Start time: 6:00 AM
Length: 3 hours
Things to bring: binoculars, cameras, insect repellent, socks, and long-sleeved shirts and pants.
We provide tall rubber boots for the tours, and these are required. We will be walking through very wet areas and our boots are required to prevent the spread of disease to the tapirs and amphibians.
Tapir Valley lies in a very special location. It's at the junction of the Caribbean and Pacific slopes, and is located at middle elevation of about 700 meters. This means that an interesting mix of species from different regions of the country with a nice mix of North American and seasonal local migrants.
Tapir Valley also has a unique diversity of habitats. Very few birding hotspots in Costa Rica consist of wetland, riparian, primary and secondary forest, and grasslands in one location.
These factors all combine to result in a bird list of over 459 species, or about half of the birds in Costa Rica.
With one of our expert guides, it's not uncommon to have over 100 species in just one morning of birding.
We'll start our birdwatching session at the reception area near the entrance of Tapir Valley. We provide boots for all guests, as the reserve is not safe for non-rubber boots. Areas of the reserve are wetland and the water can cover the ground in some areas. Also, we have some very special amphibians here at Tapir Valley and we use a disinfectant on the boots to prevent contamination from outside the reserve.
The hummingbird garden near the reception area is just spectacular and some tours have seen seven different species on hummers in just a few minutes.
We'll then walk along the upper trail where we'll see a nice variety of tanagers, finches, more hummingbirds, anis, spinetails, antshrikes, parrots, toucans, and wintering warblers at the right time of the year. Gray Hawks often call to us as we walk the trail in the open area, and White-throated Crakes call from the grasses.
We'll stop at our main platform, which is the perfect place to watch the birds at the fruit feeders and have a bit of a snack, ourselves! A really nice diversity of species can be seen here. All three toucans visit: the Keel-billed, Yellow-throated, and Collared Aracaris. Euphonias, honeycreepers, tanagers, and oropendolas are also easy to see here.
Next, we'll head down to the secondary forest, and this is prime habitat for some special birds. Tropical parulas sing incessantly. Crimson-collared tanagers and Black-faced Grosbeaks move through the mid-canopy here, along with Golden-hooded Tanagers, dacnis, and Black-cowled Orioles.
Our lower platform is a fantastic place to see Bronze-tailed Plumeteers, Blue-throated Goldentails, Rufous-winged Tanager, Cinnamon Woodpeckers, and White-collared and White-ruffed manakins as they avail themselves of the fruits of the trees here.
As the morning gets warmer, we'll head through the riparian zone and into the forest. In this transitional area, we often see our mated pair of Spectacled Owls trying to stay cool; they love to rest right above the creek. The White-tipped Sicklebill spends its time in this area, zipping into the heliconias grove for some nectar. We often hear the Thicket Antpitta here and Uniform Crakes skulk their way through the thick vegetation, occasionally making a brief appearance.
In the primary forest, we now find the birds that never venture out into the open. Song Wrens are amazing birds that live in the primary forest. The special Tody Motmot is found here, too. There are hummingbirds that live in the primary forest, too, like the Green Hermit and Crowned Woodnymph.
And there are some very special visitors, as well. Once in a while, a Bare-necked Umbrellabird will visit our primary forest, especially when it's wetter higher up on Volcan Tenorio. Yellow-eared Toucanets nest in the primary forest above the creek. The primary forest is where we find the antbirds: Spotted, Bicolored, and Ocellated Antbirds follow the army ants that hunt in the primary forest.
As we work our way back to the reception area, we'll often see and hear the incredible Ornate Hawk-Eagles soaring over the valley, mixed in with a King Vulture and White-collared Swifts.