Costa Rica 2004 Highlights

Emerald Toucanet by Cam Gillies

“There, right beside the nest-hole!” We are birding the Cordillera de Talamanca near the Savegre Lodge, and we are looking for Resplendent Quetzal, always a major target bird on a Costa Rican tour. We are standing along the roadside looking across at a tree 20 m away, and there, at head height, in full sunlight is a splendid male Resplendent Quetzal! It perches for quite a while, as all trogons do, barely moving, and accordingly giving just superb views, when it flies to the nest hole, pops in with just its long “tail” feathers showing, then turns around and pops out, again in full view, before flying off. High fives all around!

Resplendent Quetzal was one of many great sightings we had on our 2004 Costa Rican tour. We did exceptionally well for hummingbirds – 38 species in total, and for endemics – Coppery-headed Emerald, Mangrove Hummingbird – as well as those species with a very limited geographic range, such as Fiery-billed Aracari, Silvery-throated Jay, Orange-collared Manakin, Turquoise Cotinga, Flame-throated Warbler and many more. Our final tally was 463 species of birds, and with lots of good sightings of mammals, herps (an eye-lash viper!), butterflies and other insects, it all adds up to a most successful tour.

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