Los Cusingos

Yesterday, we visited a nature reserve near San Isidro called Los Cusingos; the Costa Rican name for the Fiery-billed Aracari. It was the home and study area of famous ornithologist, Alexander Skutch, who studied the in-depth breeding ecology of nearly all of Costa Rica's birds, publishing numerous scientific papers.

Our trip started with a stop off at an area of riverside trees on the outskirts of San Isidro where we saw Scaled Pigeon, Lesser Elaenia, Tropical Gnatcatcher and an overflying flock of 25+ Crimson-fronted Parakeets.

Arriving at Los Cosingos, we first spent a while in the garden where the bird feeders attracted a multitude of colourful species. A berry bush nearby did a good job of attracting Manakins, with Oranage-collared Manakin, White-ruffed Manakin and Blue-capped Manakin seen, with Red-capped Manakin later completing the set in the woods.

Other notable species not photographed below included Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Spotted Woodcreeper, Dot-winged Antwren, Chestnut-backed Antbird, White-throated Thrush, Orange-billed Sparrow and Slate-headed Tody-flycatcher. All photos were digiscoped.

Scaled Pigeon - two flew in and landed at the top of a tree as the sun rose and the nearby Cattle Egrets left their riverside roost.

Lesser Elaenia - note the sharp cut off in the pale edged secondaries 1/3 of the way along the feathers.

Golden-naped Woodpecker

Red-crowned Ant-tanager (fem) - this bird visited the feeders, however the rusty red males were also seen in the forest.

Spot-crowned Euphonia

Green Honeycreeper

Blue Dacnis

Grey-headed Tanager

Blue-crowned Manakin (fem)

Orange-collared Manakin (fem)

Red-capped Manakin (fem)

Streaked Flycatcher

Tawny-winged Woodcreeper

Black-throated Trogon (fem)

Black-throated Trogon (male)

Least Flycatcher

Ochre-bellied Flycatcher

Orange-collared Manakin (male)

Wedge-billed Woodcreeper

White-ruffed Manakin (male)

Lineated Woodpecker - our VW campervan got a flat tyre on the drive down (not surprising considering the road conditions!), and this woodpecker was clearing out a hole by the garage in San Isidro where we got the tyre repaired.

First Resplendent Quetzal encounter

I was five minutes into my first point count this morning at 6:05am when a medium to large sized passerine flew through about 20 metres in front of me and appeared to land out of view behind dense vegetation. My first impression was that the bird was a species of pigeon; I had heard Ruddy Pigeons singing on my walk up to the old growth forest. The bird was just about to go into my notebook as a passerine sp., when a distinctive call, akin to a moaning dog, began emanating from the area where I thought the bird had landed - my first Resplendent Quetzal - the most sought after bird in Costa Rica. Despite my best efforts fighting through the vegetation to get nearer, I never managed to get a view of it perched, the bird apparently having flown silently off.

Other than that, a Yellow-winged Vireo was new, and I had good views of Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, Streak-breasted Treehunter, Ruddy Treerunner and Lineated Foliage-gleaner. A Bat Falcon also called overhead and a troop of seven White-faced Capuchins showed nicely on my way back down.

In the late afternoon as the mist came up the valley, and rain fell for the first time in two weeks, the trees came alive with birds, as is often the case. One of the first species I saw as I stepped out was a Yellow-olive Flycatcher. In the space of just a couple of minutes, a Scaly-breasted Foliage-gleaner, an Eye-ringed Flatbill, a Lesser Greenlet, along with about 15 other species were all seen in the same couple of trees; quite a spectacle. My first White-tailed Emerald was also briefly feeding on flowers in the garden.

Yellow-winged Vireo - my new favourite vireo.

Black-faced Solitaire - this species has an incredible ethereal sounding song, uttering what sounds like two notes at once, in what some people say sounds like a squeaky metal gate being swung back and forth. It is one of those sounds that is most evocative of rain forests.

This Leaf Insect was in our common room the other night, measuring about 10 cm.

Magenta-throated Woodstar

The diversity of birds in Costa Rica is quite astonishing. I've been here for over five weeks now and I am still seeing new species everyday. Yesterday, my first Magenta-throated Woodstar perched up nicely in a hummingbird garden. During my survey over in the Chispa Valley, my first Mourning Warbler skulked about in scrub near the river, and a Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet perched up nicely. Today, a male Indigo Bunting called deep from within cover, before flying over a field into more cover, showing off its royal blue plumage. This is a rare wintering passerine in Costa Rica, with only a hand full of records from the reserve, so I was lucky to see it.

Magenta-throated Woodstar - note the longer tail than the other similar small hummingbirds.

Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet - a charismatic species with a somewhat out of proportion head and beak.

Slaty-capped Flycatcher

Eryphanis aesacus buboculus (male) - a very large butterfly that has a royal blue upper wing.

Rainbow Eucalyptus