Showing posts with label central america. Show all posts
Showing posts with label central america. Show all posts

Costa Rica - Day 10 - March 25, 2013

     On our last morning in the beautiful country of Costa Rica we awoke later than had been typical of the trip and dragged ourselves to breakfast which was complimentary. Although there was a buffet full of fruit served at this breakfast, it wasn't quite as ripe or as fresh as the fruit we had earlier in the trip. There was an air of sadness at the breakfast table because we knew that in just a few short hours we had to return the trusty rental car and head home.
     After breakfast we packed up our things and headed to the pool to lounge around for a bit before checking out. The chaise lounges by the pool were perfect for hawk watching and lazy birding in general. We were even able to add Vaux's Swift to our trip list without moving more than just one arm (to grab the binoculars)!
     Before returning the car to the rental place we had to fill up the gas tank which was a little nerve-wracking in the big city of San Jose. When we had filled up the car in the rural areas things were very relaxed with nobody hanging around ready to beg money out of tourists. However, in the city things were quite a bit different with all kinds of people hanging around the gas stations just waiting for a tourist to pull in. Almost immediately after our attendant gave us our change and walked away, a guy appeared at our window asking for money. We simply said no and drove away. When I looked back to see what the guy was doing after we left I saw that he was already at someone else's window.
     When we returned the car to the rental place they did a visual inspection of the entire car. The guy looked at the tailpipe a little funny and wiggled it around with his hand (remember that awful road?). He then shrugged and checked it off as ok on the form. I guess since it didn't fall off it was fine. The rental car company had a free shuttle that went from their office to the airport, so we took that back to where we had started this whole adventure over 9 days ago. One day we will be back. We promise.

Leaving Costa Rica

Areal view of Nicaragua 


Thunderheads somewhere over the Carribean

The following is a list of all 228 bird species we saw during our time in Costa Rica. The list is in taxonomic order with the first date and location listed where we saw them. We saw many of these species in multiple locations, but to post the complete list of birds seen at each place we stopped at would be a nightmare.

Species Location Date
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - Dendrocygna autumnalis Hotel La Rosa de America 3/24/13
Muscovy Duck - Cairina moschata Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Gray-headed Chachalaca - Ortalis cinereiceps Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Black Guan - Chamaepetes unicolor San Gerardo de Dota - road 3/19/13
Spotted Wood-Quail - Odontophorus guttatus Trogón Lodge 3/20/13
Wood Stork - Mycteria americana PN Carara 3/17/13
Magnificent Frigatebird - Fregata magnificens Cerro Lodge 3/17/13
Neotropic Cormorant - Phalacrocorax brasilianus Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Anhinga - Anhinga anhinga Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Brown Pelican - Pelecanus occidentalis Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron - Tigrisoma mexicanum Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Great Egret - Ardea alba Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Snowy Egret - Egretta thula Carara--Puente Río  Tárcoles 3/17/13
Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Tricolored Heron - Egretta tricolor Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Green Heron - Butorides virescens Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - Nyctanassa violacea Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Boat-billed Heron - Cochlearius cochlearius Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
White Ibis - Eudocimus albus Carara--Puente Río  Tárcoles 3/17/13
Roseate Spoonbill - Platalea ajaja Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Black Vulture - Coragyps atratus Economy Rent a Car, Alajuela, CR 3/16/13
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Osprey - Pandion haliaetus Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Swallow-tailed Kite - Elanoides forficatus Mirador Valle del General 3/18/13
Double-toothed Kite - Harpagus bidentatus Restaurante Pollo Ranchero 3/22/13
Plumbeous Kite - Ictinia plumbea Cerro Road-2km from lodge 3/18/13
Common Black-Hawk - Buteogallus anthracinus Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Roadside Hawk - Rupornis magnirostris Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
White Hawk - Pseudastur albicollis La Paz Waterfall Gardens 3/24/13
Broad-winged Hawk - Buteo platypterus Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Gray-lined Hawk - Buteo nitidus Cerro Lodge 3/17/13
Short-tailed Hawk - Buteo brachyurus Chinchona--Mirador La Cascada 3/24/13
Swainson's Hawk - Buteo swainsoni Cerro Road-2km from lodge 3/18/13
Zone-tailed Hawk - Buteo albonotatus Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis San Gerardo de Dota - road 3/19/13
Gray-necked Wood-Rail - Aramides cajaneus Mirador Valle del General 3/18/13
Purple Gallinule - Porphyrio martinicus Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Black-necked Stilt - Himantopus mexicanus Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Southern Lapwing - Vanellus chilensis Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Collared Plover - Charadrius collaris Carara--Puente Río  Tárcoles 3/17/13
Northern Jacana - Jacana spinosa Carara--Puente Río  Tárcoles 3/17/13
Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Solitary Sandpiper - Tringa solitaria Carara--Puente Río  Tárcoles 3/17/13
Wandering Tattler - Tringa incana Road to Jaco-gulf of Nicoya 3/18/13
Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Laughing Gull - Leucophaeus atricilla Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Rock Pigeon - Columba livia Joe's Pizza 3/22/13
Scaled Pigeon - Patagioenas speciosa Mirador Valle del General 3/18/13
Red-billed Pigeon - Patagioenas flavirostris Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Band-tailed Pigeon - Patagioenas fasciata Cerro de la Muerte--Rest. La Georgina 3/20/13
White-winged Dove - Zenaida asiatica Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Inca Dove - Columbina inca Cerro Lodge 3/17/13
Ruddy Ground-Dove - Columbina talpacoti Cerro Lodge 3/17/13
White-tipped Dove - Leptotila verreauxi PN Carara 3/17/13
Gray-chested Dove - Leptotila cassini Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Olive-backed Quail-Dove - Geotrygon veraguensis Tirimbina Rainforest Center 3/23/13
Squirrel Cuckoo - Piaya cayana PN Carara 3/17/13
Groove-billed Ani - Crotophaga sulcirostris Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Pacific Screech-Owl - Megascops cooperi Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Tropical Screech-Owl - Megascops choliba Hotel La Rosa de America 3/24/13
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl - Glaucidium brasilianum Cerro Road - near main road 3/18/13
Black-and-white Owl - Ciccaba nigrolineata Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Common Nighthawk - Chordeiles minor Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Black Swift - Cypseloides niger Virgen del Socorro 3/24/13
White-collared Swift - Streptoprocne zonaris Mirador Valle del General 3/18/13
Vaux's Swift - Chaetura vauxi Hotel La Rosa de America 3/25/13
White-necked Jacobin - Florisuga mellivora Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Green Hermit - Phaethornis guy Chinchona--Mirador La Cascada 3/24/13
Green-fronted Lancebill - Doryfera ludovicae Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Green Violetear - Colibri thalassinus Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Green Thorntail - Discosura conversii Virgen del Socorro 3/24/13
Green-crowned Brilliant - Heliodoxa jacula Mirador Valle del General 3/18/13
Magnificent Hummingbird - Eugenes fulgens Cerro de la Muerte 3/18/13
Fiery-throated Hummingbird - Panterpe insignis Cerro de la Muerte--Rest. La Georgina 3/20/13
White-bellied Mountain-gem - Lampornis hemileucus Chinchona--Mirador La Cascada 3/24/13
Purple-throated Mountain-gem - Lampornis calolaemus Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
White-throated Mountain-gem - Lampornis castaneoventris Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Volcano Hummingbird - Selasphorus flammula Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Violet Sabrewing - Campylopterus hemileucurus Mirador Valle del General 3/18/13
Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer - Chalybura urochrysia Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Coppery-headed Emerald - Elvira cupreiceps Chinchona--Mirador La Cascada 3/24/13
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird - Amazilia tzacatl Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Cinnamon Hummingbird - Amazilia rutila Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Resplendent Quetzal - Pharomachrus mocinno Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Slaty-tailed Trogon - Trogon massena Tirimbina Rainforest Center 3/23/13
Black-headed Trogon - Trogon melanocephalus PN Carara 3/17/13
Gartered Trogon - Trogon caligatus Cerro Lodge 3/17/13
Rufous Motmot - Baryphthengus martii Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Broad-billed Motmot - Electron platyrhynchum Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Turquoise-browed Motmot - Eumomota superciliosa Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Ringed Kingfisher - Megaceryle torquata Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Amazon Kingfisher - Chloroceryle amazona Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Green Kingfisher - Chloroceryle americana Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Rufous-tailed Jacamar - Galbula ruficauda Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Red-headed Barbet - Eubucco bourcierii Mirador Valle del General 3/18/13
Emerald Toucanet - Aulacorhynchus prasinus San Gerardo de Dota - road 3/19/13
Collared Aracari - Pteroglossus torquatus Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Fiery-billed Aracari - Pteroglossus frantzii Cerro Lodge 3/18/13
Black-mandibled Toucan - Ramphastos ambiguus Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Keel-billed Toucan - Ramphastos sulfuratus Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Acorn Woodpecker - Melanerpes formicivorus Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Golden-naped Woodpecker - Melanerpes chrysauchen Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Black-cheeked Woodpecker - Melanerpes pucherani Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Hoffmann's Woodpecker - Melanerpes hoffmannii Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Smoky-brown Woodpecker - Picoides fumigatus Tirimbina Rainforest Center 3/23/13
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus Cerro de la Muerte--Rest. La Georgina 3/20/13
Golden-olive Woodpecker - Colaptes rubiginosus Virgen del Socorro 3/24/13
Crested Caracara - Caracara cheriway Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Yellow-headed Caracara - Milvago chimachima Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Laughing Falcon - Herpetotheres cachinnans PN Carara 3/17/13
Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Scarlet Macaw - Ara macao Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Barred Parakeet - Bolborhynchus lineola San Gerardo de Dota - road 3/19/13
Orange-chinned Parakeet - Brotogeris jugularis Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
White-crowned Parrot - Pionus senilis Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Red-lored Parrot - Amazona autumnalis Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Yellow-naped Parrot - Amazona auropalliata Cerro Lodge 3/18/13
Mealy Parrot - Amazona farinosa Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Black-crowned Antshrike - Thamnophilus atrinucha Tirimbina Rainforest Center 3/23/13
Black-hooded Antshrike - Thamnophilus bridgesi PN Carara 3/17/13
Dot-winged Antwren - Microrhopias quixensis PN Carara 3/17/13
Plain-brown Woodcreeper - Dendrocincla fuliginosa Tirimbina Rainforest Center 3/23/13
Streak-headed Woodcreeper - Lepidocolaptes souleyetii Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Ruddy Treerunner - Margarornis rubiginosus Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Mountain Elaenia - Elaenia frantzii Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Torrent Tyrannulet - Serpophaga cinerea Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Common Tody-Flycatcher - Todirostrum cinereum Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Tufted Flycatcher - Mitrephanes phaeocercus Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Ochraceous Pewee - Contopus ochraceus La Paz Waterfall Gardens 3/24/13
Black-capped Flycatcher - Empidonax atriceps Trogón Lodge 3/20/13
Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans Virgen del Socorro 3/24/13
Great Kiskadee - Pitangus sulphuratus Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Boat-billed Flycatcher - Megarynchus pitangua Road to Jaco 3/17/13
Social Flycatcher - Myiozetetes similis Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Gray-capped Flycatcher - Myiozetetes granadensis Tirimbina Rainforest Center 3/23/13
Streaked Flycatcher - Myiodynastes maculatus Cerro Lodge 3/17/13
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher - Myiodynastes luteiventris Chinchona--Mirador La Cascada 3/24/13
Piratic Flycatcher - Legatus leucophaius Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Tropical Kingbird - Tyrannus melancholicus Economy Rent a Car, Alajuela, CR 3/16/13
Snowy Cotinga - Carpodectes nitidus Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
White-collared Manakin - Manacus candei Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Black-crowned Tityra - Tityra inquisitor Cerro Lodge 3/18/13
Masked Tityra - Tityra semifasciata Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Rose-throated Becard - Pachyramphus aglaiae PN Carara 3/17/13
Philadelphia Vireo - Vireo philadelphicus Mirador Valle del General 3/18/13
Yellow-green Vireo - Vireo flavoviridis Cerro Lodge 3/17/13
Lesser Greenlet - Hylophilus decurtatus PN Carara 3/17/13
Brown Jay - Psilorhinus morio Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Blue-and-white Swallow - Pygochelidon cyanoleuca Mirador Valle del General 3/18/13
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Stelgidopteryx serripennis Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Southern Rough-winged Swallow - Stelgidopteryx ruficollis Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Gray-breasted Martin - Progne chalybea Road to Jaco-gulf of Nicoya 3/18/13
Mangrove Swallow - Tachycineta albilinea Carara--Puente Río  Tárcoles 3/17/13
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica PN Carara 3/17/13
Rufous-naped Wren - Campylorhynchus rufinucha Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Bay Wren - Cantorchilus nigricapillus Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
White-breasted Wood-Wren - Henicorhina leucosticta Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren - Henicorhina leucophrys Trogón Lodge 3/20/13
Tropical Gnatcatcher - Polioptila plumbea PN Carara 3/17/13
American Dipper - Cinclus mexicanus La Paz Waterfall Gardens 3/24/13
Black-faced Solitaire - Myadestes melanops Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush - Catharus gracilirostris Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush - Catharus frantzii San Gerardo de Dota - road 3/19/13
Swainson's Thrush - Catharus ustulatus Trogón Lodge 3/20/13
Sooty Thrush - Turdus nigrescens Road to Trogon 3/18/13
Mountain Thrush - Turdus plebejus San Gerardo de Dota - road 3/19/13
Clay-colored Thrush - Turdus grayi Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher - Ptilogonys caudatus Road to Trogon 3/18/13
Flame-throated Warbler - Oreothlypis gutturalis Trogón Lodge 3/20/13
Blackburnian Warbler - Setophaga fusca Virgen del Socorro 3/24/13
Yellow Warbler - Setophaga petechia Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Chestnut-sided Warbler - Setophaga pensylvanica PN Carara 3/17/13
Black-throated Blue Warbler - Setophaga caerulescens Cerro de la Muerte--Rest. La Georgina 3/20/13
Black-throated Green Warbler - Setophaga virens Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Black-cheeked Warbler - Basileuterus melanogenys Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Three-striped Warbler - Basileuterus tristriatus La Paz Waterfall Gardens 3/24/13
Buff-rumped Warbler - Myiothlypis fulvicauda Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Wilson's Warbler - Cardellina pusilla Cerro Lodge 3/18/13
Slate-throated Redstart - Myioborus miniatus La Paz Waterfall Gardens 3/24/13
Collared Redstart - Myioborus torquatus Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
White-shouldered Tanager - Tachyphonus luctuosus Virgen del Socorro 3/24/13
Crimson-collared Tanager - Ramphocelus sanguinolentus Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Passerini's Tanager - Ramphocelus passerinii Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Cherrie's Tanager - Ramphocelus costaricensis Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Blue-gray Tanager - Thraupis episcopus Economy Rent a Car, Alajuela, CR 3/16/13
Palm Tanager - Thraupis palmarum Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Golden-hooded Tanager - Tangara larvata Mirador Valle del General 3/18/13
Bay-headed Tanager - Tangara gyrola PN Carara 3/17/13
Silver-throated Tanager - Tangara icterocephala Mirador Valle del General 3/18/13
Scarlet-thighed Dacnis - Dacnis venusta Chinchona--Mirador La Cascada 3/24/13
Red-legged Honeycreeper - Cyanerpes cyaneus Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Green Honeycreeper - Chlorophanes spiza Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Slaty Flowerpiercer - Diglossa plumbea Trogón Lodge 3/21/13
Variable Seedeater - Sporophila corvina Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
White-collared Seedeater - Sporophila torqueola Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Bananaquit - Coereba flaveola Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Yellow-faced Grassquit - Tiaris olivaceus Chinchona--Mirador La Cascada 3/24/13
Buff-throated Saltator - Saltator maximus Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Black-headed Saltator - Saltator atriceps Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Yellow-thighed Finch - Pselliophorus tibialis Trogón Lodge 3/20/13
Large-footed Finch - Pezopetes capitalis Trogón Lodge 3/20/13
Stripe-headed Sparrow - Peucaea ruficauda Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Rufous-collared Sparrow - Zonotrichia capensis Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Volcano Junco - Junco vulcani PN Los Quetzales--Cerro Buenavista communication towers 3/20/13
Common Chlorospingus - Chlorospingus flavopectus Chinchona--Mirador La Cascada 3/24/13
Sooty-capped Chlorospingus - Chlorospingus pileatus Trogón Lodge 3/19/13
Hepatic Tanager - Piranga flava Virgen del Socorro 3/24/13
Summer Tanager - Piranga rubra Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Flame-colored Tanager - Piranga bidentata Mirador Valle del General 3/18/13
Red-throated Ant-Tanager - Habia fuscicauda Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Black-faced Grosbeak - Caryothraustes poliogaster Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Blue Grosbeak - Passerina caerulea Cerro Lodge 3/17/13
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus Río Tarcoles--Boat Tour 3/17/13
Eastern Meadowlark - Sturnella magna Cerro Road-2km from lodge 3/18/13
Melodious Blackbird - Dives dives Cerro Lodge 3/17/13
Great-tailed Grackle - Quiscalus mexicanus Economy Rent a Car, Alajuela, CR 3/16/13
Giant Cowbird - Molothrus oryzivorus Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/23/13
Black-cowled Oriole - Icterus prosthemelas Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Baltimore Oriole - Icterus galbula Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Yellow-billed Cacique - Amblycercus holosericeus Cerro de la Muerte--Rest. La Georgina 3/20/13
Montezuma Oropendola - Psarocolius montezuma Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Scrub Euphonia - Euphonia affinis Cerro Lodge 3/18/13
Yellow-crowned Euphonia - Euphonia luteicapilla Cerro Lodge 3/16/13
Olive-backed Euphonia - Euphonia gouldi Sarapiquí Eco-Observatory 3/22/13
Yellow-bellied Siskin - Spinus xanthogastrus San Gerardo de Dota - road 3/19/13
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus Economy Rent a Car, Alajuela, CR 3/16/13


THE END

...stay tuned to this blog for more birding/wildlife adventures!

   

Costa Rica - Day 9 (Part 2) - March 24, 2013

     For lunch we decided to check out a cafe in Cinchona called Mirador La Cascada that we had heard was a great place for hummingbirds and other species. The place certainly did not disappoint! There were many different species of hummingbirds coming to the feeders on the back deck and to the feeding areas that were stocked with fruit. We were even lucky enough to have a dark-morph Short-tailed Hawk fly in and perch for a few minutes, and saw Yellow-faced Grassquit, Green Hermit, White-bellied Mountain-Gem, Coppery-headed Emerald, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher and Scarlet-thighed Dacnis for the first time.


View from the back deck of the cafe

Close-up of the falls from the previous photo
Dark-morph Short-tailed Hawk 
Dark-morph Short-tailed Hawk trying to perch on branches that are too small for it. 


White-bellied Mountain-Gem (female)

Violet Sabrewing

Green-crowned Brilliant

Green-crowned Brilliant checking me out

Green-crowned Brilliant

Coppery-headed Emerald (female)

Common Bush-Tanager (now called Common Chlorospingus in some places such as eBird)


Silver-throated Tanager
Silver-throated Tanager stuffing his face with banana

White-bellied Mountain-Gem (male)
Green-crowned Brilliant (juv.)


Violet Sabrewing - used a flash to bring out the brilliance of the feathers. 


Variegated Squirrel

Very young variegated squirrel. 

     The table tops were clearly slices of a huge tree trunk that had been sanded and shellacked, and the table support was a section of a smaller tree trunk. The food at this place was terrific! They started us out with the freshly squeezed juice options of the day, then we had a choice of entrees that were not only huge, but also delicious. All the cooking was done in large pots that were set over open fires by ladies that looked as though they had at least 60 years of experience with cooking authentic Costa Rican dishes. One of the patrons of the restaurant who was clearly a local noticed us having a little trouble ordering in Spanish and kindly offered to help since he was bi-lingual. Once our order was placed we wandered out onto the back deck to enjoy the view and look for birds while we waited. When our juice was ready the kind waitress let us know so we could enjoy it while birding. She also alerted us when our lunch was served and helped to arrange extra seating so we had a place to put all our cameras and binoculars. 
     We had only been seated and eating for about 2 minutes when I noticed an alarming expression on one of my friend's faces and she pointed across the table and mumbled something. It was determined that the alarming "thing" was under the plate of the person next to me...so I peaked around the rim of the plate and saw 4 big fuzzy legs sticking out from under it. As I was processing in my brain what these legs belonged to, the person next to me moved his plate to see what it was and a GIANT brown tarantula ran across the table. This caused my friend who first noticed it to make a shrieking/gasping noise and back up as far as she could. The spider threw out a web and lowered itself gently and gracefully to the floor, where it ran off to a hiding place near a wall support. Of course, there was a table full of locals sitting directly behind us who got to witness this entire scene and were laughing hysterically. I am glad we could provide their entertainment for the day.  After eating lunch we were stuffed to the maximum and ready to take on the task of driving through San Jose to get to our hotel. We had chosen to stay as close to the airport as possible the night before the flight home so we could have some time to relax and not be all stressed out the next morning. 

Driving through San Jose

     When we chose our last hotel we made sure that it had at least some birding potential in the hopes that we could get to see at least one more species for the trip during our last 20+ hours in Costa Rica. The place was chose was the Hotel La Rosa de America. We had booked a room with one double bed and two single beds, but when we got there the lady checking us in decided to upgrade us to a suite for no extra charge. I am guessing they had a lot of extra room since there was only one medium-sized group of missionaries and a few couples staying that night. In addition, the lady did say something about us looking like we needed a little extra space to spread out. The experience of driving through San Jose traffic will do that to a person. In any case, it was very nice of her to give us the upgrade, and we were very happy with the room. We only had one small problem with the ceiling fan which was very loose and unbalanced and nearly came flying off the ceiling. Luckily we were able to get to the switch before disaster struck and left it turned off. 

The entrance to our suite at Hotel La Rosa de America
Inside the room
More of the room
The second room which was really just behind a dividing wall/shelving 
...and of course the bathroom.

     After we had settled in and cleaned up a bit we wandered around the property a bit and then relaxed by the pool. As dusk fell we noticed large flocks of waterfowl flying overhead, and after a little debating were able to identify the birds as Black-bellied Whistling Ducks!
     Conveniently, there was a "restaurant" that was attached to the lobby of the hotel, but like most places that we stayed at in Costa Rica we had to tell them ahead of time whether or not we planned to eat there for our next meal. We decided that although the items were a bit on the pricey side, the convenience and safety of the location was worth it. The dishes were very good, but probably the most americanized food we had eaten during our entire stay in the country. 
     After dinner we went back to the pool area and played some Uno while enjoying the perfect evening temperature. After all, we were headed back to the Northeast US the very next day which was still in the 40s or 50s (F) for a daytime high. While we were playing cards I noticed two birds land in a tree very close to where we were sitting. They turned out to be Tropical Screech Owls! A new species for the trip, and a great way to end our last night in Costa Rica!

....stay tuned for Day 10, our last morning in Costa Rica, and the flight home. 




Costa Rica - Day 9 - Stop! Bath time!

After our adventures with getting the car off that awful road and back onto the highway, we needed a little relaxation time. Since we needed to pass the La Paz Waterfalls to get to our lunchtime destination, we decided to stop quickly and see if any new birds had shown up in the area. Our only "new" bird put on quite the show in a drainage ditch alongside the road near the falls. Enjoy this video of a Three-striped Warbler taking a bath.



Costa Rica - Day 9 (Part 1) - March 24, 2013

We awoke on our 9th day in Costa Rica very sad to be so close to the end of our trip. However, we had another whole day of adventures ahead of us so we packed up, said our goodbyes (hopefully not forever) to the owners of the Nature Pavilion, and headed back in the direction of San Jose. Our first stop was at the La Paz Waterfall which seems to be a popular place for both tourists and locals. We did not actually visit the La Paz Waterfall Gardens because their entrance fee is outrageous, and we knew we could get some good birding in the area for free. The La Paz Waterfall reaches its final destination right alongside a main road which makes things tricky when people are focusing more on the waterfall then where they are going. There is also a souvenir vendor set up at one of the pull-off spots and a few guys wandering around hoping to get some cash from the tourists for watching their cars. There weren't too many visitors at 9am, so we were able to park close enough to the attraction to go exploring but still keep a close eye on the car. It was here that we finally found our American Dippers (4 of them!), along with a White Hawk, Ochareous Flycatcher, Torrent Tyranulet, and Slate-throated Redstart.

La Paz Waterfall
La Paz Waterfall - the experience


La Paz Waterfall - closer to the plunge pool
 

     After about a 1/2 hour of enjoying the waterfall, we decided to drive up and down the road looking for the famed Virgen del Socorro birding spot. Based on the descriptions we had of what the road looked like, and a little help from Google maps, we finally found a road that looked to be approximately in the right place and at least fit the description. The area had experienced a 6.1 magnitude earthquake on Jan. 8th, 2009 and suffered a lot of damage including the complete loss of some roads; therefore, we knew that finding the exact place we were looking for might not even be an option.
     The road we chose to explore off the main highway was at least wide enough for two vehicles to pass, but definitely not in good enough shape for a low-riding sedan. Next time we are renting an SUV. Nevertheless, we were determined to get down the road far enough to pull off and do some birding. The road was pretty steep as it traveled down into the lush gorge, and was riddled with a mixture of humongous potholes and large rocks or piles of rocks. At some point 3 of us got out and walked in front of the car, picking up loose rocks and throwing them in the potholes as needed. Yes, we did get some funny looks from the locals as they coasted by us on their motorbikes (apparently they only turn on the engines for up-hill travel), but we did what we had to do. 
     The effort was definitely worth it! As soon as we secured the car and started birding we were treated by many Swallow-tailed Kites soaring around the gorge catching insects for breakfast and eating them in the air. The area had the most butterflies we had seen the whole trip, and we did manage to see a few new bird species here such as Hepatic Tanager, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, Green Thorntail, and White-shoulder Tanager. We all agreed that we could have spent a whole day exploring this area, but unfortunately we were somewhat limited on time.  


Swallow-tailed Kite

Steep topography + rain = landslide!


At first I thought this was just a dead leaf hanging onto a live leaf in a strange manner. But then I saw the two pairs of antennae. 



Looks like an old bridge that may have been used pre-earthquake
Same spot as above, just different perspective


The best photo I was able to get of a Blue Morpho


Same butterfly, different poses

Looks a brand new bridge post-earthquake

Black Phoebe

     After spending about 1.5 hours here, we were more than ready to get some lunch. However, we first had to figure out how to get the car back up the road and onto the highway. It turned out that with all 4 of us in the car, it sat too low to have any hope of getting over all the rough spots. So 3 of us ended up getting out of the car and walking back up the steep road while acting as "spotters" for the driver. We were very lucky (and shocked) that we didn't lose any parts from under that car.

In the next post I will reveal our lunch destination and what we found there...stay tuned!