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Costa Rica '04
8-Jan-04 Thursday 1:00P Leave Colts Neck Mark Garland in airport On-time departure Beef sandwich Arrive San Jose - weather clear, scattered clouds Smooth customs Limo to hotel - Niño driver Nice room; city view CPAP 9-Jan-04 Friday Walk in garden, birds, large black bee Rufous-collared Sparrows Blue-crowned Motmots Breakfast by window Visit to park Earth history display Ants in display Butterfly cage Bird cards in book shop Lunch in patio restaurant Sit in garden bench Welcome dinner Charlie Gomez Full moon rise 10-Jan-04 Saturday Walk in garden Beautiful flower hedge in sunlight Baltimore Oriole in sunlight Breakfast by window 8:00A bus to Arenal 9:00A rest stop Nut bars Cattle Egrets Clouds over continental divide Continental divide, fog Rest stop, birds Passerini's Tanager, (black bird/red) Montezuma Oropendular, scope Keel-billed Toucan, scope (distant) Stop for sloth Sloth moved down Lunch at restaurant White Hawk, scope Rufus-tailed Hummingbird Stop for monkey in tree (hidden) Black Guan, scope (head profile) Stop at pasture pond Ringed Kingfisher, scope (large, great!!) Southern Lapwing, scope Monkey family in cecropia tree eating fruit Broad-billed Motmot (smaller)(entrance drive to lodge) Arenal volcano area cloudy 10° 29.8' 84° 47.0' 10° 29.628 84° 46.042 Lodge Tyre (weasel) bananas Silver throated tanager Wine by fireplace Sea bass dinner Apple pie w/o ice cream ("not allowed") 11-Jan-04 Sunday Walk near Arenal Lake Rainy day many birds Lunch family style, rice, chicken, vegetables on table Strawberry ice cream GPS reading from Joe 3:00P another field trip, same route Rainy afternoon Potoo bird in tree, obscure 5:15P return to lodge 6:15P billiards and wine Orange chicken dinner 12-Jan-04 Monday 7:45A leave Arenal lodge 9:00A Rest stop Caracara in field Ani pair Jacana, binocs from bus Bus on suspension bridge 12:00N Arrive Sueno Azul resort, 10° 21.064' 83° 58.198' Room with porch, rocking chairs, view of pond, tree right in front 12:45P lunch, served buffet Porch, view pond, Jacana Intermittent Rain, skipped walk Porch, rocking chair Natural History book Trees, Pocket PC 4:00P Sun, Clear Skies Anhinga, orange bill duck 6:30P dark skies Wine, Slide Show 7:00P dinner, served buffet 13-Jan-04 Tuesday 5:00A breakfast 6:00A La Selva Entrance road Barred antshrike Walk down concrete trail Cactus fern Latex tree Bridge over river Bridge at La Selva 10° 25.371' 84° 00.276' 14-Jan-04 Wednesday Walk down by two rivers, stones and gravel, sound of water 7:00A breakfast, eggs, hearts of palm Vince pointed out hummingbird near room White-whiskered Puffbird near bridge and bus Bumps-trunk tree from bus 8:30A La Selva, large group Walk again along concrete path Dove Charlie lures birds with sound Walk across bridge over river Birds in fruit tree Lunch at resort Armadillo 3:00P La Selva Tropical Forest, great!!! Butress roots Adventious roots Huge trees Took pictures 5:30P Narrow trail, getting dark, Charlie tries to lure bird with sound, no success 8:15P did not go looking for owls 15-Jan-04 Thursday Black-bellied Whistling Ducks family in binocs on meadow lawn Left Sueno Azul resort Birding by bridge Brown Woodpecker Stop at cow pasture Green ibis Roadside Hawk Arrive Bosque de Paz 10° 12.270' 84° 19.033' Scenic, rocky stream Hummingbird feeders Room with two windows 12:30P Chicken lunch, rice, black beans, tortillas, Passion punch Stunned bird, Charlie, Prong-billed Barbet, sugar water 2:30P Path to trail Spider webs under foot bridge Water thrush Walk along trail, small birds Impatients plants Large Leaves, two kinds Wine before dinner Charlie's toucan and wine story Did not go night bus for owls 16-Jan-04 Friday 5:30A Walk down road, cows Flycatcher Bird eating fruit 8:15A served breadfast, eggs, rice and beans, French toast Army Ants across Trail Black-banded Woodcreeper Slatey-throated Redstart Three-striped Warbler return via trail by stream 1:00P lunch, smoked turkey, sauce 4:00P Walk Kathy & Bill Mountain stream Big tree Tarantula Hummingbirds by feeder Purple-throated Mountain Gem Bridge on road over rocks with swiftly flowing water, American Dipper 17-Jan-04 Saturday 6:00A coffee on stoop, talk with owner Walk around grounds, orchids, bridge, soundof rushing water, Rhochart sound of water/voices Leisurely breakfast ~9:45A bus depart Mountain road Tree fern 11:30A arrive shopping Place mat, hot plate, carved frog, armadillo Buffet lunch, beer 12:45P bus depart Mountain road Bridge design, earthquake, Japanese Scarlet Macaw, binocs and scope Arrive Villa Lapus Hotel Check-in, room A/C 4:00P Walk in forest Thorn tree with ants in thorns Guanacoste tree Army ants Leaf-cutter ants Garbage pile Charlie calls birds Secretive bird, laser light Toucans in trees near room Dinnerin open covered building Salad, orange fruit ice cream Bird list 18-Jan-04 Sunday 5:00A breakfast 5:30A bus uphill View off to bay Parrots Canopy catwalks Charlie lures birds "Sandbox" tree Balsa tree Long-tailed Manakin Charlie shows me a (two) in tree (lek) Steps and handrails (slippery) down to lodge 9:30A breakfast 10:30A Bus to mangrove Walk along road Squatter houses Shore birds Brown pelicans in trees Amazon Kingfisher Bus back to lodge Kite from bus 1:15P lunch, Joan and Dorothy Joan, Princeton, physics 3:00P Bus Tufted Gnatcatcher Owl Motmots Scarlet Macaws in flight Masked Tityra in binocs and scope Rufous-naped Wren, dust bath 19-Jan-04 Monday 4:30A breakfast 5:45A trailhead in forest Hummingbird nest Scarlet Macaw in hole in tree, fly away, nice!!! American Pygmy Flycatcher, nice!!! Prothonatary warbler Boat-billed Heron Armadillo routing in ground 10:15A Walk back (30 min) Camera battery failed Iguana waddling up road Green Heron, close Anhinga, close Lunch, tomato soup, salad, beans and rice Nap Shop with wood carvings Dinner, maimai fish 20-Jan-04 Tuesday 5:15A Coffee 5:40A Bus up hill Chalatas View east toward Poas, hazy in distance Keel-billed Toucan, 5-min view, excellent!!! Parrots (2) fly by at lower altitude View of Pacific, waves on shore 8:00A Breakfast 8:30A did not go on Mangrove walk Walk along hotel park area near stream Great Kiskadee Walk with Kathy along hotel park area near stream Lunch, salad, beer, ice cream 12:45P Bus back to San Jose Hot 1:45P Stop in town of Orotine to see owls Sloths in trees Bus continue to San Jose Arrive hotel in San Jose Much cooler, pleasant Walk in garden Parrots (2) in tree Bamboo creaking in wind 6:30P Farewell dinner, roast pork 21-Jan-04 Wednesday 7:45P Bus leave hotel in San Jose Pan American highway Rest stop #1, mixed nuts Rest stop #2 Short drive to gravel road Walk along gravel road Camera pictures Bamboo, blooming, then plant dies, Century plant Flowers pollinated by hummingbirds, relatively few insects at this altitude, flower shapes Lichen, symbiosis algae & fungus Continental divide in saddle Clouds from east dissipate after passing over continental divide Fractoculumus clouds Altitude 10k ft Paramo, tropical alpine meadow Start descending, steep road, sharp switchbacks Resplendant Quetzal male, long look in binocs Resplendant Quetzal male flies, spectacular!!!!, streaming tail Resplendant Quetzal female sitting in tree Mountain Robin 1:00P Arrive Savegre Mountain Lodge, ~7k ft 9° 34' 83° 47' Lunch, seafood soup, rice & beans and mixed vegetables 3:00P Walk on grounds Yellow-faced Grassquit, "gorgeous" Little Woodpecker, red cap Bird in rock by rushing water Mountain Robin in tree near stream Short start on mountain trail Hummingbirds at gift shop Sit on chairs outside room 6:30P wine and dinner Trout, rice, refried beans, chips Skip bird list Cold at night in bed Electric heater 22-Jan-04 Thursday Photo of trees in sunlight on mountain crest 6:30A breakfast, pancakes Flame-colored Tanager Wilson's Warbler 7:30A Truck ride up mountain Truck ride back down, did not hike down Beautiful day, a little cool Rufous-collared Sparrow catches insect on fifth try K & B walk around grounds Mountain Robin Collared Redstart, kept flying into reflection in window, swooped close to me (maybe trying to protect nest) Blac-and-white Warbler on trunk of tree Acorn Woodpecker, ~4 sightings, flinging chips out of hole Dipper on rocks in stream, 8 min+ Water streamed over bill and bird's body, bobbing tail, head, body Blue/white Swallow Lunch, trout 3:13P Bus up mountain road 6:30P Owl watch, no luck Stars bright, too much light from owling 7:15P dinner, chicken soup, trout left from lunch 8:00P Bird list, did not stay 23-Jan-04 Friday 6:00A coffee Bus ride to mountain farm Rooster and hens in pen Resplendant Quetzals, 20+ min, fabulous!!! 7:30A breakfast 8:30A check out, Bus up road, same road as previous night Pan American highway south Bus climb up to antennas Drive along antennas road Brown bird with yellow eye Bus to Pan American highway construction site, did not climb steps, waited in bus 9° 33.375’ 83° 42.419’ Elevation 9987 ft Bus ride to another site, misty cloud, wet Bag lunch, chicken sandwich, peanut butter and jelly Seek rare bird, Silver-throated Jay, wait in bus Striped bamboo Bus ride back to San Jose Spacious hotel room, view of garden 6:30P Awards dinner, sea bass, red wine Goodbye to Charlie and Niño Charlie's wife Slide show 24-Jan-04 Saturday 6:00A Walk in garden 6:30A Breakfast 6:45A Bus to airport Airport crowd Flight on time at 9:20A 3:20P arrive Newark 4:45P return Colts Neck
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