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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hamhed" data-source="post: 1729114" data-attributes="member: 70825">12-27-09    Early morning had us birding and recording Howler Monkeys in the trees above our room as well as an unseen Bright-rumped Attila (thanks for the help on the i.d., Patrick).  After breakfast, a  5 minute morning bus ride brought us to the entrance road of La Selva Biological Station.  La Selva is known for its exceptional birding but out of our expense range.  Good things have been written by birders about that 1 km stretch of road.  I thought if we stood outside the bakery, maybe we could smell the bread, so to speak.  After three hours there, inspecting every direction we were allowed to walk, we came away with a short list of birds but a couple of new ones.  Our best find was a pair of Snowy Cotingas, flying high and perching near the treetop.  Also, we were able to get close fairly looks at a Rufous-winged Woodpecker.  Our only Javelina of the trip was seen briefly.Around noon, we shared a taxi ride to Puerto Viejo for various errands.  Getting out at the bus station, I spied two Macaws flying over us towards the river but the binoculars were not handy and the birds were gone before I could see Scarlet or Green.  Our midday time became occupied with the Internet cafe, food shopping, an ATM visit and a check on a gift shop that wasn't open that day.  Lunch at the Mi Lindo Sarapiqui restaurant was Huevos Rancheros in a different style than we'd ever experienced, maybe a Caribbean influence.  Rather than spend time waiting for the next bus, we opted for the $6 taxi ride to Heleconia Lodge, walking back the 1/2 km entrance road, watching out as always for birds.Not yet there, we found another birder, Jose, who was a friend of Henk and Carolien and a former employee of Rara Avis.  He was now working as a guide in Braulio Carrillo National Park.  He alerted us to a Nicaraguan Seed-finch in a nearby weed patch, a bird we'd been looking for since arriving in the area.  He also confirmed Thick-billed Seed Finch as a bird whose i.d. was giving us trouble and we found a Black Phoebe on the river rocks for him, one he had not often seen.  Jose is easy to make friends with and we spent several chatty hours together that afternoon, walking the trails on Heleconia Island and a short distance back on the entrance road.  He was happy to help us through our stumbling Spanish, one of the most patient teachers we were to meet.  Our time together was not long enough and we hope to meet with him on a return visit.  Late afternoon up until supper, Liz and I finished the day with more birding close to the lodge, trying not to remind ourselves we'd be back in the North Carolina snow by late the next day.  We took our flashlights into the garden for a short time that evening, looking for frogs and finding toads.  Our main focus however was to pack for our morning bus ride to San Jose.  Packing tonight meant an hour of last minute birding in the morning.</blockquote>

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