Costa Rica 2013
Fifteen Years Later

January 19, 2013 - Hotel Bougainvilla, Brauilio Carrilo Nat'l Park and La Selva Biological Station

We did a dawn bird walk through the extremely impressive gardens at Bougainvilla Hotel. At least ten acres, in suburban San Jose. Some birds, including a Blue-crowned Motmot and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, but missed the montane sparrows again.

After a nice breakfast involving something more than beans and rice, we drove over the crest of the range north of San Jose to Braulio Carrillo National Park and a nice 1.6 km trail on the Caribbean slopes of the range. Mostly new birds, including an especially nice feeding flock. Of course, being birders it took us three hours to do the walk.

We also stopped at El Tapir for hummingbirds on a field of wildflowers. Very, very impressive, including both Black-crested Coquette and Snowcap.

After lunch at another local cafe, we drove the rest of the way to La Selva, which has grown a lot since 1998, especially across the suspension footbridge. Among other things, many of the trails are paved now. Great birds almost immediately on arrival. Birded until sunset with the highlight probably a Snowy Cotinga. Our rooms are located far from the dining hall and most facilities, but good birding on the way back and forth.

Supper. Washed very smelly clothes in the handy laundry. Headed to bed. Not getting enough sleep.

Birds
Great Curassow
Cattle Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
White Hawk
Semiplumbeous Hawk
Gray Hawk
White-winged Dove
Ruddy Ground-Dove
White-tipped Dove
Purplish-backed Quail-Dove
Common Pauraque
White-collared Swift
Gray-rumped Swift
Green Hermit
Long-billed Hermit
Green Thorntail
Black-crested Coquette
Violet-headed Hummingbird
Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer
Violet-crowned Woodnymph
Snowcap
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Lattice-tailed Trogon
Slaty-tailed Trogon
Blue-crowned Motmot
Collared Aracari
Black-mandibled Toucan
Keel-billed Toucan
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Hoffmann's Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Rufous-winged Woodpecker
Cinnamon Woodpecker
Chestnut-colored Woodpecker
Pale-billed Woodpecker
Yellow-headed Caracara
Crimson-fronted Parakeet
Orange-chinned Parakeet
White-crowned Parrot
Mealy Parrot
Slaty Antwren
Dull-mantled Antbird
Streak-headed Woodcreeper
Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner
Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher
Long-tailed Tyrant
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Social Flycatcher
Gray-capped Flycatcher
White-ringed Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Snowy Cotinga
White-ruffed Manakin
White-collared Manakin
Cinnamon Becard
Brown Jay
Gray-breasted Martin
Mangrove Swallow
House Wren
Stripe-breasted Wren
White-breasted Wood-Wren
Tawny-faced Gnatwren
Wood Thrush
Clay-colored Thrush
Tennessee Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Slate-throated Redstart
Tawny-crested Tanager
White-throated Shrike-Tanager
Passerini's Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Silver-throated Tanager
Shining Honeycreeper
Green Honeycreeper
Dusky-faced Tanager
Grayish Saltator
Black-headed Saltator
Orange-billed Sparrow
Rufous-collared Sparrow
Black-faced Grosbeak
Great-tailed Grackle
Black-cowled Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Scarlet-rumped Cacique
Chestnut-headed Oropendola
Montezuma Oropendola
Olive-backed Euphonia
Tawny-capped Euphonia
House Sparrow

Chestnut-colored Woodpecker

Black-crested Coquette

Snowy Cotinga

Chestnut-mandibled (a/k/a Black-mandibled) Toucan at Sunset
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