Happy Birding (2026)
Latest Posts
Pelee Week 2
May 9 Traditionally the middle Saturday of the birding festival is the busiest as many birders expect it to be peak migration. The talk was the park would be closed once 750 vehicles were in the gate. I'm not sure it reached that number but It was packed. We made sure...
Pelee! Week 1
Point Pelee National Park Hillman Marsh May 2 Yes, it is finally that favourite time of year for all birders, no, not Christmas, Spring Migration! We anticipate and dream of trees dripping with warblers and rarities at our feet but usually the actual experience is...
#11 Heading Home April 1-3
When we left Canto del Bosque we planned to visit the Salitre Savannahs for some speciality birds like an Ocellated Crake and a Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch but as always we would be only arriving after 10 so not the best time to see birds. In the town of Buenos Aires...
#10 Cabinas Canto del Bosque March 30- April 1
The day started so wonderfully with the Manakins and getting the Yellow-billed Cotinga at the River but would our luck continue? Our next stop was the Rice Fields in Cuide Neilly and it was very hot when we arrived to park at the hospital beside the fields. There was...
#9 Danta Corcovado Lodge March 28-30
After we left Cerro Lodge we sat in the traffic at the Tarcoles Bridge. Construction on the bridge has meant waits of 3 hours sometimes but we were lucky that with the Easter holidays they had stopped most of the construction and so our wait was not long. I stopped at...
#7 Trapp Family Lodge in Monteverde March 24-26
The road out from Cano Negro was as challenging as the road in but we continued to take it very slow and managed to get through without a flat tire. After about 14km we finally hit pavement and then major highways before turning onto the road to Monteverde and again...
#8 Cerro Lodge and Tarcoles March 26-28
We left the Bajo del Tigre trails around 11 and headed back down the mountain but this time on almost all paved road. Whew! what a difference. Once we hit the main highways the traffic was super slow with lots of construction as they are in the midst of making...
#6 Hotel de Campo Cano Negro Refuge March 22-24
After we left La Fortuna it was only a 3 hour drive to Cano Negro but the road in is not for the weak or faint-hearted. We knew it would be bad. Everyone we mentioned to that we were going to Cano Negro asked the same question - which road are you taking? Be prepared...
#5 Arenal Observatory Lodge March 19-22
We were sad to leave Rancho Naturalista as we knew there were many more birds we could have seen but it was time to move on and we had a 4.5 hr drive to Arenal but with plans to stop at a couple of places along the way. Our first stop was just a quick detour into...
#4 Rancho Naturalista March 16-19
We had originally only planned on one stop before our next hotel but because we missed the Bat Falcon and the Owls we doubled back a tiny bit to try for these two birds before our scheduled stop. Cachi Dam was only 15 minutes from Hotel Quelitales so we were there by...
#3 Hotel Quelitales and the Sunbittern March 14-16
After leaving Paraiso Lodge the second time with my Apple wallet secured in my travel pouch we headed down the mountains from 9,000 feet to about 4,000. feet. Costa Rica traffic is slow but almost everyone is patient. The roads are narrow with almost no shoulders and...
#2 Paraiso Quetzal Lodge Hunt for a Quetzal March 12-14
We left Hotel Bougainvillea after breakfast and headed for our first birding stop of the trip - Casa Dowii. This little restaurant/bird-viewing spot is known for its great views of Tanagers and the Buffy- crowned Wood Partridge and Buff-fronted Wood Quail. The...
#1 Hotel Bougainvillea March 10-12
Costa Rica is often the first destination for birders that want to see South American birds. With over 900 bird species reported in this very small country it is easy to see why it is a popular destination for birders. Many week long birding tours see a few hundred...
March 1 The End of Pajama Days
After my last blog February 8 we continued to only bird on nice weather days. We opted to drive into Hamilton on a sunny but cold day to traverse the Lake in hopes of Scoters and some Owl species. It has been a strange year with Lake Erie almost completely frozen and...
Feb 8 – Venturing out of hibernation….
Finally February! I'm one of those people that struggle through winter - I hate the cold, hate the snow, ice, wind. Hate the multiple layers, thick mitts, puffy coats, big boots making movement and birding a huge effort. Birding at least gets me out of the house but I...
January 11 Non-urgent Birding – the new trend!
No alarm was set for January 1 but I was awake at my usual winter 7:30am time and saw my first bird of the year on my way to make tea - a beautiful male Northern Cardinal. I started a list and saw 11 species over the next 1.5 hours. Jerry opted to stay in bed and so...
About me
We caught the birding bug in 2013 and decided in 2023 to embark on three consecutive Big Years, 200 Brant County, 300 Ontario and 400 Canada. The Ovenbird Blog was set up to record our adventures.
