Costa Rica 2018: Birdin' in the Rain

[xelas]

It rained much of the night, which at least has one positive effect ... it was less cold in the cabin! We woke up in rather gloomy morning, and as I have had no desire to drive the steep and damaged road down the valley, my idea was to visit another nearby lodge known in the birders society. Bosque del Tolomuco - http://www.bosquedeltolomuco.com - is about 30 min by car from San gerardo de Dota, on San Isidro de El General side of the mountain range. Top of the highway we were happy to see the patches of blue sky around Cerro de la Muert peak, but on the way down, those have disappeared completely.

 

The lodge is a small in size, maybe 5 cabins, owned by an older (German or Swiss ??) couple, and geared toward birders. No restaurant on site so either self catering or daily drives to nearby restaurant(s). There are feeders and trails to be explored, and non-guests are welcomed, for a reasonable fee.

 

We were told at the beginning that we were too early (8 am) and that also here birding was slow in last week(s). Indeed we have seen less than the day before, but it was not a complete waste of our time, scored some new additions for Big Year.

 

Savegre valley in the morning

 

A cabin at Bosque del Tolomuco

 

Many lodges has have pools ... only that they are not heated

 

Green-crowned Brilliant (male)

 

Violet Sabrewing (male)

 

 

 

 

[xelas]

Andreas and Michael took one trail and I went to explore the other one, heading up above the lodge. Very quiet along the trail, and soon enough the cloud forest shows why it is called "cloud forest". Still, a bird is never far away, even in such conditions.

 

Trail or Vista, that is the question

 

Vista ... wrong decision

 

Palm Tanager

 

Slate-throated Redstart

 

 

Cloud forest vegetation

 

[xelas]

It was not yet 12:00 when we finished with BdT. So where to go next? Finally we have decided to drive all the way down to San Isidro de El General, a big town by Costa Rica standards, but surely not one a person would like to stay in longer then needed ... or to send a postcard from it. Yet the postcards were the main reason for us to drive there, as we did have postcards to write but no stamps to add. So a post office has to be found. Easy to say more difficult to do, even with a GPS map; Correos is usually a tiny blue building and in this town, we have drove past it twice before noticing it. 

 

With stamps in hand back to our cabin; although the sky has been covered with thick grey clouds, I wanted to find out more about the other cabins beside ours. The track down was steep, for sure no way anything but a proper Landcruiser would manage it even when dry. Three more cabins are located below ours, more secluded but also with less favourable views. About 2/3 of the track it started to rain, first slower then harder. Luckily I have managed to get a few shots of fast-moving birds before that happened.

 

Cabin #3 (??)

 

Cabin #1

 

Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush

 

Sooty-capped Chlorospingus

 

Streak-headed Woodcreeper

 

 

When there is no need to do heavy cropping, also HighISO photos can be OK. This one was taken at ISO 12.800, no noise reduction applied in pp.

 

Collared Redstart

 

 

Back from my adventure; while plastic poncho did its job of preventing me being wet from rain, it did not prevent me being soaked wet from my own sweat! While poncho is a mandatory piece of equipment for rain (and cloud) forest explorers, try to get a better one. Michael and Andreas supplied theirs from internet, and they have much better experiences with those.

 

Soaked wet .... from inside out

 

Forest in the Clouds

 

 

[Peter Connan]

No such thing as too many hummingbirds when the photos are this good!

[michael-ibk]

 

In many ways San Gerardo was my favourite destination - I loved the ancient forests with their huge, moss-vegetated trees, a scenery like right out of Lord of the Rings. They really should have done Old Fangorn here. And then there are of course the Hummers - Alex already showed you all species we´ve seen at Paraiso and Miriam´s so the only variance I can offer is to show some of them in flight.

 

 

Volcano, the most tiny one.

 

 

On the other side of the spectrum, the Talamanca. Much prefer its old name, the "Magnificent" Hummingbird.Indeed it is. But then, they all are.

 

 

Alex showed you the female Flame-Coloured Tanager from Miriam´s place so here´s the male.

 

 

The Red-Tailed Squirrels also greatly appreciated the feeders. As with the birds, the photo challenge always is to get them in a spot which looks a bit more natural.

 

 

Sooty-Capped Chlorosphingus. No, this bird does not have a red chin really, it´s just enjoying its fruit. The result looks similar like me after eating Spaghetti Bolognese.

 

 

Alex obviously did not have it in his heart to tell me that our "Angelito" probably is gone, so I was sad to learn that from the report.

 

 

Unlike the area itself accommodationwise I was not exactly thrilled. The cabinas were definitely not among my favourite ones. Like Alex has said, I probably would have loved view and surroundings if it had not been that damn cold and miserable. And no, contrary to what he said us mountaineer people from Austria are absolutely not used to overnights in cold mountain huts because we definitely understand those huts are much more fun with good heating. It did not really help that upstairs in our room one window was broken. I stuffed the curtain in the hole to try to get a bit more insulation.

 

 

 

 

The Quetzal viewpoint, and yes, I´d say the fee is justified for seeing a bird as cool as a Quetzal, arguably the Nr. 1 bird on most birding people´s lists on a Costa Rica trip. Just to be original I won´t show you one since Alex already has but cannot resist posting one more of the Toucanet - as I did not expect it I was as happy about this one as about the Quetzals.

 

 

Quote

Many smaller birds were spotted, and photographed, but with smaller birds I am not nearly as good as Zvezda is, so will leave to Michael to show them to you.



Yeah, thank you my friend a most thankful task.

 

 

Yellow-Bellied Siskin

 

 

Grey-Breasted Wood-Wren

 

 

Band-Tailed Pigeon

 

 

 

Sooty-Capped getting dirty again

 

 

And we did not only see tiny little ones but also three more Quetzals walking around - actually that´s how I knew where to find one for Zvezda later.

 

 

The Savegre river

Edited November 4, 2018 by michael-ibk

[xelas]

@michael-ibk, I am so sorry, my friend. Not about the cabin, we were both in same cold, but for posting all those hummers! I have to admit that I was a bit carried away, too much time over the weekend .

Yet, as Peter has posted, there is never "too much of hummingbirds", and I am sure you have a couple more to show to our readers!

[michael-ibk]

 

 

Batsu Garden was a joy indeed. One of the best set-ups for bird photography I´ve ever been to. Even though conditions were not that favourable we collected a good bunch of new species here and - more important - had an super-relaxed afternoon in the very comfortable chairs firing away at birdies.

 

 

Mountain Thrush

 

 

Long-Tailed Silky Flycatcher

 

 

Breaking my "no feeder shots" rule here because this was apparently the only photo of a male Volcano Hummingbird, showing its beautiful gorget.

 

 

Contrary to what I said before about relaxing in chairs and stuff I can never sit still for too long so we took a short stroll in the forest next to the garden. Very much enjoyed this, this area really has a mythical ambience.

 

 

 

Not too many birds inside but I was delighted to find this cute little Tufted Flycatcher.

 

 

Back to the main attraction - Hummer fun!

 

 

 

 

So how did we get these? It involved being really mean - on Marino´s advice we stashed away all normal feeders in a chest and sprayed the flowers with sugar water.

 

 

Two videos to show the frenzy:

 

 

 

 

The rain really caught us hard, for a while we sat and waited, hoping it would lessen a bit but of course it never did and so even in our ponchos we got a good shower on the way down. But we just followed this Talamanca´s exemple - if it rains, make the best of it.

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

 

Bosque del Tolomuco:

 

Quote

owned by an older (German or Swiss ??) couple

 

German, and the owner was delighted when he found out I was Austrian which gave him a good chance to brush up his native language. A very nice guy with a lot of interesting stories to tell about the difficulties of running a lodge in the Costa Rican highlands.

 

 

 

Rufous-Tailed Hummingbird. By far the most common, but as Alex reprimanded me over in my BY thread, that´s no reason to bash it, it is a beauty indeed. I wish our common birds here in Austria were that splendid.

 

 

 

Female Green-Crowned Brilliant

 

 

 

Violet Sabrewing, an extraordinarily beautiful species even for Hummingbird standards. Probably among my Top Three, together with Fiery-Throated and the Snowcap.

 

Next morning the unthinkable happened:

 

 

 

Sun! Blue Sky! We forgot about the damp coldness of our cabins and just were happy soaking in the warmth and the view.

 

 

 

 

Flame-Throated Warbler

 

 

Acorn Woodpecker

 

 

White-Throated Mountain-Gem

 

 

Fiery-Throated Hummingbird, one of the rare fleeting moments when it displayed its gorgeous burning throat.

 

 

Good Bye, little Angel, wherever you have gone too, you mesmerized a lot of people with your beauty.

 

 

Our long drive down the highlands was quite interesting - not only because we saw this weird colour up in the sky we had almost forgotten by now but also because of the unusual traffic.

 

 

Bikers are one thing ...

 

 

... but what are all these people doing there, walking up and up? There were hundreds of them, and Alex had to take great care when driving. So what´s going on here? Every year, people walk from all over the country for the famous Pilgrimage to Cartago, In honor of Costa Rica’s patron saint, the Virgin de Los Angeles. A long way for these here probably from San Isidro, Google Maps says it´s 23 hours and 55 minutes. So not even a full day then, easy.

 

 

We were starting to look for the Pacific, and we were very much looking forward to our next destination, the famous Osa Peninsula. Back to Alex then.

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by michael-ibk

[Alexander33]

Lots of great memories here for me -- Rancho Naturalista and Paraiso Quetzal.  I loved the scenery and atmosphere in San Gerardo de Dota.

 

Wow, that leucistic hummingbird is fascinating.  Like a little ghost -- or angel!  Very cool to see that.  I'm so glad you all got to see the Resplendent Quetzal.  But, man, oh man!  The Emerald Toucanet!  I need to go back just for that one!

[xelas]

13 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

We were starting to look for the Pacific, and we were very much looking forward to our next destination, the famous Osa Peninsula. Back to Alex then.

 

There will be a short pause before continuing with Pacific; but don't go too far away, we will be back soon!

[CDL111]

Nice to see hummingbirds again and some good photographs of the flora. My definition of short pause is minutes. Please do not be too long before your next posting.

[xelas]

Sorry, @CDL111, a couple of days you will have to wait. Need to start also my Big Year part of this trip. 

[Peter Connan]

Thanks to both of you for more beautiful Hummers @xelas and @michael-ibk!

 

Quetzals are really beautiful too, but I prefer the hummers.

[Atdahl]

Wow, great series of photos you guys.  You have some fantastic hummer shots not to mention the Quetzal.  This is an area of Costa Rica to which I have never been. I need to change that. 

[Elsa Hoffmann]

@xelas It took me almost 7 days and 7 night to read thru this post - and I must admit Alex - you are FAR better at blogging than I am. Well actually thats not right, since I cant even blog at all  

The images are spectacular and you truly tell the whole story. I dont like to single out any images - but damn those frogs and hummingbirds, I would give my left whatever to capture that too. I cant even begin to imagine how exciting the trip must have been. At least the cloud gave you diffused light (gotta be positive here! ) Just wow 

[xelas]

Thank you so much for your kind words, @Elsa Hoffmann! But don't forget about Michael, his part makes this trip report to stand out. Hahaha, the big softbox ... well, you are right. Only that working on images above ISO6400 is a tad hard. If you will ever plan to visit Costa Rica, now you know where to look for a private guide (and driver) ! Fair trade, exchange of services, everything is possible.

[xelas]

6 hours ago, Atdahl said:

This is an area of Costa Rica to which I have never been. I need to change that. 

 

I am really surprised you have not visited Cordillera de Talamanca already. You should do so, including Turrialba area on one side, and San Vito/La Amistad area on the other side. Heck, you are living so close a weekend trip is an option!

[xelas]

On 11/5/2018 at 8:12 PM, Peter Connan said:

Quetzals are really beautiful too, but I prefer the hummers.

 But quetzals are bigger and they perch still for longer period of time  ...

[Elsa Hoffmann]

@xelas My apologies to Michael. But you have to admit - once one starts looking at the images, everything else flies out the window ! 

[xelas]

On 11/4/2018 at 10:06 PM, Alexander33 said:

I need to go back just for that one!

What are you waiting for, Peter?! Maybe in 2020??

[xelas]

Just now, Elsa Hoffmann said:

once one starts looking at the images, everything else flies out the window ! 

 

Specially names, Elsa. Specially names . I know that all too well .

[Atdahl]

1 hour ago, xelas said:

 

I am really surprised you have not visited Cordillera de Talamanca already. You should do so, including Turrialba area on one side, and San Vito/La Amistad area on the other side. Heck, you are living so close a weekend trip is an option!

 

Well, since I live in Arizona it would be one heck of a weekend trip.   

But, your combined report has definitely inspired me to up this on our priority list.

[xelas]

9 hours ago, Atdahl said:

Well, since I live in Arizona it would be one heck of a weekend trip.   

 

Arizona ... and you are travelling elsewhere?! Yeah, I was exaggerating a bit; many of visitors from the States are visiting Costa Rica for a week and "want to see it all". Yet, a week and to explore only the particular locations should be OK. Then, from Europe flights are very expensive, and to me anything less then 3 weeks just don?t pays off. It must be more affordable flying from the States.

 

9 hours ago, Atdahl said:

But, your combined report has definitely inspired me to up this on our priority list.

Hahaha, we have done an exchange then; Borneo and Brasil on my list, Costa Rica on yours. Should we meet one day in Namibia?

[xelas]

CABO MATAPALO

 

 

Out of the bed early, and first look out of the window revealed it will be a different day - a sunny day! Of course, as it was a transfer day  ... what else then a beautiful sunny day in the area that we are about to leave.

 

 

Predicting weather situation in Costa Rica is almost a mission impossible. There are so many microlimate zones around this relatively small country, and weather changes quickly, sometimes twice a day. We could have been more pleased with weather if we would start the trip only 1 day later ...or more unhappy if starting it 1 day earlier.

 

 

Anyway, we have filled our car with luggage and off we went, but not before stopping at Miriam's for more Angelito photos.

 

 

Driving down towards San Isidro was uneventful apart of being sorry for all those pilgrims that had a long and wet (from rain or sweat) hike in front of them.

 

 

 

In San Isidro we left the PanAmericana and turned right onto 243 towards Pacific coast. The weather was great, and at one point we have stopped at a roadside fruit stand to buy some food for next days. The fruit in Costa Rica is simply amazing. No words can describe how tasty it is. One has to come there and try it.

 

We have reached coast at Dominical, a small surfers "town", then drove further to Uvita, a larger town known for many boutique lodges up in the hills above the main coastal road 34 (aka Costanera Sur). Uvita is the home of the famous Marino Ballena National Park, with a sand bank in the shape of a whale tail.

 

Once crossing the iron bridge over Rio Grande de Terraba we were again joining PanAmericana. This is where the real outback starts. Some more kilometers in the company of heavy trucks then right again in Chacarita. Now only straight all the way to Puerto Jimenez.

 

 

If Resplendent Quetzal is the signature bird of the cloud forests of Central Massif, the Scarlet Macaw must be the signature bird of Osa Peninsula! We have seen it almost daily, and when one cannot be seen, it can surely be heard.

 

[xelas]

Osa Peninsula is one of the country's most remote destinations. It is also home of the Corcovado NP that covers about 40% of the peninsula, and is known as the most biodiverse place on Planet Earth! There are two possible entry points to Corcovado NP: Drake Bay on northern side of the park, and Puerto Jimenez on southern side. From Drake Bay boats are used to transport visitors to La Sirena station, and thus also a day visits are possible. From Puerto Jimenez, one could hike (6-8 hours, and not for everybody) or fly (as our own @Chakra has done). myself, I have not yet been to La Sirena, so whoever is interested to learn more about it, read here: 

 

Second best to Corcovado (or better) for wildlife sightings is Cabo Matapalo; this is a small peninsula about 20 kilometers / 60 minutes from Puerto Jimenez. 60 minutes for 20 kilometers?! Oh yeah, and whoever has any doubts, just go and experience for yourself! After about 15 kilometers of the most potholed road ever, and crossing a couple of "puente peligroso", there are 2 river crossings - without any bridge. If rain is hard, no crossing. Luckily close to the second is alocated the only bar in that area, Buena Esperanza Bar (or Martina's Place).

 

Cabo Matapalo has 2 sections: the coastal section where several lodges, and many houses to rent are, with 3 beaches, and upper or cliff section, where are the upscale ecolodges. One of those was our (splurge) home for next 4 nights. Bosque del Cabo - http://www.bosquedelcabo.com - is what can be described as "basic luxury". there are cabins and houses, most of them along the cliff side of the property, and their main asset are many self-guided trails across the vast property. Do not be fooled by "basic" - it was our splurge stop, and is pricey even out of the season. But I do not know for a single guest that has been complaining about the prices after she/he actually stayed at Bosque del Cabo.

 

As unique location and accommodation, and with a long list of return customers, and even fans, getting in is not that easy. Luckily, we have stayed there once before, accompanied by a friend of the owners, and also I have booked it very early. 

 

Casa Blanca was our house. A spacious house with 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and the best, a large deck overlooking Golfo Dulce, half covered half open. Congo Bongo was similar but Casa Bianca was better. We have opted for renting a house vs. 2 cabins because it has a kitchen, and we (= I) was planning to save some money by making our meals. I was seriously counting on the fact that there were 3 chefs in our party. Oh well. Two of them have decided that finally is time for some serious holidays (which excludes any cooking or dishwashing) The third just looked at me with a smile on her lips. Damn! On the bright side of the kitchen, I have learned a thing or two from my "rice&cans" episode in Kgalagadi. Eggs and ham, pineapples, fresh fruits, etc. so no complaints. And last evening, Michael and Andreas invited us to join them for the dinner. It was a delicious meal, as they were all, according to Michael.

 

So, here below are some photos from Bosque del Cabo, and Casa Bianca.

 

Entry to the lodge from the roadside

 

Garden in front of the main building

 

Happy Hour cottage

 

At Happy Hour cottage is a smaller pool

 

Casa Bianca living room with kitchen behind

 

Nice touch

 

Fully equipped kitchen

 

Our bedroom has two queen size beds

 

Outside deck ... yes, that rain ...

 

View from the front door