Why you can miss the visit to Tarcoles river
Costa Rica has many rivers and I mean many, however not all of them are navigable, besides that some offer more variety of wildlife than others.
While Tarcoles river in the Central Pacific of Costa Rica, specifically the Garabito area where Carara National Park is located, the Tarcoles river is the king, known as the Crocodiles River. It offers much more than just these giant reptiles.
Originates on the southern slopes of the Cordillera Central volcanic range and flows in a south-westerly direction to the Gulf of Nicoya. The Tarcoles river is 111 kilometers (69 mi) long and its watershed covers an area of 2,121 square kilometers (819 sq mi), which encompasses around 50% of the country’s population.
The Tarcoles river has become in one of the most important resources for birders and nature photographers, its amazing ecosystems provides great conditions for many water birds, some mammals and reptiles, consider one of the most important spots that you can miss if you are staying near the area, the section of river where most visitors are able to go it located after the bridge all the way where the marshes meet the river mouth, here we can find many waterfowl and wading birds
A good day while navigating the river we can see many birds, some of them migratory birds while others are regular inhabitants of the area, below I will mention some of the most common.
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Pale-vented Pigeon
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Groove-billed Ani
Squirrel Cuckoo
Costa Rican Swift
Mangrove Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Double-striped Thick-Knee
Southern Lapwing
Anhinga
Magnificent Frigatebird
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
Boat-billed Heron
White Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Common Black-Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk
Gray Hawk
Osprey
Black-and-white Owl
Black-headed Trogon
Turquoise-broad Motmot
Ringed Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
American Pygmy-Kingfisher
Yellow-naped Parrot
Orange-fronted Parakeet
Olivaceous Piculet
Hoffman’s Woodpecker
Golden-naped Woodpecker
Crested Caracara
Laughing Falcon
Black-hooded Antshrike
Mangrove Swallow
Rufous-naped Wren
Streak-backed Oriole
Yellow Mangrove Warbler
For those of you who want to enjoy the richness of these places, it is recommended to visit the area in the morning or evening. Sometimes the combination of birds, calm water and the sunset offers a lovely and a different experience.