Bird Paradise (Paraiso)

Keel-Billed Toucan, Ringed Kingfisher, Black-Headed Trogon (Birds heard not seen, except for the Trogon. Not our photos.)

The restored jungle where we’re staying, Pura Jungla, is located in Paraiso - yes, Paradise. The morning jungle chorus is always enlivening and interspersed with background roars of howler monkeys. They don’t show on the ‘birds heard’ chart below, of course.

We use two different bird listening apps by Cornell Ornithology Labs - Birdnet and below, Merlin. Birdnet is nice because it automatically keeps track of birds heard. But while Birdnet requires highlighting the sound pattern to identify the bird, Merlin lists each bird as it’s heard and highlights the bird making the current sound. Soon, we’ll figure out the app, E-Bird so we can contribute information as citizen scientists :)

Today, March 13, 2023, probably because of an unexpected rain shower yesterday, it was a bird paradise of songs and calls. I included photos of a few on the list. Most birds we don’t necessarily see other than our regular bird visitors. We did not see the Keel-Billed Toucan, but it was thrilling to know it is, or was, here in our jungle.

It’s also worth noting that the Clay-Colored Thrush, a plain yard bird, is the Costa Rican national bird. That of all the big, showy birds here, that was chosen. They often are found near homes, singing musically or whistling as if calling you to come outside.