We were lucky to be able to participate in 2 this year. At La Selva (Caribbean side) on December 16th. Then at Carara National Park (Pacific Coast) on the 22nd.

A great weekend at La Selva, 24 hours , a 6.5km route, a team of 5, lead by our partner Noel. His experience along with Yahaira's (a La Selva guide) knowledge got our team a record setting 160 species. I got 3**! Click READ MORE to see list.

1. Great Tinamou
2. Little Tinamou
3. Slaty-breasted Tinamou
4. Gray-headed Chachalaca
5. Crested Guan
6. Great Curassow
7. Short-billed Pigeon
8. Ruddy Ground-Dove
9. Gray-chested Dove
10. Squirrel Cuckoo
11. Common Pauraque **
12. White-collared Swift
13. Gray-rumped Swift
14. Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
15. Long-billed Hermit
16. Stripe-throated Hermit
17. Purple-crowned Fairy **
18. Scaly-breasted Hummingbird
19. Blue-chested Hummingbird
20. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
21. White-throated Crake
22. Uniform Crake
23. Sungrebe
24. Little Blue Heron
25. Green Ibis
26. Black Vulture
27. Turkey Vulture
28. King Vulture
29. Osprey
30. Hook-billed Kite
31. Double-toothed Kite
32. Semiplumbeous Hawk
33. Gray Hawk
34. Broad-winged Hawk
35. Short-tailed Hawk
36. Vermiculated Screech-Owl
37. Crested Owl
38. Spectacled Owl
39. Central American Pygmy-Owl
40. Black-and-white Owl
41. Slaty-tailed Trogon
42. Gartered Trogon
43. Black-throated Trogon
44. Rufous Motmot
45. Broad-billed Motmot
46. Ringed Kingfisher
47. Green Kingfisher
48. White-necked Puffbird
49. Pied Puffbird
50. Rufous-tailed Jacamar
51. Collared Aracari
52. Keel-billed Toucan
53. Yellow-throated Toucan
54. Black-cheeked Woodpecker
55. Smoky-brown Woodpecker
56. Rufous-winged Woodpecker
57. Cinnamon Woodpecker
58. Chestnut-colored Woodpecker
59. Pale-billed Woodpecker
60. Bat Falcon
61. Olive-throated Parakeet
62. Great Green Macaw
63. Orange-chinned Parakeet
64. Brown-hooded Parrot
65. White-crowned Parrot
66. Red-lored Parrot
67. Mealy Parrot
68. Fasciated Antshrike
69. Black-crowned Antshrike
70. Dusky Antbird
71. Chestnut-backed Antbird
72. Plain-brown Woodcreeper
73. Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
74. Northern Barred-Woodcreeper
75. Cocoa Woodcreeper
76. Streak-headed Woodcreeper
77. Plain Xenops
78. Yellow-bellied Elaenia
79. Olive-striped Flycatcher
80. Ochre-bellied Flycatcher
81. Paltry Tyrannulet
82. Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant
83. Common Tody-Flycatcher
84. Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher
85. Eye-ringed Flatbill
86. Yellow-olive Flycatcher
87. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
88. Long-tailed Tyrant
89. Bright-rumped Atilla
90. Dusky-capped Flycatcher
91. Great Crested Flycatcher
92. Great Kiskadee
93. Boat-billed Flycatcher
94. Social Flycatcher
95. Gray-capped Flycatcher
96. White-ringed Flycatcher
97. Tropical Kingbird
98. Masked Tityra
99. Black-crowned Tityra
100.Cinnamon Becard
101.White-winged Becard
102.Snowy Cotinga
103.White-collared Manakin
104.Red-capped Manakin **
105.Lesser Greenlet
106.Yellow-throated Vireo
107.Gray-breasted Martin
108.Mangrove Swallow
109.Southern Roughwing Swallow
110.House Wren
111.Band-backed Wren
112.Black-throated Wren
113.Stripe-breasted Wren
114.Bay Wren
115.White-breasted Wood-Wren
116.Long-billed Gnatwren
117.Black-faced Solitaire
118.Swainson's Thrush
119.Wood Thrush
120.Pale-vented Thrush
121.Clay-colored Thrush
122.white-throated thrush
123.Yellow-crowned Euphonia
124.Olive-backed Euphonia
125.Northern Waterthrush
126.Golden-winged Warbler
127.Tennessee Warbler
128.Kentucky Warbler
129.Olive-crowned Yellowthroat 130.Chestnut-sided Warbler
131.Buff-rumped Warbler
132.Blue-gray Tanager
133.Palm Tanager
134.Golden-hooded Tanager
135.Plain-colored Tanager
136.Rufous-winged Tanager
137.Bay-headed Tanager
138.Silver-throated Tanager
139.Green Honeycreeper
140.Crimson-collared Tanager 141.Passerini's Tanager
142.Red-legged Honeycreeper
143.Scarlet-thighed Dacnis
144.Blue Dacnis
145.Variable Seedeater
146.Buff-throated Saltator
147.Dusky-faced Tanager
148.Orange-billed Sparrow
149.Black-striped Sparrow
150.Summer Tanager
151.Scarlet Tanager
152.Red-throated Ant-Tanager
153.Black-faced Grosbeak
154.Blue-black Grosbeak
155.Melodious Blackbird
156.Black-cowled Oriole
157.Baltimore Oriole
158.Scarlet-rumped Cacique
159.Chestnut-headed Oropendola
160.Montezuma Oropendola

Followed by another fabulous time on the Pacific. 2 routes; one through the Park (105 species) then a road bit north of the Tarcoles River. The gravel road connects up with the river again just past a gravel pit. The numerous dump trucks made it difficult to bird, but a good yield of 56 species in 1 1/2 hours in the middle afternoon. The high numbers are due to Noel's expertise. I got 2 (ha); Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher and Bronzy Hermit (both lifers for me).