I was up a few times during the night (awoken by a Mottled
Owl – still never seen one) to check the trap outside especially given the
amount of crashing and banging from some of the beasts that it attracted. Hopefully, I will get some help with the moth
ids. There was also a large creature up on
the roof at one stage, noisily stomping around but despite going outside I
could get no angle on it! I wonder what it was?
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| Almost perfect for Palpita vitrealis from Europe but not quite |
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| A huge Black Witch |
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| So many like dead leaves |
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| Like a mega freaky huge Calopitlia! |
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| Mind boggled by these two |
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| I will add names as and when I find them out! |
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| It was not just moths - various Longhorns |
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| Including this monster - my finger is still not that close to it |
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| Look at the jaws |
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| Weevil |
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| A five inch long Dobson-fly - even scarier jaws |
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| A huge Stick Insect that flew off |
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| A fat little Harvestman Spider |
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| And quite a few of these quite large Wolf Spiders that were out trying to catch the moths on the walls of the lodge |
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| And a Slug - only the second one I have seen out here and they are very strange. They are not slimy at all but almost dry and clammy if that is possible. They go flat and rigid when disturbed but when moving look like normal slugs back home. |
Black-headed Saltators were noisily waking up at Quelitalis and Crimson
Collared Tanagers were appearing as well as a smart pair of Scarlet-thighed
Dacnis while flocks of Elegant Chlorophonias were moving about including some at
height where they make little Siskin-like noises.
Three flocks of Barred Parakeets were seen rocketing around
and the light was so good that they gleamed all shades of almost iridescent green. I still feel pangs of guilt about owning six
of these tiny parrots. Yes, I did rescue
them from a horrid pet shop in Romford and yes, they did have a good aviary in
which to fly but seeing them in the wild always brings it home as to what they
would really loved to have been doing. One of that morning’s flock even landed but
despite knowing where they were they managed to disappear without a trace.
Big flocks of Band-tailed Pigeons passed over and a
Red-tailed Hawk was up with the Vultures.
Ramon was still doing his best to find us an Ornate Hawk-Eagle. We were joined by the Monties for breakfast
and a couple of Keel-billed Toucans up sunning in the forest but all too soon
it was time to start the journey back to San Jose and our long journey home.
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| Band-tailed Pigeons |
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| Montazuma Oropendola |
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| Montazuma Oropendola |
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| Have a festive Poinsettia |
Little was seen on the way but we did have a couple of
lovely stops firstly to visit Café Cristina to try and buy here organic shade grown coffee
and then to see Jose’s wife Tamara (Bëkuö) and her amazing artwork – money was
spent.
Lunch near the airport gave a little birding time in the
rural grounds with two immature Little Blue Herons with some Cattle Egrets, Tropical
Kingbirds, Barn Swallows and both Canivet’s and Ruby-throated Hummers
seen. It was good to see a Ctenosaur
having missed out in the dry west and a monstrous male Green Iguana was
sniffing out a female who was decidedly uninterested.
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| Green Iguana |
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| Ctenosaur |
The airport was next and we said our goodbyes to Jose and
Ramon after a wonderful two weeks.
However, the Costa Rican weather had other ideas about us getting home. Darkness and the fog descended and our plane
did not, having circled the airport and then been diverted to Panama.
We waited a while and were then told unceremoniously
to leave the airport and find a hotel.
There were many other cancellations and it was bedlam but thankfully
after a quick call, the Robledal came to our rescue and before too log we had
all been scooped up and taken through the rain and traffic back to the place
where we started the tour.
We had scooped up a young Essex herpetologist called Terry
along the way and brought him with us to the hotel and of course he could not
resist a wander round the grounds in the dark with his torch although only one
small spiny Toad species was found but there was the special addition of a
Woolly Opossum that looked down at us from the wet canopy!
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| I do not think it is a young Cane Toad? Help appreciated |
Bed beckoned but when would we get home?
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