December 20-28, 2024 with Jay VanderGaast & Vernon Campos
While this may not have been the sunniest tropical vacation some might have hoped for, our week at Rancho Naturalista was still a treat. The skies may have been mainly cloudy and gray, and it might have been rainier than expected, but at least it wasn't snow, and it wasn't cold! And there were a lot more birds than most of us would have seen around our homes at this time of year, and that's mainly what we came for! During our time here, we tallied roughly 280 species of birds, with a whole bunch of spectacular, colourful species to make us forget about the rain and the mud! All I wanted for Christmas this year was a bunch of hummingbirds, flycatchers, toucans, tanagers, and more, and our week here delivered all these and more!
Our first day was easily the most challenging of the tour, with thick fog and plenty of rain hindering our efforts as we searched for highland specialties on Irazu Volcano. Bird activity was low, and the rain and fog made it difficult to see anything that was more than a few meters away. Despite this, we did find a handful of fantastic birds including a pair of much-wanted Resplendent Quetzals, plus Black Guan, Lesser Violet-ear, Purple-throated Mountain-Gem, Black-and-yellow Silky-Flycatcher, and Slaty Flowerpiercer. We gave in to the rain after lunch, and it chased us all the way to an early arrival at Rancho, where the hot coffee and the shelter of the balcony offered us a dry refuge from which to begin our enjoyment of the many birds at the feeders here. No doubt those first looks at jacobins, mangos, and woodnymphs made everyone forget the cold and rainy conditions of earlier in the day!
Over the next few days, we birded various spots in the surrounding area, as well as the lodge itself. On the lodge grounds, and down along the driveway, we enjoyed a dozen species of hummingbirds, including the always popular Snowcap, the massive Violet Sabrewing, and bumblebee-like Black-crested Coquettes, plenty of flycatchers, with standouts like Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, and the very local Tawny-chested Flycatcher, and loads of tanagers, with gorgeous Crimson-collared and Bay-headed Tanagers from the balcony being especially enjoyed. And of course there were loads of other highlights, from Lesson's Motmot and Keel-billed Toucan to Black-cheeked Woodpecker, White-collared Manakin, and Orange-billed Sparrow. Further afield, a Sunbittern along the Rio Platanillo lit up a drizzly morning, Ringed Kingfisher, Laughing Falcon, White-winged Becard, and both Gray-crowned and Olive-crowned Yellowthroats were among numerous species seen around the reservoir at Angosturra, and White-throated Crake (actually seen by all!), Boat-billed Heron, and a low-flying Black Hawk-Eagle carrying the remains of some sort of possum in its talons, highlighted an excellent visit to CATIE!
We also paid a visit to a new site for our tours, the lovely El Copal Reserve. The feeders were one of the big draws here, and stunning species like Emerald, Speckled, and Silver-throated tanagers entertained us on our damp morning there. And once the rain tailed off, we were able to explore a bit more, finding other great birds like Fasciated Antshrike, Dull-mantled Antbird, Northern Schiffornis, Black-thighed Grosbeak, and Black-and-yellow Tanager! We will definitely be returning to El Copal on future tours!
As usual, we also made a visit to the diverse Caribbean lowlands, visiting the Manu Reserve first, where we tallied a Great Potoo, Slaty-tailed and Northern Black-throated trogons, Yellow-throated and Keel-billed toucans, Bright-rumped Attila, the scarce Rufous-winged Tanager, and many more, despite rainy, muddy conditions. Good views of several sloths was also a highlight here. We then moved on to the little oasis that is Donde Cope, where swarms of Orange-chinned Parakeets, Montezuma and Chestnut-headed oropendolas, and Green, Shining, and Red-legged honeycreepers swirled around us in a blizzard of color, while White-necked Jacobins and the odd Band-tailed Barbthroat, Long-billed Hermit, and Scaly-breasted Hummingbird buzzed around the nectar feeders at arm's length. A short, muddy trek into a nearby forest also rewarded us with views of Spectacled and Crested owls, and a group of miniscule Honduran White Bats. Not a bad way to spend Christmas Day!!!
Finally, on our return to San Jose for the final night, we stopped in for a morning of birding in the cloud forest at Tapanti National Park. Though much of the park remains closed due to landslides, we had a great morning along the lower stretch of road, delighting in views of White-bellied Mountain-Gem, Black-bellied Hummingbird, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Spotted Barbtail, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush, and plenty more, though the highlight for your guides was a tiny, rare Lanceolated Monklet calling from the canopy right over the road! We finished the morning at a nearby reserve, where Red-headed and Prong-billed barbets, Northern Emerald-Toucanet, Red-faced Spinetail, White-naped brush-Finch and Yellow-bellied Siskin were among the final species to make it on to our trip list!
I thoroughly enjoyed having you all join me and Vernon for the Christmas holiday. It was great getting to know you all, and I appreciate your company and your good spirits despite the wet weather. Many thanks to our excellent driver, Luis, and the fantastic staff at Rancho Naturalista who took such great care of us during our stay.
Mammals seen on the trip:
Honduran White Bat (Ectophylla alba): Four of these tiny bats were huddled under a modified leaf in Cope's forest patch
Mantled Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata): A small troop at El Copal
White-faced Capuchin (Cebus capucinus): Seen by a couple of folks at the Manu feeders.
Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus): We found 5 individuals in the lowlands near Manu, plus another seen from the bus on the way back to San Jose.
Variegated Squirrel (Sciurus variegatoides): The common large squirrel at Rancho's feeders.
Red-tailed Squirrel (Sciurus granatensis): The smaller squirrel at the feeders.
Dusky Rice Rat (Melanomys caliginosus): Regular below the feeders at Rancho.
Central American Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata): One or two were regular visitors below the feeders.
White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica):A lone male popped on to the Rancho feeders a few times during the week.
Tayra (Eira barbara): One of these large weasels came to the Rancho feeders a couple of times on our final day at the lodge.
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/308373
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/crh24aTRIPLIST.pdf
Jay