Days 7-9
Boat-billed Heron at CATIE by D. M. Manetz
Day 7
Front porch birding and breakfast, and then our choice...more birding on Rancho trails, or a side trip to La Mina, a narrow gorge where target birds are Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Sunbittern, and Dull-mantled Antbird.
Lunch at Rancho, followed by a trip to CATIE. CATIE is a graduate school that specializes in research related to tropical agriculture with an emphasis on sustainability. Currently they are developing criteria that will be used to certify sustainable agricultural products and practices. Here we will take a tour of their botanical gardens, which has many fascinating tropical plants and flowers. CATIE also has a large freshwater pond where we will likely see birds that are not common elsewhere in Costa Rica, including Boat-billed Heron and Green Ibis. Dinner and lodging are at Rancho.
Day 8
We have breakfast and early departure from Rancho, then drive to Tapanti National Park, one of the finest middle elevation birding locations in the country. Here we have a shot at some species not seen easily elsewhere, such as Streaked Xenops, Green-fronted Lancebill, and White-bellied Mountain Gem. Lunch will be at nearby Kiri Lodge, which boasts a lively bird feeding platform. Afterward we will take a tour of Cafe Cristina, an organic shade-grown coffee farm. The farm is a very birdy place, and includes small populations of interesting species such as Buffy-crowned Wood Partridge, White-throated Flycatcher, and Garden Emerald. We then drive back to Hotel Bougainvillea, where we have dinner on our own.
Day 9
Breakfast and early morning birding at Hotel Bougainvillea, followed by check out and transfer to airport.
Front porch birding and breakfast, and then our choice...more birding on Rancho trails, or a side trip to La Mina, a narrow gorge where target birds are Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Sunbittern, and Dull-mantled Antbird.
Lunch at Rancho, followed by a trip to CATIE. CATIE is a graduate school that specializes in research related to tropical agriculture with an emphasis on sustainability. Currently they are developing criteria that will be used to certify sustainable agricultural products and practices. Here we will take a tour of their botanical gardens, which has many fascinating tropical plants and flowers. CATIE also has a large freshwater pond where we will likely see birds that are not common elsewhere in Costa Rica, including Boat-billed Heron and Green Ibis. Dinner and lodging are at Rancho.
Day 8
We have breakfast and early departure from Rancho, then drive to Tapanti National Park, one of the finest middle elevation birding locations in the country. Here we have a shot at some species not seen easily elsewhere, such as Streaked Xenops, Green-fronted Lancebill, and White-bellied Mountain Gem. Lunch will be at nearby Kiri Lodge, which boasts a lively bird feeding platform. Afterward we will take a tour of Cafe Cristina, an organic shade-grown coffee farm. The farm is a very birdy place, and includes small populations of interesting species such as Buffy-crowned Wood Partridge, White-throated Flycatcher, and Garden Emerald. We then drive back to Hotel Bougainvillea, where we have dinner on our own.
Day 9
Breakfast and early morning birding at Hotel Bougainvillea, followed by check out and transfer to airport.