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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steve G" data-source="post: 1256354" data-attributes="member: 4381">Part 46th DayDespite the late night consequent upon our  tortured Turtle trip the planned activity for this morning was a ‘dawn floating safari’.  We gathered in reduced numbers at the lodge jetty at 05:45am for a quick coffee then set off at 0600 in a single open motorized longboat (many of the Tortuguero boats have a canopy cover). The weather the previous night had been poor & we feared that Tortuguero would live up to its reputation as the wettest  area in lowland Costa Rica however we were treated to a glorious sunrise with bright blue sky  whilst the oxygen-laden breath of the rain forest gave the morning air a rich earthy scent . Our boat reached the central channel of the lagoon, the boatman opened up the throttle & we surged forward with the wind in our hair –life was good!!! We passed two perched Royal Terns sharing a log with a large terrapin.  Overhead flights of herons were passing to & fro –mainly Cattle Egrets & Great White Egrets with the odd Snowy Egret. The nightshift was also returning home with the occasional Black-crowned & Yellow-crowned Night-Herons.  Additional birds seen were small groups of Amazona parrots (characterised by their flight pattern of rapid shallow wingbeats not lifting the wings above horizontal) and noisy shrill shrieking bands of Orange-chinned Parakeets.  As we made our way towards the end (start?) of the main lagoon the engine was cut & we drifted in towards a collection of snagged branches & other flotsam where a large American Crocodile was hauled up catching the first rays of the rising sun.  We motored on to where the main channel split into two forks  as a small group of White Ibis flew overhead. Again the motor was cut as the boat drifted parallel to a bank of waterside trees thickly clothed in vines & creepers. Our guide had noted a perched hawk which  everyone locked onto –well everyone except me. I was given advice from left & right as to where to look – “it’s that reddish-brown bird sitting on the vine”. I still couldn’t see it (it was closer & lower than I expected); the situation was becoming embarrassing –the only birder in the group couldn’t find the birdie! Time to hang up my bins & take up crochet!  A large russet hawk perched by the waterside.........alarm bells started to ring! “Does it have a black ring round its neck?”  I asked somewhat hopefully and received an emphatic yes in reply.  I became more than a little frantic & suddenly there it was right in front of me & barely above head-height ... a cracking Black-collared Hawk. Not a bird I ever expected to see as it must rank as one of Costa Rica’s rarer raptors (& a possible contender for bird of the trip). If I had my own way we would have lingered longer but the group wanted to move on & so the motor coughed into life & we headed on into a narrow well-vegetated channel which held  a mass of Water-Hyacinth with its beautiful orchid-like flowers. Every second bush seemed to hold an Iguana or a Basilisk (the Jesus Christ Lizard famed for its ability to run on water).  A tall Cecropia tree set back from the water held both Keel-billed & Channel-billed Toucans -the former showing off their crazy psychodelic  & unbelievably gaudy bills to good effect.  Rustling in the vegetation & a shrill alarm call alerted us to a group of acrobatic White-faced Capuchins –fantastic wee primates which are as smart as Howlers are thick! Certain Capuchin groups have developed a primitive tool-using culture & have exhibited marked problem-solving skills. Intelligence notwithstanding these are entertaining wee monkeys to watch & a family group of 8 individuals treated us to a 15 minute display of fun & games.  We moved on deeper into small channels which probed the emerald  green of the forest. These still, heavily wooded shallow backwaters are often the haunt of Agami Heron & Sungrebe  though clearly neither had read the script & both failed to show!  We did strike lucky with a family group of Spider Monkeys whose agility in the trees showed scant regard for personal safety as they moved rapidly through the high tops using their prehensile tails as the proverbial fifth limb. All too soon it was time to return to the lodge for breakfast before departing again for a second “water safari” at 10:00.Our numbers had swollen as the late-risers joined the second trip with the result that we needed two boats.  The older, experienced boatman was in one boat but unfortunately  our boat got the boy-racer!  We sped off into the main channel & took a different route from the early  morning  stopping briefly for a comatose three-toed Sloth.  Turkey Vultures & large numbers of Black Vultures were in the air (the latter are significant turtle-egg predators) whilst a passing Osprey was a welcome addition to the triplist. We raced on in advance of the other boat tearing past numerous large waterside trees holding birds which included Red-lored Parrots, Toucans, Pale-vented & Red-billed Pigeons and Masked Tityra.  We passed a large dead tree which was being worked by a large Woodpecker & the boy-racer was persuaded to double back & cut the throttle –unfortunately  the bird was a male Lineated Woodpecker rather than the hoped for Pale-billed!  With the motor cut a loud deep roaring call was  heard ( and felt!) eminating from a group of dense  waterside trees. The noise became even louder whilst vigorous movement of the vegetation clearly marked the arrival of some terrible rain forest beast................then out popped the head of a young Howler Monkey.  The deep, throaty & vey loud call of a group of Howler Monkeys  has a fearsome rather primeval quality & its hard not to imagine that some terrible monster is coming your way.  With the motor just turning over we inched slowly towards the source of the terrible noise & were treated to very close-up views of a family party of Howler Monkeys. They were feeding –carefully selecting leaves & blossoms as they moved towards us. Camera shutters were frantically clicking throughout the boat  & within a short period my flash card was full. At this point we were joined by the second boat holding  the rest of our party which seemed to slightly unsettle one of the Howlers. The monkey had a wee tantrum  with some vigorous branch-shaking and out popped another contender for bird of the trip.................a cracking Crested Owl. It flapped heavily onto an exposed branch giving crippling views. I stared in disbelief & to be honest it took a few seconds before I realised what I was looking at.  With some difficulty I managed to suppress a spontaneous outpouring of explicit sexual swear-words!!  It was then that I realised that the front cover of next month’s National Geographic  was staring right at me! I picked up the camera & depressed the shutter but there was no response  other than the deep visceral shockwave of nausea that hit me as I remembered the flashcard was full.  What followed was 30 seconds of frantic fumbling during which time the owl was displaced much deeper into the vegetation by further monkey-business..........the dirty wee bast*rds !!!  My chance of a cover shot was gone & as the owl retreated deeper into the forest  all I could manage were three poxy record shots!  Panic set in amongst the others as our boat rocked violently  to the inconsolable sobbing of a large pallid Scotsman!With my tears drying & the hip-flask drained we moved off towards a narrow-vegetated channel in the hope that we could escape the pre-noon sun. The channel was humid, dim & almost claustrophobic. Nervous sideways glances from my fellow-passengers betrayed their doubts about the sanity of their birding companion but then a stonking Ringed Kingfisher was just the tonic whilst a very close Boat-billed Heron & a  juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron quickly  helped restore normal services!  Terrapins, Basilisks , American Crocodiles & a group of Spider Monkeys provided further distraction whilst bird interest was maintained by Anhinga, Neotropical Cormorant , Green Heron  & Black-crowned Night-Heron. We followed the channel until it petered out & then had to retrace our steps.  The channel had small offshoot pools whilst  a canopy-cover of trees was maintained throughout. Our guide explained that there are large numbers of these channels  in the Tortuguero NP. Clearly exploring them with 2 boatloads of non-birding tourists  was not the best way to find quality birds though Diego did say that this is exactly the habitat where they find Sungrebe, Agami Heron & Rufescent Tiger-Heron.  A small quiet boat with a competent guide &  three or four birders visiting a few such sites over a few mornings would I suspect strike gold.When we finally returned to the start of the channel the heat & humidity were becoming unbearable –it was time to return to the lodge for lunch & for once I was glad when boy-racer opened up the throttle creating a cool breeze & a refreshing spray.  After lunch it was suggested that we take a trip into Tortuguero –I would have preferred to bird the lodge grounds but was outvoted so we caught a boat into town.  I bought a couple of DVDs in the only sizeable shop in the town–one a birding DVD (which jumps so badly on our DVD player that it is unwatchable) & the other a DVD featuring all of the Costa Rican National Parks.  The oppressive humidity heralded rain & the heavens opened up. We were forced into a small rather rustic cafe to escape the deluge.  The rain rattled the corrugated iron roof loudly but we were compensated by some excellent home-made pastries  & a Cafe con leche. Eventually the rain eased off & we returned to the boat for the short trip back to the lodge.  Surprisingly the sun came out & I managed to get a couple of hours birding in the grounds of Laguna lodge.  The birding in the gardens proved a real revelation. The lodge grounds hold a number of large rain forest trees –some of which were fruiting.  The usual & expected stuff was in evidence with Gt. Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird & Great-crested Flycatcher. Common Tody-Flycatcher was a welcome surprise whilst Rufous-tailed Hummingbird &  Green-breasted Mango were present despite few flowering shrubs.  Black-cheeked Woodpecker ,  Olive-throated Parakeet  & Masked Tityra fed on fruits in some low trees behind the swimming pool whilst a very tall tree held both Keel-billed & Chestnut-mandibled Toucans & later both Mealy & Red-lored Parrots.  Other supporting cast included Montezuma’s Oropendola, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Bright-rumped Attila, Short-billed & Pale-vented Pigeon & a cracking Northern Barred Woodcreeper which bizarrely played hide & seek around the base of a wooden power line. The front of the lodge is on the shore of the freshwater lagoon where the bar commands views over the main channel from which Amazon, Ringed & Green Kingfishers were seen along with fly-by Great White Egrets, Green Heron &, on one occasion a distant Wood Stork which shared a thermal with the ubiquitous Black & Turkey Vultures. A  walk back through the lodge grounds for 300-400metres leads to the beach & the Caribbean though the riptides & surf here make swimming very inadviseable (it doesn’t stop the Turtles however!).  The only birds I saw from the beach here were Magnificent Frigate Birds & a Common Black Hawk . I’m sure that a few waders would be likely throughout most of the year....but not in early July!.  The top birds in the Lodge grounds were however the Slaty-tailed Trogons ..........there were at least five of them. Stunning & very approachable birds which, despite their vivid colours are easy to miss when they sit still. Bizarrely my son snapped a (blurred) photograph of a female Trogon from the balcony of his cabin –the bird was excavating a hole in a ball-shaped termite nest about 2 metres up a small tree! The other top bird was pointed out to me by a Texan couple who seemed to be the only other birders at the lodge........... a cracking Collared Aracari which was rapidly joined by its mate as they had a nesting hole in a large tree behind a cabin block. Every so often a head would appear from the hole revealing the presence of at least one youngster. On my circuit of the lodge grounds I bumped into Diego who had found a very photogenic Red-eyed Tree-Frog on a large Heliconia leaf beside the ‘frog pool’ behind the lodge swimming pool.  I discussed the lodge birds with him & he advised that he has in the past seen a number of additional  species dependent on what is in fruit in the lodge grounds. These have apparently included both Red-capped & White-collared Manakin and, on a number of occasions Purple-throated Fruitcrow! I had intended to bird the lodge grounds at dawn the following morning but unfortunately  it was raining heavily at sunrise. 7th DAY Heavy rain prevented any dawn birding & after an early breakfast our group got onto the boat for one last time as we were taken the short trip to Tortuguero airstrip for our flight back to San Jose. The airstrip building was a single large room which was locked  so the only protection from the heavy rain was our rain ponchos  & the overhanging eaves of the building.  Our aircraft flew in shortly after –a small 18-seater took most of our party whilst 2 couples boarded a small fragile-looking 4 seater which had a hair-dryer for an engine.  We quickly loaded our limited luggage & boarded the aircraft . Within minutes, despite the heavy rain both aircraft were in the air flying over  an extensive area of forest & water channels. Heading south & west we left the storm behind & after a while we passed over cultivated land containing banana & pineapple plantations.  As we headed west the land began to climb & we continued over a further area of extensive rain forest with frequent (occasionally quite high) waterfalls, we were flying over Braulio Carillo National Park.  We headed on towards the continental divide  with a volcanic mountain chain becoming visible. All too soon we were descending to the airstrip in San Jose & within minutes we had grabbed our baggage & were back on our coach for a whistlestop tour around San Jose. I have to say that for me Tortuguero was the highlight of the holiday. We were only there for two nights  & I barely achieved a full day’s birding but did manage to see a lot of good stuff. The area clearly has great potential  & deserves to be visited much more frequently by birders. I hope to return some day!We toured San Jose without leaving our coach  & to be honest it is a fairly modern city with little in the  way of colonial buildings, etc that might hold the interest of a  visiting tourist. It was however  refreshing to see that the Costa Rican president’s official residence  was a rather modest down-town villa; this in stark contrast to the Vatican Envoys grand palace! Diego was now in his element with a highly entertaining presentation of facts, anecdotes & humorous one-liners running in tandem with a competition to identify which one of the beautiful women  we past was his girlfriend (turns out it was all of them!).  We learned that 40 years ago this year  President  Jose Figueres Ferrer disbanded the Costa Rican Armed Forces & diverted the military budget into Health, Education & Social Services..........what a thoroughly civilized  wee country this is. Costa Rica has a fairly stable population which enjoys free education resulting in the highest literacy rate in Latin-America (it would be almost 100% were it not for a large Nicoraguan adult immigrant population).  This literate easily-trained population has proven very attractive to many large multinationals with the result that pharmaceuticals & Silicon-chip technology (Intel) have overtaken coffee, bananas & Pineapples as the single biggest contribution to GDP.  Ecotourism is also a massive contributing factor to the country’s economy   & over 25% of the total land area is now under protection –more than any other country! Wind turbines, hydro & new geothermal generating plants have resulted in over 90% of the countries electricity demands being met by renewables.  Costa Rican agriculture produces a surplus of varied high-quality foodstuffs . The outlook for this small Central American country is good & Ticos (as Costa Ricans call themselves) are as a rule affable, polite, pleasant & very happy people who have a most pleasant disposition towards tourists..... but don’t take my word –come see for yourself!  Costa  Rica holds few dangers to the visiting tourist & though petty thieving does (as elsewhere in the world) occur , violent crimes & serious criminality are  very rare. After  our attenuated city tour we were taken to a tourist souvenir shop/restaurant which stocked the usual souvenirs  but at a fraction of the price we had seen elsewhere . Typical Costa Rican fare  was available very cheaply & we got the opportunity to stock up on the famous hot/spicy Lizano salsa before our long drive to the tourist hotels of Guanacaste’s Pacific coast –the fixed venue for our second week of the holiday (the trip took about two & a half hours in the afternoon heat & yielded no new bird sightings). To be continued...........................</blockquote>

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