However, I received some very interesting correspondence from Ruth Marie Lyons, who had visited Tortuguero with Charlie Gómez and sent this report from her trip journal:

Great stuff! I particularly like the fatefulness of the whole experience in that if the weather had been better they would have flown out of Tortuguero as per their original itinerary and would never have seen the bird!

It was just like back in the days before the new highway to Limón had opened. We stopped our vehicles wherever we pleased, walked back and forth across the pavement, set up the telescope in the middle of the road, and even identified birds by ear! Most days of the year, I doubt you could do this even at 2 a.m. However, during a series of Sundays in August and September, the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) closed the road from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. to conduct surveys on the structural integrity of the Zurquí Tunnel.

On 2 September, Bob French unwittingly found himself a "victim" of the highway closings when at 8 a.m., after some early morning birding on the Quebrada González trails, one of the park guards informed him of the situation. Bob proceeded to spend the next six hours enjoying some unparalleled roadside birding as he had the entire highway to himself!

Fortunately, Bob emailed me with news of his adventure and mention of having seen a Sharpbill (Oxyruncus cristatus). The thought of repeating his experience left me almost sleepless in anticipation for several nights.

On 9 September, together with my four sons, Eric Madrigal, and Jeanne Fossani, I was able to take advantage of the final highway closing. We arrived at the Quebrada González ranger station at 6:30 and the boys set off into the forest while I birded the edge of the station clearing -- in part hoping to get some photos, in part waiting for Eric and Jeanne.

Shortly after Eric's arrival, Leonardo emerged from the trailhead saying that they had a perched immature Ornate Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus ornatus) a few hundred meters up the trail. Shouldering my scope and tripod, I followed him to the spot and got one shot before the bird finally flew off (the photo unfortunately did not come out very well).

It was nearly 8:00 when we reached the clearing again. By then, the usual stream of traffic was completely nonexistant, so we set off to experience the unique opportunity. Two large mixed flocks entertained us for nearly an hour in the kilometer-or-so span between the station and the Río Sucio bridge. In addition to more than a dozen varieties of tanagers, including the endemic Blue-and-gold Tanager (Bangsia arcaei) and the rather uncommon Ashy-throated Bush-Tanager (Chlorospingus canigularis), we had superb views of a pair of handsome Cinnamon Woodpeckers (Celeus loricatus) licking up Azteca ants from roadside Cecropia trees, while a Rufous-winged Woodpecker (Piculus simplex) preened itself on a nearby stump. The least-expected sighting for such a low elevation (approx. 500m), though, was a female Orange-bellied Trogon (Trogon aurantiiventris)!

We took our time gaining elevation, certain that our only problem might be a change in the gorgeous weather. However, we were surprised when vehicles began passing us just before noon. It was far from a constant flow of traffic, but nevertheless enough to break the enchantment and make us more careful about where we left our vehicles!

We spent more than an hour at a spot known as La Montura ("the saddle") trying for Sharpbill. Prior to the highway's opening some 15 years ago, there was an active Sharpbill lek here, but periodic playing of tape produced no results. Perhaps it was the wrong season, or maybe the birds have simply abandoned the area, but we didn't have Bob's luck (though it's unclear exactly where he saw his bird a week earlier).

As both traffic and the threat of rain were increasing, we called it a day at 14:30 with 80 species seen (including 21 types of tanagers) and another four heard only. But more than anything, it was the sheer wonder of having had the park essentially all to ourselves for several hours that made this such a magical day.

It was good to hear that they had no problems entering the area. I haven't even bothered to attempt birding this site in years, ever since receiving a rather unpleasant welcome and hearing similar stories from others back in the early '90's. Has anyone else out there been to Chomes recently without incident? Let's hope this rich site for shorebirds is indeed accessible to birders once again.

Afterwards, Robert sent word that he and Eduardo visited the San Gerardo area during the first weekend of September and "ended up staying on someone's finca below the ranger station. There were a couple of rough trails on the property. We heard Black-headed Antthrushes (Formicarius nigricapillus) and saw a Great Curassow (Crax rubra), and the usual mixed flocks of tanagers, etc. On the trails of the reserve we got a brief glimpse of a Rufous-breasted Antthrush but no sign of the antpittas. On the road close to the finca on the first afternoon we had some birds convening around some army ants. Got amazing views of a pair of Black-banded Woodcreepers (Dendrocolaptes picumnus) foraging among the army ants at ground level. Interesting that Stiles and Skutch mention nothing about them following army ants. Finally I can say that that is a particularly finely-patterned woodcreeper -- quite handsome, in fact! The second morning was very slow, highlight being a fairly low-flying Black Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus tyrannus). (The Los Llanos area was a bust, by the way. We went there on Thursday afternoon. Nothing but common birds). Anyway, just as we were about to leave after lunch at the finca on Saturday afternoon, I spotted a white-ish bird with a pale brown back and dark wing edges about 15 feet up in a tree by the clearing. It was indeed a female Lovely Cotinga, confirming that the one Patrick and I saw at Bijagua several months ago was the same. OK, so it wasn't a brilliant male, but it was still a very good bird, and my 721st Costa Rican bird, too! Current year list total: 623."

It's quite some year that Robert's been having, it's no small feat to add more than twenty country lifers in nine months when you're already at 700 Costa Rican species! He's also on pace to top the annual tally of 630 spp. that Jim Zook logged last year.

And has another species worked its way north from Panama?

Should the Blue-and-yellow Macaw actually turn up in Costa Rica as a bona fide wild species, it would prove the I.C.T. (Costa Rican Tourist Institute) to have had some truly visionary people in its publicity department over the years, since they repeatedly have insisted on including this non-native species on posters and brochures promoting tourism to the country!

For me, however, the best part about that visit to Rancho was finally coming to grips with another of my nemesis birds: White-tipped Sicklebill (Eutoxeres aquila). It seems that every birder I know here, including my own sons, has seen this widespread species somewhere or another. I just never seemed to be in the right place at the right time. So, when Steven and Andy Walker (the other resident birding guide at the time of our visit) told us of a nesting sicklebill, it didn't surprise me that when we went out to check the nest, the bird wasn't there! Fortunately, persistence paid off and I eventually got a great look at the bird.

Where I seem to have better luck is with Bicolored Hawk (Accipiter bicolor). During a visit in August 2000 with Paul Murgatroyd, we added this species to the Rancho year list when a bird flew into the large Erythrina tree in front of the balcony and then dive-bombed the Erythrina with the oropendola colony just off the end of the balcony, sending oropendolas, chachalacas and jays squawking off in every direction. History managed to repeat itself in July when a Bicolored Hawk appeared just after breakfast and followed essentially the same route, albeit, without all the commotion. Again, another tick for the Rancho year list (and mine, too).

Still, the biggest news from Rancho was the sighting of a Lanceolated Monklet (Micromonacha lanceolata) on the property! Several days before our visit, Jay VanderGaast, who used to work as resident guide at Rancho, was back there leading a group for Field Guides. While way up on the top part of the trail system (near the White-crowned Manakin (Pipra pipra) lek), an unfamiliar, high-pitched call was heard. After some diligent searching and tape playback, the bird was finally spotted perched high in a large tree: a Lanceolated Monklet!

"Imagine, I spent 6 years there and never saw the bird on the property until now," wrote Jay in a recent message. Perhaps with this nearly mythical species we shouldn't be so surprised.

Jay VanderGaast also passed along a list of sightings he's had over the years here in Costa Rica of birds that were either rare or out of expected range or time frame:

Sora (Porzana carolina) - One at the oxbow lake in Carara, 3 May 1998. This seems to be a pretty late record for this species.

Paint-billed Crake (Neocrex erythrops) - One photographed at Las Palmitas (?) north of Guacimo. First seen by me on 27 November 1996, though discovered a week or more earlier by Jeanne Fossani. Though I only got pictures of one, there were at least 2 birds, and most likely 3. One was duller than the others, and appeared to be a younger bird, and I suspect they bred here. They were present for at least two weeks but were not checked after this time. I also saw another Paint-billed Crake at E.A.R.T.H. [near Guácimo], along the road to the reserve, in about July 1999.

José (El Indio) Calvo, José Sáenz, Rudy Zamora and I birded this trail on 26 September from 9:00 until 11:00. Although we didn't see anything terribly noteworthy, we were suitably entertained by fairly constant mixed (tanager-warbler-furnariid) flock activity -- and that despite the hour of the day and the fact that it was a sunny morning! The trail certainly ought to have good potential for producing the occasional sighting of rare species.

Here are the dates and contact information for the various CBC activities that traditionally take place in Costa Rica. All interested birders are welcome to participate. Hope to see you out there!

Grecia: (TBA) Rafael Campos 444-6572

Wishing you all great birding,

Richard Garrigues

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