Day 9: The morning dawned as wet and windy as ever and as we travelled up to the reserve for breakfast. Upon leaving the hotel the Great-tailed Grackles could be heard as usual and several Brown Jay’s came out of their roost. We headed up to the reserve for breakfast and I have to admit that moral wasn't the highest it had been. We didn’t see an awful lot while we were out bar a few Slate-breasted Redstart and several Grey-breasted Wood-wrens. We then reached the hanging bridge where a few Crimson-Fronted Parakeets were about as usual and also a large mixed flock of birds was to be seen however the combination of the birds moving and the bridge also constantly shaking meant that I couldn’t keep my binoculars still enough to identify them. That was except for the Emerald Toucanet that was sat perched un-phased by the flock of birds surrounding it. Moving further along into the woodland we came across another mixed flock which included a Golden-browed Chlorophylia, a Collared Redstart, and a Ruddy Treerunner which was an incredible bird. Moving further on and several State-backed Nightgale-Thrush were seen flicking across the path. While a surprise was in the common Chlorospingus flock with 2 Blue-black Grosbeak. Above: Emerald Toucanet With the weather closing in on us we didn’t see anything else on our track back for lunch which was a little disappointing. After this we headed out to do some trail clearing before heading to the Hummingbird garden. This has got to have been one of the highlights of my trip seeing them so close and tame and watching the battles that take place. It’s also interesting to see the Hummingbird hierarchy as the Violet Sebrewing take charge and herd all the others off the feeder. Today the species included Bananaquit, Green-Crowned Brilliant, Magnificent Hummingbird, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Coppery-headed Emerald, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Brown Violetear, Green Violetear, Purple-throated Mountain-gem, and plenty of Violet Sebrewing. Above: Leaf Bug sp Below: The Hummingbird feeding station at Monteverde. The second video has some slow mo footage half way through. After this we had a mini bus collect us and take us to our next destination. What happened next I have to admit was a huge step for me, especially since I am scared of heights. Yep that’s right we spent the afternoon zip lining. It was incredible to be up above the canopy of the cloud forests if a little scary at times but I managed to add both Collared Trogon and Coppers Hawk to the trip/life list. A Capuchin was also seen as was a Coati, but I have to admit that it was just incredible sailing through the trees and getting a birds eye view of the place. Above: Just a little proof to show that I did it. As you can tell I thoroughly enjoyed it.... Honestly though it was an incredible experience and one that I will never forget. I also need to thank those around me that were really supportive and gave me the confidence that I needed to do it. Lets just say I will definitely never be doing again. After this we headed back to the hotel for dinner and a pub quiz which my team won (partially due to the bird questions) and so the sun set on another incredible day. With only one more day to go I honestly feel like this trip has been an incredible experience. Not just the wildlife but also the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends and I can say that I honestly feel sad to leave this place. Walking through the cloud forest has fulfilled a childhood dream of mine to go exploring through this sort of habitat. Seeing species such as Sloths, Snakes, Tarantulas and of course the birds makes this country extremely hard to leave, but for now let’s focus on the target species from tomorrows activity and see if that can get my list above the pre set target of 150-200 species. Fingers crossed....! Day 10: A slightly better morning for birding saw me head out into the garden of the hotel after breakfast. This brought about some more new species. Rufous-crowned Sparrows were feeding in the grass along with a mixed flock of white-eared Ground-sparrows and Great-tailed Grackles. We then headed down into the woodland and found a small flock of Philadelphia Vireos. We moved deeper into the woods and found a rather tame Agoti which is a rodent similar to a Capybara. It was awsome to watch it feeding at such close range. Then I noticed a Warbler flock crossing the path in front of us and to my surprise a brightly coloured Wilson’s Warbler was starring back at me. It was joined by a Rufous-capped Warbler and a Dusky-capped Flycatcher. Above: Philadelphia Vireo Below: Agoti We then headed down to the pond where the Green Heron was still present as usual. With the weather starting to close in on us we decided to ride out the storm in the relatively dry woodland. We soon stumbled across another warbler flock which contained my second Black-and-white Warbler of the trip as well as a Collared Redstart and more Rufous-capped Warblers. A Ruddy Treerunner was also present here as were a few Slate-backed Nightingale-Thrush. We then decided to call time and headed back to the room to finish off our packing. Just before we headed into our room I noticed a flock of sparrow like birds perched on the roof of the building opposite ours. I was surprised to see 4 Yellow-faced Grassquits staring back at me. They are incredible little things and I wish I had more time on offer to watch them. Another Dusky-capped Flycatcher was seen along with a Tropical Kingbird before it was time to head to the coach for our gradual decent towards the airport. Above: Dusky-capped Flycatcher Below: Great-tailed Grackle Above: Yellow-faced Grassquit The view on the way down was incredible and something that I wasn’t able to see on the way up. Vultures of both the common kinds were very numerous soaring above the valleys. The journey was long and windy and again a mix of steep acents, descents and some very rocky poor roads. It makes papillos job of driving the coach around something of an incredible skill, and I have full respect for the guy. Along the way down we passed some large braided river channels which had tonnes of life including a Fasciated Tiger-Heron and also a large flock of Vaux's Swifts. Huge flocks of mainly American Black Vultures were encountered as per usual including a flock that was sat in the middle of the road at one point. We briefly stopped at a service station for the toilets on the way and so I got out of the bus to stretch my legs as well. It was quite surprising to see a lone Howler Monkey sat in the tree at such a busy location. We then carried on and headed for the shopping centre. Above: Howler Monkey When we arrived at the shopping centre we all headed inside to buy our souvenirs. Once we were done we headed out into the car park where I was called over by a local guide who had spotted 2 Scarlet Macaws sitting in the tree. It was incredible to see. I have to admit they look somewhat prehistoric and are the size of a Herring gull if not bigger. The two of them were sat in the tree eating what I am told where wild Almonds until one dropped one on the car below setting off the car alarm. The car alarm also flushed a migrant race Yellow Warbler out of the tree. In the sky above a large swirling cloud of White-collared Swifts flew through in and amongst the Pelicans and Vultures. Above: Scarlet Macaws Below: The rump of a Yellow Warbler. If you listen in the video above you can hear the chip chip chip of the Yellow Warbler. Above: White-collared Swifts with a lone American Black Vulture We then headed back out onto the road in order to find a place to have lunch before our crocodile tour. We passed a bridge where the cars in front had slowed down and on the left hand side of the bus we could all see tonnes of Crocodiles lazing around waiting for their prey. Moving on we found a field full of Cattle which contained at least 17 Cattle Egret. We then arrived at the place and had lunch with Iguanas and an Inca Dove for company as well as a rather tubby dog. We then headed down to the boat where Mangrove Swallows were sat perched as they apparently nest in the roof of the tour boats. Above: Green Iguana We then headed out onto the river and within seconds we had seen tonnes of Crocodiles some absolute monsters and some tiny ones. Tonnes of birds were seen on all sides of the boat from Wood Storks to White Ibis. Cattle Egret, Snowy Egret and Great Egret were exceptionally common and showed well on the banks along with Little Blue, Tricoloured, Green, and Great Blue Herons. Some Yellow-crowned night-herons were also about and plenty of Common Sandpipers littered the shore. Another thing that unfortunately littered the shore was plastic and not just a small amount the river banks were literally clogged with it. It was a shame to see as so many of the landscapes we had visited were pristine. In fact it was actually shocking to see just how much plastic there was. Above: Juv Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Below: Tricoloured Heron Above: An absolute beast of an Alpha Male American Crocodile. Below: Great Blue Heron with an American White Ibis in the background. Above: American White Ibis, but can you spot the Willet? Below: Yellow-crowned Night-Herons Moving further along we added more species to the trip list including several flocks of Black-necked Stilt. A few Neotropic Cormorants were seen as well as 6 Double-striped Thick-knee. A Yellow-crested Caracara was perched in the tree on the left hand side of the boat while a Green Kingfisher was on the other. A wading bird which I believe to be a Lesser Yellowlegs was in with one of the stilt flocks, but I have to admit the Crocodiles stole the show here. It was incredible to watch as a group of at least 10 sat lazily on the bank of the river at times rather close for comfort. What a beast this species is. What an incredible creature. Above: Double-striped Thick-knee and a Cattle Egret Below: Little Blue Heron Above: Cattle Egret, Snowy Egret, Neotropic Cormorant and a Spotted Sandpiper Below: Neotropic Cormorant and Cattle Egret Above: Black-necked Stilts, Willet and a Common Sandpiper Below: American Crocodile Above: Tricoloured Heron Below: American Crocodile Above: Great Blue Heron Below: American Crocodile Above: Black-necked Stilts and a Lesser Yellowlegs Below: American Crocodile We then headed towards the mouth of the river to see the mangroves in some utterly attrocious conditions. When we arrived the rain had thankfully subsided. There were Willets and Hudsonian Whimbrels everywhere along with more Wood Storks and tonnes of Neotropic Cormorants. Brown Pelicans were also present in crazy numbers while Royal Terns hunted for fish in the estuary. Above: Little Blue Heron in the driving rain Below: Brown Pelican which despite having a wonky bill appeared to be in tip top condition. Above: Neotropic Cormorant Below: Green Iguana Above: Brown Pelican We then continued down a narrow channel where the driver turned the engine off in order for us to be able to take in our surroundings. A Common Black Hawk moved through the trees beside us as at least 5 Boat-billed Herons sat resting in the trees. In fact the Boat-billed Heron is one that I have always wanted to see and it was interesting to learn the at night they hold their beaks open in the water in order to catch the fish that are drawn in by the current. An incredible species and to be honest they are quite cute. Several Green Kingfisher were also around however I noticed an unusually small Kingfisher fly into the trees next to the boat and start fishing. I was surprised to find that it was in fact an American Pygmy Kingfisher which the guide seemed shocked to see and also shocked to see so close up the views were incredible of the worlds second smallest species of Kingfisher. What a privilege it was to have seen it. Above: Common Black Hawk Above: Not convinced that this is a Juv Bare-throated Tiger Heron anymore, it could be a Fasciated. Below: Boat-billed Heron Above: I didn't manage to get a photo of the American Pygmy Kingfisher. The only person who did was Gaz. So I would like to thank Gary Ritson for allowing me to use his photo. After it had flown off we turned the boat around and headed back while added Yellow-napped Parrots, another Common Black Hawk, and also 2 Ospreys fishing in the estuary. Several Bare-throated Tiger-Heron were also seen and I was surprised to find out that they are the number one predictor of the young Crocodiles. A Magnificent Frigatebird was also seen before it was time to head to the coach for one last trip with Andres and Papillo to the airport. Above: Osprey distantly fishing with Willet and Royal Tern in the foreground. Below: Great Blue Heron, Tricoloured Heron, willet and the Osprey flying through in the background. Above: Osprey hunting over the esturay Below: Hudsonian Whimbrel Above: Osprey Below: Juv Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Above: Common Black Hawk Below: Yellow-napped Parrots Above: Mangrove Swallows Just before we got on the coach one last species was added to the list which was a Crested Guan, which is effectively a massive cross between a Turkey and a Chicken and to be honest it was a little odd to see it perched on the roof of the gift shop. Above: Crested Guan And so now I am sitting on the coach heading towards the airport and reflecting on what has been an incredible trip with outstanding wildlife. In fact this place is amazing. It has everything a wildlife enthusiast could ask for. The experience I have gained out here has been incredible and something I wont forget for a long time. I have gained new friends, experienced a new culture, learnt several new words such as Pura Vida, and also attempted to conquer one of my biggest fears by ziplining through the canopy of the cloud forest. Conservation in this country is I have to admit miles better than the English system however unfortunately as with anything there are still flaws. This was highlighted greatly during the night tour with the use of ridiculously strong lights putting pressure on the animals that we saw. That’s not the only thing as the boat ride showed us just how much plastic waste we produce and how much of it ends up in our rivers and unfortunately as a consequence in the sea. Leatherback sea turtles are virtually extinct and this is partially to do with the shear amount of plastic bags ending up in the sea and the turtles mistaking them for Jelly fish. That’s not the only reason and something I didn’t mention is that at dawn during one of our night watches a turtle egg collector/ poacher was spotted walking along the beach with a bucket and a large stick. Thankfully that night we had already collected the eggs of the turtle that came up to lay and moved them into the hatchery in order to stop people like this poacher from stealing and eating the eggs. So although there are some bad things that occur in this country it was an incredible experience that wont be forgotten in a long time. The species highlights have to be the Resplendent Quetzal, Green Kingfisher, American Pygmy Kingfisher and also the pterodactyl like Scarlet Macaws. What an incredible place. At times it honestly felt like fulfilling my childhood dreams traveling through the cloud forests. It felt like being an explorer and not knowing what was about to appear round the corner. Whether it was the humbug Black-and-white Warbler or a Coati every experience has been amazing. And so now we are just about to reach the airport and head for home via Paris yet again bringing to a close my first Costa Rican Experience. Pura Vida...
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The day dawned incredibly wet and windy and even before I left my room I knew it was going to be a struggle to get the whole group out birdwatching. To be honest the weather up here is more unpredictable than a British summer. Thankfully by the time we had breakfast the rain had subsided and I enjoyed the best 2 hours of birding the trip had to offer. This included two mixed Warbler flocks which contained some American Vagrants that I have always wanted to see in the states. The first of which I found and when I picked it up my face light up. The humbug like Black-and-white Warbler was gleaming insects of a distant tree while a Wedge-billed Woodcreeper gleaned insects from the mossy trunk. There were several Woodcreepers in this area, however it was nice to finally put a face to a song when the Black-faced Solitaire showed itself. There are actually rather pretty with a dark black-face and almost navy blue back. Incredibly well camouflaged for a low light environment. Crimson-Fronted Parakeets were everywhere including a flock of several hundred circling the rope bridge. A Golden-browed Chlorophylia was also present in the flocks as were sliver-throated Tanager, Spangle-throated Tanager, an out of place Tropical Gnatcatcher, a Blackburnian Warbler, a Yellow-crowned Warbler, Three-striped Warbler (also now known as Costa Rican Warbler by the locals), however my favourite find was almost certainly the smart Collared Redstart. What an incredible bird that is with its yellow underside and dark back. The flocks also loosely contained several Slate-throated Redstart as well as Grey-breasted Wood-wren and Ochrasious Wren. However the most common species in all of this flock was Common Chlorospingus. Above: Slate-throated Redstart Below: Common Chlorospingus Above: Wedge-billed Woodcreeper Below: Collared Redstart Above: Spot the Common Chlorospingus. I have to admit I took me ages and I thought there was nothing in this photo. Just shows how well camouflaged they are. Below: Again spot the Common Chlorospingus. Above: Interestingly I forgot that I had taken a photo of these. These are Prong-billed Barbet. A nice addition to the list. We then headed up to the continental divide however with our heads in the cloud the view wasn't the most spectacular. Occasionally you would get glimpses of what was beyond. Several White-collared Swifts were present here and a few things flick silently in the bushes but with the shear amount of cloud cover finding them was difficult. We then headed back to the centre via army ants completely destroying a Millipede in the centre of the path. Then all of a sudden a Collared Forest-Falcon appeared from the left hand side of the path diving across and just narrowly missing a rather annoyed Grey-breasted Wood-wren. We couldn’t relocate it, however I am informed that the other group rather annoyingly did. Above: Glass Butterfly sp Below: These photos show quite well how the cloud forest has species making the most of the opportunities provided by other species. With Orchids growing up in the canopy. Above: Millipede being swarmed by Army Ants Below: Crimson Fronted Parakeets Above: Black Faced Solitaire After lunch we headed to check our mammal traps. Here we found several rodent tracks most likely from Agouti and also the probably the best one yet. Several Puma tracks. After this I headed out to the Hummingbird garden to see what was about, however a group of 25 to 30 Coati's was pretty cool. The Hummingbird feeders itself contained different species to the other day including a Magenta-throated Woodstar, other species included; Green-crowned Brilliant, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Green Violetear, and plenty of Violet Sebrewing and also over 20 Bananquit. Above: Assorted Hummingbirds and Bananaquit Below: Coati's Above: Puma Tracks Below: Beetle sp, I seem to remember being told that they like to bite, but I can't remember the species... We then spent the rest of the afternoon picking orchids up off the tracks and bumping into the common species such as Three-striped Warblers and Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush. Just before we left to head back to the hotel a young Meadow Tree Frog was found on the little pond in front of the visitor centre. Above: Meadow Tree Frog After this we then headed back to the hotel where some more new species were added to the day list including several hundred Great-tailed Grackles, and 20 Blue-and-white Swallow. Brown Jay’s were also around as was a Tropical Kingbird and a Social Flycatcher. I noticed 2 slightly smaller black birds in the flock of Grackles and these turned out to be 2 Bronzed Cowbirds. We were just about to headed back into the two bright yellow coloured Orioles flew out of the bushes on the left hand side. These were Orchard Orioles and it was great to see this species again after seeing one in on the Merrimack River in Concord New Hampshire last summer. It’s a shame they didn’t stay for long as they are quite stunning. Above: Bronzed Cowbird Below: Social Flycatcher Above: Tropical Kingbird and Social Flycatcher With the weather now closing in and some more work on the assignment needed we decided to call it a night and headed back to our rooms.
The morning started with a 545am wake up call, but that was now the new normal and after a 10 hour sleep this was easy. Turkey Vultures and American Black Vultures were circling outside the bedroom window and several Brown Jay’s flew out of their roost, as the rain started to fall and the wind started to pick up. Unfortunately for us the whole time we were in the cloud forest the rain didn’t stop once which made for very poor conditions for our survey work. Our pieces of paper saw more rain than pen strokes. We arrived at the reserve at just gone 730 and started our surveys. Even despite the poor weather there were still new species to see. Just as we were about to start our survey 30 Crimson-Fronted Parakeets flew over. We headed a short way along the trail where we stumbled across a Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush. At the same location a Lesser Violetear Hummingbird was sat in the tree calling and a Grey-breasted Wood-wren was heard. Moving further along the track a Green-crowned Brilliant almost took our heads off and we presume that it may have mistaken our brightly coloured rain coats as a flower. 2 Black-faced Solitaires were heard singing their rather melodious song and an Ochraceous Wren erupted from cover. We then visited a stunning waterfall however our Hope’s had been dashed of seeing our most wanted bird. A Green Hermit was seen right next to the path with its extraordinarily long tail and curved bill. The all of a sudden a message over the radio saw us running down the track several 100 metres to a collection of wild Avocado trees. There it was perched up waiting for us. The stunning Resplendent Quetzal what a stunning bird that is although it was sat quite some distance away in poor light meaning that we couldn’t get the full experience of its dazzling colours. Soon people arrived from all over the reserve to see the bird as it sat sheltering from the storm not phased by our presence. Then one of my course mates pointed out a bird in the tree above where the Quetzal was sitting. When I got my binoculars on it I was surprised to find an Emerald Toucanet staring back. A crazy few moments whilst I tried to get as many of the park rangers that had arrived as possible onto it. What a crazy pair to see in the tree together. Eventually the Quetzal got up and flew off only to be chased back across by a second bird. Above: If this is the lizard I think it is then I didn't quite realise how incredibly lucky we were to see it. This should be a Blue-eyed Anole which is an Endangered Species of Lizard which can now only be found in a handful of locations in Costa Rica including Monteverde. Below: Resplendent Quetzal Above: Emerald Toucanet We decided to move on and continue our journey. Purple-throated Mountain-gem was added to the day list and several Chestnut-capped Brush Finch were seen and heard. Just before we got back to the centre we stopped in our tracks to the song of a Golden-browed Chlorophoria. It’s a shame that we didn’t get to see it, but its song is incredible in itself. We then had a quick break and a chance to dry off. After the break we headed out onto a different trail which was unfortunately almost completely devoid of life. 2 Slate-throated Redstart were nice to see as was the flock of Three-striped Warblers. The flock also contained at least one Yellowish Flycatcher. That was it for birds as the weather became even worse and what sounded like a gunshot appeared to be the sound of a large tree collapsing under the weight of the saturated Moss. We then headed back for lunch which was extremely tasty and thankfully again not rice and beans. After lunch we headed out to lay some footprint traps in order to try and track the species of mammals that use the reserve. Whilst here we found some interesting beetles and grasshoppers as well as an Olive-sided Flycatcher. We then called it a day and headed back to the hotel to start on our assignments. Above: Central American Montane Tiger Beetle Below: Stick Insect sp After sorting out our assignments it was time for dinner before we all piled back onto the coach to head to the evenings night walk. This was an interesting experience not just because of how the walk worked but also the animals we saw. We were all handed a torch which I presumed would have been a red light one, but instead everyone was given an extremely strong white light. The only issue I have with this is the fact that it seemed to disturb some of the animals we saw however I can see the reasons why they do this and it is most likely due to tourist pressure as the guides seemed to know the consequences of shining their white lights up into the trees. (Its interesting to take a step back now a month later and realise that without the income of running these night tours the land which is being protected to run the tours would almost certainly be turned into Cattle Pastures and so although there are downsides it is worth remembering that the other alternative is worse. Although constantly shining White-light up into the trees can't be a good thing. It also felt as though the company that runs the tour tried to keep these nocturnal animals in rather than leaving it to chance as there was a barbed wire fence running around the site. The reason we were sent on the night walk was to try and evaluate whether it benefits the conservation in the area. And honestly I am not sure while it adds to the area covered by forest, the constant trampling and addition of light almost defeats the object of running the conservation project. Its certainly a difficult one to justify. No clue if any of what I just wrote makes sense.) Below are the animals that we saw most of which are either threatened or endangered; Olingo, Two-toed Sloth, Eyelash Viper, Orange-knee Tarantula, Rhinoceros Spear Bearer, Red-eyed stream-Frog, Leaf Cutter, Army Ants, Howler Monkey, Violet Sabrewing, Side-striped Palm Pitviper, Emerald Toucanet, Brilliant Forest Frog. After this we headed back to the hotel to get a good nights sleep. Above: Rhinoceros Spear Bearer Below: Side-striped Palm Pit Viper and Crab Spider? Above: Two-toed Sloth Below: Eyelash Viper Above: Orange-knee Tarantula Below: Below: Crab Spider Above: Brilliant Forest Frog Below: Moth sp This morning the 220 alarm meant that we only had two hours sleep. It was painful but hopefully going to be worth it. It was hard to sleep on the coach which meant that I spent a lot of the journey looking out the window. This time the only bird I saw was a Common Pauraque that was sat on the dirt track in front of us as we drove through the night and as it flushed up it showed off its white wing stripe. A few mammals were seen crossing the road but none were seen well enough to get a positive Id which is a shame. At around 520 we finally made it to the ferry where we all boarded and were just in time for an incredible sunrise. As the sun started to rise birds started to appear from their roosts with streams of Great-tailed Grackles flying low over the water and perching in the trees by the ferry terminal. Several Hudsonian Whimbrel were about along with at least one Willet while Pelicans and Magnificent Frigatebirds could be seen circling in the distance. Above: Magnificent Frigatebird The ferry ride itself was awesome yet again. With plenty of Royal Terns fishing close into the boat. A shoal of String Ray’s passed by along with plenty of fish. Laughing Gulls were more numerous than the first crossing and a few Least Terns added themselves to the list. American Black Terns were literally everywhere to be seen. Above: Ray sp Below: Hudsonian Whimbrels Above: all those dots on the Island are Pelicans its crazy... There are also a few Frigatebirds circling the island in this photo as well. Below: American Black Terns Above: Royal Terns Below: Magnificent Frigatebird Above: Caspian Tern As we got closer to the our destination Neotropic Cormorants added themselves to the say list as did Blue-and-white Swallows. A Great Egret was also seen before we continued our journey towards our breakfast stop. Breakfast was had at Café Macadamia. I have to admit that it was some of the best food we have had on the trip, as much as I hate to say it, partially due to the fact that it wasn’t rice and beans. After breakfast we were given a tour of the Orchid farm that the restaurant owns. There were literally hundreds of different orchids of varying shades of blues, reds, greens and much more. In the farm itself a new species for the trip was found in the form of Plain-breasted Ground-Doves and Great-tailed Grackles were also present. Just before we got back on the coach a heft mixed flock of Vultures moved through along with an equally as large flock of White-collared Swifts. We then hit the road in the aim of heading to the Monteverde and arriving by 1030. Above: Plain-breasted Ground-Doves Above and Below: American Black Vultures with the flock of White-collared Swifts, not convinced that there aren't some migrant Chimney Swifts in this photo. Would be interesting if there were some. The roads on the way up were twisting and winding with Narrow river passes and extremely steep climbs. Full credit to our driver Papillo as I would personally have hated to drive a coach on these roads. As we got higher into the mountain the road went from tarmac to gravel track which made for an interesting accent. All the way up the mountain the view was stunning looking all the way to the Pacific coast and even just about giving a view of Nicaragua. Two Grove-billed Ani were added to the trip list as they perched up on a fence line while Vultures continued to soar in huge numbers. When we arrived at the hotel I had about an hour to chill and explore the hotel ground which contains their own nature reserve. Just before heading down the circular trail a large black bird with a huge blue bill called a Black Guam was seen sitting well hidden in the bushes. I continued down the path into the woodland and was immediately transformed into a different world. Swainson's Thrushes were everywhere along the floor of the woodland looking for insects amongst the leaf litter while Olive-striped, Dusky Capped Flycatchers and a Tropical Pewee were fly catching from the tops of the trees. Moving further along I noticed a tail sticking out of a Bush in front and eventually a Coati appeared in the middle of the path. It appeared to take little notice of us at first but then it turned our way, before slowly retreating into the vegetation. Eventually I moved on and came across 5 Bushy tails sticking up over a fallen log, but unfortunately the sound of me coming may have scared them off. I wonder if they could have been Skunk or even Honey Badgers...!? We then came out at a pond where a Green Heron sat as well as plenty of Damselflies and dragonflies. Lunch then beckoned so I headed back to the room to get ready. Above: Black Guam Below: Spot the Dusky-capped Flycatcher Above: Swainson's Thrush Below: Turns out my suspicions were correct below is an Ovenbird in and amongst the leaf litter Above: Butterfly sp Below: Coati Above: Butterfly sp Below: Damselfly sp Above: Fish sp Below: Damselfly sp Above: Turkey Vulture with an American Black in the background Below: American Black Vultures On the way to lunch a Blue-crowed Motmot was seen, however a treat was in store for us as we were given 10 minutes in the Hummingbird Garden. Honestly I dont think I have seen a group of students so happy and to be fair i was glad that I wasn’t the only one happy to have stopped here. The Hummingbirds showed incredibly well with them showing why they are so loveable. They each had varying shades of Greens, Browns, Oranges, Blues and Purples. All in all it was an incredible experience and I’ll definitely be going back in the next few days. The Hummingbird list was as follows; Violet Sebrewing, Green Hermit, Steely-vented Hummingbird, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Brown Violetear, Green Violetear, Purple-throated mountain-gem, Green-crowned Brilliant, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Long-billed Hermit and possibly more to follow once I contact someone how knows more about the hummers than me. Above: Blue-crowned Motmot Below: Assorted Hummingbirds along with a few Bananaquits After this we headed to the reserve in order to have lunch which was ye again rice and beans. We were then give an introduction and briefing about the reserve before going out and clearing some of the trail of leaf litter in the afternoon. The only new bird that I found on the trip out was a Black-faced Solitaire, however we did see at least 2 species of millipede. After this we headed back to the hotel for some down time which gave me another chance to head round the garden nature reserve. This time there was less activity as everything was getting ready to roost. A Grey-breasted Wood-Wren was found in the middle of the woodland as was the rather dull Clay-coloured Thrush. We then headed down to the pond where the Green Heron was still fishing. We turned a corner and saw a Coati turn and run for cover. Frogs could be heard but unfortunately not seen which was the same for the Howler Monkeys in the distance. Above: Leaf Cutters Below: The only time we saw a Blue Morpho sit still for long enough for a photo. These butterflies are incredible. Just as we were heading inside to round off the day a Great Blue Heron came in to land on the lake and a Hoffman’s Woodpecker flew into a nearby tree. We continued up to the hotel to the sound of the Grackle Roost. An interesting noise from some nearby bushes produced a couple of Zeledon's Antbirds sulking around, before we decide to call it a day and head for dinner. This was perfect timing as when we got back to our room the heavens opened and the start of the cloud forest cool off had begun. Above: Great Blue Heron. Apparently this record is more significant than I first thought and is one of less than 10 records for the Monteverde area. Most have been in recent years as the species can now be found at increasingly high altitudes due to the rising temperatures.
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AuthorI have been a birder since I was 8 however only really started to be able to go out to places by myself in Summer 2016 (Blame the parents) My blogs will be from all over the place, but mainly from RSPB Rainham Marshes and Totteridge Valley! Photography done by Samuel Levy aged 19. ArchivesCategories |