We were sad to leave Rancho Naturalista as we knew there were many more birds we could have seen but it was time to move on and we had a 4.5 hr drive to Arenal but with plans to stop at a couple of places along the way. Our first stop was just a quick detour into Finca Tres Esquis or Farm and Forest. I had seen ebird reports from there and knew that Purple Fruitcrows was on the list of expected birds so we pulled in as it was right off the highway. It was a large property and clearly we would not have time to cover it all but we drove in a way and stopped near a look out and pond. We saw our first Green Kingfisher and Least Grebes, both not lifers and then from the tower we saw our lifer Black Hawk Eagle.

We walked the road for a bit but didn’t see or hear any Purple Fruitcrows and we just did not have the time to continue through the property. Even with three weeks it seemed like we did not have enough time to explore all the places we wanted to. We continued back on the highway and as we were driving I sighted a white and black raptor in a tree beside the road. I knew this was likely our Laughing Falcon lifer and Jerry pulled over quickly, got out and took some photos from a bit of a distance. Always nice when the lifers position themselves along the roadway LOL!

Fifteen minutes further along I spotted a wetland area and we could see some birds on the pond so we did a u-turn and came along the side of the pond to see our first Southern Lapwings, a gorgeous shorebird.

The main spot that I had wanted to stop at was La Selva Biological Station. I had saved all the places we were traveling to on my google maps app and so I punched in La Selva and we followed the directions. We ended up in a private yard! where I had a “conversation” with a lady in Spanish without me knowing any Spanish. I had a look at the map and realized that I had saved the ebird pin for La Selva which is clearly not at La Selva and the actual place was back about 10 minutes and on a different road. This was the first navigation error and self-inflicted with the wrong pin. La Selva has a large number of bird species and many people decide to stay in the area to visit it. I had considered adding a few days and doing that but I changed my mind figuring we would see many of the same birds at the other lodges. What I did not realize is that you need an actual reservation to get in as the security guard sadly informed us. Shoot! We had left the other birding place so we would have all the time at this place and now we could not get in. I asked if it was possible to use a restroom at least and he was kind enough to allow us down to the restaurant area and washrooms. We were happy to just have that access at least and figured we might see some birds so the visit was not a total bust. At the restaurant we met up with people we had just met at Rancho Naturalista and were staying at La Selva for a couple of days. After using the washrooms we ventured onto the drawbridge near by and had a close view of a lifer Yellow-throated Toucan, not to be confused by the Keel-billed Toucan.

We slowly walked back toward the security booth listening and looking for birds and added a Slaty-tailed Trogon, a Black-faced Grosbeak, and had great views and interactions with some Collared Acararis.

It was extremely hot and it was mid-day so we were happy to at least add a few birds as disappointing as it was to not get in to experience the forests of La Selva. While doing this blog I checked one of Jerry’s pictures and realized it was a bird we did not have. Another lifer added weeks after we are home LOL. Plain-brown Woodcreeper.

We continued on to Arenal and after another drive up into the mountains, on paved roads at least, we arrived at a beautiful lodge with stunning grounds, volcano views, and nice rooms. As we stepped into Reception we were greeted with cool facecloths to clean up and a refreshing cold fruit juice while we checked in for another three day stay. Nice! On the way to our room we added a lifer Great Currasow right outside the room! Close views, no bins required.

Our room faced the volcano and we had some lovely plantings outside the room to attract Hummingbirds and Honeycreepers.

While we had a cold beer on our patio we added a Violet-headed Hummingbird and then headed out to the deck with feeders to watch all these colourful birds coming into feed. We added Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Carmiol’s Tanager, and Red-lored Amazon as well as great looks at lots of Honeycreepers and Tanager species.

We had a guided walk scheduled for the morning but we were told he had a family emergency so we were offered a few alternatives and we decided on another guide for the second morning. They found someone available and let us know later in the evening that we were on for the tour.

We found the dinner good but not as good as our previous lodges. The staff were lovely and friendly but the dinner arrived lukewarm and it was quite expensive for what we had. Arenal is big, busy and located in the most popular tourist area of La Fortuna so although it is known for its birds there were many people staying there who were not birders. It was a different feel from our previous small, quiet lodges.

After dinner we headed out to walk the property knowing that a few owl species are regularly seen and heard. I was going from notes on ebird reports that suggested we look on the other side of the property so we crossed the swinging bridge and checked out the gardens as the light left. We found a Blue-black Grosbeak just before dark although the female was neither blue or black. We continued on through the gardens listening intently for owl sounds but came up empty.

As I settled into my bed with my computer to write some blog notes I see something move out of the corner of my eye and there is a tiny lizard scurrying across my blanket. I do not scream or throw the computer in the air. It is a pretty cute lizard and so Jerry helpfully assists it out of the room. I do not dream of lizards in my bed.

Next morning we woke up to many Coatis walking through our yard searching for grubs in the grass.

With no guided tour we went out at 6:30 for 2 hours and heard 4 more lifers, Broad-billed Motmot, Song Wren, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush and Long-billed Gnatwren. We managed to finally see the Song Wren but the other three remained elusive. It was overcast so the lighting was horrible in the dense trees. We also saw our first monkeys – White-faced Capuchins before heading into breakfast.

This Bay Wren was very co-operative though.

The restaurant overlooks the gardens and the feeding areas with sliding windows that you can move right out of the way. We chose a table beside the best window for viewing, the perk for so many non-birders choosing to be near the food instead. A very good thing as a couple of Gartered Violaceous Trogons were sitting in nearby trees. Jerry took some pictures and then went out to get even closer ones.

After breakfast we had decided to do the furthest and longest trails around the lodge and headed out with water and snacks. Over the next 5 hours we walked all the different trails seeing mostly birds we had already seen but also tracking down birds we had only heard. Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush was one. It kept singing, we kept moving to get closer, it would stop, we would search with our bins, then move away, it would start singing. I went back and forth along the path determined to find it. I was looking at eye-level height but also started looking lower and suddenly there it was on a rock in a clearing. We had lovely views of it and Jerry took some nice pictures. We were both pumped from sticking it out and finding it. It is what we like most about birding.

We still managed to find some lifers on our own, Pale-billed Woodpecker, Black-crowned Tityra, Band-backed Wren, and a Northern Tropical Pee-wee. And somehow we saw all of them as well as took pictures.

The hike took us to different habitat, farmland, forest, over bridges and down shaded paths.

Every trail in Costa Rica has ants – Leaf-cutter Ants, Army Ants, and probably all kinds of other ants. I look down every time I stop to make sure I am not standing on their “highways”. I am starting to find them fascinating and find myself watching their long columns of busyness.

The last lifer of the hike was a Slate-coloured Grosbeak that we listened to for 15 minutes or more but remained elusive off the trail. We walked 10 kms and then did 20 flights of stairs to see the waterfalls on the property. It was nearing 2pm and we were hot and sweaty by the time we made it back to our rooms. A pool break seemed in order so we spent some time in a warm jacuzzi and pool with lovely views of the volcano free from any clouds.

Once we were dried off a bit we went over to the hummingbird gardens in hopes of seeing something special. A few weeks back a Black-crested Coquette had been frequenting the flowers but in those weeks many of the flowers were spent and so there were fewer birds coming to them. We did see a new one though, a Purple-crowned Fairy.

I glanced down the path at one point and saw a different shape land in a tree – I got my bins on it and recognized it as new but not sure what it was. It had long thin tail feathers and was mostly black and white. I tried to get Jerry on the bird to take pictures while also trying to memorize what I was seeing in case it left. Eventually he saw it fly and then managed to take pictures and a man on his balcony was looking at it too and had a bird book so he was flipping through it and then the bird called and Long-tailed Tyrant came up and solved the problem for us.

On the way back to our room we saw a couple taking pictures by a telephone pole and stopped to see what they were looking at – Black and Yellow Tanager! We had already seen these at Rancho but did not have great looks or pictures. A nice bonus and then a staff member showed us a Rufus-tailed Hummingbird nest near our room.

A gathering of Yellow-throated Toucans kept us entertained for a bit.

Today Jerry hit a milestone in birding when he moved past 1,000 lifetime birds seen. His 1,000 bird was the Black-crowned Tityra. I still have a few more to go because Jerry has some European lifers that I do not have. Yes, a trip to Europe is in our future so I can try and even things up!

After dinner we headed back out to see about finding the Black-and-White Owl. We had heard from a birder during the day that it stays around the parking lot so instead of moving to the other side of the lodge as we did the night before, we stayed in the parking area. I went out with my pyjamas on figuring it was dark and not many people would be walking around. They have loons on them so I think it was appropriate birding clothing LOL. We only walked a short way down the parking lot and suddenly heard the owl quite close. We looked carefully and could see it in the trees and then it flew back behind buildings. We followed and got some views of it high in trees there. Then it flew again back near the restaurant and a better lit area. By this time people had come out of the restaurant wanting to see it and one of those people shines a light up towards the owl. We would not do that ourselves but we took a few pictures and then headed back to our rooms.

We were up early to meet our guide Jaime (Hymen) and spent a few minutes at the feeders while we discussed what birds we still needed to find. Jaime seemed confident he could find some new species for us so we headed down the lodge road. It was very steep and I was thinking about having to climb back up but Jaime kept going down. We saw a male Great Curassow that is quite different looking from the female. It was displaying with its grunts.

Jaime wanted to show us a Rufus-tailed Jacamar and he could mimic the call to try and bring them in close to us so we could see them. He tried at one spot but had no luck and so moved down to another spot.

There were some return calls at this spot but they did not move closer. We moved to a third spot and saw a Broad-billed Motmot, the species we heard yesterday but could not see so it was nice to add this species to the list. We then moved back up to the second spot. He called a few more times and the bird responded and then responded again closer and we started looking. Yes, finally close by a Rufous-tailed Jacamar! It looks like a large Hummingbird in colouring but it is actually the ? family. In minutes another arrived and we had two flying about, perching on the wires over the road and in the shrubs.

Jaime let us know that another bird was singing very close – A Western Woodhaunter – what a name! It ended up basically right in front of us in a thick tangle allowing us glimpses of it before it flew off so sadly no pictures. We also finally added a Bright-rumped Atilla that was singing and singing near us but not showing itself. We have had this bird come up on Merlin numerous times but we have not figured out which song matches it so this time Jaime helped and we isolate the song so we can add it to our list. On the way back UP the road we stopped often to try for other species of Trogons we have not seen and we ended up adding a Double-toothed Kite that flew into a tree across the road from us. Back at the lodge we took a walk along the paths near the Hummingbird gardens and a Gartered Violaceous Trogon perchs right beside us. It is so close that Jerry cannot get the whole bird in the shot. It appears to be nesting in the area and seemed fine to stay where it was despite the people coming past along the path. All in all is was another great experience with a guide.

Of course, after breakfast we hike down the River trail and Jerry spotted a Jacamar right beside the trail. It just always seems to be the way. Once you have seen a bird and added it to your list you see multiples of them.

We chose to spend the afternoon sitting out on our patio with beers and computers trying to catch up. Jerry is behind by 7 checklists and there are birds we do not even know we have seen. I’m trying to make notes for the blog and cannot even add names of birds and I am putting in checklists that have some of the birds but not all of them. While we are sitting there Jerry sees a bird that seems to be different. At first I think it is the Black and Yellow Tanager but Jerry is sure it is something else and starts taking pictures. It turns out to be another lifer, Black-cowled Oriole.

Just before dusk we head up to the feeding station to see if anything new will pop in but it is still mesmerizing to just see the same dazzling mix of the same birds from the last two days.

After dinner we get back to the lists and blogs but Jerry was falling asleep instead of doing pictures. I suggested I could start doing it but I think he fears that I will be deleting every picture except the one posted to ebird. UMMM! yes that makes total sense to me, why keep thousands of bad pictures? as he does…he fell asleep shortly anyway and the pictures continue to build…

Here are some random pictures from our 3 days at Arenal.

On the last morning at Arenal we had a leisurely breakfast and then drove down to La Fortuna for a date with a sloth I hoped. We had some laundry done for us at Rancho and needed to rinse a few things after the last very sweaty days but things do not dry well in this humidity so our car has become our dryer. Undies and bras hang in the trunk section. The heat in the car during the day is perfect for drying everything.

The Borgain Trail is an ebird hotspot and has a nice selection of birds but it is also known to have sloths. I wanted very much to see a sloth. It is $20 each to get in and 2 minutes up the trail there was one quite high up in the trees. Mission accomplished. We started birding while still watching for sloths and a helpful guide showed us a Common Parauque sleeping under a bush off the main path.

We had quick looks at a Tropical Mockingbird but no pictures of it as it flew away. We walked some more trails and saw 2 more sloths. We then had help finding a Black-and-white-Owl that we helped others see, saw yet another Jacamar! and showed that bird to others on the paths. We heard two new lifers, Fasciated Antshrike and an Ochre-bellied Flycatcher. Again, we hoped to be able to see these birds somewhere else. Another couple showed us a 4th sloth, again high up. We then had White-collared Manakins buzzing and squeaking around us as Jerry tried to get pictures when they briefly stopped.

Another guide told us to ask at the desk about a Pacific Screech Owl that was roosting on a trail so when we got back to the front we asked and someone took us over and pointed to a very well hidden Pacific Screech Owl.

We decided to check back for one of the birds we missed seeing and in doing so ended up with our best views of a sloth, a juvenile just over a year old was climbing down out of the trees possibly to go to the bathroom which they only do every few days and so we could see him clearly, and all the flies attached to him as well. The loud buzzing noise in the video is cicada bugs that were in full voice at a number of locations. So loud they drowned out the song of birds!

We watched the sloth for a bit hopeful that it might make it to the ground BUT they move so slowly! We continued on our way and when we passed by on our way out it had not come to the ground after all and was further back in the trees. It was a wonderful trail and visit despite being somewhat commercialized and fairly busy. It still gave me the sloth experience I wanted and added a few more lifers to our bird list.

After our visit I saw a few comments online about it perhaps not being as ethical as they suggest and that they must feed the sloths to keep them there – something that is not supposed to happen. I don’t know what to believe, I had researched it before we left and been told that it was an ethical place so I guess make your own decision about what or how you want to see sloths when you travel there.

The stops and Arenal we saw 40 more new species for the year and 34 of them were lifers