Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page” is playing on Steven Easley’s I-phone as he negotiates the switchbacks out of the Valley of the Saints on our way up to the Cerro de la Muerte.  Fitting I guess, because I feel the last week of “target” birding has finally, after ten visits, extinguished my obsession for this beautiful country they call “Rich Coast,” Costa Rica.

On our first trip there our motivation was simply to see species in common North American bird families with unimagined forms and colors (hummingbirds with crests, odd bill shapes, purple bodies), and to sample tropical families totally new and different (toucans, antbirds, cotingas).  Subsequent trips focused on specific habitat niches (highlands/lowlands, Caribbean/Pacific), unique lifestyles (antpittas, oropendolas), and smashing plumage (parrots, manakins).  Every bend in every trail brought breathtaking beauty.  Finally, overwhelmed and enthralled with the sheer avian bounty, we decided to try to see it all.

And we pretty much have, thanks to Steven Easley’s incredible encyclopedic knowledge of the upwards of 900 avian species in Costa Rica—songs and calls, habits and habitats, distribution and seasonal movements.  Happily Steven is an avid and accomplished photographer, so on our first date when I told him not to even bother pointing out a bird if I’d be unable to get a good image, he read me perfectly.

435 Costa Rican species photographed later, we’ve spent the past week seeking a dozen birds that fall into one of three categories:  reclusive; local; or just plain rare.  And after these?  Well, that would leave only species that would come under three other headings:  seen only once or twice by Steven in two decades of birding every corner of Costa Rica; legendary; and mythical.  Harpy Eagle for example, and vanishingly difficult to find things like Pheasant Cuckoo and Lovely Cotinga.

Steven had predicted I would get bored with target birding.  How could that be?  All my birding life I’ve relished the intellectual stimulation of researching, the physical activity of searching, and the adrenaline surge of finding.  And here we were in this kid’s candy store of avian colors and forms, set in the lush green forests of Costa Rica?  And of course like anything else, as the quest becomes more difficult, the value goes up.  How could that be boring?

But . . . Steven was right!  Oh, we’d had success with a few targets:  a three mile hike up a mountain with 20 pounds of camera gear, starting at 7200’ elevation, where Steven heard the Silvery-throated Jays that other guides had told us were not around; a Streak-chested Antpitta calling in impossibly low light right where Steven had predicted it would be; and a calling Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl which Steven aurally pinpointed amidst mottled foliage in the highest part of the canopy—a smashing rufous morph bird, a stunning feat by Steven.

But that “around every bend in the trail” magic isn’t there with target birding and, furthermore, since I’m no longer a hard core lister, my label of birder/photographer skews much more heavily toward the latter than even just a few years ago.  Do the math--fewer new species means less photography.  So Seger’s song strikes a chord, seems to be some kind of sign.  Deva wants to see Machu Picchu and Steven knows Peru, almost as well as he knows Costa Rica.  There’ll be one target bird species, though.  If you think I’ll be bored, google Andean Cock-of-the-Rock.

Steven Easley and his lovely wife, Magda, own and operate Easley Birding.  He tours, privately or with small groups, Central and South America, Africa, and has plans for southeast Asia.  His knowledge of birds and his ear for their songs is legendary, his concern for his clients’ needs is meticulous and heartfelt, and his renditions of the accents of birders from every corner of the globe is side-splitting and spot-on.  Contact Steven and Magda at info@easleybirding.com.