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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jos Stratford" data-source="post: 1597005" data-attributes="member: 12449">28 August. Corcovado.Another sun-sparkled morning, began with wander along the same trails as the day previous. Had got all of three hundred metres when a movement grabbed my attention - there, emerging from waterside vegetation, a midget White-throated Crake, certainly a classy bird to start the day! Another called further back, then into the reedy stuff he went, gone.Into the forest I went, a re-run of the adventures of the day before - but with added 'Ant-action', no Army Ant swarms, but antbirds regardless, the very essence of the Neotropics. Started with the Chestnut-backed Antbirds again, but then scored a whole bunch of them in an excellent mixed flock that moved through early morning. Leading the pack had been White-lined Tanagers, Green Honeycreepers and Wedge-billed and Cocoa Woodcreepers again, but then they arrived, first a stunning male Black-headed Antshrike, then a Plain Antvireo and, leading up the rear, five highly engaging Dot-winged Antwrens. A Blue Dacnis added flavour, the parrot flock reappeared in its fruit tree. At the clearing, again the Blue Ground Doves settled in their tree and Chestnut-mandibled Toucans adorned the tops, but extra on this day were the 15 Costa Rican Swifts wheeling in the skies above. Ambling back, more flocks added both White-vented and Spot-crowned Euphonia, whilst a stop to watch Spider Monkeys resulted in the surprise sighting of a White Hawk perched beneath them, allowing at least a grab of a photograph. It has to be said, however, if birding in the rainforest is hard-going, photography is a right swine of an activity! A perpetual darkness forcing low shutter speeds and high ISO, brief glimpses of birds and fast moving monkeys, the whole thing makes you wonder why you're bothering lugging the camera with you! After the White Hawk came an obliging Ruddy Quail-Dove, then I arrived back at camp. Three hours to the rain, I supposed, what to do? Then I had a brainwave, hike back out and get right across to Golfito by dawn next morning for adventures over there. No sweat - only 18 km to walk, 30 km to hitch, one hopeful connection with a ferry and then a I would sit back for a cruise across the Golfe Dulce. I hoped the rain might hold off!I packed my tent, shoved it on the camera bag, tied on my spare clothes, off I went. The Buff-rumped Warblers pumped their tails to salute my departure, then it was back into the river, the umpteen water crossings all to come. Green Kingfishers were as common as ever, an occasional Amazon Kingfisher too, but this was hot work, I trudged onward. Two kilometres on, I noticed a slight absence ...my clothing bundle had fallen off! Rats, I was already travelling extremely light, but now it was ridiculous - my only long trousers, my only long-sleeve shirt and one tee-shirt had vanished! The sum of my clothing now amounted to one pair of shorts being worn, one spare pair, two tee-shirts including the one upon my back, one light rain coat and a pair of Gore-Tex trousers. Being a right lazy sod, I didn't even consider going back. A flock of seven Swallow-tailed Kites appeared overhead, more Costa Rican Swifts hawked down the valley, then I got to the end of the river crossing trail. I was back at the rough track, only seven kilometres more to go - but then I rubbed my eyes, there was a car there! Not only a car, but a taxi of sorts, waiting for someone from a nearby indigenous reservation to take him into town. My feet thanked their lucky stars and a quick chat secured me pride of place on the bench in the back of the pick-up. Had to wait near 20 minutes for the other guy to emerge from the forest, but this was hardly a punishment - a family of Smooth-billed Ani popped up, Scarlet Macaws numbered a dozen and a swirl of hirundines included both Southern Roughwing and Mangrove Swallows. And then we bumped down the track, a Red-breasted Blackbird encountered in the fields near La Palma and a welcoming cafe-type place waiting in the village. This miraculous appearance of a car had not only saved my blistering feet and got me back to civilisation before the rains hit, but opened up real chances of catching an afternoon boat to Golfito. A little bus trundled past, I jumped on. 40 minutes later I was in Golfito, it was 2.15 p.m., the skies were going a horrendous shade of black, the Rain Gods were sure going to have a party this afternoon!And that they did, just as I discovered there was indeed a ferry making the run, a gusting wind whipped the sea into a minor fury and the rain lashed down like never before. I darted for cover, the ferry people said they wouldn't attempt a crossing. I pondered heading off to find a hotel, but a mere hundred metres would have seen me absolutely drenched. I stayed where I was. One hour later, it began to let up, the rain almost stopping. I wandered back to the ferry, yep they would go again - after one hour. I sat and looked around, Magnificent Frigatebirds cruised over the pier, juggernauts of the bird word, a few Brown Pelicans loitered beyond. Squinting through the still damp airs, an inter-tidal mudflat was visible, full of little dots moving about. Excellent, some bonus birding! Hurried over and had a right little treat - one stonking great Ringed Kingfisher on wires, squashed up with about 40 Grey-breasted Martins and a few Mangrove Swallows. And down below, the little dots were waders, North American migrants already southbound. Semi-palmated Plovers, Western Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, a half dozen of each, plus a single Willet and a single Lesser Yellowlegs. Great White Egrets and Snowy Egrets paddled for good measure, Cattle Egrets flew over.Off went the ferry, a fast and bumpy crossing, but just as dark approached, into the lagoon of Golfito we arrived. One Yellow-crowned Night Heron, more Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans, two humble House Sparrows at the terminal. Another excellent day was drawing to its close, I stayed in a little hotel above the pier.</blockquote>

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