Los Cusingos Bird Sanctuary

Los Cusingos Bird Sanctuary Review

Here you'll find birding trails and a museum dedicated to the late Dr. Alexander Skutch, the region's preeminent ornithologist and coauthor of A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica, the birders' bible. His 190-acre estate, an island of forest amid a sea of new farms and housing developments, is now run by the nonprofit Tropical Science Center, which has improved 2 km (1 mile) of trails and restored the simple house where Dr. Skutch lived—without electricity—from 1941 until his death in 2004, just a week shy of his 100th birthday. Bird species you might see include fiery-billed araçaris—colorful, small members of the toucan family—and mixed tanager flocks. The sanctuary is 12 km (7½ miles) southeast of San Isidro in the town of Quizarrá.