Costa Rica | Birding the Talamanca Mountains and Turrialba with Mario Córdoba and Debbie Jordan

Arrive in Costa Rica, meet your driver and travel to the hotel. Have dinner on your own in the hotel restaurant tonight.

Begin your day with early morning birding around the hotel's 10 acre gardens. Have breakfast, attend a welcome orientation, and then depart for Irazú Volcano National Park. Irazú is the highest volcano in Costa Rica at 11,259 feet above sea level, so visitors can expect fog and chilly temperatures. This birding experience is at an altitude between 9,500 and 11,000 feet to look for high elevation species like Volcano Junco, Timberline Wren, the elusive Sooty-capped Finch, Black-and-yellow and Long-tailed Silky-flycatchers, and perhaps Golden-winged Warbler. Travel to Rancho Naturalista, our home base for the next three nights. Considered one of Costa Rica's top birding lodges, more than 450 species of birds have been recorded in this private reserve including many different antbirds, tanagers, and woodcreepers. The lodge is also renowned for attracting hummingbird species such as Purple-crowned Fairy and Garden Emerald. A highlight species often seen on the grounds is the Snowcap hummingbird, one of the smallest birds in the world. After settling in at the lodge, spend some time enjoying close up views of hummingbirds including Talamanca, Lesser Violetear and Fiery-throated Hummingbirds. Elevation 3,000 feet.

Explore the trails at Rancho Naturalista and visit the hummingbird pools. Look for wading birds and ducks at Angostura Lake, one of the top birding sites in the area. In addition to the beautiful Snowcap, specialties on the 120-acre Rancho property include the White-crowned Manakin, Black-throated Wren, Dull-mantled Antbird, Lovely Cotinga, Thicket Antpitta, Tawny-chested and White-throated Flycatchers, Black-crested Coquette, Violet-headed Hummingbird, and Garden Emerald. It will take some work and good fortune, but we will do our best to find them all.

Today we'll take advantage of more of the extensive trail system at Rancho Naturalista that crosses primary and secondary forest as well as orchards that attract a variety of birds. This will provide opportunities to see even more species that are possible at this renowned site. Another benefit of staying on the grounds today is that anyone who might like a bit of a break can enjoy the spacious balcony and watch the birds at the hummingbird and fruit feeders and have a great view of Turrialba volcano.

This morning, travel to the cloud forests of San Gerardo de Dota, stopping en route for lunch and birding at Casa Tangara Dowii, a wonderful spot for chances to see Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge, Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, the highland endemic Spangle-cheeked Tanager and more. Continue to the Savegre Valley. This high-elevation habitat of mostly oak and highland cloud forest attracts a huge variety of avifauna. Spend the afternoon birding on the lodge grounds. Elevation, 7,000 ft.

The Resplendent Quetzal is the star of the forest surrounding Savegre and during our three days in the area, we hope to find them, in addition to other favorites such as the Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher. Enjoy a delicious typical lunch while watching the feeders at Miriam's Restaurant. Later visit Batsu Gardens. Other possibilities include Northern Emerald-Toucanet, Spotted Wood-Quail, Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl, Collared Trogon, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Ruddy Treerunner, Ochraceous Pewee, Barred Becard, Wrenthrush, and Golden-browed Chlorophonia, just a few of over 200 avian species that are found in the area.

Take 4x4s to the upper reserve this morning for a walk in an ethereal lichen covered forest. Birding with some free time in the afternoon to relax or take advantage of the on-site spa services.

Today we head back to San Jose with a stop for birding and lunch at Finca Cristina, a shade-grown coffee farm. In addition to producing delicious coffee, the farm is an important site for neotropical migrants and hosts more than 350 bird species as well as many butterflies, reptiles, amphibians and orchids. Gather for one last bird checklist meeting before enjoying a farewell dinner at the hotel in the evening.

Transfer to the airport for flights home.