It all started with a photo of a Resplendent Quetzal from Bird: The Definitive Visual Guide. I just happened to be looking through the book while we were talking about a winter vacation and came across a beautiful photo of the Quetzal. I told my husband that I wanted to see that bird and eventually started looking through the different tours we could do in Costa Rica – a country that we’ve been planning on visiting even before I started birding. We specifically booked part of our trip in San Gerardo de Dota – my travel agent said that this was the place to see the Quetzal. We left for our four-part tour shortly after Christmas.
The first part of our trip was in the Osa Peninsula. I will eventually write up a separate blog about this amazing location – but I will skip it for now since there are not Quetzals in that area. The first spot that we could potentially see a Quetzal was in Monteverde Cloud forest. The tour leader took us to a spot where the bird often fed on the wild avocados, but it was fairly early in the season for them. After only a few minutes of waiting, I spotted a trogon-like bird that flew above us and into the trees. It was not difficult to relocate the bright green bird where he landed.
Male Resplendent Quetzal in Monteverde Cloud Forest.
It was not the view that I was hoping for and it was tough to get a photo because the wind blew branches all around him, but I was super excited! The bird that started this entire trip was in my sights!
The next part of our trip was also out of range of the Quetzal near Arenal Volcano. Again, I will write about that trip, and more on Monteverde where I saw another key bird, at another time.
According to my travel agent, if I wanted to see the Quetzal, we should book a night in San Gerardo de Dota; and that is exactly what we did. We had a morning Quetzal walk – sounds promising, right? We walked down the road to a private property that was full of Avocado trees. Not long after, a female Quetzal was spotted.
Female Resplendent Quetzal
Her mate eventually joined us in the distance – and then – he flew into clear view!!
Resplendent Quetzal with his beautiful tail feathers.
I was so happy at this point that I’m pretty sure I cried some happy tears. The most beautiful bird on this side of the world was within feet of me!!! The light was low since we were in a valley, but I still walked away with many great photos. He plucked an avocado from the tree and started downing the entire fruit WHOLE.
Resplendent Quetzal eating a wild Avocado whole.
And to our luck, he sat for a while to begin digesting. We ended up having two pairs show up that morning! What a treat it was to hear them call back and forth and, most of all, see the males fly from tree to tree. I wish I could have captured that – they have the most beautiful flight I’ve ever seen!
Resplendent Quetzal digesting.
As you can see from this photo that my husband took, I was HAPPY!!!
iPhone Photo by Diego Penta
Forty minutes and hundreds of photos later, we trekked our way back up to the lodge. The next morning, even though I was not scheduled for the tour, I walked to the area myself to try and get a last look at this beautiful bird. This time, I somehow managed to get even better views and photos of a male.
Resplendent Quetzal
Resplendent Quetzal
And one of my favorite photos of him…
Resplendent Quetzal with tail feathers blowing in the wind
He was so close, that I was having trouble fitting the bird’s body and tail feathers in one frame. At one point, I could get head shots that filled up my entire frame!!
Resplendent Quetzal up close!
I could not have asked for better views of this highly sought-after bird. I’m not sure that I will ever top this. The memories and photos that I walked away with were everything I dreamed of and more! This, however, was not the last time I saw one… as I was making my way back to the lodge, a male flew right past me into a tree behind my room!!! This was the first time I saw him in direct sun light and I was able to say my goodbyes to this resplendent bird.
Resplendent Quetzal behind my room
Resplendent Quetzal behind my room
This was my last day in Costa Rica. It certainly was the best way to end an unforgettable trip with some amazing birds!