Description

Talon Tours, in partnership with Cotinga Tours, is pleased to announce this tour to Costa Rica, a birding paradise in Central America. Costa Rica has long been considered the perfect introduction to tropical birding. The country is well known for its peaceful attitude, excellent logistical support for birders, amazing biodiversity and abundance of birds.

With a bird list exceeding 850 species, 350 species of reptiles and amphibians, 4 species of monkeys, 6 species of cats and more butterflies than all of Africa, Costa Rica assures birders of great opportunities to experience tropical diversity in a short period of time.

Our tour will cover the country from sea level to 9,000 feet and both the Pacific and Caribbean slopes of two different mountain ranges.

Departing from our hotel on the first day we will drive to our next lodge on the banks of the Tarcolito River on the Pacific coast where a meeting of habitat types provides an opportunity to find birds and animals from both the northern dry forests and the southern rainforests. Birds we hope to see here include Orange–collared Manakin, Royal Flycatcher, Scarlet Macaw and up to five species of trogon.

Further south, from our base at the Las Cruces Biological Station, we will bird amongst the 212 tropical and sub-tropical plant families that grace this beautiful garden. Species of birds we are likely to see here include Turquoise Cotinga, Olivaceous Woodcreeper and Marbled Wood-Quail.

Our next lodge is located on the border of the Piedras Blancas National Park near the town of Golfito. During our time here we will look for Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, Bairds Trogon and the endemic Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager.

Arriving in the Talamanca Mountains we will stay at a lodge nested in a beautiful valley at 7,000 feet, home to the highland specialties such as Resplendent Quetzal, Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher, Gray-tailed Mountain gem and Large-footed Finch.

Continuing on into the Caribbean Lowlands we will stay at La Selva Biological Station, one of the four most famous tropical research facilities in the world. The Sarapiqui region hosts the greatest diversity of flora and fauna in the country including birds such as Great Green Macaw, Green Ibis, Scarlet-rumped Cacique, Pale-billed Woodpecker, Sunbittern and Gray-necked Woodrail.

On route to our final night in Costa Rica we will explore the valley of Virgen del Soccoro, the ‘hummingbird gallery’ at El Mirador and have lunch at the very pleasant Waterfall Gardens bordering Braulio Carrillo National Park. Species we are likely to see are overflights of Swallow-tailed Kite, Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, Ochraceous Wren and at least seven species of hummingbird.

At each of our locations we will spend one night owling, with chances of seeing Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Mottled Owl and Striped Owl.

Click here to see more photos from our 2007 trip to Costa Rica.