Superb Costa Rica - an introduction

I had long wanted to see something of Central America, and in particular Costa Rica, and very recently we had the opportunity to do so in the form of a reconnaissance trip preparatory to taking a group there next year. As well as our long-term friend and tour organiser extraordinary, Peruvian Juan Cardenas, we had the company and remarkable knowledge and skills of local guide Leo Garrigues. 

For now I just want to offer a very brief overview of this remarkable little country with an introduction to some of its habitats and birds today, to be followed up next time with a selection of some of its other spectacular wildlife. 

Montane Rainforest from above; Canopy Walk at Monteverde, northern Pacific slopes. (a)
See map for locations of photos, using the letters at the end of each caption.

Costa Rica is tiny, just 50,000 square kilometres (about 75% of the size of Tasmania, for my Australian readers) with a population of five million. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean to the east. A spine of mountains from north to south divides it. 

The letters on the map refer to the locations of the habitat photos above and below; letters follow captions.
(Approximate only.)

It is fairly well-known that Costa Rica dissolved its army 70 years ago after a brief six week civil war; since then it has known only peace and prosperity. Moreover it has a refreshingly responsible approach to social and environmental issues which most wealthy countries should be embarrassed by. For instance its education budget is 7% of its total expenditure, compared with a world average of roughly 4.5%. (The most recent Australian figure I can find is 5.9%.)

Remarkably it is seemingly the only country to meet all five of the United Nations Development Program criteria for measuring environmental sustainability. We were constantly struck by just how much forest remains, with regeneration programs to supplement this. By 2016 98% of its energy was produced by renewables, with a goal of being nationally carbon neutral in the near future. And for a visitor, the infrastructure for nature-based tourism is just superb!

Nowhere is perfect of course, but few of us come from a country which could look down on Costa Rica’s aspirations and achievements. I certainly don’t come from such a one.

Here is a sample of the range of habitats we enjoyed in our stay,

Primary Lowland Rainforest, La Selva Biological Station, Caribbean Lowlands. (b)

Cloud Forest, Talamanca Mountains, southern Pacific Slopes. (c)

Wetlands, Medio Queso, near the Nicaraguan border. (d)

Parramo heath vegetation, 3400 metres above sea level, southern Pacific slopes. (e)

Mangroves, Puerto Morales, Pacific coast. (f)

And with that, please meet some of the more than 300 birds species we saw (in just 9 days of travelling!) that lived there and particularly impressed us. Perhaps we should start with one of the most famed and sought-after birds of Costa Rica.

Resplendent Quetzel Pharomachrus mocinno, Savegre Valley.
Maybe the name is a bit over the top, but then isn't he??
A stunning trogon, restricted to central America, and the national bird of Guatemala.

And she's well deserving of an introduction too.

Resplendent Quetzal female; a small flock of these amazing birds were feeding on fruit in this
tree early on our very first morning in the country!

And from here on let's just take them in random order.

Collared Aracari Pteroglossus torquatus, in a private garden in the Central Valley
north of the capital San José. This one is found from southern Mexico to Ecuador.

Male Great Curassow Crax rubra, La Selva Biological Research Station, lowland rainforest.
A very big bird, a metre long and weighing up to five kilograms. Threatened by hunting in much
of its range, which is similar to that of the Collared Aracari, above.

Pale-billed Woodpecker Campephilus guatemalensis, Carara NP, near the Pacific coast north of San José.
A big Central American woodpecker.

Staying with the spectacular... Scarlet Macaw Ara macao, Cerro Lodge near Carara NP (see above).
It has a large range into South America but this has been very fragmented by clearing
and the pernicious illegal pet trade.

Turquoise Cotinga Cotinga ridgwayi, San Isidro, south-east of San José. Another exquisite bird, but very restricted (to a narrow band of Pacific forest in Costa Rica and adjacent Panama) and threatened by clearing, especially in Panama.

Turquoise-browed Motmot Eumomota superciliosa, found only from Costa Rica to southern Mexico.
It has the honour of being the national bird of both El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Like other motmots it flicks its tail back and forth like a pendulum and is thus known in Spanish as the clock bird.

Red-headed Barbet Eubucco bourcierii, Bosque de Tolomuco, yet another superb private reserve,
this one in the cloud forest north of San Isidro, south-east of San José.
You won't be surprised to read that barbets are fruit eaters!

White-throated Magpie-Jay Calocitta formosa, western Central Valley.
A dramatic big jay, one of the crow family, noisy, gregarious and eating almost anything.

In a boat in the wetlands of the far north (near the wonderfully named Medio Queso, 'Half Cheese') we saw some waterbirds that are normally very hard to encounter indeed.

Least Bittern Ixobrychus exilis, indeed one of the world's smallest herons (less than 35cm long
and weighing less than 100 grams) and usually notoriously hard to see. Not this one!

Yellow-breasted Crake Porzana flaviventer, fairly widespread but like most crakes usually a skulker.

And tanagers and hummingbirds are always going to earn a place on any list of special Latin American birds - Costa Rica is certainly no exception here.

Crimson-collared Tanager Ramphocelus sanguinolentus, Mariposaria private garden, Caribbean slopes.
Another bird limited to Central America.

Speckled Tanager Tangara guttata, Restaurant de Nayo, near San Isidro, south Pacific slopes.
 A lovely open-sided rustic restaurant overlooking a forested valley with close-at-hand bird feeders,
which produced this beauty, among others, as well as excellent simple local cuisine.

Purple-throated Mountain-gem Lampornis calolaemus, Monteverde. A gorgeous hummingbird even by their lofty
standards; the throat can be dark one moment and shining purple the next, depending on the angle.
Found mostly in Costa Rica, with outlying populations in adjacent Nicaragua and Panama.

Snowcap Microchera albocoronata, one of the most exquisite hummers I've ever met, with its snowy cap
and purple body. It's tiny, only six centimetres long and weighing a mere 2.5 grams!
It was relentlessly bullied by the bigger hummers in the Mariposaria private garden,
and got very little chance to rest or feed. It lives along the Caribbean slopes from Honduras to Panama.

But just before we go, I really should acknowledge the Costa Rican national bird, given that we've met representatives of three other Central American countries. It seems somehow appropriate that this bird is not spectacular or rare at all, rather it is plain-coloured and ubiquitous, perhaps a bird of the people. Here in fact is a whole patriotic feeder tray of them.

Clay-coloured Thrushes Turdus grayi, La Fortuna; the national bird of Costa Rica!

Costa Rica is truly wonderful. I hope you can join me next time to celebrate some of its other animals. 

NEXT POSTING THURSDAY 26 SEPTEMBER
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