January 22-31, 2026 with Chris Benesh & Vernon Campos
Our Costa Rica Edges tour began at our hotel in San Jose where we did some birding right on the hotel grounds. We had a nice introductory mix of birds including an obliging Mottled Owl, a Blue-vented Hummingbird, and Lesson’s Motmots. The next morning we visited a nearby finca with a nice mix of birds included a couple of Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrows. Then we hit the road with our first stop being Williams Farm, a haven for Resplendent Quetzals. They did not disappoint either, as we had fabulous views of two males vying for the attention of a female. Then it was on to Paraiso Quetzal Lodge to dine and watch the amazing hummingbird feeders there. Five species of hummers entertained. Then we kept climbing higher into the mountains with stops for Timberline Wren and Volcano Hummingbird. Arriving at the Talamanca Nature Reserve, we settled in to our base for the next couple of days. One morning was spent watching feeders and flowers for a mix of birds. In the afternoon, we headed to San Isidro and El General Viejo. Turquoise Cotinga was a highlight this afternoon.
The following morning after breakfast we headed to the Alexander Skutch Reserve at Los Cusingos. It was a real treat to see the property where so much knowledge of Neotropical birdlife was first gathered. Among the highlights of our visit there was an encounter with a couple of Rufous Pihas. Then it was off to our next destination, the Wilson Botanical Gardens. A fabulous spot with scenic views from our rooms. We ventured out to Cerro Paraguas and the airstrip at San Vito for seedeaters. We had a fun evening encounter with a Common Potoo at close range. The next morning we hit some ricefields near Ciudad Nelly and Coto 47 where we tracked down Veraguan Mango and massive numbers of birds in general. At nearby Las Pangas we picked up Sapphire-throated Hummingbird, at the western edge of its range here.
From there it was on to the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge and surrounds. This humid area was rich with wildlife. The grounds of the lodge itself held many birds, from parading Great Currasows to shy Black-cheeked Ant-Tanagers. We made an early morning drive out to the Rincon Bridge and had a magical morning watching birds leaving roost sites in nearby mangroves. We tallied 67 species during our morning there. Among the many highlights were some great views of Yellow-billed Cotingas. We then headed to the appropriately named Playa Colibri in search of Mangrove Hummingbird. This was followed by a final afternoon birding open wetland and crop habitats near Esquinas. Then it was on to San Jose with a final stop at Calle La Barca where we connected with Black-and-White Owl. A fine climax to the trip.
Mammals Seen:
Greater Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx bilineata)
Common Tent-making Bat (Uroderma bilobatum)
Mantled Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata)
Central American Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii)
Variegated Squirrel (Sciurus variegatoides)
Red-tailed Squirrel (Sciurus granatensis)
Central American Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata)
White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica)
Reptiles & Amphibians seen:
anole sp. (Anolis sp.)
Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)
Common Basilisk (Basiliscus basiliscus)
Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)
Emerald Swift (Sceloporus malachiticus)
Terciopelo (Bothrops asper)
Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus)
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/467421
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/cr126TRIPLIST.pdf
-- Chris