Warblers on a trip to Costa Rica -January 10-19

Chestnut sided Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 12, 2020

Tennessee Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 12, 2020

Mourning Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 11, 2020

 Yellow Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 11, 2020

 Golden winged Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 11, 2020

Recently back from yet another relaxing trip down to Costa Rica (our 13th trip!) with almost our entire vacation spent at Rio Magnolia Lodge in the southern Pacific foothills with just a half day trip down to the coast to break up our time at the lodge.  The first full day at the lodge turned up seven species of warbler which was about the average number I would find over the course of a typical day at the lodge (I was never able to find more than that total in a single day at the lodge for this trip). As is typically the case at the lodge the most common species were Chestnut sided Warblers and Tennessee Warblers with double digit totals most ever day. On January 12th I found a Blackburnian Warbler in among a mixed flock which was a species I had never had at the lodge before (bringing my total at the lodge to 16 species of warblers).

Kentucky Warbler, Hacienda Baru NWR, Costa Rica, Jan 13, 2020

Northern Waterthrush, Hacienda Baru NWR, Costa Rica, Jan 13, 2020

On Monday we made a trip down to the coast in the morning and stayed at Hacienda Baru through early afternoon. The lower elevation typically produces some different warbler species that are not found at the lodge. My main targets for warblers were Northern Waterthrush (which is very common at the location) and Prothonotary Warbler (which can be a bit tougher to find). I found a Prothonotary Warbler within the first half hour but failed to get a photo when my normally reliable camera had a hiccup (some error message showed up regarding the lens and the camera refused to take a photo). I managed to get the camera working again but by then the bird had disappeared and did not show itself again despite much effort on my part. The surprise warbler of the day was a Kentucky Warbler that showed quite well not too far away from where I had the Prothonotary Warbler. Despite the less than ideal lighting conditions in the forest I was able to get a few decent photos. A couple other notable warblers included a male American Redstart and a Common Yellowthroat. The most common warblers overall were as expected Chestnut sided Warblers and Tennessee Warblers plus several Yellow Warblers. Overall for the trip down to Hacienda Baru I found a total of eight species of warblers with three of those new for the trip.

Gray crowned Yellowthroat, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2020

Black and White Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2020

MacGillivray's Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 16, 2020

Golden winged Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 15, 2020

Yellow Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 15, 2020

The remainder of the trip (Tuesday-Sunday) was spent solely at the lodge with each day bringing a great selection of birds including a number of warblers including my second MacGillivrays Warbler I have ever had at the lodge. I also managed to get some better looks (and photos) of ones I saw earlier in the trip. My total number of warblers seen for the trip totaled 15 species.