6 o'clock and we were out ready for our first full day in Costa Rica. A short walk into the garden, after the dog had been put back in it's kennel and we were looking at two Feruginous Pygmy Owls. One flew off rapidly but the other one stayed put and only moved when a Great-tailed Grackle flew through and disturbed it.
While walking round the grounds we found this very obliging Rufous-naped Wren prospecting in the dog's bowl.
A wander round under the trees and we began to find birds like Clay-coloured Thrush, Inca Dove, Kiskadees and Boat-billed Flycatchers as well as Melodious Blackbird. There were also some lovely, but difficult to pin down, butterflies flitting round the Porterweed bushes, something we would see nearly everywhere.
After a great breakfast with typical rice and beans, fruit and eggs we loaded up the car and set off for Villa Lapas and the Tarcoles river.
A stop at the Crocodile bridge over the River Tarcoles and we counted up to 39 American crocs plus Egrets, Jacanas, Mangrove Swallows, American Gallinule and a beautiful Turquoise-browed Motmot.
We were a little early at Villa Lapas so we pottered about the patio looking at butterflies, birds, and Jesus Christ lizards as well as replenishing the fluids with some cold drinks before helping ourselves to a lovely choice of food from the buffet.
A walk round the grounds found a couple of Americans that we got to know and chat with, meeting up again at a comfort stop and at Savegre. Even though it was very hot there were birds to look at.
A short drive to the boat with Frigatebirds, Cattle egrets and Groove-billed Ani and then we were at the boat for our river ride. We had a boat to ourselves and set off upriver first. Along the river banks we saw Hudsonian Whimbrel, Tiger Herons, Jacanas, Black-winged Stilts and Spotted Sandpipers while a black-winged Kite sat in a tree and Caracaras strutted on a bank. We were accompanied all the way by some Mangrove Swallows who used the boat as a perch and could have been nesting in the canopy.
We turned round and headed downstream to the mangrove swamp area. As we cruised along several Ospreys flew over and carlet Macaws flew back and forth. There were Cormorants and Pelicans roosting on a long sandbank and we had a flock of Egrets with a Roseate Spoonbill and some (little waders) on the mud and then we entered the mangroves where the boatman showed us a group of about 6 Boat-billed Herons and a Black-headed Night-heron. As we went further in we saw some warblers and as we caught another boat up we were told of an American Pygmy Kingfisher which we managed to see sitting in the roots of the bank.
We visited an area just up the road from the boat for Black and White Owl but they had already left for the night. However, there were lots of Lesser Nighthawks overhead and a herd of horse galloped through the trees. Back to the lodge for dinner.
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A wander round under the trees and we began to find birds like Clay-coloured Thrush, Inca Dove, Kiskadees and Boat-billed Flycatchers as well as Melodious Blackbird. There were also some lovely, but difficult to pin down, butterflies flitting round the Porterweed bushes, something we would see nearly everywhere.
After a great breakfast with typical rice and beans, fruit and eggs we loaded up the car and set off for Villa Lapas and the Tarcoles river.
A stop at the Crocodile bridge over the River Tarcoles and we counted up to 39 American crocs plus Egrets, Jacanas, Mangrove Swallows, American Gallinule and a beautiful Turquoise-browed Motmot.
We were a little early at Villa Lapas so we pottered about the patio looking at butterflies, birds, and Jesus Christ lizards as well as replenishing the fluids with some cold drinks before helping ourselves to a lovely choice of food from the buffet.
A walk round the grounds found a couple of Americans that we got to know and chat with, meeting up again at a comfort stop and at Savegre. Even though it was very hot there were birds to look at.
A short drive to the boat with Frigatebirds, Cattle egrets and Groove-billed Ani and then we were at the boat for our river ride. We had a boat to ourselves and set off upriver first. Along the river banks we saw Hudsonian Whimbrel, Tiger Herons, Jacanas, Black-winged Stilts and Spotted Sandpipers while a black-winged Kite sat in a tree and Caracaras strutted on a bank. We were accompanied all the way by some Mangrove Swallows who used the boat as a perch and could have been nesting in the canopy.
We turned round and headed downstream to the mangrove swamp area. As we cruised along several Ospreys flew over and carlet Macaws flew back and forth. There were Cormorants and Pelicans roosting on a long sandbank and we had a flock of Egrets with a Roseate Spoonbill and some (little waders) on the mud and then we entered the mangroves where the boatman showed us a group of about 6 Boat-billed Herons and a Black-headed Night-heron. As we went further in we saw some warblers and as we caught another boat up we were told of an American Pygmy Kingfisher which we managed to see sitting in the roots of the bank.
We visited an area just up the road from the boat for Black and White Owl but they had already left for the night. However, there were lots of Lesser Nighthawks overhead and a herd of horse galloped through the trees. Back to the lodge for dinner.
- Posted using BlogPress
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