Birding & Wildlife Sites 

(Listed in approximate order visited)

San Jose Area & Cinchona

Our first full day we’ll work the San Jose area hoping to encounter a few birds we may not see otherwise. Often the day will begin with birds around the city leaving roosting areas and singing. Gray-headed Chachalacas give voice and scramble around tree tops, and Crimson-fronted Parakeets rouse city residents from their slumber with shrill sounds, as they chatter, gather, and head out in search of fruit. Up in the foothills we’ll visit a family run restaurant with a nice feeder array and good photo opps too. Birds like Red-headed Barbet, Northern Emerald-Toucanet, Silver-throated Tanager, and Scarlet-thighed Dacnis often put in appearances. And scarcer species are possible too, such as the intriguing Prong-billed Barbet (1 of just 2 species in its family), and the Coppery-headed Emerald. The latter is one of the country’s four mainland endemics. 

Rancho Natualista

Probably the most storied birding lodge in a country best known for ecotourism, the lodge is extremely comfortable and confiding, and the surrounding forest is home to a remarkable wealth of birds, including a variety of tanagers, toucans, manakins, antbirds, woodcreepers, and more. The grounds feature fruit feeders attracting Lesson’s Motmots, Montezuma, and Chestnut-headed Oropendolas, Grey-headed Chachalacas, wintering Baltimore Orioles, and several euphonias and tanagers. The feeder array also allows for some great bird photographic opportunities, and even apart from the birds sometimes mammals grace the garden as well. From the balcony hummingbird feeders attract birds like those mentioned above but also Garden Emerald, Violet-crowned Woodnymph, White-necked Jacobin, Green Hermit, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Garden Emerald, and Green-crowned Brilliant. Among our primary goals will be to try and locate the some of the tiniest hummingbirds in the world, including Violet-headed hummingbird, the dapper little Snowcap, and the incomparable Black-crested Coquette. Another unique feature here is the hummingbird pools where some hummingbirds come to bathe. Other species that make appearances from the balcony area at times include, Tawny-throated Leaftosser, Dull-mantled Antbird, and Great Tinamou. The trail system of the lodge offer yet more species to hope for and to try and locate, and on the property or just nearby we have chances also at birds like the range-restricted Black-throated Wren, the scarce and seldom-seen Tawny-chested Flycatcher, and the enigmatic Gray-headed Piprites. These all require a bit of luck, but Rancho is as good a place to see these as any. Also White-crowned Manakins can be found here, sometimes even while attending a “lek”, where males gather to attempt to attract females, at times offering startling displays in the process. One you are on site, you will not struggle to understand how this site became the number one eBird hotspot in the country in terms of species detected.

Off-site or Nearby The Lodge

Between 20 to 90 minutes drive from the lodge are a number of other hotspots we may explore as well. We will take stock of the weather, what we’ve seen and what we haven’t, and provide options for those wishing to venture a bit further afield. These could include wetland areas that hold sneaky species like Boat-billed Heron, Green Ibis, and also the polyandrous Northern Jacana. Also there are wooded rivers and white-water streams that can harbor Torrent Tyrannulet, Fasciated Tiger Heron and even the monotypic Sunbittern on occasions. There are also some nearby private reserves that can hold birds such as Rufous-winged Tanager, White-Fronted Nunbird and even at times the critically endangered Great Green Macaw. The latter is one of the largest parrots in the world, and the 2nd largest macaw (Ara) species. Other birds we might seek while away from the lodge would include various trogons, toucans, manakins, jacamars, and honeycreepers, as well as an impressive selection of raptors and tyrant-flycatchers.