There was an attempt at Monteverde

 

After our adventures in Tárcoles, we drove northwest from the coast, pretty much heading straight uphill. This is one of the beauties of Costa Rica: you can go from the dry scrub of the coast to high mountain cloud forest in just a couple hours of driving. Our destination this time was possibly the most famous cloud forest of them all: the Monteverde Cloud Forest, located northwest of San Jose. 

Our route to Monteverde

Monteverde was one of the portions of the trip I was most excited for- it was a place I'd wanted to visit ever since I was a kid seeing pictures of it in books about rainforests. Cloud forest birding is also probably my favorite "style" of birding- cool weather, generally fairly high bird density, and usually lots of interesting local endemics and specialties to look for. Josh on the hand was less excited–as the only one of us who had visited Monteverde before, he repeatedly warned us to manage our expectations. I didn't listen- it was cloud forest!

Josh was, of course, correct. 

The road up to Monteverde wound through the foothills of the Pacific Slope, which for the most of the drive were completely denuded of vegetation. It was a reminder that, despite all the progress it's made with ecotourism and habitat preservation, the environment in Costa Rica is still a far cry from what it would have been like 500 years ago. The scenery, on the other hand, was great.

Looking down the Pacific Slope toward the Gulf of Nicoya

As we went further uphill, the weather got windier and it seemed as if we were driving directly up into a raincloud. That was, in fact, exactly what we were doing: it started to drizzle by the time we got to the scenic (but over-touristed) town of Monteverde, and as we kept going uphill toward our AirBnb it went from a drizzle to a downpour to simply being directly in the middle of the cloud, with driving winding and a constant fine mist that drenched us as soon as we got out of the car. 

The view from our AirBnb during a clear spell- visibility was usually much worse than this

The weather sucked, but this was going to be our only extended time in mountain forest for the whole trip so we were determined to get some birding in regardless. We dropped our things at the AirBnb and then backtracked down to Monteverde town and up the other hillside toward the Reserva Santa Elena, where we intended to spend the rest of the afternoon. 

Despite the rain the drive toward Santa Elena was gorgeous, taking us through mossy trees covered in epiphytes and strange flowers- the cloud forest special. We hoped for a break in the rain before starting to bird, but eventually it became clear that wasn't going to happen so we got out of the car anyway. It was hard to hear birds over the rain, let alone see them, but we were able to peer through the fog and get a few- a couple of Mountain Thrushes high above, a Silvery-throated Tanager that darted into the leaves before I could get a picture, a distant Yellowish Flycatcher, and a tiny, impossible to photograph Ochraceous Wren. The only bird that posed nicely for a picture was a snazzy-looking White-throated Thrush, although there was also some impressive plant life. 

White-throated Thrush

Hypselonotus interruptus

Monochaetum floribundum

The road to Santa Elena- no matter how wet it looks I promise you it was wetter

A bit further uphill we ran into a little mixed flock that had some fun new birds- some Common Chlorospingus, a couple of beautiful Slate-throated Whitestarts, some Black-eared Warblers, and a Golden-winged Warbler. Unfortunately it was still drizzling and I could still barely get any pictures. 

Slate-throated Whitestart

Golden-winged Warbler

Begonia cooperi, endemic to the mountains around Monteverde

Begonia glabra

Things got quiet after that so we got back in the car and continued uphill in hopes of better weather. Instead, the weather just got worse, with the fog getting thicker and the rain getting harder the further uphill we went. We'd gone far enough that it didn't really make sense to turn back though, so we got out of the car at a promising corner and did some walking around in the rain. There were a few birds around- a beautiful Spangle-cheeked Tanager, a quick-moving Magenta-throated Woodstar, and a pair of brilliantly-colored Purple-throated Mountaingems that perched nicely for a bit despite the rain. Overall though the birds were pretty thin and the late afternoon weather was cold, rainy, windy, and getting progressively darker. 

Spangle-cheeked Tanager

Female Purple-throated Mountaingem

Purple-throated Mountaingem

Our original intent had been to stay in the area until after sunset to look for Bare-shanked Screech Owl, but it was quickly becoming clear that the weather was not going to improve and if there's one thing owls hate it's rain and wind. We decided to cut our losses and head back to the AirBnb, where we cooked dinner and had an early bedtime while the wind howled outside our windows. 

The next morning we gamely headed out once more to try for some cloud forest birding, despite the fact the weather wasn't all that much better than it had been the previous day. It was well after sunrise by the time we got to Reserva Santa Elena but it was still incredibly gloomy and unpleasant. We saw a few birds during brief lulls in the rain, though the fog was so thick and our optics were so wet that "see" is a bit of an optimistic verb. There was a little group of Common Chlorospingus and Yellowish Flycatchers hanging out by the parking lot, joined by a single Grey-breasted Wood Wren and a few other interesting birds including Spotted Barbtail, Black-faced Solitaire, and Slate-throated Whitestart but photo opportunities were few and far between. A Sooty-faced Finch briefly popped up, possibly the best bird we had at the spot and my 2500th lifer! Not a bad bird for that title, though I suppose I might have preferred more pleasant conditions. 

Common Chlorospingus

Yellowish Flycatcher

Sooty-faced Finch! Wish I'd gotten a better picture of my #2500 but oh well...

Grey-breasted Wood Wren

Fire-star Orchid

Once again this photo grievously understates how terrible the weather was

Once it was clear the weather was going to continue to suck, we gave up on Santa Elena and headed downhill to try another spot. As we were driving out, Josh suddenly had us stop the car- he had seen a Resplendant Quetzal by the side of the road! We piled out of the car and tried to get on it. Unfortunately all I saw was a flash of long plumes as the male flew out of the tree and deeper into the forest, never to return. A female soon came in, but once again flushed as soon as a car went by, giving us only slightly better looks. We stuck around for a while as there was a fruiting tree they seemed to be feeding on, but they never came back. It was a frustrating way to see my first (and so far only) quetzal, but I guess par for the course for our Monteverde experience.

Behold, a Resplendent Quetzal!

It was clear that anywhere in proper cloud forest was going to be terrible weather, so we decided to spend the rest of the morning at the Curi-Cancha Reserve, which was a bit downhill on the forest edge and known for having some good mountain birds. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot it became clear that the birding there was going to be better. First of all, the sun was shining though there was still a bit of a misty drizzle. Second, there was a pair of Northern Emerald Toucanets feeding in a tree next to the cars! This was my first really good look at a toucan in Costa Rica. Hilary also spotted a pair of White-eared Ground Sparrows foraging on the ground nearby, and a semi-tame White-nosed Coati walked by us. 

Northern Emerald Toucanet

White-eared Ground Sparrow

White-nosed Coati

We paid for our tickets and started walking the trails through the reserve. Curi-Cancha is an extensive private reserve on the Monteverde mountain slopes that was opened relatively recently but has quickly become a fixture on most birding itineraries because of the easy access to lots of good montane birds. It doesn't have the high-elevation specialties like Santa Elena or the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, but it also isn't constantly enveloped in a raincloud, which was a trade-off we were willing to accept. 

Near the entrance we found a fruiting tree with lots of Mountain Thrushes and Mountain Elaenias, as well as a few Philadelphia Vireos and Yellow-crowned Euphonias. Further in there was a patch of porterweed where an endemic Coppery-headed Emerald was feeding, though it was constantly being chased away by the larger, more aggressive Lesser Violetear (I love hummingbirds, but they're kind of dicks). In a large tree we saw a trio of Crested Guans, a very welcome addition to my chicken list. 

I love thrushes and I love mountain birds, but I wish that the name Mountain Thrush had gone to something a little less dreadfully boring

Mountain Elaenia

Crested Guan

Monteverde supposedly has the highest diversity of orchid species of any place in the world but I saw disappointingly few during my time there, with this Costa Rica endemic Oncidium bractelatum being a very nice exception

Making our way through Curi-Cancha

On the edge of a meadow we came upon a fruiting tree that was absolutely chock full of good birds. Golden-browed Chlorophonias were feeding in the mistletoe vines high above, and we had a quick look at a gorgeous Elegant Euphonia as well. A Silver-throated Tanager was feeding in a nearby bush, and Hilary spotted a distant group of White-naped Brushfinches in a little bush. Further up there was a tree with some feeding Mountain Thrushes and a single Pale-vented Thrush, and we got nice looks at an Olive-streaked Flycatcher. A little mixed flock of migratory warblers came through with Golden-winged Warblers and Black-and-white Warblers, and I saw a perched Coppery-headed Emerald, the only time I was able to get decent pictures of one. Unfortunately all of the drizzle and rain from earlier in the day meant that some moisture had gotten inside my camera lens, so most of my pictures from the day came out disappointingly foggy (that's my excuse anyway).

Female Golden-browed Chlorophonia

Elegant Euphonia

Silver-throated Tanager

White-naped Brushfinch

Mountain Thrush

Olive-streaked Flycatcher

Golden-winged Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Coppery-headed Emerald, one of only four birds endemic to mainland Costa Rica

Further down the trail we came to another clearing where there was a Crested Guan shaking the rain out of its feathers and a beautiful Lesson's Motmot hanging out near the trail. A Squirrel Cuckoo made a brief appearance, and there were some very tame Brown Jays hanging out on the ground. 

This Crested Guan seemed as relieved as we were to have some nice weather

Lesson's Motmot

Squirrel Cuckoo

Brown Jay

We spent the next few hours walking the paths through the interior of the forest. Like most tropical forest birding in the middle of the day it was mostly quiet with bursts of activity, but we did happen across some good birds. At one point Tom managed to spot a beautiful Black-faced Solitaire perched quietly just a few feet off the trail, though it was buried so deep in foliage I couldn't get any clear shots of it. Later on we happened upon a female Collared Trogon, and a small flock that included another Olive-streaked Flycatcher and a couple Golden-crowned Warblers. There was a very cute Northern Tufted Flycatcher that perched for a bit next to the trail, and we got brief looks at a nice set of hummingbirds- a pair of Green Hermits, an immature male Green-crowned Brilliant, and a Violet Sabrewing perched quietly in the undergrowth. It was kind of cool to see them in their natural habitat rather than in gardens or at feeders- though also much more difficult to photograph. 

Black-faced Solitaire

Collared Trogon

Olive-streaked Flycatcher

Golden-crowned Warbler

Northern Tufted Flycatcher

Green-crowned Brilliant

A bit further down we came across a fruiting tree that was absolutely filled with thrushes- mostly the usual Mountain Thrush but with a few Pale-vented Thrushes and Black-faced Solitaires along with Silver-throated Tanagers. Another small mixed flock came through that allowed for a quick look at a Plain Ant-Vireo and much better looks at an adorable Spotted Barbtail. At another clearing there were some Lesser Violetears feeding on the porterweed, while a Stripe-tailed Hummingbird also made a brief appearance. We also got great looks at another Lesson's Motmot and a pair of Northern Emerald Toucanets. Back at the parking lot there was a nice Yellow-faced Grassquit perched next to our car. 

Pale-vented Thrush

Black-faced Solitaire

Spotted Barbtail

Lesser Violetear

Stripe-tailed Hummingbird

Lesson's Motmot

Northern Emerald Toucanet

Yellow-faced Grassquit

Agelaia areata

Mexican Silverspot

Pompeius Skipper

Begonia broussonettifolia, also endemic to the mountains around Monteverde

The view at Curi-Cancha

Our last stop before making a welcome escape from Monteverde was Café Colibri, at the entrance to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. True to its name it held an impressive array of hummingbird feeders on its front porch, which were absolutely dripping with hummingbirds of various sorts. While in DC or Michigan one can only hope for one or two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, in the Neotropics a feeder array can often attract upwards of several dozen species- simply ridiculous. Similar to the Scarlet Macaws in Tárcoles, I think that if having tiny, jewel-like hummingbirds buzzing around inches from your face isn't enough to make you appreciate wildlife, you're simply beyond hope. 

The feeders at Café Colibri had many of the species we were hoping for- lots of Violet Sabrewings, Green-crowned Brilliants, and Lesser Violetears, plus appearances from Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Magenta-throated Woodstar, Purple-throated Mountaingem, and a gorgeous Green Hermit. It was pretty gloomy at the cafe which made photography difficult, but with hummingbirds zipping around at eye level so close my camera almost couldn't focus, it was still worth a try. 

Violet Sabrewing

Lesser Violetear

Stripe-tailed Hummingbird

Green-crowned Brilliant

Magenta-throated Woodstar

Female Purple-throated Mountaingem

Green Hermit

With that happy ending to our otherwise not particularly impressive time in Monteverde, we started the drive down to Arenal. That will be another very long blog post, but (spoiler alert!) it very much did not disappoint.