Bird Walk Sunday (March 12): Tres Rios

Please join the San Vito Bird Club for our every-other-Sunday bird walk.

When: Meet at 7am this coming Sunday, March 12.

Where: Down on the Tres Rios road. We’ll meet up near the little bridge that is near that little waterfall. Contact me (see below) if you need directions.

As always, binoculars and expert guides are available.

Greg Homer…8543-6665.

eltangaral@gmail.com

Crimson-fronted Parakeet in Porro tree. Photo courtesy of Gail Hull.

Bird Walk Sunday at Las Cruces: Jan. 22

Please join the San Vito Bird Club for our regular every-other-week bird walk.

We’ll walk through the Wilson Botanical Gardens (OTS Las Cruces). Meet at Recepcion at 7:00am. Binoculars available as needed.

A top-notch birder who lives in San Vito tells me Cedar Waxwings are moving through the country right now. Wouldn’t that be sight to see…a flock of Cedar Waxwings!

Also, congratulations to our colleagues, los Pajareros del Sur, for spotting the very first Dark-billed Cuckoo ever seen in Costa Rica; down in the rice fields south of Ciudad Neily.

Hope you can join us.

Photo of Dark-billed Cuckoo, courtesy of Helen LeVasseur.

Bird Walk Sunday, December 11!

Please join us this Sunday at Helen and Greg Homer’s Magic Road, starting at 7:30 am.

This location is usually very rewarding with a wide variety of birds and butterflies.

The walk is free, bi-lingual and open to the public. We will have binoculars to lend and bird books to share — come and join the fun!

Directions: take the road from San Vito south, passing Escuela Linda Vista on the left. Pass the former B&B Casa Botania on the right and look for a light blue house with a red door, decked out for Christmas, also on the right — you will see our cars parked ahead at the beginning of the Magic Road.

Bird Walk Sunday (with Butterflies!): Sept. 25th

Please join the San Vito Bird Club for a bird and butterfly walk on Sunday, Sept. 25th at 8:00am.

Meet at Finca Cantaros gate.

Binoculars available as needed. We do have a few Butterfly field guides as well; but we hope to have an actual ‘butterfly person’ or two with us.

Hope you can join us.

“Clown daggerwing”, Marpesia marcella. Photo by Julie Girard.

Big Sit Sunday: Aug. 21:

Please join the San Vito Bird Club for a low impact (but high diversity) Big Sit birding event on Sunday, Aug. 21st, starting at 7:00am and ending when we reach 50 or so bird species.

This Big Sit is easy to get to:

  1. Park on the Magic Road, near the highway.
  2. The Nacientes Encantada trail, a Cantaros property, is about 50 meters down the Magic Road on the left side.
  3. Walk down the Nacientes Encantada trail about 25 meters to a nice open flat spot on the right.
  4. Sit down in your comfortable folding chair. I will have extra chairs if you don’t have one. Also, binoculars available.
  5. Enjoy the nature and the good fellowship.

This is a BYO-coffee event.

Low Impact birding photo courtesy of Helen LeVasseur

Sunday Bird Walk: Finca Cantaros

Please join the San Vito Bird Club for our bird walk on SUNDAY, JULY 31.

Meet at the gate of the beautiful FINCA CANTAROS at 7:30am. We will explore the trails, view the lake and who knows…find a northern migrant bird? It is very early for migrants to appear down here in the southern zone but there are always a few bold and intrepid birds who leave the north early as they just can’t wait to get back; and who could blame them.

Binoculars available as needed. Hope to see you there.

Swainson’s Thrush: author unknown.

Sunday Morning Bird Walk: Wilson Garden–April 3

Please join the San Vito Bird Club for a Bird Walk.

When: Sunday, April 3 at 7:00am-9am.

Where: Meet outside the Wilson Garden Recepcion office. Binoculars available as needed.

We normally have a couple of breakfast options for sale after the walk; not sure that’s going to happen this week. It could happen…stay tuned. If not, coffee and tea will be available following the walk.

April is prime migratory bird season down here. Swainson’s Thrushes, Piratic Flycatchers, Scarlet Tanagers, a variety of warblers and vireos could be out.

There is no charge for this bird walk if you are a San Vito Bird Club member. If you’re not, Sunday might be a good time to join.

Hope to see you there.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a migrant from North America. Photo by Gail Hull.

Bird Walk at Finca Cantaros: Sunday, March 13th

Please join the San Vito Bird Club on our next birding walk.

When: Sunday, March 13th at 7am-9am.

Where: Meet at the front gate of Finca Cantaros. We will be escorted through this beautiful and unique property. Part of the walk will include a search for the ‘pato magico/magic duck’ on the lake!

Anything else?: Binoculars and field guides will be available. Please leave your pets at home.

We look forward to seeing you there.

The Magic Duck

Please Join the San Vito Bird Club for a Half-and-Half

On Sunday, Feb. 13th please join the San Vito Bird Club for a Half-and-Half Bird Outing.

(Half-and-Half means this outing is half bird WALK and half bird SIT.)

Meet up near the entrance to the Magic Road (you may contact me…Greg Homer…if you don’t know the location of the Magic Road. eltangaral@gmail.com). 7:00am to 8:30am

  1. We will walk a few hundred meters down the Magic Road, birding along the way. Expect to see a variety of seedeaters, tanagers and flycatchers. This is the first HALF.
  2. We will then reverse course and along the way have a relaxing SIT in a lovely flat spot just inside Nacientes Encantadas (a protected property of Asociación Ambiental Finca Cántaros). Five or so folding chairs will be provided, Bring a light folding chair if you have one. This is the second HALF.
  3. Bring some water (snack?) and proper footwear. The Magic Road can be a bit goofy; rocks and gravel.

Hope to see you there. We’ll have fun and we’ll see some nice birds.

Bird Walk at Pino Colina, Sunday, January 9 at 7:00 am

Please join us for the first walk of 2022 at Hacienda Pino Colina, next door to the Wilson Botanical Garden/Las Cruces.

Judy Richardson has kindly invited us to visit her beautiful homestead where we have seen nesting Rufous Jacamars, White- crested Coquettes, White-winged Tanagers and more, so much more!

Rufous-tailed Jacamar, photo by Yeimiri Badilla

Drive through the open gate to the right (just north) of the main Pino Colina gate at 7 am. Follow the road down the hill and park near the bodega. Judy will meet us there; as always, we will have binoculars and guides to share.

Here is a photo of our last walk of 2021 at Las Cruces/Wilson Botanical Garden.

From left to right: Petra Heck, Judy Richardson, Peter Hulsinck, Tomas Wilkinson, Steffano from New Zealand, Tom and Portia’s granddaughter Ada, Portia Wilkinson and Julie Girard Woolley — photo by Alison Olivieri

Hope to see you there for fabulous birds and gorgeous gardens — it will be a real treat!