination! Although most birders visit Costa Rica in the winter, we've als
It’s a Good Time for Birding in Monteverde – Costa Rica Living and Birding
Monteverde is one of Costa Rica's classic birding hotspots. The cloud forests have always been a good place to see Resplendent Quetzals, Black Guans, and lots of other birds. The area is always good, it's always worth birding there but right now, it might even be a little bit better. There