the company of old friends

Last year, when D played in his first Volcanic Tournament, we did not have time to prepare properly. With games starting late Friday afternoon, both of us worked a half-day before embarking on the three-hour drive to Arenal. D arrived at the tournament site half-an-hour before games began. In retrospect, he was lucky to lock down a spot at all, the pandemic depressing participation in what is normally one of the most anticipated Ultimate frisbee competitions in the region. Registration typically fills up within days; in fact, next summer’s tournament is already full.

With significantly more advance notice this summer, we played our cards right the second time around, taking a few days off work to turn the Memorial Day tournament weekend into a weeklong vacation. In addition to the volcano-fed hot springs that are its calling card, Arenal is surrounded by some of the birdiest terrain in Costa Rica. This is saying a lot considering that bird watching opportunities abound all over the country. D packed his camera and binoculars alongside his cleats, planning to make the most of this opportunity.

One of D’s teammates on his local club team is also an avid birder and naturalist guide. For months, he and D had compared notes, conversed about rare birds and hotspot locations, and discussed going birding together without managing to put a concrete plan into action. The prime birding season is a busy time for D’s friend, who must absent himself from San Jose for weeks on end to lead guided tour groups. We likewise travel a lot, and our work schedules are no more forgiving. Fortunately, D’s friend also blocked off the week of the Volcanic Tournament, finally providing an opportunity to organize a joint excursion.

D’s teammate called the park rangers at Braulio Carrillo National Park — a birding hotspot that became a favorite of D’s in large part because of his teammate’s recommendation — and arranged for the rangers to open the park gate an hour before the park officially opens. D picked up another Ultimate player and amateur birder on his way to the park. His teammate showed up at the appointed time with his older brother, yet another avid birder who now lives in the States. With two very experienced local birders leading the way, D had high hopes for the outing.

From a competitive birding point of view, the excursion was a bit of a bust. The group barely saw two dozen species, and few of the birds were particularly noteworthy. D had seen them all previously, some of them many times. What struck D then — and what remains in his memory now, a month and many adventures later — is how much his two more experienced birder friends enjoyed seeing all of the relatively common species. The conversation flitted around various lifers and unique birds the group had seen, but that did not detract from the joy of observing the Braulio Carrillo regulars — especially for the brother who lives Stateside. It almost felt like he was coming home to visit dear friends after a long absence.

D had compiled a list of target species for the birding outings he had planned in Arenal — and he was fortunate enough to find some of the birds that had previously eluded him. Recalling his friends’ joy, he also felt fortunate to see many of the more common critters he has come to know well during our time in Costa Rica: the great curassow, which D photographed with her chick; the buff-rumped warbler, which had snagged a dragonfly for breakfast; the broad-billed motmot, one of D’s all-time favorite species; the social flycatcher, perfectly posed on a wire — and his dusky-capped cousin; the long-tailed tyrant — another flycatcher, which always reminds D of the whydahs we used to see in Africa (even though the species are not at all related). All of these birds — and many more species D has fallen into the habit of taking for granted — are a testament to how lucky we are to be living in Costa Rica.