In Costa Rica, birding highlights are easy to come by. Most places, you don’t even have to walk outside and find something cool! Another bonus to birding is having the opportunity to see such a wonderful variety of birds at such a distance.
Come to think of it, there is no other place with so many bird species in such an easy distance. In Costa Rica, there is always a lot of birding going on; a fact that can be seen in some of my recent birding highlights.
Ornate Hawk-Eagles are called
On September 15th, I guided someone for a morning of birding from the Central Valley to the Varablanca area. We had a nice group of birds along with some sweet highlights. For this early morning trip, that’s par for the course but you still don’t know what you’re going to cover.
I usually see a raptor or two but they are usually in the form of common Costa Rican raptors like Short-tailed and Gray Hawks, often Barred Hawk and maybe a Great Black-Hawk. On September 15th, a birding opportunity traded those raptors for one of Costa Rica’s most cherished birding targets; Ornate Hawk-Eagle!
This large ornate raptor occurs in many parts of the country but in very low density. In other words, there is always a chance to see one but you still have to be lucky. Luck was with us on the 15th when I heard the distinctive, short whistle call of the Ornate.
As expected, the calling bird soared high but still far enough to see its white throat. I whistled back at it and the bird seemed to respond, wheeling a little closer. It didn’t get close enough to stare the raptor in its fierce eyes but I couldn’t complain; we watched it and two other Ornates for the next 20 minutes!
Seeing three adults in the same place is a bit odd, I wonder if that particular spot marks a territorial boundary?
Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl
The hawk-eagles were great but they weren’t the first highlight of the day. We’ve had several others including great views of a rufous morph Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl! This bird is one I hear now and then on “Legua Road” or “San Rafael de Varablanca Road” near Varablanca; a site that I have taken many birders to and one of the hundreds of birding sites covered in my birding guide for Cost Rica.
However, it rarely comes in to view. I am thankful that it decided to show itself on the 15th. We were delighted by the presence of this little raptor as it drew the ire of Coppery-headed Emeralds, Black-bellied Hummingbirds, and other small highland birds.
Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow
Speaking of highlights, I was very pleased to get this one early in the morning. This endemic towhee is a tricky little bird, in part because it has to deal with feral cats, cowbirds, and other side effects of living near humans.
It helps to know where they are, what they sound like, and look for them around 6 am. We heard a couple and there was a good looking one bringing food to the hidden children. We also have it in one of the better places for them, the road that passes in front of Finca Rosa Blanca.
Sadly, some secondary growth with this species and winter habitat for Mourning Warblers has been removed along this stretch of road to build housing. However, there is still a good amount of accommodation and the Cabanis still occur there.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
No, not what you think of when birding in Costa Rica but a small number of these Arctic migrant pigeons pass through! Sometimes, they also fly down in search of pastures and other grassy areas.
Maryllen and I were thrilled to see one in the usual area near the airport. It was well hidden by a taller tussock of grass, we could have easily missed it if a local birder hadn’t caught us on the bird. Many thanks to Alex Castro for critiquing this wonderful year!
Lila Martin
I know, how is this a highlight? Birders may not come to Costa Rica to see Purple Martins but I look forward to seeing them every fall migration. If I can’t make it to the Caribbean Coast, I might as well miss it on a bird of the year!
I’m still hoping to get in some coastal migration birding but I was very happy to spot a male in the Central Valley. Smaller numbers pass through this part of the country and I’m sure most go unnoticed as they fly high overhead. I got lucky with my 2024 Purple Martin by watching the swallows feeding in my little backyard.
Cliff and some Bank Swallows were doing their thing when I noticed a dark bird coming in from the west. For whatever reason, this is the direction the swallows migrate when flying over the house. At first I thought it would be fast but then I noticed its flap, flap glide flight, the telltale sign of an honest to goodness passerine.
As the dark and large swallow flew overhead, I could also see the forked tail. A sweet surprise for sure although I’m still hoping to connect with the martin flocks on the coast.
By the way, someone must be watching those herds, maybe some Sinaloa Martins moving around with the Purples. In fact, although the record was not accepted, my friend saw a probable Sinaloa Martin in Costa Rica a few years ago. White-bellied dark martin spotted on migration by an experienced ornithologist who has also seen enough Gray-breasted Martins to know it wasn’t one of those…yeah, I’m sure he saw one.
Additional highlights from recent birding days in Costa Rica include Spot-bellied Bobwhite, a nice influx of Yellow Warblers, calling Dickcissels migrating overhead, flights of migrating Cliff, Bank, and Barn Swallows every morning, nice warblers Blue Grosbeaks, Zeledon’s Antbird and close views of some Spangle-cheeked Tanagers. See my trip report from the 15th.
And that’s just a whole morning, a sandpiper twitch trip, and casual sky watching from the backyard. I think another highlight was hearing the critically endangered Yellow-naped Parrots flying overhead this morning. Like I said, it won’t take long to experience the amazing birding in Costa Rica. Hope to see you here!
