Activities at Las Cruces

Costa Rica - For Birdwatchers

Home to an astonishing number of diverse ecosystems, Costa Rica is one of the most biologically rich nations in the world. With more than 850 species of birds found in a broad range of habitats, that include the lowland rainforest at La Selva and Braulio Carrillo National Park, to the oak forest of the Talamanca Mountains and Cerro de la Muerte, to the tropical dry forest and transition rainforest along the Pacific Coast, birders will discover a rich variety of habitats filled with wonderfully diverse groups of birds.

Thanks to this incredible diversity of birds that are found in a variety of easily accessible habitats, to the availability of our knowledgeable naturalist guides, and to safe, convenient trails, Costa Rica has become one of the worlds' most popular bird-watching destinations.

Not only is Costa Rica's avifauna diverse, but it is also well protected by a world-renowned national park system, and well studied by scientists from around the world.

This trip is run by one of the world’s most important institutions for education and research of tropical science, the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS); and we would be visiting, among others, three of the hottest spots for bird-watching in Costa Rica: La Selva Biological Station, Las Cruces Biological Station & Wilson Botanical Garden and Palo Verde Biological Station.

Day 1 Flight to Costa Rica

Arrival San José • This is the main entryway into the country

Costa Rica is characterized by impressive scenic beauty, a consolidated system of protected areas, social and political stability, high levels of education, and efficient infrastructure and services. All these characteristics are found in a territory of only 51 thousand square kilometers, which is surrounded on either side by the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The two oceans are only three to four hours apart by land or 45 minutes by air. Although Costa Rica only covers 0.03% of the surface of our planet, it has approximately 6% of the world's biodiversity. Overnight at San José..

Overnight at San José.

Day 2-3 Las Cruces Biological Station & Wilson Botanical Garden

Las Cruces • After breakfast, we will head to Las Cruces Biological Station where we will spend two nights.

Las Cruces is centered in the southern Talamanca mountain range, near the Panamanian border. Las Cruces is a mid-elevation site that extends through an elevational range of 1,120 to 1,385 meters and encompasses 235 hectares of premontane rain forest. Las Cruces is part of the La Amistad International Park.

We can find over 400 species of birds at the station, around 80 of which are latitudinal migrant birds from North and South America. Fifteen species are found just on Costa Rica’s South Pacific, like the Fiery Billed Aracari, Marbled Wood-Quail, Costa Rican Swift, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Bran-colored Flycatcher, Spotted-crowned Euphonia and Turquoise Cotinga, among others. There are also a few endemic species from the Coto Brus area including the Ruddy Foliage-gleaner, Lance-tailed Manakin, and Masked Yellowthroat. We also have species that have increased their distribution range in the last 4 years from Panamá, like the Crested Oropendola and the Mouse-Colored Tyrannulet.

Las Cruces is a treasure trove of birds. Birdwatchers, ornithologist and researchers from all over the world, have found that the garden is a base not only for ecological research and conservation biology, but also a spectacular site for birding.

As Paul Ehrlich wrote to Birder’s World magazine in his article A Costa Rican Paradise: “If you would like to get to know Costa Rican birds intimately, it’s hard to imagine a more pleasant place to start than Las Cruces”.

Las Cruces research has contributed to a number of publications including:

• Bird species diversity of forested and agricultural land in Costa Rica by Catherine Lindell from Michigan State University
• Avian population censuring by James Zook
• Chemical defences in Costa Rican birds by Todd Capson, Luis Diego Gómez from Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, OTS
• Countryside biogeography of Costa Rican birds by Gretchen Daily, Paul Ehrlich, James Zook from Stanford University

We would also explore one of the premier botanical gardens in the American tropics, which boast an impressive collection of tropical plants from around the world. Over 1000 genera in more than 200 plant families’ makeup the unique collection that forms part of the Las Cruces Biological Station. Aroids, bromeliads, ferns, gingers, heliconias, marantas, and palms are all well represented on the 12-hectare (30 acre) site. Collectively, the Garden and adjacent forest (266 ha total; 657 acres) also have an impressive diversity of native plants (~ 2000 species). Animals include over 400 species of birds, more than 800 species of butterflies, an abundance of mammals (over 40 species of bats), and a high diversity of reptiles and amphibians.

The Station serves as the principal center in the region for teaching, research, and on-site environmental education, as well as visitors who have a unique opportunity to experience tropical nature and learn about it in a place where scientists and students from around the world come to research and study.

Day 4-5 Savegre Mountain Lodge

Savegre Mountain Lodge • We will have a dinner and overnight at the Savegre Mountain Lodge, which is nestled in a quaint highland valley nearby, and is also prime habitat of the Resplendent Quetzal. Savegre Mountain Lodge is located in San Gerardo de Dota, a small community in the Talamanca mountains in the midst of a precious ecosystem. Here you will find a majestic cloud forest with massive oaks and other native species.

The woods serve as a sanctuary for a large number of species of insects, amphibians, amazing plants and colorful birds. Spend the rest of the day exploring this beautiful habitat, where more than 170 species of birds can be found. Various migratory species arrive during the different seasons of the year, joining the native species to add still more colorful views for birdwatchers. Among the visitors are the Orioles, Warblers, Tennessees’ and Raptors - while their native hosts include Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher, Yellow-winged Vireo, the Flame-throated Warbler, Black-cheeked Warbler, Yellowish Flycatcher, among others.

The next day we will have a specialized birding tour with professional guide in the beautiful environment of biological corridors that make this attractive region a paradise, where more than 170 species of birds peacefully coexist with man. Various migratory species arrive throughout the different seasons of the year, joining the native species to add still more colorful views for birdwatchers.

Among the visitors are the Orioles, Warblers, Tennessees and Raptors - while their native hosts include Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher, Yellow-winged Vireo, the Flame-throated Warbler, Black-cheeked Warbler, Yellowish Flycatcher, Barred Becard, Tufted Flycatcher, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Zeledonia, Torrent Tyrannulet, Collared Trogon, Scintillant Hummingbird, Volcano Hummingbird, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Spotted Wood-Quail, and of course the most wanted Resplendent Quetzal. In the highlands of the Paramo one can find the Volcano Junco and Timberline Wren.

Day 6-7 La Selva Biological Station

La Selva • We will visit the internationally renowned research center of La Selva Biological Station, at the confluence of two major rivers in the Caribbean lowlands of northern Costa Rica. La Selva comprises 1,600 hectares (3,900 acres) of tropical wet forests and disturbed lands.

The Braulio Carrillo National Park extends down to La Selva through a forest corridor that descends in elevation from 2,906 meters at Volcán Barva to 35 meters above sea level at La Selva. This reserve, consisting of both La Selva's protected environs and the Park, has four major tropical life zones and protects a large portion of Costa Rica’s biodiversity including more than half of the 886 species of birds, home to 1850 species of vascular plant flora, thousand of mammals, reptiles, insects and amphibians.

The most common bird species are: Agami Heron, Sungrebe, Great Curassow, Slaty-breasted Tinamou, King Vulture, Olive-Throated Parakeet, Great Potoo, Rufous Motmot, Black-cheeked Woodpecker (endemic del Caribe), Ocellated Antbird, Bare-necked Umbrella bird, Snowy Cotinga, Yellow-tailed Oriole.

Each year, a Bird Count is held at La Selva. At the 21st edition - 2005 La Selva Christmas Bird Count (formally known as Lower Braulio Carrillo National Park.- La Selva Biological Station), five additional new species were added to the cumulative species total that now stands at 489: Pinnated Bittern (Botaurus pinnatus), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), Violet Sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus), Hoffmann’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes hoffmannii), and White-winged Tanager (Piranga leucoptera).

Some of the most recent research includes:

• A comparative study of diet breadth and diet composition of altitudinal migrant birds by Alice Boyle, Seaw Cullen from U. Arizona;
• Habitat distributions of Neotropical Flycatchers by Cecilia Leumas Tulane U.;
• Human impacts on the bird community of a Lowland Tropical Rainforest: Long-term changes at Finca La Selva, Costa Rica by Bryan Sige from Tulane U.

We will spend two days exploring over fifty kilometers of trails, which provide access to a variety of terrestrial and aquatic habitats at La Selva; from Early Birding tour to Night Tour.

Optional attractions of the Sarapiqui Region (not included):

• White water rafting at Sarapiqui River
• Horse back riding
• River Boat tour
• Chocolate tour
• Canopy tour

Day 8-9 Day Palo Verde Station

Palo Verde Biological Station • Palo Verde Biological Station is located within the Palo Verde National Park on the Pacific slopes of Guanacaste Province in northwestern Costa Rica (10° 21' N, 85° 21 W). The 20,000-hectare park has seasonally dry forest on limestone outcrops and extensive wetland vegetation bordering the Tempisque River that flows into the Gulf of Nicoya.

Along with Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve, it is considered one of the sites with the greatest ecological diversity in Costa Rica, encompassing more than 13 different habitats, including mangrove and swampy forests, salty and freshwater marshes, evergreen forests, deciduous forests, lowland and limestone forests and secondary forest in a wide range of successional stages. The freshwater marsh in front of the Station is an important feeding ground for 60 species of resident and migratory water birds. Within the marsh, species such as the black-bellied whistling duck and the blue-winged teal have been observed by the thousands.

The Park is also a principal wintering ground for many neotropical migrants, including hummingbirds, flycatchers, warblers, tanagers, orioles, vireos, owls, and falcons. Other common species are: Jabiru, Limpkin, Roseate Spoonbill, White Ibis, Masked Dick, Bay-Winged Hawk, Elegant Trogon, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, Spotted-breasted Oriole.

Some of the most recent research publications are:

• Conservation of Neotropical Migrants and their Habitats in the Palo Verde Marsh;
• Costa Rica: Restoration and Management of a Montreux Record Ramsar Site by Jorge A. Jiménez & Eugenio González, from Organization for Tropical Studies.

We will explore the tropical dry forest of Palo Verde along many picturesque trails with captivating views over the landscape. It is considered one of the most important sanctuaries in the Americas for migrating and resident species of waterfowl. Watch for Black vultures, turkey vultures, peregrine falcons, roadside hawks, and Cliffs swallows can also be seen and heard, with the occasional appearance of a white-faced capuchin monkey. At the top of the hill La Roca, you’ll have a fantastic view of the Palo Verde marsh, and the Tempisque River.

The next day we will head out in the early morning for a scenic boat tour along the Tempisque River. Its brackish waters host a variety of species of mangroves and different invertebrates and vertebrates that depend on the river for survival. Watch for black-headed trogons (Trogon melano-cephalus), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and mantled Howler monkeys (Allouatta palliate) as well as giant Caiman. Finally we will visit the nearby Lomas Barbudal which has excellent bird watching potential for the species that occur in tropical dry forest (e.g., Long-tailed Manakin, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Stub-tailed Spadebill, Olive Sparrow, and Black-headed Trogon).

Day 10 San Jose

San José • Return to San José, Costa Rica’s capital located in the Central Valley. An extensive plain, guarded by majestic volcanoes and green hills, honoring the natural richness that exists throughout the national territory that you have already seen. Founded in 1737 as “Villa Nueva de la Boca del Monte del Valle de Abra,” the city’s name was later abbreviated in honor of its patron saint: “San José.”

Afternoon free time in San José • Enjoy some free time to explore San José on your own. The Central Valley offers a variety of, cultural and natural attractions, including Costa Rica’s best museums: the Gold, Jade, National, Costa Rican Art, La Salle Natural Science, University of Costa Rica Insect and Children’s Contemporary Art and Design Museums. In addition, this region is home to the architectural jewel of Costa Rica: the National Theater.

Day 11 Home

Return home

*Transportation not included, we can organized it depending of the amount of people.

Lodging in San José includes: breakfast.

Lodging at the stations and Savegre Mountain Lodge includes: 3 meals.

For information and reservations:

edu.travel @ ots.ac.cr