Twenty-One Beautiful Birds of Costa Rica – More Birdgasm!

July 24, 2014
Caribbean/Central America, GeoTourism, Photo Essay, Wildlife

See more from the #EcoCostaRica Project

From my travel journal:

December 2, 2013

Last night at the Savegre Lodge was downright cold. I was there specifically to see the birds of Costa Rica. I lit a fire and hung my clothes near to the flames to dry the sweat from the day’s hike. I made my bed and heated some water. It is a romantic little room and there was a moment when I thought how nice it might be to share that sweet space for the evening. Then I thought of all the trouble that inevitably brings and realized I’d be happier in the long run by sticking with my book. I filled the coffee machine for the morning and wiped myself clean with a hot washcloth. In bed, with the lights off, the only illumination was from the fireplace. I didn’t read, just watched the flames until my eyes closed. This morning I opened the curtains to find a Blue-gray Tananger staring at me. He jumped away towards the flowers and a Golden-hooded Tananger took his place. I stumbled out with my coffee and looked up the hill. To get into the cloud forest you first scramble past the hydrangea and on up through blackberry fields and plum and peach orchards on forty-five degree slopes. The craggy moss….

Costa Rica isn’t large. It’s about the size of West Virginia. But thanks to its extremely diverse landscapes and location at the cross roads between North and South America it is one of the top birding spots in the world.

Nearly 900 species of bird have been recorded in Costa Rica. That is more than in all of North America combined. Its also the greatest density of bird species in any country in the Americas. I thought I was in heaven in Panama…..this was incredible.

One of the main reasons the birds of Costa Rica are so numerous stems from the nation’s rich geologic diversity. On the Pacific coasts lie vast mangrove swamps. On the Caribbean coast spread vast coastal plains. Then there are all of the mountain chains that run the length of the country and the deep valleys between them. This diversity not only gives all the birds many habitats to exploit but it also allows endemic species to develop and Costa Rica hosts a wide range of those too! The Talamanca Range itself hosts more than thirty species not found anywhere else in the world.

A little more than a year ago I published Birdgasm! Twenty-One Beautiful Birds of Panama after my month in that wonderful country. At the time I pointed out:

World-wide it is estimated that over three million international trips are taken each year for the sole purpose of bird watching. For millions more, bird watching was a secondary purpose. In other words, they went on a trip for many reasons but spent part of that bird watching. In 2007, twenty-million US citizens went on a bird watching trip.

That is one hell of a lot of money being spent.

In the USA, it is estimated that bird watching generates nearly $3 BILLION a year. Numbers for Panama aren’t easy to nail down at the moment but this is clear evidence of the massive economic potential that comes from species and habitat conservation.

It seems like, when it comes to birding, money DOES grow on trees.

Its the same for Costa Rica. Eco-tourism is a tremendous benefit to Costa Rica as I noted here. These amazing birds are a big part of WHY eco-tourism works so well for Costa Rica. Go ahead….FEAST YOUR EYES!!