Any birding trip in Costa Rica is a win. Find your way into mountainous, bio-rich country and you’ll see birds. Oh yes indeed. To give an idea of what’s in store, just this morning, without birding and in an urban zone, I was treated to some avian connections.
A Gray Hawk flap flap flap soared over a busy road. The voices of a Tropical Mockingbird, Great Kiskadees, and a Hoffmann’s Woodpecker bounce off the concrete walls. Blue-and-white Swallows chattered overhead, a pair of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks floated overhead, and a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird zipped between flowering shrubs.
If I had listened, maybe taken a walk in the morning, I probably would have met 20 more birds.
In many other, wilder parts of Costa Rica, the day list moves quickly. Toucans in the rainforest, flocks of screeching parrots, dozens of hummingbirds, calling ants, and more, always more.
![](http://birdingcraft.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Chestnut-mandbled-Toucan-1024x684.jpg)
Always a winner and anyway, if you go birding in Costa Rica from now until September 30th at the Hotel Rivel, you can get paid to see those birds! There won’t be some wonderful birder benefactor with very deep pockets. But, there will be a raffle, this is the game.
Go Birding at Hotel Rivel until September 30th, 2024
Hotel Rivel is an eco-retreat located in the Tuis River Valley, south of Turrialba. If you’ve ever visited Rancho Naturalista, there’s a good chance you’ve gone birding along that river. This is one of the commonly visited hotspots near the Rancho and a good place to see Sunbittern and tanagers among many other birds.
![](http://birdingcraft.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Sunbittern-1024x768.jpg)
Lucky birders may connect with Red-fronted Parrotlets and Great Black Hawk. The mega lucky ones even got to see a Lanceolated Monklet!
If you haven’t already guessed, this is a great place for birding. To participate in this birding challenge, you will need to bird the part of the valley at Hotel Rivel. Make observations within 3 kilometers from the hotel and you can play.
Register for the Birding Challenge, eBird Your Sightings
Before you watch any birds in that area, be sure to sign up for the birding challenge. The hotel has a simple registration form at the bottom of the birding challenge page. They mentioned that you can also sign up through Whatsapp.
The next step is to go birding at the Hotel Rivel, and submit an eBird list from their property that also includes a photo of at least one bird.
More Birding at Hotel Rivel = More Chances of Taking Home the Grand Prize
To participate, all you have to do is submit an eBird listing with a photo of a bird from the Hotel Rivel property. However, to boost your odds, birding the Hotel whenever possible.
Here’s how it works (from the birding challenge page):
- Birds = Points = Number of Tickets: Every bird you identify and add to your ebird.org checklist earns you an entry into the final draw. The more birds you see, the more chances you have to win! If you don’t log them on ebirg.org – they don’t count.
- Note that you can have multiple lists but a bird species is counted only once. In other words, three lists with only Clay-colored Thrush are worth only one point. However, a list with ten species is worth 10 points. If another list is uploaded with the same ten species, it is not worth any additional points.
- Photos Matter: Take a photo of every bird you meet. Photos are worth 5 points each, compared to 1 point without a photo. Submit your photos to ebird.org to receive them. Photos must be taken within 3 ks of Hotel Rivel.
- Rare Bird Bonus: Spot 1 of the 60 rare birds on our list within 3km of Hotel Rivel, and with one photo, you’ll get a whopping 50 points per bird! (3 birds with pictures = 150 points = 150 draw tickets!). Rare birds are listed on the birding challenge page. Some will be pretty tough, some not so much but you’ll still need to take pictures of them.
Grand Prize Drawing on October 5, 2024 and other Important Information
On October 5th, we’ll find out who will win $2,500 to go bird watching at Hotel Rivel! It’s a beautiful place and although I haven’t visited the eco-retreat, the pictures sure look good.
However, I can say that I have birded the Tuis River Valley and hope to bird there again. This is a great hotspot, especially for tanagers!
![](http://birdingcraft.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Black-and-yellow-Tanager-count.jpg)
Hotel Rivel has 120 hectares of bird habitats and 8 km of hiking trails, mountain bikes for guests, delicious food, and excellent, local coffee.
What birds happen to be there? The list for Rio Tuis should give a fair idea, and there are probably more possibilities.
I hope you get a chance to participate in this birding challenge. I hope we are too! The general area near Hotel Rivel (especially Rancho Naturalista) is wonderful for birding. If Rancho is out of your price range, Rivel and Vista Aves (another area with great birding) may be good alternatives. It will be interesting to see what people come up with in this birding challenge!