Summer is here! Yes, it’s still May but why fight? On the northern breeding grounds, a group of warblers sings from the fresh leafy woods. Ruffed Grouse mix it up with sub-sonic beats, Scarlet Tanagers blaze through the woods, and Eastern Kingbirds return to their royal territories.
I haven’t been that way for many summers but the memories come flooding back easily. Mental recording of American Goldfinches potato-chipping as they bounce in the air in a sweet June hayfield. Chestnut-sided, Canada, and Mourning Warblers singing from the Southern Tier thickets.
Warm weather is back and with it baseball parades and the many other signs of a grateful summer break. It’s a fun and relaxing time in the north, a fine span without ice scrapers and eerie polar whispering. Generally welcome weather, travel can take a back seat and why not?
Why fly south when you can sip a cold drink in the warmth of your own backyard? Why travel when home is a bastion of garden beauty?
Whether you get on that plane or not depends on priorities. For example, unless you live in Monteverde, you won’t see Three-wattled Bellbirds at home. Don’t glimpse the secret glow of the Fiery-throated Hummingbird, scan for flaming hawk-eagles, or stalk antbirds.
Get on that plane to Costa Rica, and you’re among those birds. Those and 100s of other species, even in the summer months. The resident birds never go away and summer can be an even better time to see them! Hundreds of bird species are reason enough but if not, here are some additional benefits of summer birding in Costa Rica:
A Time for Swifts
I know, maybe not the most colorful birds, maybe not the birds that look like living feather jewels. The birds, however, are not easy to see at other times of the year, and with their own set of amazing abilities.
Swifts have always been here too (at least as far as we know) but believe me, some species are far away and easier to spot and identify than in the winter months. “To see and know” is the key for these high-flying birds.
Let’s say you bird in Costa Rica in the winter and strike gold with a high-wheeled King Vulture. As that jungle condor flies, you can pick up a few more birds above it. No, they are probably invisible to the eye but to your eyes, they are there, lurking overhead, unrecognizable though you think they are swift.
They are really fast but which one? Unless they call, there’s no way to tell. Sorry, fast sp. they are and they aren’t, that won’t help but what can you do?
Not right but lacking a super telescopic lens or a mega focused listening device, that’s birding breaks.
The good news is that it’s not like that all year round. Once the rain starts, all the swifts fly lower, even close enough to see the actual, honest to goodness field marks!
Where are they flying you may ask? Oh, in many places, like even above my urban neighborhood. Just today, during a post lunch break on the couch, I swear I heard the pip pips of a Black Swift. At first I thought I might have been fooled by some strange, distant calls of a Great-tailed Grackle but I got out, looked up, and sure enough, yes!
There they were, swift flashes in the nearby air, even flying over houses. Black Swifts! Chestnut-collared Swifts zipping zipping and either Spot-fronted and/or White-chinned Swifts above. Although they don’t give a specific identity by calling or flying low, they have on many other days. I’ve even seen both species openly courting unnatural rooftops and city streets.
Summer is a great time to connect with these birds, a nice bonus after watching many other easier-to-see birds.
Bellbirds Anyone?
Summer is a great time to see bellbirds, and I mean the ones with the three crazy wattles. Although these mega cotingas are always present in Costa Rica, they are not always easy. During their non-breeding season (September to March), Three-wattled Bellbirds are often in less accessible areas.
Visit Costa Rica in the winter and you might get lucky and see one but really take your chances. Go birding in Costa Rica today and it’s a pretty easy birding pie. Sure, you have to go to the right places but that’s easy enough.
Try Monteverde, give the San Ramon cloud forests a chance, check out some other breeding grounds. The men are calling, put in some time and you should see them!
Crakes and Masked Ducks
In the modern, connected days of birding, we have a lot of crake action locked in, all year round. However, skulkys are easier in the rainy season. In Costa Rica, that would be summer.
Take a boat ride with a guide to Medio Queso and chances are you’ll see Yellow-breasted Crakes. You can also find them at Coto 47 near Ciudad Neily. Otherwise, save the birding at that big rich site for Paint-billed Crake and Grey-breasted Crake. Summer is a great time to find these challenging birds!
The rice fields are wet and those birds are quite common. With some effort, they can also be relatively easy to spot! Same for the Spotted Rail in the Guanacaste rice fields.
The Zorro Duck is also there, always a pain and not friendly to birders but summer is a better time to see them. Check the seasonal lagoons with lots of spawning plants, especially in Coto 47. Also check them because the Masked Ducks are aquatic, web-footed ninjas. Don’t worry, they don’t carry throwing stars or sharp knives but these masters of stealth can still cut in other less visible ways. Scan carefully to bring joy and avoid unanswered pain in life.
How about the Rain?
All those birds are beautiful and sound great but aren’t we missing something. Doesn’t it always rain? Yes, probably not.
Yes, it will rain and probably heavy. But, their sky torrents will not rush 24/7. The natural faucet is not usually flexible until the afternoon. Mornings are usually beautiful and if it rains on and off, you’re in luck! Expect avian action throughout the day.
Yes, heavy rains can affect some roads and cause other issues but it shouldn’t be a complete washout. Bird here in the summer and you should connect with a great number of birds, unusual and challenging companions.
Thinking of birding in Costa Rica soon? It’s summer now and it’s raining but I won’t worry. Instead, study field guides and birding apps for Costa Rica. Get “How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica” to prepare for birding in Costa Rica and choose the best birding sites for your birding needs. Be prepared because the birding in Costa Rica is great and exciting, even in the summer.
