Dry forest, mangroves and wetland in one park, on the Tempisque River in Guanacaste. This is the dry side of the country, and the birds are different: the big water birds stand out in the open marsh, and the trees are low enough that you see what you hear.
We bird it two ways. A half day that puts a guided boat on the Tempisque together with a walk in the park. Then the wetlands from Rancho Humo's own safari jeeps, the ranch one family turned back into wetland and dry forest, for the storks and herons.
From the boat, the big birds of the Tempisque: Jabiru, Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill and Bare-throated Tiger-Heron. And with luck the Mangrove Hummingbird, a regional endemic of the Pacific mangroves.
In the dry forest, Turquoise-browed Motmot on the wires and fence posts, Long-tailed Manakin, White-throated Magpie-Jay in noisy family groups, and Double-striped Thick-Knee in the open country at dusk.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jabiru | Jabiru mycteria | Jabirú | |
| Wood Stork | Mycteria americana | Cigüeñón | |
| Roseate Spoonbill | Platalea ajaja | Espátula Rosada | |
| Bare-throated Tiger-Heron | Tigrisoma mexicanum | Garza-Tigre Cuellinuda | |
| Mangrove Hummingbird | Chrysuronia boucardi | Colibrí de Manglar | Regional endemic |
| Turquoise-browed Motmot | Eumomota superciliosa | Momoto Cejiceleste | |
| Long-tailed Manakin | Chiroxiphia linearis | Saltarín Toledo | |
| White-throated Magpie-Jay | Cyanocorax formosa | Urraca Copetona | |
| Double-striped Thick-Knee | Hesperoburhinus bistriatus | Alcaraván Americano |
Fly into Liberia for the dry side. From Arenal, Rancho Humo is about four hours by road, which is why our Northern Zone and Nicoya trips cross to the dry side last.
The dry season, December to April, when the trees are barest and the birding easiest. The resident birds are here in every month.
Rancho Humo Estancia, a private reserve on the Tempisque at Palo Verde.
Photo: Rancho Humo Estancia
Palo Verde
A very special natural area located in Guanacaste
★★★
A private reserve on the Tempisque at Palo Verde, a cattle ranch one family has turned back into wetland, mangrove and dry forest. Migrating birds stop here, and so do we, for the water birds of the dry side.
A few minutes on the form, and one of our Costa Rica specialists comes back to you personally with a first itinerary: the dry side in the right order with whatever else is on your list, and how many nights each stop really needs. That first version is just a place to start.
Or call us: 1 (800) 996-1139 from the US and Canada, +506 4052-2140 in Costa Rica.
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