DAY 1 - MONTEVERDE
After breakfast, we'll transfer to Monteverde, about a 3-hour drive, arriving in time for lunch. That afternoon we'll visit Selvatura, which features a trail through very good montane forest and traverses some 9 ravines by quite stable suspension bridges, providing a view of forest canopy. Our number one target species there is Three-wattled Bellbird, which calls loudly from treetops during nesting season. Other birds we're likely to find include Black Guan, Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, Resplendent Quetzal, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Collared Trogon, Black-banded Woodcreeper, and White-eared Ground-Sparrow. Overnight at Cala Lodge.
DAY 2 - MONTEVERDE CLOUD FOREST RESERVE & LA ENSENADA
When I first visited Monteverde as a graduate student, Monteverde was not a town. It was a Quaker dairy and ice creamery reached by a very rough, very narrow mountain road and the forest was unprotected on private land. Thanks to the fund-raising efforts of my friend and fellow graduate student, George V.N. Powell, Monteverde is now a bustling tourist destination and the forest is protected as the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. The preserve is interlaced with a network of broad trails, some rather flat traversing the mountain slope and some rather steep going up the mountainside. It remains a very good birding destination, but it's essential to arrive early before it gets warm and sunny by mid-day.
We'll devote the morning to birding this reserve. The gate doesn't open until 7:30am, and we plan on arriving earlier than that. Hence, our first stop will be the hummingbird feeders located outside the main entrance. There we can expect to see up to 10 species of hummingbirds including Green-fronted Lancebill, Talamanca Hummingbird, Magenta-throated Woodstar, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, and the endemic Coppery-headed Emerald.
Once inside, we'll be walking trails through the dry, middle-elevation forest of the preserve itself. Notable species we'll be seeking include Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, Collared Trogon, Red-headed Barbet, Prong-billed Barbet, Blue-throated Toucanet, Plain Antvireo, Spotted Woodcreeper, Streak-breasted Treehunter, Spotted Barbtail, Ruddy Treerunner, Olive-striped Flycatcher, Yellowish Flycatcher, Ochraceous Wren, Bay Wren, Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush, White-throated Thrush, Costa Rican Warbler, Sooty-faced Finch, and Golden-browed Chlorophonia. Sometimes we encounter Resplendent Quetzal as well, but this bird is usually quite scarce there. After thoroughly enjoying ourselves at Monteverde, we'll return to town for some lunch at one of the many fine restaurants in town.
After lunch, we'll transfer to La Ensenada Reserve, about a 3-hour drive. En route we'll stop to do some birding at lower elevation sites along the way if we see anything interesting. After arrival, we should have some time to do a bit of birding around the lodge. Overnight at La Ensenada.
DAY 3 - LA ENSENADA
La Ensenada is a private reserve that features a combination of lowland dry scrub, dry forest, pastures, and mangroves. Key species we'll be looking for at this locale include Crested Bobwhite, Double-striped Thick-knee, Sandwich Tern, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Plain-capped Starthroat, Steely-vented Hummingbird, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Orange-fronted Parakeet, Nutting's Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Rose-throated Becard, White-throated Magpie-Jay, Banded Wren, White-lored Gnatcatcher, Stripe-headed Sparrow, Streak-backed Oriole, and Spot-breasted Oriole. In addition, Nicaraguan Grackle may be expanding its range into the area, as we saw several on our recent visit. Finally, the lodge staff often knows where Pacific Screech-Owl roosts near the lodge.
It's possible to do a boat trip into the mangroves behind the lodge, but it's very expensive with less than 4 persons in the group. Possible birds likely to be seen on a boat trip (not included in tour price) are Mangrove Cuckoo, Mangrove Hummingbird, and Panama Flycatcher, along with many common wetland birds.
After lunch, we'll transfer south to Alajuela, about a 3-hour drive. Overnight at Hotel Aeropuerto in Alajuela.
DAY 4 - END OF TOUR
Tour ends with breakfast at the hotel. International flights home.
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