Costa Rica – Part 5

Day 10 (27th Jan) Arenal Lodge, then to Selva Verde Lodge

Arenal Lodge grounds – This was one of only two days in the trip when we had rain. The inside viewing platform gave a good view of the veranda and bird feeder. A Southern House Wren was below.

And 2 Pale-vented Pigeon perched in the mist.

We also had 4 Collared Aracari, plus Bay-headed and Rufous-winged Tanagers.

Transit – This Broad-winged Hawk was next to the road and we also had 3 Grey-breasted Martin.

Café, Mirada Cinchona – Another superb café stop – this was the view !

The star bird was this Violet Sabrewing, one of the biggest hummingbirds at 15cm long, and chased anything that dared to get near its feeders - Video.

The other hummingbird here was the Green-crowned Brilliant, and there were at least 4.

Palm and Blue-grey Tanager and Baltimore Oriole.

Nice pair of Red-headed Barbets and Red-tailed Squirrel. We also had a Black-and-white Warbler.

Selva Verde Lodge – When we got to the new lodge, wildlife showed itself immediately. Green Basilisk and Black River Turtle.

Strawberry Poison-dart Frog (only 2cm long) and Black-cowled Oriole.

The lodges were lovely, and so was the garden area and river at the back.

Walk from the Lodge – This Blue-chested Hummingbird was in the garden - video, and a Black-crested Coquette.

Plus this Shining Honeycreeper (with its yellow legs) and Grey-capped Flycatcher.

Another Squirrel Cuckoo and Black-headed Trogon.

Another Broad-billed Motmot and a better view of Spotted Sandpiper in the river.

I mis-id’d this Osprey as a possible Giant Cowbird, as it was hanging-out in a tree with Oropendola nests !

Buff-rumped Warbler near the stream and our first glimpse of Great Green Macaws. We also had 2 Brown-hooded Parrot, Bare-throated Tiger-heron, Ringed and Amazon Kingfisher (on the river), 3 each of Yellow-throated Toucan, Collared Aracari and Streak-headed Woodcreeper and a brief view of a Red-throated Ant-Tanager.

Brown Setwing dragonfly and I was very pleased that I asked the name of this tree, as the answer was ‘Horse Balls’ (Tabernaemontana donnell-smithii) !

Ground Anole and Slender Anole.

One of several huge (2m long!) Green Iguana high in the trees (photo by Steve Mason). And a White-tailed Deer, the national mammal of Costa Rica (giving us the full set, along with National Bird and Tree), which Steve Mason video’d eating the lodge’s garden flowers !

Day 11 (28th Jan) Selva Verde Lodge and La Selva Biological Station

Walk from nearby Police Station – At dawn, our first 3-toed Sloth was found, and a Scarlet Macaw.

And 20 Red-lored Parrots came out of roost, along with 2 Great Green Macaws and Chestnut-headed Oropendolas.

This Bat Falcon sat in a treetop. We also had 4 Grey-rumped Swift over, and Short-billed Pigeons.

Crimson-bellied Saltator (aka Greyish),

Walk along La Selva entrance road – These 3 Olive-backed Euphonia and Heliconia flowers.

I think that these show the White-ringed Flycatcher and Dusky-faced Tanager, that we had here.

Plus Pale-vented Pigeons. We also had Black-cowled Tanager, Grey-capped Flycatcher, Orange-billed Sparrow, 2 Buff-rumper Warbler, Rufous Mourner and 2 Red-throated Ant-Tanager. And an attempt to photo one of the 30 Grey-rumped Swift. (We also had 2 Long-tailed Swift, which I missed.)

La Selva Biological Station – We were accompanied by a second guide, from the station, who was also excellent.

Another Tiger Longwing (showing upper-wing) and we did see a couple of massive Blue Morpho butterflies, but they were too fast to photo. This Sara Longwing was more helpful.

A couple of Great Green Macaw landed and fed, but the highlight of the morning was this Semi-plumbeous Hawk that sat in a tree, calling, by the café.

Nearby, a Grey-headed Kite took to the air (photo by Chris Jones) and displayed - video, and a Blue-chested Hummingbird.

Then we found a 3-toed Sloth - video, and this is a Papaya tree.

A group of 12 Collared Pecaries wandered through !

This Bright-rumped Attila wasn’t being very cooperative, but luckily this Fer-de-lance was, as it was 2m long, and is a pit viper responsible for the most venomous snake bites in Costa Rica.

We made our way slowly past the snake, but holding on to the handrail was not good, as it was patrolled by Bullet Ants (2cm long and the insect with the single most painful sting!). A nicely coloured lizard, called a Middle American Ameiva (aka Central American Whiptail).

This Rubyspot Damselfly was the only Damsel seen all trip. And Wedge-billed Woodcreeper.

This male Blue-black Grosbeak was singing. And this young Spider Monkey shows how they use their prehensile tail.

Black-crowned Antshrike and the forest, with arch where tree has decayed leaving ‘Strangler’ Fig. We also had White-shouldered Tanager, 3 White-breasted Wood-Wren and Black-throated Wren.

Male Olive-backed Euphonia and a couple of butterflies - White-patched Emesis (Emesis Lucinda)

And Spot-banded Daggerwing. After feeding the fruit-eating Piranhas with Steve’s bananas, the morning was finished !

Selva Verde Lodge grounds – The Green Basilisk showed well and this Bush-cricket with ridiculously long antennae !

Banded Peacock (Anartia Fatima) and a better photo of Clay-coloured Thrush (which we saw every day).

A young male Black-crested Coquette - video.

La Selva Biological Station – Back to the same place for the afternoon. The first birds we saw were 2 Collared Forest Falcon that flew from trees as we approached the bridge over the river (below). And a Wood Thrush.

Two Grey-chested Dove stayed distant along the path, then Matt spotted this confiding Grey-necked Wood-Rail - video.

And 2 Agoutis sat on the path.

I am very pleased with this photo of a Black-crowned Antshrike, as they are difficult to photo; continuously moving in the deep undergrowth. We also had another Chestnut-backed Antbird. And a well-hidden Eye-lash Viper.

Weird looking Python millipede (aka Large Forest-floor millipede). Here I learnt the importance of ants to the whole forest ecosystem. Below is one of the many Leaf-cutter Ant ‘highways’ that criss-cross the forest floor between the ants’ nests and right up into the tree canopy to get fresh leaves. And we came across an army of Soldier Ants going at a fantastic pace through the forest, attacking anything that got in their path. Lots of birds (especially the Antbirds, Antthrushes and Antshrikes) follow the Soldier Ants, not to eat the ants, but to pick-off insects as they flee. So I was eager to see this spectacle, but our guide told us to retreat, as the Soldier Ants were coming our way !

We then found a stream, where the birds following the ants were coming to bath, and had a nice list of birds to view (but the light was really bad, and the camera struggled to cope): 2 Bicoloured Antbird (video), a lovely male Kentucky Warbler (video), Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, Swainson’s Thrush, Spotted Antbird, Chestnut-backed Antbird, Golden-winged Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler and 3 Wood Thrush.

On the way out of the park we had a male Great Curassow and 2 Great Green Macaw.

The 6th instalment of the trip is here !)