These were not a particular goal for me and of course there were many others, had I spent more time at water’s edge of the beach or on any nearby stream, but here are 5 very common ones I did see, with the Cormorant being the most frequently seen this time, though not always the case. And note that all of these can be seen inland on fresh water except the pelican, though all are more frequent near the ocean or nearby mangroves and estuaries . . .
And here are links to my bird galleries for each of the 5 water birds seen this trip, listed alphabetically, with photos from both coasts and multiple locations of Costa Rica:
¡Pura Vida!