Today we woke up at La Selva but for the last time this trip. We had until 1 PM to bird La Selva before our transportation came to take us to Arenal Observatory Lodge. However, this morning proved to be another amazing morning of birding.
At 1 PM our driver (lets call him "Mr. Cranky") drove us to Arenal, a good 3+ hour drive. We didn't see much in the way of new species as we got whipped around the windy roads.
Arenal Observatory Lodge is situated at the base of the VERY active Arenal Volcano. It didn't take long for us to realize that the loud cracks and bangs were actually giant pieces of volcanic debris (the size of cars, some of them) rumbling down the mountain! Don't worry, the lodge is a safe distance from those boulders.
One of my favorite pictures from Costa Rica! This was taken at La Selva on a misty, early morning.
This Northern Barred-Woodcreeper was found just in front of our cabin at La Selva.
Another great find at La Selva was this White-whiskered Puffbird. Puffbirds are notorious for being difficult to find. We lucked out this morning though.
The above Rufous Motmot is the biggest of the motmots, this one at La Selva OTS.
Although not a great picture, above is a Hook-billed Kite. This species, along with a Double-toothed Kite, were seen rising on late morning thermals at La Selva.
Above is a Common Tody-Tyrant near reception at La Selva.
One of many flycatcher species at La Selva, this is a Gray-capped Flycatcher.
This is an Olive-backed Euphonia, a common species here at La Selva.
Above is a Crested Guan, a huge turkey-like bird that prefers sitting in trees over the ground. Every morning along the same trail at La Selva, a flock of these would explode into flight from over our heads.
Although not a great picture, the Squirrel Cuckoo is a really neat species and I went to Costa Rica in hopes of getting at least some kind of picture of it.Below are the NEW species for the trip seen today:
Antshrike, Fasciated
Antshrike, Great
Attila, Bright-rumped
Becard, White-winged
Flycatcher, Yellow-margined
Honeycreeper, Shining
Mourner, Rufous
Pewee, Tropical
Puffbird, White-whiskered
Redstart, American
Seedeater, White-collared
Warbler, Blue-winged
Warbler, Golden-winged
Woodcreeper, Cocoa
Woodcreeper, Northern Barred-
