Warblers on a trip to Arenal area and Hotel Quelitales in Costa Rica -March 23-April 2

Gray crowned Yellowthroat, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 29, 2025

I recently returned from my 17th trip down to Costa Rica and it was once again productive. The trip consisted of a few different parts with the majority spent in the Arenal area where we stayed at Arenal Observatory Lodge before moving on to Arenal Kioro Suites where Sherri had a conference. At the end I continued on for a few solo days in the hills east of the San Jose area to a place called Hotel Quelitalas.

To start the trip we took an afternoon flight down to Charlotte on Saturday where we spent the night. The hotel we stayed at was in a business park that had some decent habitat and some walking trails and the location proved to be fairly productive. I had three species of warblers including Yellow rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler and Pine Warbler (all new for me in North Carolina). No photos as I didn’t want to unpack all my gear. 

We then took a morning flight out of Charlotte down to Liberia in Costa Rica where we arrived around midday local time (two hours behind us) and then spent an hour plus getting through immigration. It was sunny, hot and windy in the lowlands. The weather changed as we moved up in elevation and by the time we started our way around Lake Arenal on our way to the lodge the clouds moved in and the rain started. We finally made it to the lodge a little after four and I got a little birding in around our room with just one species of warbler, Chestnut sided Warbler, to show for my efforts. 

Wilson's Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025

Tennessee Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025

Northern Waterthrush, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025

Louisiana Waterthrush, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025

Buff rumped Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025

Golden crowned Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025

On my first full day at the lodge I headed out before dawn. The skies were mainly overcast with just a few stars visible as I walked to the far southeast corner of the property with warblers being a major target. I spent the next nearly three hours under threatening skies that eventually started producing some rain just as I was finishing up my walk. Despite the gloomy conditions I tallied seven species of warblers including both waterthrush species, Gray crowned Yellowthroat, Tropical Parula, Chestnut sided Warbler (just one!), Golden crowned Warbler (including some gathering nest material) and Buff rumped Warbler. The rain then continued on and off (mainly on) for the remainder of the day with the afternoon a washout. Nonetheless I did get out between bouts of rain during the morning plus birded from our deck and I turned up a few more warblers including Black and White Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Yellow Warbler and Wilson’s Warbler bringing my total for the day to 11 species…not too bad considering the conditions. 

Chestnut sided Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025

Tennessee Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025

Black and White Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025

Lake Arenal, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025

I was out once again before the sun was up and unfortunately the rain started up again and I had to wait about 15 minutes for it to slow down enough to attempt to make the couple mile walk out to the far northeast corner of the lodge property. One of my target warblers was Kentucky Warblers and once I made it into the forest I had one. I had some fleeting views but not long enough to get a photo. I did get a recording of the calls as the bird circled around me for several minutes. During the remainder of my walk before heading back for breakfast I added seven more species of warblers as I dodged some spotty rain and drizzle. After breakfast I headed back out as the rain continued to be spotty and I added a couple more species for the day including a decent number of Chestnut sided Warblers with many in heavy molt and a few with near breeding plumage. The time period of late morning through midday was mainly rain free and I was able to get a bit more walking in and added another species for the trip with a couple Black throated Green Warblers in a mixed flock of mainly northern breeding species. A few distant birds got away without being identified as the group worked through the tops of the trees. By early afternoon the rain picked up in intensity and stayed that way for the rest of the day. By the end of the day I totaled 11 species of warblers once again. 

Chestnut sided Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 26, 2025

Buff rumped Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 26, 2025

Tennessee Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 26, 2025

Wilson's Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 26, 2025

Tropical Parula, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 26, 2025

Tennessee Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 26, 2025

On the last full day at the observatory lodge I was out the door early with the intention of heading way out on the trails to try to get some photos of the Kentucky Warbler I found the day before. Not surprisingly it was raining a little first thing in the morning but it didn’t seem to bad some I took the chance on making the walk. I regretted that decision after walking quite a distance out and then getting caught in a downpour. I took shelter for a while and when there was a slight lull I started back. Of course the rain picked up again and I got soaked. I only got a few warblers during that walk. Once I got back the rain of course stopped again. I stayed fairly close to the room and then made a stop for breakfast. The rain seemed to have stopped and I took another chance to make a longer walk and once again got caught in another downpour. All was not lost as I did add some warblers before the rain came down. The remainder of the day continued with the on and off rain although we actually had a decent amount of the afternoon rain free. I almost made a third attempt to take a long walk but decided that I didn’t want to get caught for a third time in a downpour in the same day. I spent the rest of the day taking either short walks or sitting on the deck. By the end of the day I had tracked down eight species with no new ones for the trip. 

Buff rumped Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 27, 2025

Black throated Green Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 27, 2025

Tennessee Warbler, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 27, 2025

Yellow Warbler, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 27, 2025

I had some of the morning available at the observatory before we got picked up at 10AM for the 25 minute drive down to Arenal Kioro Suites near La Fortuna. Again I was up early and once again it was raining off and on and it was even windier than any other day. After getting caught in the rain a couple times the day before I didn’t venture too far away from shelter. Nonetheless I still got to cover some of the trails and found birds despite the occasional rain. Nothing new in the few hours I had available with a total of eight species. We made it down to Arenal Kioro late in the morning and I birded around the grounds and once again had to dodge rain showers. Among the three species of warblers I added a couple Yellow Warblers for the day. 

Yellow Warbler, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 28, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 28, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 28, 2025

On the first full day at Arenal Kioro I got out early once again and the rain actually held off for a good portion of the day with just short bouts of light rain or drizzle with no downpours…progress! I birded around the grounds for most of the morning and some of the afternoon. I ended the day with five species of warblers, which is not too bad given the limited area of the grounds of the lodge. The big achievement of the day was not having to spend time inside due to heavy rain. 

Gray crowned Yellowthroat, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 29, 2025

Gray crowned Yellowthroat, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 29, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 29, 2025

The last full day at Arenal Kioro dawned with a little fog that lifted quickly with the remainder of the day staying dry with a mix of sun and clouds and feeling more like I would expect it to feel in the dry season. I once again walked the grounds and had some good luck with warblers with a total of eight species for the day. My early morning walk was quite productive as I ran across a mixed flock that contained mainly warblers with Chestnut sided Warbler and Tennessee Warbler making up the majority of birds with the other species being Black and White Warbler and Yellow Warbler. They appeared to be moving through the area and not stopping and they were not present in the area the previous day. After a brief break for breakfast I was out again for a few more hours and got some fantastic looks at Gray crowned Yellowthroats. After lunch I got a massage and then birded around the property once again but didn’t find any new warblers in my travels. 

Magnolia Warbler, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 30, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 30, 2025

Buff rumped Warbler, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 30, 2025

Prothonotary Warbler, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 30, 2025

Sunday would be a travel day as we would be leaving Arenal Kioro and heading to San Jose to drop off Sherri for her flight the following morning and then I would continue on to Hotel Quelitalas. I had the morning free to bird around the grounds once again and I was up early checking for owls again (quite successfully I might add) and then I headed down the entrance road to once again check the area where I had a selection of warblers the day before. I had some great looks at a pair of Buff rumped Warblers as I walked down the road. Once I made it to the previously productive spot I noticed the activity was a bit lower but the quality made up for a slight reduction in numbers. I added the first of two new warblers for the trip with a Magnolia Warbler working through the low trees and I got a few photos despite the poor lighting. The Magnolia Warbler was a new warbler species for me in Costa Rica and my total for warblers there now stands at 35 species. As I scanned through birds I discovered a stunning Prothonotary Warbler. That bird was not cooperative at all and only showed itself occasionally and only for fleeting glimpses. I eventually got a few marginal shots of it. I then hiked back up the hill to join Sherri for breakfast before I headed out again for a large portion of the morning before packing up and getting ready to head to my next destination. We had a relaxing lunch before making the nearly three hour ride to San Jose to drop off Sherri before I continued on for almost another two hours to Hotel Quelitalas where I arrived around six. I ended the day with nine species of warblers, all at Arenal Kioro. The arrival at Hotel Quelitalas had a bit of a snafu when I arrived as for some reason my credit card didn’t go through and they canceled me. Thankfully we got it straightened out quickly and my room was still available. In fact I was the only guest for the night and they fired up the kitchen so I could have dinner. 

Louisiana Waterthrush, Hotel Quelitales, Costa Rica, Mar 31, 2025

Blackburnian Warbler, Hotel Quelitales, Costa Rica, Mar 31, 2025

Slate throated Redstart, Hotel Quelitales, Costa Rica, Mar 31, 2025

Golden crowned Warbler, Hotel Quelitales, Costa Rica, Mar 31, 2025

On my first full day at Hotel Quelitalas I spent the entire day around the grounds and hiked several miles including some very steep trails to get to some higher elevations. It was nice to not have to deal with any rain beyond a couple of sprinkles late in the afternoon. By the end of the day I had tallied nine species of warblers with three new species for the trip with Blackburnian Warbler, Golden winged Warbler and Slate throated Redstart. None of these were new for the year as I had seen them all during my trip down to Costa Rica in late January into early February.  I also had an interesting interaction with a Golden crowned Warbler as it dropped down in front of me and performed a distraction display. I presumed there was a nest nearby. 

Slate throated Redstart, Hotel Quelitales, Costa Rica, Apr 1, 2025

Slate throated Redstart, Hotel Quelitales, Costa Rica, Apr 1, 2025

Tropical Parula, Hotel Quelitales, Costa Rica, Apr 1, 2025

Golden winged Warbler, Hotel Quelitales, Costa Rica, Apr 1, 2025

For my second day at Hotel Quelitalas I focused on tracking down a few more target species with some success. Along the way I ran across a few warblers including what appeared to be the same mixed flock I had the day before that contained Golden winged Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Tropical Parula and Slate throated Redstart. I also had the same experience with a Golden crowned Warbler as I had the day before as it dropped to the ground and faked an injury of some sort to distract me from what certainly is a nest site. No new warbler species for the day and I ended the day with eight species of warblers. 

I had a few hours in the morning available to bird and I made the most of what turned out to be the sunniest day of the whole trip. Just half a dozen species of warblers for the couple hours of effort. 

I ended my latest trip to Costa Rica with a total of 18 species with one of those new for me in the country (Magnolia Warbler). The addition now pushes my warbler species total in the country to 35 species.

Peru trip for three target species of warbler -December 2-December 9

Pale legged Warbler, Carretera a Manú--Túneles Pillahuata, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

Cuzco Warbler, Carretera a Manú--Thousand-meter Bridge a Chontachacra, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Two banded Warbler, Cock of the Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

My long planned trip down to Peru and then Bolivia in search of five target species of warblers finally happened. I will cover the Peru portion of the trip in this post and the Bolivia portion in a later post. Trying to get this trip together was filled with lots of stress as it involved lots of moving parts. The biggest stress came from the flights (Don’t ever use Avianca Airlines if you can possibly avoid it…I originally was using them for all of my flights but they changed everything a month before the trip without contacting me and refunded me well less than half of the total costs). I scrambled to put together a series of flights that would hopefully work. I flew out of Boston on the morning of December 2nd to Miami and then onto Lima where I spent the night at a hotel at the airport before a morning flight via LATAM to Cusco to meet my guide for the Peru portion of the trip. The main warbler targets in Peru were Pale legged Warbler, Two banded Warbler and Cuzco Warbler and I found all my targets as well as other warblers.

Pale legged Warbler, Carretera a Manú--Túneles Pillahuata, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

Pale legged Warbler, Carretera a Manú--Túneles Pillahuata, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

Spectacled Redstart, Carretera a Manú--Túneles Pillahuata, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

We started the long drive toward Cock of the Rock Lodge with a few stops along the way. Initially the drive was not too bad but the roads got progressively more twisty and I had some serious motion sickness on the way (probably a combo of lack of sleep, lack of food and the roads). Once we got up into the cloud forest I had my first warbler in Peru with a Spectacled Redstart. After a lunch break at Wayqecha Lodge we pressed on with some stops along the way and one of these stops produced my first target species with a Pale legged Warbler. Got some great looks at it as it worked its way through the tangles. Happy to get one of the targets early on. The final warbler for the day was a Blackburnian Warbler. We arrived at Cock of the Rock Lodge around sundown, had dinner and then off to bed. 

Two banded Warbler, Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Slate throated Redstart, Carretera a Manú--Tanager Corner a Thousand-meter Bridge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024 

Cuzco Warbler, Carretera a Manú--Thousand-meter Bridge a Chontachacra, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Cuzco Warbler, Carretera a Manú--Thousand-meter Bridge a Chontachacra, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

On our first full day around Cock of the Rock Lodge unfortunately started off with rain and thunder (a continuation from overnight). We stayed around the lodge longer than originally intended due to the heavy rain. Thankfully the time around the lodge rewarded me with a couple of Two banded Warblers I found before breakfast. They continued on and off through the rest of the morning with lots of singing when they were around. Second target down to start the day! This species looks a lot like my remaining target species (Cuzco Warbler) with some subtle physical differences (like eye arcs) but thankfully sings a totally different song. The only other warbler around was a Slate throated Redstart. We finally got a break in the rain a bit after ten and then we headed out to explore further down the road. After lots of looking before lunch we didn’t find the remaining target. We had a late lunch at the lodge and went back out again early in the afternoon and this time we had better luck and found a very vocal pair of Cuzco Warblers. Trying to get looks was tough and getting any photos was even harder. Nonetheless I got a few photos when the bird popped into the open ever so briefly. Very happy to have all three targets for the Peru part of the trip wrapped up early on. It was a low diversity day with just three species but when two are lifers that is not bad at all (other warbler for the day was Slate throated Redstart). 

Two banded Warbler, Cock of the Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

Two banded Warbler, Cock of the Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

Blackburnian Warbler, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

Three striped Warbler, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

Three striped Warbler, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

Russet crowned Warbler, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

The last full day in the area of Cock of the Rock Lodge I explored around the lodge early on before breakfast in a successful attempt to get better photos of Two banded Warblers. During my time around the lodge I also turned up my first Tropical Parula of the trip as well as more Slate throated Redstarts. After breakfast we headed up the road and ran into rain right away which persisted in varying intensity the rest of the morning. At times we were stuck in the vehicle due to the rain and other times got soaked trying to find stuff. In one of the lighter periods of rain we ran across a nice mixed flock that contained Three striped Warblers and Russet Crowned Warblers. Other new warblers for the day seen in various flocks included Blackburnian Warbler and Spectacled Redstart. By the end of the morning I had found seven species of warblers. After lunch and a little break we headed out in the middle of the afternoon to a cock of the rock lek and then did more roadside birding. No new warbler species for the afternoon but we did see a few species. By the end of the day I had seen a total of seven species of warbler. 

Slate throated Redstart, Cock of the Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 6, 2024

After a final night at Cock of the Rock Lodge we had an early breakfast and started the twisty drive back up the mountain with our destination for the day being Wayqecha Lodge (the same spot we stopped for lunch on our way a few days prior). We had an early breakfast and then started the drive up the with frequent stops for roadside birding on the way. Warblers were scattered around in various locations with no new species seen. We had lunch on the road and made it to the lodge a little after two, got settled in and then headed out for another long walk before dinner (no warblers on that walk). I finished the day with six species of warblers. 

We started Saturday with a look for another antpitta species before having breakfast. After breakfast we started the very, very long drive to Ipal which involved driving down the mountain we were on and then going back up another mountain range to the other side via a pass in the mountain at over 4100 meters. We did some birding along the way with a few stops but a lot of the day was driving to our destination at the Ipal Ecolodge in Ipal. The only species of warbler for the day was Slate throated Redstart. We arrived at our new lodging around five. The lodge was a bit too rustic for my tastes with no windows and just screens that didn’t keep the bugs out. Thankfully it was only one night. 

Slate throated Redstart, Ipal Ecolodge, Cusco, Peru, Dec 8, 2024

Slate throated Redstart, Tunkiwasi Lodge, Cusco, Peru, Dec 8, 2024

Tropical Parula, Tunkiwasi Lodge, Cusco, Peru, Dec 8, 2024

Tropical Parula, Tunkiwasi Lodge, Cusco, Peru, Dec 8, 2024

Citrine Warbler, PE 28B, Cusco, Peru, Dec 8, 2024

After a rather restless night of attempted sleep we birded a bit around the small property which produced a Slate throated Redstart as the first warbler of the day. Unfortunately I started to get cold symptoms and appeared to have caught the cold the guide had since the first full day of the trip despite my best efforts to avoid catching it. The weather was again overcast with occasional rain which made being out a bit uncomfortable. After leaving our lodging we headed to a nearby area that featured a nice feeder set up allowing great looks and photo opportunities for a variety of species (mainly tanagers and hummingbirds). As we watched the activity for hours there would also be species moving past in the trees nearby and this included a Tropical Parula and I got some distant photos. We then started the long drive back up over the mountains through the Abra Malaga Pass. The weather continued rainy and cool and we only made a few roadside stops along the way. One stop did produce a new warbler species for the trip with a couple Citrine Warbler in the area of a mixed flock (a species that could be split in the future) . We arrived at our lodging for the night in a town that is the jump off point for those visiting Machu Picchu so a busy place. My cold symptoms continued and it was a bit tough to sleep. With a noontime flight from Cusco to La Paz scheduled for the next day the guide decided we did not have the time to get any birding in before making the two hour ride to the airport. Initially we were going to have breakfast at the hotel just after six and then leave around seven but for reasons not fully explained we left around this time with a bagged breakfast to have along the way so I ended up at the airport around 8:30AM and had a long wait for my flight. As I was not feeling well I toyed with the idea of canceling the Bolivia trip and heading for home but decided to press on. 

Total warbler species for this portion of my trip came to ten species. Although this might not seem like a lot, it was quality and not the quantity for this trip with a total of three new warbler species for me including Pale legged Warbler, Two Banded Warbler and Cuzco Warbler. The other species seen during this portion of the trip included Tropical Parula, Blackburnian Warbler, Three striped Warbler, Citrine Warbler, Russet crowned Warbler, Slate throated Redstart and Spectacled Redstart.