BIRDWATCHING AT
SAMASATI NATURE RETREAT

THE SAMASATI BIRDWATCHER PACKAGE
7-DAY PACKAGE

7 wonderful days which include:

• Accommodations nestled in the jungle
• All meals
• Four bird watching tours with professional local guide (5 hours each tour)
• Transfers from and to the airport
• Taxes
• Two of the tours will take place in the Samasati Biological Reserve, home to 400 different types of birds (documented by the Nature Conservancy Society of Washington DC) . The other two excursions will take us to the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, a large protected area nearby.

Bungalow private bath:

Single $ 1,466.00
Double $ 2,132.00 for 2 people
Triple or quadruple $ 863.00 per person

Double honeymoon Bungalow:

$ 2,412.00 for 2 people

Room with shared bath:

Single $ 1,060.00
Double $ 803.00 per person

Birds of Samasati
(Research Team List of Birds Here)

Costa Rica has a great variety of birds thanks to its geographical location in the Central American isthmus, being a biological bridge between the Neoartic and Neotropical regions and thanks to its varied topography, climate and vegetation. All these are factors that give this country such a variety of forests and ecosystems which provide habitats and food for an amazing quantity of bird species.

Samasati is located in the Talamanca region, part of the Caribbean's Humid Tropical rainforest. Thanks to its climate, the Talamanca has an exuberant flora and has one of the most rich and varied bird population in the entire country. Within this region one can find ecosystems of utmost importance in the world, from coral reefs to primary forest all within a very diverse and unique land scenery.

Samasati Biological Reserve - 250 acres of primary and secondary rainforest - plays a very important role for the existing ecosystems since it protects one of the largest remaining forests in this area, housing many bird species and other living organisms that exist because of it.

What type of birds specifically we can observe at Samasati?

Let's begin with the forest floor, where there is always a lot of activity due to the constant changes of soil and where many insects, amphibians and other animals live. Here live the anteaters, the leaf tossers and some "cucaracheros" or wrens. These are not very visible and are very timid, usually brown-colored. Some have very beautiful metallic blue hues in some parts. If you walk carefully, it is possible to see the Chestnut-backed Antbird (Mynmeciza axsul), the Ocellated Antbird (Phaenostictus mcleannani) or the Bicolored Antbird (Hylophylax naevioides) following an ant path or a Scaly-throated leaftosser (Sclerurus guatemalensis) turning over leaves on the ground in search of food. Other occasional visitors of the ground or underforest are hawks or falcons that live in the trees and hunt snakes and lizards. For example, one can easily spot the Collared Forest Falcon (Micrastur semitorquatus).

In the middle layer of the forest you can observe a greater variety of birds. Here you find the majority of the flowers and fruits, in addition to the insects, that are food for the birds. In the forest you can observe the curious and active hummingbirds, such as the Long-tailed Hermit (Phaethornis superciliosus), the Red-footed Plumleteer (Chalybura urochrysia) or the White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora) among others.

Other inhabitants of Samasati's forest and its surroundings are the Tanagers and the Trogons with their contrasting colors and beauty. In the mornings, you can observe the Slaty-tailed Trogon (Trogon massena), the Violaceus Trogon (Trogon violaceus), the Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus), the Blue-ray Tanager (Thraupis episcopus) and others. The Woodcreepers are one very interesting group of birds. You can see a number of them, from the small Wedge-billed Woodcreeper (Glyphorhynchus spirurus) to the large Barred Woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptes certhia). They scour the tree trunks in search of food; their colors are very cryptic so that they are difficult to see.

In the upper layer or canopy you can see birds as beautiful and surprising as the ones deeper inside the forest even though they are usually larger birds and more peculiar. Among the birds of prey that can be observed we find the Black Hawk Eagle (Spizaetus tyrannus), the White Hawk (Leucopternis albicollis), the Waco (Herpetotheres cachinnans), the Laughing Falcon and the Mayestic King Volture (Sarcoramphus papa). The Red Lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis), and the Mealy Parrot (Amazona farinosa), the White Crowned Parrot (Pionus senilis), and the Brown Hooded Parrot (Pionopsitta haematotis). The Toucan is a very popular bird. At Samasati we can observe the following kinds of Toucans: Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan (Ramphastos swainsonii). You can also find the Daring Collared Arcari (Pteroglossus torquatus) which eats eggs and birds from other nests. If you listen carefully you can hear the loud pecks of two large woodpeckers easily spotted here, the Leneated Woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus) and the Pale-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus guatemalensis).

In Samasati one can observe in all of its magnitude the phenomena of the migration-subject of study and admiration by scientists from around the world- in particular the migration of the Warblers and the birds of pray.

In the months between September and December, one can see up in the sky highways made by hundreds and hundreds birds of pray that come from North America to the tropical countries, in search of shelter and food, escaping the winter that ravages the north. Among the birds of pray that pass through Costa Rica you can see in a greater amount the Turkey Voltures (Cathartes aura), the Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platipterus), and the Swaison's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni). Day by day you can see these relentless birds that soar the thermal flows of warm air on their way South. Some of them decide to remain in Costa Rica. In the forest, you can also begin to see movement with the arrival of the Warblers, such as the Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia), the Canada Warbler (Willsonia canadensis), the Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendroica pensilvanica), and others such as the Wood Thrush (Hylocicla mustelina), the Eastern Kingbird (Tyranus tyranus) and the Purple Martin (Progne subis).

I could spend many more hours talking about the beautiful birds found in the Samasati's forest, but there is no better way to discover and enjoy the birds than to do it in person. An experience you will never forget.

Pablo Porras
Nature Conservancy Team of Washington DC