Saturday 12th November - The Missing Bits

D has calmed down a bit and has been persuaded to elaborate on yesterday's post. 

Some people, especially D, get very lost and confused without maps so here is one to show our progress so far. From Heredia on the northern edge of San Jose we travelled to Tortuguero then back to Guapiles before picking up the car and driving to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. The drawing tool on D's tablet is a bit rudimentary so apologies for the rather clumsy lines.

We have a guided birding walk booked at La Selva , an Environmental Research station at the very northern tip of the Braulio Carrillo National Park. This place was founded around 50 years ago, occupying land that had been Cocoa plantations but which has reverted to forest. It has educational and research facilities and hosts scientists and students from all around the world. They also have accommodation for tourist visitors who want to take a walking tour. Pieter was unable to get a room for us here so we have a short drive from Ara Ambigua.

There is a bit of form filling and then we are introduced to Joe, our guide. He is quietly spoken but obviously knowledgeable, not just about birds but all aspects of the forest and its inhabitants. He explains that due to the heat today the forest will be quieter than normal but he is confident of finding interesting birds for us. We stick to surfaced paths through the trees and undergrowth and soon get sightings. For a while we watch several Aracaris, the small toucans that we saw on the Tortuguero boat trip. Next up is a Montezuma Oropendola, quite large and brightly coloured. These birds weave long cylindrical nests which dangle from tall trees at the edge of the forest.

More birds follow. Joe turns out to be quite accomplished at mimicking bird calls and coaxes one or two of the more reluctant ones to show themselves. Conditions are not ideal for photography with a bright sky and gloomy forest. We see a lot more than we are able to photograph. After nearly two hours Joe thinks we have exhausted the options in the area nearest the reception complex and leads us over a rather shoogly suspension bridge to the north bank of the Sarapiqui River. As we cross we see river turtles sunbathing on logs and are told that there are sometimes Caymans. On the north bank sits the education and research campus beyond which is some original jungle.

We soon see a Broad-billed Motmot with its distinctive racquet tail before reaching an area where there is a serious column of ants filling one side of the path. Joe turns out to be an enthusiast for Ant Birds which follow the ant columns, not to eat them, but to eat other insects that are disturbed by the ants. Unfortunately a lot of this happens in the undergrowth off the paths and is difficult to spot.

The raucous calls of Great Green Macaws drown out all of the other noise in the jungle. Joe has a good idea of which trees they are in but they are too low down for us to see. After a while we hear their screeching moving away, no tick in the book. On the way back to the gate Joe hears the distinctive call of a Cinammon Woodpecker. This one is Joe's party piece and he returns the call. The bird responds then moves without showing itself and we are led a merry dance around the educational compound. Eventually Joe decides that this one is a bust and we return to base. 

The heat and humidity has built up over the morning and we are both ready for a lie down in an air conditioned room. We salve our guilt by setting the unit at 20°C, warmer than we heat our house to at home. By mid afternoon we have recovered and head out to explore more of the hotel grounds. There are two lakes, one rather well maintained and picturesque. The other is a bit dank and gloomy and surrounded by these signs. 

We think that we spotted a Cayman and posted the photo in the earlier brief post. What we want to know is how do they know which lake they are supposed to be in?  At supper tonight we solve the problem of huge main courses by ordering two consective starters and no main.  This works perfectly for us.

Yo no quiero arroz con papas fritas, gracias.

For those still wondering a ferretaria is a hardware store.