Unseen Quetzal (1 Viewer)

[MIKADO]

The last day of my stay in Costa Rica I had an appointment with a guide in San Gerardo de Dota at the Trogon Lodge to observe the quetzal.
The guide took me on the paved road that goes up towards San Gerardo. I found myself among a group of about twenty people and 5 or 6 guides. There was an identical group in each corner.
For 1 hour the guides called the quetzals by imitating their cry, without success. We haven't seen anything. I believe that this way of doing things is a scam that cost me $75.
What is your opinion?

 

[michael-ibk]

I think you just might have been unlucky. I saw four Quetzals from that road when I was there.

 

[BryanP]

I think you just might have been unlucky. I saw four Quetzals from that road when I was there.

Same here, seen lots of Quetzals over the years on that road. It is the luck of the draw of course and I’ve missed out plenty of times with or without a guide. I know a few of the pros here and ones reputations would not only be mud but word would get out fast in the community. Thats not to say that a scammer can’t slip under the radar but I think its rare.
I usually have breakfast at Mirium's and always ask her or her kids where the big green birds are hanging out. Hell I’ve stopped farmers on the road and they’ve pointed me in the right direction. The locals all seem to know where the productive Avocado trees are fruiting at any given moment.
Avocado = Quetzals
Cheers,
Bryan

 

[Andy Adcock]

Timing is very important, as Bryan said, Avocados but breeding is a major factor too. At one point we had three or four males chasing each other around.

 

[opisska]

I wouldn't call it a scam, more a wrong choice to take a guide, which is clearly pointless there?

 

[MIKADO]

I agree with you Opisska, I shouldn't have taken a guide but I thought I was doing well.
Indeed the day before we went for a very short walk near the waterfall of the lodge and we came across an extremely patient female quetzal who gave us time to photograph her well... for free.

 

[BryanP]

Birding can be a crap shoot regardless of the habitat or country, heck, my first trip here was for a comfortable 3 weeks and in that whole time Red-legged Honeycreepers were conspicuously absent, not a one. These guys are in the top ten of common birds fer cryin out loud!

Having said that I’ve seen the predicament from the guide's point of view. Imagine having a client who has paid multiple thousands of dollars and who has high expectations to see the rarer regional endemics. The pressure to provide a great experience and get to those bird is understandably enormous and it’s no wonder they sometimes resort to the dubious practice of using recordings to bring in the birds.
Even that is no guarantee of success. Its been demonstrated that birds will ignore recordings if everyone is using the same one or using an old one or are using a recording with a distant regional dialect or slang the local birds can’t relate too.

I’ve seen the look of relief on a conscientious guide’s face when they finally get that special bird in the scope and his or her clients are happily lining up to grab a peek. The top three guides in country bomb at one time or another, no fault to them, its the bloody birds.
Cheers,
Bryan