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Field Guides, Maps, Odds and Ends Bird Field Guides The Skutch and Stiles "The Field Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica" is starting to show its age. It has always showed its weight. The new Garrigues and Dean field guide, "The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide" is a lighter, more efficient guide when you're out on the trails. Trying to carry a fat, wet Skutch and Stiles guide is like carrying a cord of wood. To be fair, other great field guides for the neotropics are at least as heavy. Few countries, however, have the same tourist industry Costa Rica has. This country can truly use a second field guide. The Garrigues and Dean guide has good color plates and, finally, easy-on-your-eyes range maps. It's user-friendly in ways the other field guide was not. Still, for avid birders, I strongly recommend taking both guides if you have the room. The Skutch and Stiles guide can remain in the suitcase for references to ecology and habitat. The two maps of Costa Rica at the front of the Skutch and Stiles guide are also important references, and I continue to use them even after 10 trips to Costa Rica.
Bird Checklists - Nearly all web checklists I've seen of specific Costa Rican parks and refuges were found lacking in some way. Most are overly generic. Several, like the web checklist for Cano Negro, are very poor and are missing several obvious species. It's difficult to find any checklists that have information on status and distribution or have even seasonal information. In short, don't rely heavily on any web checklists. I suspect many tour companies have good ones, but I haven't seen one in many years. I found that searching the trip reports was the best way of understanding the avifauna of the local terrain. That said, a good checklist of Carara National Park (and three other checklists of Caribbean slope parks) can be found here... http://www.costaricagateway.com/checklist/index.php Guide Services – On at least two occasions, we sought out a personal natural history guide to drive us into areas we were not familiar with (some remote areas of Guanacaste National Park and Hacienda Baru). English-speaking guides are not difficult to find in Costa Rica. I recommend asking someone at your hotel for information or a local phone number. Just remember that when the person behind the desk hears that you want the best bird guide available, he or she may think that means you want to see a toucan – not a Western Slaty Antshrike. Their understanding of a “bird guide” is likely not the same as yours. Do not expect spur-of-the-moment guides to be strong bird guides. The best Costa Rican bird guides – and there are many – have their own tour companies or are on tour and frequently not available on a few days notice. Most guides that the hotels have access to are general natural history guides with sometimes a little bird knowledge. However, they can be useful in areas where you are not familiar. On both occasions, our guide drove our rental car and stopped where we wished. I was generally happy with both guides because my expectations were fairly low as it concerned the avifauna. However, it is not something we do frequently. Should you take advantage of a local guide for a day, you should at least get your money’s worth. Ask them to be on the lookout for interesting mammals (sloths and monkeys) and to point out the more conspicuous plants and trees. But make sure they know your mission is to see the biggest variety of bird life and that this will not be a typical natural history tour. You should not expect full identification of every species by a natural history guide. Only the very specific bird guides have that kind of knowledge. Although tempted, I have never taken advantage of a local bird guide at Carara National Park. Just a quick surf of the Internet, however, produced this very specific link of a guide with birding credentials... http://www.costaricabirdingjourneys.org . From what I can read on that web site, I'd hire this guy for Carara. Obviously, real birding guides aren't impossible to find. The better bird guides should be contacted in advance, and you should seek out those who advertise their birding skills. Odds and Ends National Parks - Most national parks open at 8:00 am. and close at either 4 or 5 pm. and cost 5-10 dollars. Most are closed on Mondays (Palo Verde being the only exception that I've heard about). You may be able to get in a park before or after hours, but there are no hard rules about that. When in doubt, play it safe and only stay within the appropriate time frame. National reserves, biological stations, and research centers may have different hours. Check ahead. Concerning Canopy Walkways: Canopy Walkways are breeding like rabbits now in Costa Rica. In a nutshell, you should not expect to be able to bird watch at all at any of the canopy walkways around Guanacaste. Most are not span bridges where one can walk. The one in Rincon de Vieja always sounds like a lot of fun when talking to people, but they are pricey, and for birding it just isn't feasible in a group situation. The one walkway I have heard good things about is the Skywalk at Monteverde (we didn't attempt this during our visit). As I understand it, there apparently are two walkways in Monteverde - one called a Skywalk and one called a canopy walkway. The Skywalk, I've heard, is a simple span bridge through the canopy that may allow for more leisurely walking and birding. I have done something similar in Amazonian Peru that was an exceptional birding experience - but only because I had time. The official canopy walkway in Monteverde, on the other hand, I have heard is more for the thrill than for birding. These are second-hand reports, as I have done none of them. Any information to the contrary would be appreciated. Money Exchange - Currency goes from dollars to colones. We always get colones at the hotels when we can, but we also pay with a Visa Card whenever possible (it's generally a low exchange rate). For whatever reason, Costa Rica is less attracted to MasterCard. More places take Visa. I wouldn't worry much or quibble about slightly higher exchange rates here or there. It's better to have colones and not worry, than to be figuring out how you can save a buck on the exchange rate while wandering around with no colones in your pocket. Paying with colones is not a major problem. In a pinch, most people take dollars. Nevertheless, I would never be out without colones. If you have trouble with the exchange rate, someone will usually help. In smaller towns, you'll need colones to buy drinks and gas. I never take traveler's checks. Most people aren't thrilled to see them, especially in small towns or in small stores. This, however, is a personal choice. If you do take them, I suggest cashing them at banks or in hotels before you go out driving. Food - For the record, I've never been sick in Costa Rica because of food or water (10 trips and counting). I've been sick in Venezuela, Mexico, Belize and Peru, but never Costa Rica. I know two people who have gotten ill in CR out of about 150. Take that for what it's worth. I make no promises, but I know it's a vast improvement over most countries - particularly the water supply. Food is consistently good in Costa Rica in my opinion. If you like rice and beans, I recommend getting the traditional "cusado" at the local restaurants. Cusado is the Costa Rican "blue plate special" - a meat of your choice (I get the fish every time), rice and beans, and plantain. Sometimes it's not on the the menu and you have to ask for it. It's the traditional Costa Rican dish, but most tourists don't know about it. It's familiar food for the American palate, plus it's cheap, filling, and generally quite good. Especially with anything on the table that looks like hot sauce. Land Rush in Guanacaste - The opening of the Liberia Airport to international travel has created something of a land rush in northern Guanacaste. While dwellings seem to be going up exponentially every year, the infrastructure of roads, power, and services has also improved. While I cringe at the development, most all the parks mentioned here have been safely tucked away and protected for well over two decades and do not seem to be at risk yet. It's a bit of a mixed blessing, but unlike the U.S., Costa Rica is well aware that their natural resources are a big asset. I'm hoping their government has the good sense to maintain some equilibrium while they go through this period of growth. Costa Ricans, like Americans, argue regional politics all the time. Driving - Driving in CR is generally no big deal. However, there are some things to consider. First, it's impossible to treat the Pan American Highway like some U.S. highway. It's two lanes, there are lots of potholes, and there are no shoulders. People will pass you when normally you would think there is no way anyone should be passing in these conditions. Even buses behave badly by our standards. Trust your American instincts. Don't start driving the way most Costa Ricans do (Costa Ricans will be the first to admit this). You'll probably regret it. Play it safe and don't get in a hurry. You will likely be driving about 40 mph on this road on most days. Budget your time accordingly. Secondly, take your passports with you. There are many checkpoints that are set up on roads just to check people like us. They ask for your passport. Generally they are harmless and just want to know where you are going. I don't worry much about them anymore, but don't go out driving without your passport even on short day trips. Make a copy of your passport and leave it in your hotel room in case something happens. Thirdly, be very mindful of speed traps. Usually Costa Ricans are very good about flashing their lights and warning you of upcoming speed traps. Pay attention to that. There is always a speed trap a few kilometers north of Carara NP. They busted us once, but they only require you to pay the ticket right there on the spot (I know, it's probably a bribe but it beats going to court).
If you stay near Samara or anywhere south of the Gulf of Papagayo (Nicoya Peninsula), you might consider the bridge across the Gulf of Nicoya (Hwy 18) in order to get to the Pan American Highway (rather than driving north and then back down south on the Pan American Highway). This bridge was closed for repairs when we stayed in Samara, but I hear it's open now. It will save you some time for birding places like Carara NP. I don't recommend the car ferry in southern Nicoya. It simply takes too long unless you catch it just at the right time. General Costa Rica Maps http://costa-rica-guide.com/MapStore.html Guanacaste Maps http://www.govisitcostarica.com/travelinfo/mapLg.asp?mapID=2 http://www.costaricarealty.biz/map_guanacaste.htm http://www.maptak.com/cr/gua/pro-gu.html Carara, Manuel Antonio, and Hacienda Baru http://www.moon.com/planner/costa_rica/mustsee/carara_np.html http://adventure-costarica.com/travel/costa_rica_national_parks/national_parks_central_pacific.htm Richard Garrigues Costa Rica Birding Web Site. Definitely worth poking around for several reasons. http://www.angelfire.com/bc/gonebirding/ Other "Table Top" Bird Books on Costa Rica...
Also at Amazon: Site Guides: Costa Rica & Panama - A Guide to the Best Birding Locations (Site Guides) Travel & Site Guide to Birds of Costa Rica With Side Trips to Panama
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