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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steve G" data-source="post: 1254145" data-attributes="member: 4381">Part 34th Day The following morning we left early for the Arenal hanging bridges Rain forest walk. The trails were amazing & despite being part of a group of 21 non-birders I managed to see some good birds. Before the start of the trail we were treated to some acrobatics by a cracking male Green Hermit. Once on the trail birding became much more difficult. There was no shortage of bird calls or movement in the canopy but getting a look at what was calling proved very difficult. There were tantalising glimpses of forest floor species which were clearly spooked by the size of our group –it was exasperating to hear a new call only to see a brown blur disappear into the undergrowth.  New species which did show included  Violaceous Trogon,  Rufous Motmot,  Broad-billed Motmot, Collared Aracari & a brief Rufous Mourner (separated by call from the very similar Rufous Piha). A break in the canopy yielded views of Swallow-tailed Kite & a rather distant soaring Short-tailed Hawk.  Some canopy fruits had attracted Brown-hooded Parrots & an assortment of small colourful passerines including Passerini’s Tanager, both Green & Shining Honeycreepers & Tawny-capped Euphonia.   Views from the suspended bridges in the canopy allowed inspection of bromeliads & various other epiphytes including a number of impressive-looking orchids. Weird insects were everywhere with some cracking multicoloured Butterflies including the huge & fabulous Blue Morpho. We also saw various mammals including Mantled Howler Monkeys, Three-toed Sloths & a cracking wee  Armadillo (?Northern Naked-tailed rather than 9-banded) rooting about in the undergrowth. Clearly this is a site that should be savoured at a slow & steady pace rather than at a brisk walk! Following the Hanging bridges trip we made our way by bus to the Sarapiqui area of the Caribbean lowlands  via a few stops  to view Sloths & Howler Monkeys.  The First Choice brochure indicated the next overnight venue would be Selva Verde lodge or similar ......unfortunately we again got the similar!!  We stayed in a lodge called Sueno Azul . The accommodation was of better quality than Selva Verde with air-conditioned rooms  overlooking a small lake which held Spectacled Cayman, roosting Neotropical Cormorants  & Great Egret, Green & Ringed Kingfishers & Northern Jacana.  The lodge was accessed up a rough track which ends at a large river. A  small road bridge over the river can take light vehicles only & so our bus took a separate track where we disembarked to cross a pedestrian suspension bridge which crossed a wide section of river –it all had a rather Indiana Jones flavour to it. Selva Verde lodge has access to a significant area of primary & high-grade secondary rain forest  which is reached  by a pedestrian  suspension bridge over the Sarapiqui  river. It is only possible to enter the reserve accompanied by a lodge guide but the birding around the lodge can be tremendous. I was really disappointed that we didn’t stay at Selva Verde  as it would have yielded more & better birds than Sueno Azul. Our itinerary did include a guided tour of this reserve however the tour was in the heat of the afternoon & so the birding was pretty crap –I would have far rather stayed here allowing early morning access  to the reseve but it was not to be! Check out the Selva Verde website for an idea of what to expect:  <a href="http://www.selvaverde.com/lang/en/" target="_blank">http://www.selvaverde.com/lang/en/</a>  Independent travellers visiting this area should consider staying at the La Selva biological station run by the OTS –it is somewhat expensive but probably offers the best birding  of any single site in Central America ( see: <a href="http://www.ots.ac.cr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=162&Itemid=348" target="_blank">http://www.ots.ac.cr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=162&Itemid=348</a> )Our afternoon rain forest  walk at Selva Verde was almost completely birdless! We did see both Strawberry & Green & Black Poison Dart frogs  as well as an Eyelash Viper but these were little compensation! I managed to corner the Selva Verde guide to find out what was normally about but I was clearly just torturing myself. However the guy took pity on me & told me to give him a few minutes to settle our group in the bar for light refreshments  following which he promised he would find me something special. True to his word he returned & bid me follow him down the track to the river where we negotiated some large boulders. In the distance I could see a large Kingfisher perched and I thought he was planning to show me a Ringed Kingfisher ..... a reasonable bird but one I had already seen! Instead he pointed me in a different direction & conjured up an absolutely cracking pair of Sun Bittern –pure quality man!!!  I spent about 30 minutes watching these cracking birds until my wife appeared & informed me I was holding the group back from returning to base.  This sighting proved to be one of the highlights of the trip! Apparently the section of the Sarapiqui by Selva Verde lodge almost always holds a pair of Sun Bittern though at times they can be a bit elusive –if you ever come here then check the boulders either side of the river with care as they are probably about.  It was a much happier man that returned to the Sueno Azul lodge that night!  5th DayI was out birding by 5 am . The forested area around the Sueno Azul lodge yielded Montezuma’s Oropendola, both Toucans, Mealy Parrots & a Lineated Woodpecker. On crossing the pedestrian suspension bridge I came to a patch of woodland which held a pair of fairly large Woodcreepers. After a frustrating 15 minutes chasing them around tree trunks I finally got good views of Northern Barred-Woodcreeper!  A loud repeated ‘Gua-cho’ call from an open area with some dead trees drew my attention to a perched light-coloured raptor with a black bandit-mask ...it was a Laughing Falcon, one of my target birds! Returning back across the river two Little Blue Herons flew by whilst a lone Bare-throated Tiger-Heron was fishing from a large boulder in the centre of the river. A short detour to the small lake delivered a fishing Ringed Kingfisher & a noisy pair of Northern Jacana.For a final time we all crossed the Indiana Jones bridge getting on to the bus for the next stage of our journey......to Tortuguero.Most birders visiting Costa Rica don’t travel to Tortuguero as it’s awkward to get to & impossible via a hire car. Our bus travelled for about 2+ hours from Sarapiqui before reaching a natural canal along a dirt-track. The previous night we had divided our luggage with the suitcases staying on the bus (which headed off to San Jose) & only lightweight baggage accompanying us to Tortuguero.  We then completed the journey (almost 90 minutes) by boat.  Much of this boat trip was at speed though we did slow down & occasionally even stop when we passed something interesting.  Great & Snowy Egrets, Neotropical Cormorants, Anhingas & an Osprey were all seen as were good numbers of Green & Amazon Kingfishers. At one point we sped by a smallish Kingfisher perched in a shrub at head-height, I got a poor & brief view but Diego (our guide) who had spotted it first insisted it was a Green & Rufous Kingfisher –sadly I’ll never know ( Diego was rarely ever wrong however!). We did get the opportunity to stop for a group of 4 Green Ibis & though not too close I did get some (poor) images. Amongst various freshwater turtles & American Crocodiles the other bird highlight was two sightings of King Vulture –one fairly close to the boat when we were travelling at full belt, the other being noted in the distance when we stopped to photograph a big Croc.Eventually we arrived at a large lagoon passing the small town of Tortuguero (which has no roads or vehicular transport).  Our brochure stated that we would be staying in Pachira lodge or similar & once again we got the ‘similar’ option. We stayed at Laguna lodge which was more rustic & slightly more basic than Pachira Lodge BUT fortunately it is the better birding option! By the time we  checked into our cabins the light was starting to fade.  It also started to rain............in fact it absolutely pissed down!! One of the special features of Tortuguero is that in season it holds the most extensive Turtle nesting beaches in the Caribbean –mainly Green Turtles but also Leatherbacks & small numbers of Loggerheads. Marian & I had previously enjoyed a fantastic evening watching nesting Leatherbacks on Trinidad & thought we would like to repeat the experience with the kids.  We therefore booked a Turtle viewing trip for that night ($60 each for the guide & permit). Sadly we did not find this a very satisfying experience.  On booking the trip there was no information or advice offered regarding what was expected of us on the trip. Once booked we were told we would be allocated a trip time which would be posted later in the evening.  Predictably we were given a very late time so we were leaving for this trip whilst the others were going to bed!  Eventually we were collected by boat from the lodge & taken to the National Park headquarters in Tortuguero. After some initial confusion our guide gathered our group together (consisting of Marian, myself, our two kids & a group of young Americans). He passed comments about the gaudy  light-coloured clothing worn by some in the group (having been on such trips in the past we were aware of the need to wear dark clothing). He then had a go at those who were wearing open footwear advising that we would be trekking through jungle in the dark & there was no knowing what they could stand on. Lastly he asked who had brought a camera along –I held up my hand, it was then clearly my turn to get it in the neck! He indicated that it was irresponsible of me to have brought a camera as it was forbidden by the park authorities! I apologised & explained that no-one had advised us of this (meanwhile others in the group were hastily hiding their digital compacts!) & besides I had only intended  to take non-flash images at a high ISO setting by the light of his torch. He advised that if I removed my camera from my back-pack it would be confiscated & he would be at risk of  losing his licence. Whilst disappointed I clearly had to respect local regulations (In Trinidad we were permitted to photograph the female Leatherbacks when they were actively laying as at that stage they go into a torpid state).  On this high note we began our trek along a forest path in near pitch-darkness stumbling & cursing as we went, but at least it had stopped raining!  After 30 minutes walking we were brought out onto the beach  at a point where a female  Green Turtle had just finished egg-laying (a large rotting log lay nearby). We watched her cover over her nest, create some ‘dummy’ nests as camouflage & then eventually return to the sea.  Throughout this time we were treated to stupid comments & juvenile idiotic behaviour by a small number of the American contingent who waved little hand torches randomly, ambushed each other in the dark  & whooped loudly . One also had a cigarette lighter which he repeatedly lit  -presumably with the intention of flaring his own flatus!!!! –so much for avoiding light-pollution on the nesting beaches!  Eventually we re-traced our steps back to town & got the boat back to Laguna lodge.  The next morning we discovered that the nest we had attended was only a few hundred metres away from our lodge (recognised the rotting log)–happy days!!!! Clearly I did not enjoy our Turtle-viewing experience. The only good thing about it is that at least the permit fee is invested  in protecting these beautiful animals.  Perhaps our experience was not typical & I would not want to put others off. If you do wish to view nesting Turtles please ensure that you are advised of what is expected of you in terms of clothing, footwear &  behaviour in advance. Hopefully the park authorities will change their guidelines to allow use of non-flash digital cameras & infra-red sensitive camcorders  but if  not the local regulations have clearly still to be respected.To be continued.......................</blockquote>

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