Costa Rica is a place where the boundaries between nature and observer blur, where hummingbirds land on your shoulder and sloths seem to smile down from the trees. For a group of nine travelers from Wild Birds Unlimited, many experiencing the American tropics for the very first time, this was a journey rich in discovery, delight, and connection.
Our Reefs to Rockies adventure took place in early August, during Costa Rica’s rainy season—more affectionately known as the green season. Occasional showers passed through but rarely impacted our plans. If anything, the rain only added to the magic, nourishing a lush, vibrant landscape alive with wildlife activity.
Co-led by Kyle Carlsen and knowledgeable local guides Esteban and Jose, our trip spanned rainforests, foothills, and cloud forests, revealing just how much biodiversity is packed into this small Central American country, which is roughly the size of West Virginia. We tallied more than 200 bird species in just a week—not by chasing targets, but by immersing ourselves in the living, breathing wild.
Along the Pacific coast, toucans called from the canopy, iguanas sunned on warm rocks, and mornings began with the chatter of parrots and the flash of hummingbirds. At Hacienda Barú, a protected reserve teeming with life, we were treated to close encounters with sloths, agoutis, and coatis. The forest here felt alive in every sense—layered with color, sound, and movement. And the birds! Tanagers, manakins, antshrikes, wrens, woodpeckers… the list goes on. You didn’t have to work hard to see them. You just had to show up.
Then there were the mountains. In the highlands of San Gerardo de Dota, the air turned cool, the light softened, and the tempo slowed. Our lodge offered front-row seats to jaw-dropping sunsets, while feeders outside the dining area drew in a dazzling blur of hummingbirds: fiery-throated, volcano, violetear. Some were bold enough to land on phones, cameras, even shoulders, as we stood in stunned silence, unsure whether to take a photo or just let the moment happen.
Of course, the resplendent quetzal was on everyone’s wish list. And yes, we saw them—multiple birds, one magical morning, including a spectacular male with the famous long tail trailing behind him like a living ribbon. But it wasn’t about ticking a box. It was about being there, in the stillness of the cloud forest, when the moment arrived.
This trip wasn’t just a checklist of species. It was an invitation to be amazed. To be humbled by how much life surrounds us when we pause long enough to notice. Whether it was a laughing falcon perched against a tropical sky or the quiet hush of a forest trail after rain, Costa Rica gave us scene after scene of wonder.
For a group of first-time tropical birders, the week offered more than just new species—it sparked a connection to a place overflowing with life, the kind of experience that stays with you long after the journey ends.