Back to Costa Rica: Birding El Toucanet Lodge

Black Guans are very docile for their size...they lack the courage of a chachalaca and the brazenness of a guan, and the unabashed curls of a currasow. Unlike all three, you are much more likely to find this bird feeding on berries up in the trees than running around on the ground like a mutant forest-sanderling.

I bet you didn't see this coming, did you? Well I still have not completed coverage of the BB&B winter tour of Costa Rica (2012-2013), and I thought I would change things up a bit and return to Costa Rica for a post. After all, it is the middle of June...with not much birding to be done, its time to start thinking about that winter trip to the tropics.

When we left off with The Pitta Incident, Stilt, Dipper Dan, Frank (spirit bird: Double-crested Cormorant) and I finished birding on the west coast and retreated inland. After much weeping, Dan and I dropped off Frank and Stilt at the airport and struck out on our own. Where to go? We did what we thought was best and headed south, and for the second time of the trip (after picking up some genital pastries) made our way into the Talamanca Mountains.

We decided to check out El Toucanet Lodge, a relatively cheap birder-friendly lodge that had been recommended by Patrick O'Donnell, the living birding legend of Costa Rica. The lodge sits at a lower elevation than the more popular Paraiso Del Quetzales and the Savegre resort, and not surprisingly had some different birds to offer. Like every other birdercentric place we stayed in Costa Rica, the birding was of a high caliber and everything else was tranquilo. And for those of you with pinche Spanish-speaking skills, the owner is an American ex-pat and knows his birds very well. The property isn't large but the birding along the driveway and along the road up-canyon was very rewarding, and the hummingbird scene is a good one as well.

Brown-capped Vireo! I know, I know, it doesn't look like anything fancy, but it is a bird I really wanted to see. El Toucanet was the only place we recorded them on this trip.

Brown-capped Vireo looks like a cross between a Philadelphia and Warbling Vireo, which is kind of disturbing when you think about it because birders don't fare very well telling those two apart anyway. They really are quite brown above though, so it is a bird with a useful name. I thought I saw one through the fog in an epic mixed flock up in a Mexican cloud forest once, but couldn't bring myself to count it...no problem now though.

In the spirit of birds with useful names, here is a Yellowish Flycatcher. I honestly don't know what to say about it. I'm at a loss for words. It is a flycatcher that is very yellowish. God Bless the Empidonax.

It bears more than a passing resemblance to "Western" Flycatcher, but luckily for the birder, Pacific-slope/Cordilleran don't go south to Costa Rica. Yellow-bellied Flycatchers abound though, so it's good to be Empid-literate if you go down there during winter.

El Toucanet introduced us to our first Stripe-tailed Hummingbirds of the trip, which we also had later at Savegre.

Stripe-taileds range from southern Mexico to Panama, most often at middling elevations. Birds in Costa Rica and Panama are of the egregia subspecies, with two other subspecies being described for populations to the north.

There was no shortage of tiny Selasphorous hummers coming to the feeders at El Toucanet. They were all immatures/females, and all of them that we could identify appeared to be Volcano Hummingbirds (above). I'm sure scintillants show up there as well, but we could not find any.

Here is a more familiar bird you might appreciate. Golden-winged Warblers are fairly common winter residents in Costa Rica, and can be found at a wide variety of habitats and elevations throughout country. We saw many, which was a cause for much celebration.

Common Bush-Tanagers are the anchor for many mixed flocks in Costa Rica. I'm always glad to see them, because you never know what may be lurking in their ranks.

A random view from the deck of their lounge/restaurant. Not bad, eh?

Another perk of hanging out on the deck is the chance to see Magenta-throated Woodstar! I wish I got a photo that did this bird justice, but you get the idea here I hope. This was another species that we relished at the lodge and saw no place else.

The Talamancas are thick with Green Violet-Ears. The feeders at El Toucanet are no exception. I know this isn't exactly a crush, but I cannot deny the appeal of those outstretched "ears".

Look at this...an accidental vagina pastry! I told you we had genital food. They weren't bad at all, and they all looked like vaginas. Accidental vagina pastries are not available at El Toucanet, so it would be weird to ask for them. More from El Toucanet and the Talamancas in the next Costa Rica post (whenever that is).

Bringing The Stoke At El Paraiso

This Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush was one of many birds at El Paraiso that left me with the kind of stoke that you rarely get after birding for many years. Definitely a place I would recommend, and would love to visit again.

It doesn't seem like seven months ago when I was slaying life birds day after day in Costa Rica. Despite the amount of beer and tequila and cuba libres consumed in those three weeks, it all still seems fresh and new to me...which is probably why I'm still posting about the trip seven months later.

All of today's shots are from El Paraiso Del Quetzales, in the Talamancas. I blogged about El Paraiso in another post, but the quantity of good birds there compels more coverage.

One of the reasons I wanted to go to El Paraiso was the exceptionally high chance of seeing this bird...as you can see, we did not leave disappointed. I am happy to say that I now stand among the ranks of people who have been fortunate enough to see an adult male Resplendent Quetzal...the mind reels. This is one of the most facemelting, absolutely crippling birds in existence, a legendary bird that leaves the observer dumbstruck. If you are not familiar with this species, yes those are it's tail streamers that hang down to the bottom of the frame.

They weren't exactly the most confiding birds I've seen, but who cares? If you need this bird, El Paraiso is practically a sure bet. Finding them was almost anticlimactic; the guide (a very accomplished birder) knew exactly where to look. Victory is so, so sweet.

Collared Redstart was a bird that produced a lot of drool as I studied my field guide in the weeks before the trip. Luckily for everyone it's a pretty easy bird to get, and they are not exactly prone to skulking and lurking like a lot of tropical birds. Total crippler.

This is a Sooty Thrush, one of a number of species in today's post that are endemic to Costa Rica and Panama. When I saw them, I typically just thought about how striking their resemblance is to European Blackbird, another yellow-billed black thrush from across the Atlantic. Evolution is fun.

Buffy Tuftedcheek! These are pretty big birds who seem to spend most of their time with their heads engulfed by bromeliads, or thrashing around in the canopy mosses.

As their name implies, they do have tufted cheeks, something that seems pretty unique in the bird world. No idea what they're for...anyone care to enlighten me?

Barred Becard is one of my new favorite birds. The smallest Costa Rican becard, they are uncommon in high-elevation cloud forests. Compared to the other becards, they are much stubbier and are more likely to migrate into your heart.

Knowing that the world is still safe for creatures like Barred Becards is a very reassuring thought when the night is dark and full of terrors.

Black-and-yellow Silky-Flycatchers were numerous on the Zeledonia trail below the lodge. They are not shy, but apparently do everything in their power to avoid direct sunlight. And if you are wondering, yes, Stilt, Frank and Dipper Dan all got to see Zeledonia on the Zeledonia Trail. Stupid Seagull Steve did not.

The somewhat more economically-plumaged female. I was more than happy to not have to struggle to see these birds...but we dipped on Long-tailed Silky, which left me devastated.

Gratuitous hummingbird photo! Green Violet-Ear. Why it's not a Green Blue-Ear is a question I can't even begin to ponder...maybe its best to just focus on the facemelt.

Whoever named the Green Violet-Ear was clearly not the same person who described Fiery-throated Hummingbird, which is an outstanding and very descriptive name. This bird has its throat flame turned down slightly.

This is another bird that we were happy to have our guide point out; the one and only Ochraceous Pewee we saw on the trip. I was so high on quetzal adrenaline that I completely forgot this shitty (but identifiable) picture of this local and semielusive species.

Speaking of bird-driven adrenaline, I just want to say for posterity that there were many, many times on this trip when we hit such intense flocks of good birds that everyone in our group could barely cope with the reality of it. One of us would invariably acknowledge these moments by simply announcing "it's happening again" and we would all silently agree. Those moments are one of the things that will eventually drive me south of the border again.

Crippling Birding in the Talamancas: Paraiso del Quetzales

Fiery-throated Hummingbird. What is there to say about such a crippler? About such facemelt? I have nothing to add.

One of the benefits of planning a group trip is you pretty much get to decide where you bird. While I planned much of this trip on my own, there were certainly limitations which you are familiar with; time and money. Most of the places we stayed were relatively cheap for Costa Rica, but I decided to splurge and do a night at Paraiso del Quetzales in the Talamanca Mountains. Renowned as one of the better high-elevation birding sites with almost-guaranteed Resplendent Quetzals (a must-see bird, obviously) on the property, at about $75 per person for one night it was the most expensive lodging of the trip. That said, that includes access to fantastic birding opportunities, soul-fulfilling hummingbird views, dinner, breakfast, and a guided tour focusing on (but not at all limited to) tracking down quetzals. So while steep for a budget birder, the value cannot be argued. The cabinas are simple and clean, and the whole place has a pretty relaxed vibe...until you hit a mixed flock and the mierda hits the fan.

We arrived right before sunset and were completely blown away by the hummingbird show. We were in a daze. The birding only got better the next morning. We were there for less than 24 hours, but I'll have to split up the photographs into a couple different posts.




Green Violet-Ear is abundant at higher elevation sites in the Talamancas, one of the relatively few hummingbird species that seem equally common at feeding stations and in the field. Aside from their abundance, this might be attributed to the fact that they are a lekking species and are very loud singers.

And if you are wondering if they landed on my hand, yes. Yes they did.

Large-footed Finch was easy to find on the grounds here. They are not quite as brave as the hummingbirds and Yellow-thighed Finches, but it would be difficult to bird this spot for very long without picking up this handsome species.

Yellow-thighed Finches are so funny looking...completely dull aside from you know what. They even come to nectar feeders! Note the Fiery-thoated Hummingbird lurking in the background.

Ruddy Treerunners were in multiple mixed flocks we encountered here. I reckon they are to be expected. Yet another Costa Rican species that stumped me the first (and second, and third) time I saw them.

My lifer Yellow-winged Vireo!!! I was completely groggy and already in a daze of lifers-to-be when this bird popped up in front of me at dawn. Surprised I got any usable images.

When I look at this species, I think it belongs in the United States. It's got that economy of style thing going, kind of like a Solitary Vireo with broken spectacles. However, I don't think this bird will ever make it to the ABA Area...but I will mention that when I saw this bird I had not seen a new species of vireo in over ten years. Great success!

Magnificent Hummingbirds made a big impression on me at an early age. Shortly after I started birding, I went with my family to southeast Arizona. I did have an inkling of some of the fantastic birds there, but did not know what to expect at all, being hella young and being there in early spring. Magnificent Hummingbirds (which we ran into at Madera Canyon) made a huge impression on me. I could not get over their size, and the unfathomable colors they project in the right light. They still hold a special place in my heart.

Of course, there was the time I was working in Josephine Canyon (that's on the other side of the Santa Ritas, southeast of Madera) and came upon a cougar on the trail. The cat/potential Seagull Steve-slayer wandered off down the trail, unfortunately in the direction I had to go. As I followed the cougar very nervously and talking to myself very loudly to warn the cat I was coming, I suddenly heard a loud WHOOOOOSHHHHHUMMMMMMMM inches behind my head. It scared the fucking shit out of me. I whipped around in horror to find a male Magnificent Hummingbird hovering at eye level, which of course had come to investigate my red hat. How embarrassing.

Magnificent Hummingbird is actually the only hummingbird species expected in both Arizona and Costa Rica.

You can literally pet hummingbirds here. Facemelting ones. Here is a Fiery-throated expressing it's love of sugar water and hatred for rival hummingbirds.

Ochraceous Wren! Had to use the field guide for this one, total brainbird. In real life lighting, they are very richly colored, their name suits them much better than what you see here. Aside from the trails at El Paraiso, we also had them up the canyon from El Toucanet Lodge, which is a mid-elevation site to the northwest.

The cabina I stayed in. Make sure to make use of the extra blankets when you are there, it gets cold as fuck at night! And yes, I did hear Dusky Nightjar there.

Same Cars Same Clothes Same Desires Same Woes

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