Hola!
A few memories from the rich coast…
by Tom Leckey
We began our adventure awakening at the Don Carlos to the shrieks
of crimson-fronted parakeets. These urban aratingas socialized
and groomed before their daily feeding began. This, along with
the song of the Rufous-collared sparrow and the calls and sighting
of the clay-colored robin, (canto para juvia / sings for rain),
began our journey.
And rain it did, from the continental divide to Selva Verde
Lodge our first stop. But the rains did not dampen the spirits
of the chestnut-mandibled and keel-billled toucans, feeding in
the fruiting tree overlooking our rooms. We did well with the
toucan clan – the above two, plus collared and fiery-billed
aracaris, and emerald toucanet. Moi bien!
A drenching rainforest walk gave us the full rainforest experience,
Kirk getting the fullest experience of us all. The next day at
La Selva was clear with the birds out in force. In the magic fig
tree the tanagers, honeycreepers, flycatchers, etc. put on quite
a show. Reds of the crimson-collared, blues of the golden-hooded,
greens of the honeycreeper, up to and including all colors –
white - the snow white of the angelic snowy cotinga. What a start
for our walk!
Across the bridge, a mother and baby three-toed sloth moved
for us, unlike her sleeping two-toed cousins in the forest. A
few mixed flocks, feeding mealy parrots in the scope, a pair of
mating semi-plumbeous hawks - what more did we want? Well, if
it was a view of the volcano – NO deal. Overnight at Arenal
the fickle volcano Gods slept. But, despite the rain and fog,
the morning bird walk with black-crested coquette and violet-crowned
hummingbirds, ended with the bird saturated melon tree at breakfast.
Our Baltimore orioles keep some brilliant company. The red-legged
honeycreepers and a stunning emerald tanager come to mind's eye.
On to the cloudforest of Monteverde. No clouds for us though
- making the sighting of the feeding male Quetzals all the more
irridescent. No wonder they were considered royal birds. First
a black tyra, and then an olingo, a wildlife ending for our day
in the cloudforest. Seventeen mammals for our trip - not too shabby.
On the way down from the cloudforest we were treated to a national
geographic moment when we watched a pair of bat falcons dive bomb
a pair of nest-seeking white-fronted parrots – driving them
from their home.
Down the Pacific side to the heat and humidity of the coast
with its crocs and macaws and the magnificent remnants of the
lowland tropical forests of Carara. Our thick-knee search was
a success, three pairs plus a chick – followed by feeding
ibises, spoonbills, and little blue herons highlighted by the
afternoon light. Then we ended the day with eye-level fly-bys
of magnificent macaws feeding on balsa flowers before their nightly
commute to the mangroves to roost.
Our last day brought more big trees in Carara. Indeed, the macaws
appeared parakeet size in their branches. So - macaws and manakins,
toucans and tyras, howlers and heliconias, sunbitterns and sandpipers,
orioles and oropendulas; north mingles with south along the rich
coast. The waterthrushes and catbirds will be back in April, the
tropics are on the move once again.
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