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We left the steamy Osa Peninsula behind and worked our way northwest along the picturesque coastline. Eventually, we turned off the highway and began to climb back up into the Talamanca Range, the cloud cover obscuring the sun as we ascended into the mountains. Our destination for the night was a place called Bosque del Tolomuco. This property, owned by a Canadian couple, catered to birdwatchers and included several guesthouses and a busy array of hummingbird and fruit feeders. The main draw at Bosque del Tolomuco at the moment was the pair of White-crested Coquettes that were daily visitors to the Blue Porterweed flowers around the property. We had just observed a single White-crested Coquette in the Osa Peninsula, though we were eager to obtain better views (and hopefully, photos) of this uncommon species.
Since this was a new elevation for us in Costa Rica there were several other new species of hummingbirds that we had a chance at here. One of these was the beautiful Violet Sabrewing, a well-named species. In the late afternoon gloom we found a few individuals attending some of the feeders.
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| Violet Sabrewing - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
White-throated Mountain-gem was easily the most numerous species of hummingbird present.
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| White-throated Mountain-gem - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
Before dark we added four more species of hummingbird, of which two were "lifers" - Stripe-tailed Hummingbird and White-tailed Emerald. We also enjoyed watching the fruit feeders, tallying species like Red-headed Barbet, Golden-hooded Tanager and this Red-tailed Squirrel among the numerous Tennessee Warblers and Silver-throated Tanagers.
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| Red-tailed Squirrel - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
The next morning dawned cool but cloudless. As the sun crested the mountains some Swallow-tailed Kites took to the wing, soaring in a valley below us. A nice way to start the day.
Hummingbirds were active in the porterweed early on, including all of the species from the previous evening. I finally managed to take some decent photos of White-tailed Emerald and Stripe-tailed Hummingbird.
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| White-tailed Emerald - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
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| Stripe-tailed Hummingbird - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
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| White-tailed Emerald - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
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| Silver-throated Tanager - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
We also enjoyed scintillating looks at Scintillant Hummingbirds, of which three or four patrolled the porterweed.
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| Scintillant Hummingbird - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
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| Scintillant Hummingbird - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
Eventually I managed to lock onto a Magenta-throated Woodstar, another new species for both of us. Female Magenta-throated Woodstars can appear surprisingly similar to the Scintillant Hummingbirds, especially in photographs.
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| Magenta-throated Woodstar - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
Following a tip from the property owner I parked myself by a small guesthouse halfway down the driveway. The porterweed here was one location where the coquettes were often seen.
I did not have to wait long before a tiny hummingbird with white throat, rufous belly and a broad white stripe across the rump appeared. A White-crested Coquette! I called Laura over and we both enjoyed amazing views as it fed only a few metres away. Eventually it settled on a twig and I cracked off some decent photos.
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| White-crested Coquette - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
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| White-crested Coquette - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
A male appeared only moments later. Unfortunately I was never able to nail down an excellent photo but the crazy spiky hairdo is apparent in these photos. What a hummingbird!
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| White-crested Coquette - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica |
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White-crested Coquette - Bosque del Tolomuco, San José, Costa Rica
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Laura and I soon hit the road, happy with our hummingbird experience at Bosque del Tolomuco. We traveled through the mountains towards Cartago, following the winding mountain roads to the town of Orosi. We had booked a hostel here for two nights and were looking forward to exploring the nearby Tapantí National Park, which contained a whole new suite of possibilities. That evening we found an excellent restaurant and splurged on wood-fired pizza and wine, a nice end to the day.
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