Renown for it’s biodiversity and ecotourism, many bird photographers put Costa Rica at the top of their lists of places to visit. On this trip we will combine our previous two itineraries to create one trip with maximum diversity. By visiting a variety of habitats, this trip will give the participants an appreciation for the range of beauty and diversity the country has to offer. We will work with local businesses as well as collaborate with guides who grew up here and make their living showing visitors specialized areas and target species. Using this team, our trip will be unbelievably productive. 

 Schedule

October 25 - Arrive in San Jose. We will have a ride for you to the hotel
October 26 - Toucans, Honeycreepers, and more. Optional bats at night
October 27 - King Vultures, feeder set-ups
October 28 - Low elevation hummingbirds and hopefully owls in day roosts.
October 29 - High elevation hummingbirds in flight and set-ups
October 30 - Quetzals, hummingbirds and more
October 31 - Safari boat ride for herons, raptors, more
November 1 - Forest species using calls. Look for Macaws
November 2 - We will drive you to the airport in time for your flight.

Species List:
Species in bold are the easier species to find and photograph. We will probably get 70-80% of the bold species. Species which are not bold or italicized are either difficult to find, difficult to photograph, or simply not highest priority. I expect to only get decent shots of about 30-40% of these. 


Birds:

• Great Curassow

• Bare-throated Tiger-Heron

• Boat-billed Heron

• King Vulture

• Black Hawk

• Crested Caracara

• Yellow-headed Caracara

• Crested Owl

• Spectacled Owl

• Pale-vented Pigeon

• Scarlet Macaw

• Great Green Macaw

• Orange-chinned Parakeet

• Brown-hooded Parrot

• Keel-billed Toucan

• Yellow-throated Toucan

• Collared Aracari 

• Collared Trogon

• Resplendent Quetzal

• Hoffman’s Woodpecker

• Black-cheecked Woodpecker

• Chestnut-colored Woodpecker

• Black-headed Tody-flycatcher

• Great Kiskadee

• Acorn Woodpecker

• Collared Redstart

• Clay-colored Thrush

• Plain-colored Tanager

• Golden-hooded Tanager

• Scarlet-rumped Tanager

• Blue-gray Tanager

• Palm Tanager

• Silver-throated Tanager

• Flame-colored Tanager

• Blue Dachnis

• Olive-backed Euphonia

• Summer Tanager

• Green honeycreeper

• Shining Honeycreeper

• Red-legged Honeycreeper

• Black-coweled Oriole

• Baltimore Oriole

• Scarlet-rumped Cicique

• Chestnut-headed Oropendola 

• Bananaquit

• Buff-throated saltator

• Sooty-capped chlorospingus

• Yellow-thighed Finch

• Large-footed Finch

• Rufous-collared Sparrow

• Melodious blackbird

• Montezuma oropendola

• and more . . .

Hummingbirds:

• Violet Sabrewing

• Green Hermit

• Long-billed Hermit

• Stripe-throated Hermit

• Green-crowned Brilliant

• Talamancan Hummingbird

• Fiery-throated Hummingbird

• Purple-crowned Fairy

• White-necked Jacobin

• Crowned Woodnymph

• Snowy-bellied Hummingbird

• Stripe-tailed Hummingbird

• Black-bellied Hummingbird

• Coppery-headed Emerald

• Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

• Green Thorntail Hummingbird

• Steely-vented Hummingbird

• Purple throated mountain-gem

• Magenta-throated woodstar

• Green Violetear

• Snowcap

• Volcano Hummingbird

Other animals:

• Three-toed Sloth

• White-nosed Coati

• White-headed Capuchin

• Lowland Paca

• Honduran White Bat

• Bats in flight

• Insects, tree frogs, and reptiles

The above gallery shows images by Matthew Studebaker on the last two Costa Rica trips lead or co-lead by John Crawley.

What to pack

• Boots: Comfortable hiking boots that can get muddy

• Jacket: You will want a coat that can keep you dry and warm. Temperatures could fall into the sixties which isn’t bad unless you are wet.

• Umbrella: Not essential but a small travel umbrella could have use at times.

• Clothes: I wear a baseball cap to keep strong sun and rain out of my face. Jeans are ok, but if you have pants that slightly more water resistant and breathable, that’s even better. Some people (including local guides) opt for shorts in the lower warmer elevations, but I like to have my legs protected. You will need short sleeves days, but long sleeves and a couple layers are better for cool mornings.

• Binoculars: Not essential, but binoculars are convenient to help spot birds.

• Lenses:
  Bring a telephoto lens. Anything in the 500mm to the 800mm range will be good. If you use less than 500mm we recommend you also bring a tele-extender. We want to use this longer lens to photograph birds like Boat-billed Herons at a comfortable distance, and for small birds near feeders.
  Bring a mid-range lens. A 70-200mm or an 80-400mm are both great choices for example. Mid-range lenses will be perfect for photographing birds of pray at close range and flight photography.
  Also bring a macro lens. We will have a couple chances to photograph some incredible tree frogs, insects, and reptiles.
  A wide angle lens is not necessary, but can be used for landscapes or creative work with animals at point blank.

• Camera: Bring a DSLR or mirrorless. A high frame rate is useful for capturing action, but even more important will be your camera’s ability to handle higher ISOs. In the forest with natural light, we will often want to use an ISO of at least 800, and often 1600. Those of us who are able to use 3200 will be even happier. Shooting at 3200 won’t be mandatory, but it makes life easier occasionally. We will have one Nikon shooter and one Canon shooter available to help answer incidental questions. If you are shooting other brands, we may not be able to help with technical questions. All photographers on this trip should have excellent working knowledge of their gear no matter what brand you use. This trip is not for the novice.

• Other: Be sure to pack a tripod, tripod head, lens cloth. Bring lots of memory!!!!!! John Crawley and Matthew Studebaker have found that we fill cards faster in Costa Rica faster than just about anywhere else we have ever been. We shoot with 120 GB cards in the cameras and download to external portable drives each evening. You may want a cable release for hummingbird set-ups so that you can sit comfortable and trigger your camera without looking through the viewfinder. You can bring your own flash if you wish but it’s not necessary. All flashes, backgrounds, and triggers for multi-flash hummingbird work will be provided for you.

• A positive attitude. We want this trip to be enjoyable for everyone. Negative behavior and abrasive attitudes are not tolerated. Please read the waiver when you pay your deposit.

  
  

Cell Phones and Internet: You have three options for cell service in Costa Rica. First, you can arrange with your service provider to have an international plan in order to avoid very expensive roaming charges. Second, you can buy a sim card at the airport. Third, you can turn your phone to “airplane mode” and simply use WhatsApp or text to communicate when wifi is available. Wifi is nearly always available at the lodges we visit, but it may be somewhat unreliable and almost certainly very slow.

Weather and Schedule:
The sun rises around 5:30am and sets just after 5pm. Our sleep and shooting schedule will very based on weather and the plans for the day. Be prepared for sunny, humid, warm weather with temperatures in the lower 80s during the afternoons, and in the 60s in the early mornings.

Transportation: Our group will have a private tour van with plenty of space as well as a dedicated driver to help with luggage.

Hotel: All accommodations are booked as single occupancy unless you tell us otherwise. More details on the lodging will be provided after you sign-up.

Physical requirements and convenience: This trip is incredibly easy as far as nature photography goes, but keep a couple things in mind. Most shooting will take place right next to the vehicle or from porches or decks of lodges. We will have one or two very very short walks into a rain forest. Accommodations will be comfortable, beautiful, but simple. Many roads will be small and bumpy.

Learning / Slideshows: 
This photo tour is primarily about putting you in the right place at the right time to make the best photos possible during your time in Costa Rica. John will pass along exposure and camera setting suggestions. We may have some informal learning opportunities and brief slideshows, but this trip is not designed to help you learn how to use your camera. We will try to peek over everyone's shoulder from time to time to check histograms and exposures. Aside from that, we will need YOU to tell us if you have additional questions, learning objectives, or concerns.

Travel Insurance:
We strongly recommend getting travel insurance. If you decide to cancel the trip for any reason including travel concerns related to Covid, and we can’t fill your spot, we don’t provide refunds but you can protect your trip with travel insurance. Here are a few companies we recommend and/or have worked with. 

TraveleX Insurance www.travelexinsurance.com

Seven Corners www.sevencorners.com

Trawick International www.trawickinternational.com

HTH Worldwide www.hthtravelinsurance.com

About the trip leader John Crawley:
John Crawley graduated with a degree in zoology with an emphasis in raptor biology and a minor in art history. His quality photography has gained him an incredible following - one of the top followed bird account in the US on Instagram. See more of his work @jc_wings on Instagram. On top of his qualifications, he makes an amazing trip leader with his great attitude, kind personality, and natural leadership abilities.

Cancellation Policy: Participant will receive a full refund of their deposit minus a $250 re-listing fee if we are able to fill the cancelled space. If we are unable to fill the cancelled space, we cannot issue a refund or credit of any kind, even for Covid related concerns. 

To sign up for the photo tour, please add the deposit to your cart at the top of this page. E-mail us with any questions at matthewstudebaker@gmail.com