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 ran into rough road for about 10 kms or so before hitting pavement with potholes. The road was uphill as we once again headed for our last stop in the cloud forest. Despite the many birds we have seen, there are still more and we hope to have better views of ones we have already seen as well as finding new ones. We arrived at 1:15 and our room was ready. We have found all the lodges so far have allowed early arrivals and are happy to get you into your room hours earlier than the checkin time stated. It is a nice perk. The room was lovely and large with a screened in porch.
Jerry took a nap and then we birded up the road to the Monteverde NP .5 km away. We heard an Ornate Hawk Eagle very close but could not see it. Walked on and spent some time at the hummingbird feeders at the park entrance. We were not sure of all the ID’s of the hummers – we never are, so Jerry took pictures of everything that looked different so we could check them with Merlin and Ebird later. We started back up and saw a hawk out from the same area where we had heard the calls – it was quite distance but looked pretty good for the Hawk Eagle as far as shape and size. It was too distant for pics but we are confident that we at least heard it, confirmed with ebird when we got back so it will be added to the list. A bit further up the road we spotted a Northern Emerald Toucanet in a tree and then had a second one fly in as well. There were some nice interactions between them which I managed to get on video.
A few young girls walked by at that point and then when they were passed us they went over to the edge of the overlook and started screaming. Almost immediately we heard howler monkeys howling loudly from back in the park. Did their screaming set off the monkeys? Did they know it would? Did they do it to shock us? We had so many questions and no answers as they had disappeared up the road quickly. We were happy they had screamed so that we had the chance to hear the monkeys so close but it was a weird situation.
Once we were back to the lodge we checked the photos and realized that we added 3 more Hummingbird lifers! Purple-throated Mountain-gem, Coppery-headed Emerald and Stripe-tailed Hermit. There are 54 species of Hummingbirds seen in Costa Rica and we have seen 24 of them so far.
Dinner was very good, Jerry opted for a typical Costa Rican dinner and then we showered, did some laundry in the shower and worked on pictures and notes. Ebird is messed up today and our checklist says 0 species even though there are 24 species on the list. Checking with the ebird community on FB it appears widespread and not an issue with us so hopefully it gets cleared up soon.
We had a guided hike in the morning into a private reserve that we hoped would net us more lifers. We met up with Rodrigo at 6am and just birded in town while we waited for the reserve to open at 7. We had 3 lifers fairly quickly, Rufous-and-white Wren, Streaked Flycatcher and Ruddy Pigeon but no pictures of any of them because of distance. The reserves open later because they are trying really hard to limit people into the parks and reserves. For Monteverde NP you have to decide what trail you want to walk on, what time and you have to take a shuttle into the park area. While it is impressive that the goal is to preserve what is there it means that people miss out. The website to book is also very slow and frustrating so we opted to go to Curi Cuncha, a private reserve instead, but the late opening meant that the first hour of “best” birding did not happen. There was a long involved waiver to fill out and sign and so we didn’t get in until almost 7:30 which was frustrating for us.
We heard the Three Wattled Bellbird almost immediately but at a distance. It was the bird I was most hoping for and it was my Merlin Bird of the Day!! We went through the trails and heard a Long-tailed Manakin too and a few other lifers as we walked along. The trails were lovely. We ended up seeing the Bellbird at a very long distance across a ravine. The scope views were identifiable but I really wanted to see one at closer views. Maybe later. It was a really good bird to get and that most people want to see here.
The trails were fairly quiet and our guide was not as attentive as I would have liked. He seemed to want to tell us stories and about history and while it was very interesting, I felt we were missing hearing birds. We did see 5 lifers with him, but it was $120 to him and $50 to get into the reserve and really by lunch we felt we would have seen probably the same lifers on our own. The Magenta Woodstar was easy to see at the Hummingbird feeders. We also managed to see another Quetzal making it our 3rd sighting and our 4th Quetzal.
After we had our boxed breakfast for lunch we went back into the reserve on our own and birded for another 3 hours. We saw the Bellbird again a bit closer but no better pictures.
We were walking one trail and heard weird noises overheard and looked up to see this puff of orange on the branch above. From right below we could not figure out what bird we were looking at but after a minute we realized it was Trogons mating.
We picked up another 4 lifers, unfortunately all heard only. It is so tough birding in the forest. The birds repeatedly call and you try to narrow in but they are not always close to the trail and so you do your best. Again, we made sure that we hear the calls ourselves and repeatedly and Merlin confirmed but we always made sure that ebird also confirmed the call before adding them. There is always a chance we will see one of these birds yet so we don’t discount the sighting. We also saw monkeys in a few of the trees and some weird bugs.
Dinner was once again, delish. I had a Mexican tortilla soup and Spaghetti, I know a weird combination but so tasty.
Our last morning we were at breakfast at 6am so we could bird at a refuge near by at 7. The food and the staff are superb at the Trapp Family Lodge. We were very impressed. Breakfast was included and they provided a boxed breakfast when we had to leave early the first morning for our guided hike. There is a small garden but no grounds to bird through so be aware of that but it is .5km from the entrance to Montverde National Park and 10 mins to many other ebird hotspots.
We loaded the car, waited our usual 10 minutes to get it in gear and then headed to Bajo del Tigre or the Eternal Child Rainforest for the morning hoping for better looks at Bellbird and Manakins.
This jungle birding is so tough. Merlin alerts you to the bird singing but finding it and then confirming it and then getting a picture is darn near impossible. Yes guides could help in some situations but we did not have guides here. We hunted for the Long-tailed Manakin having not heard the Bellbird when we arrived at 7. the Manakin was calling repeatedly and we walked the trails hoping to get closer to the sound but it tantalizingly stayed out of reach. At one point we thought we were close and had a few other birds calling as well but nope still nothing. A lifer Red-crowned Ant-Tanger (not to be confused with the Red-faced Ant-Tanager) showed up right beside the path so we could see it without bins and it stayed for 10 seconds. Jerry tried to get a picture but it flew as he took it. A very blurry picture and it had been so close to us LOL. He was definitely frustrated trying to deal with the lighting and humidity. Before w e left for Costa Rica I commented on how few pictures there were on people’s checklists and now I know why. We also added a Rufous-breasted Wren and a Northern Barred-Woodcreeper.
The light is low and every bird appears dark near the ground. The trail took us in a loop where we met up with birders who had just had a Puma cross the path in front of them! We commiserated over the lack of Manakins and went on our way. Finally, the Bellbird started singing so we moved on to try for pictures of it but again it was so close but we had no sighting of one.
In the last 8 days we have walked 52.8km and climbed the equivalent of 204 flights of stairs. It is a mountainous country and so many of the trails are up and down, the lodges are on hills, there are hills to get to and from rooms. We are in pretty good shape and we are only walking around 4-5kms each day but much of that is on inclines making it feel like much more of a workout.
Eventually after 4 hours we gave up. It was hot, a number of birders were trying as we were to see the Long-tailed manakin but it was just not happening. On to Cerro Lodge.
20 new species with 19 of them lifers