There is plenty to see and photograph on the 5,000+ acres of Rancho Humo, birds, other wildlife, and scenery! But across the river from the ranch is another wonderful and large Costa Rica park: Palo Verde National Park.
Costa Rica is blessed with many national parks and wildlife reserves, more than 25% of country’s total land! This park is a combination of Tropical Dry Forest, the Tempisque River and its surrounding wetlands which bloom with wildlife.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) I float down the river for a different experience in the park. But here are 3 slideshows for what was seen on Tuesday on a 6 km hike and posting here on Wednesday. Will post boat trip later today or tomorrow.
My 4 pm afternoon walk ended up being partly with a young couple from Germany who checked in the hotel today along with a separate American couple, so I no longer get all the attention of the staff! 🙂 This German couple are going with me on the hike into the national park tomorrow morning.
My other new friends were a group of Yellow-naped Parrots that live only in the Northwest of Costa Rica and thus my first time to see. They are also popular for pets and thus now endangered, so a really good photo find and a “Lifer” for me. Click the name link above for Cornell University’s Neotropical Birds article with map of the few places they still live in the wild and a recording of their sounds which I heard live today. This kind of wildness is going to disappear one of these days if humans don’t change their ways.
Yellow-naped Parrot, Rancho Humo Estancia, Guanacaste, Costa RicaYellow-naped Parrot, Rancho Humo Estancia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
All of these birds were photographed on the Rancho Humo hotel property (100’s of acres of farmland) with some fields flooded by a tidal irrigation system from the Tempisque River. Many of the fields are shared with some of the 800 cows they have here along with wild deer, howler monkeys, and all the smaller wildlife like coatis and iguanas, etc. Tomorrow I go into the Palo Verde National Park which will probably give me some new birds along with some of these. CLICK AN IMAGE TO SEE LARGER or to begin a slideshow with larger images than the automated slideshow.
First a Turkey Vulture soared overhead like a messenger from God, then 3 simple birds landed in 3 different trees and I felt close to God during breakfast today – even without colorful, rare or gorgeous birds – just plain birds smiling at me as I smiled back!
Birds in My Garden at Breakfast Today
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My heart is like a singing bird.
~Christina Rossetti
And tomorrow morning, Saturday, I leave for Palo Verde National Park. See yesterday’s post for more information.
I took my camera out for a later breakfast today and though earlier is better, I did get shots of these three familiar friends. I include two of the dove because front view and back view is always different! Click image to see larger.
Tres amigos
Gray-capped Flycatcher
White-winged Dove
Melodious Blackbird
White-winged Dove
Hope is the thing with feathers
‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all –
And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard – And sore must be the storm – That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land – And on the strangest Sea – Yet – never – in Extremity, It asked a crumb – of me.
And as I very slowly move smaller and older photos from my old PBase galleries I am currently working on all of my Africa travel photos in a different location (Pre-Costa Rica TRAVELS) within my big SmugMug Gallery and today I’m working on my Gambia Birds Sub Gallery, which is interesting for the large variety of birds found there, though most of the photos are of poor quality. I Photographed then on a cheap old film camera without a long lense and later scanned 4×6 prints at too low a resolution affecting the quality more. Though I got half a dozen good bird shots on the 2009 revisit of The Gambia with my better digital camera. Just another part of my Birds Collection from the past. Later I will try to add what few birds I photographed in the states.
Also with the Africa Travel galleries are these with East African birds:
I planted this Cecropia Tree (guarumo tree to Ticos) nearly 3 years ago having heard they attract toucans and in fact my photos of toucans in other locations are frequently in Cecropia Trees. Well, it grew fast but only one other time have I seen a toucan in it and before I could get my camera, he was gone! This morning at breakfast I had my camera with me when this Keel-billed Toucan AND a Montezuma Oropendola flew together into my tree. I got a few shots before they flew. So I’m happy with my Cecropia Tree now! ¡Pura Vida!
Keel-billed Toucan on my Terrace, Atenas, Costa Rica
Montezuma Oropendola on my terrace, Atenas, Costa RicaWHERE THEY LANDED: The Cecropia Tree by my terrace, Atenas, Costa Rica While I ate breakfast on that table.
Hear how the birds, on every blooming spray, With joyous music wake the dawning day.
Another busy day today with Spanish Class here and minor surgery in Alajuela, but always time to photo a bird in my garden! 🙂 The above photo is of a Montezuma Oropendolasitting in my Guarumo or Cecropia Tree – my favorite place to watch birds, but unfortunately the light (for photos) is not good there, especially in the morning. They nest in our neighborhood visiting occasionally. And the bird below in my Yellow Bell Tree is a Melodious Blackbird. And I saw a squirrel cuckoo this morning, but didn’t get a shot.
Minor surgery? My dermatologist just went a little deeper on a growth removal for a biopsy. Only two stitches. If it turns out to be cancer, he will go even deeper next time to make sure he gets it all. An almost routine thing for us older people! 🙂 Otherwise I’m very healthy after a great week in a rainforest.
Tomorrow I have breakfast with the niece of David & Lynne Wells (Nashville friends) and her husband, child & nanny. They’ve rented a gorgeous house with an infinity pool for a week here in Atenas and using my driver, Walter, to take them to a few sights (volcano, waterfalls, beach & fishing) on top of resting here with possibly the best vista in Atenas. A great vacation plan! 🙂
Melodious Blackbird in my garden
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.~Marcus Tullius Cicero
I am tempted to declare Esquinas Rainforest Lodge my best birding location yet! In 6 days I photographed 50+ species of birds with 12 of them first timers for me or “lifers” for Costa Rica with two seen before in other Panama. The Lodge name link above is to their lodge website. Or check out others’ reviews on TripAdvisor.
I highly recommend it! The lodging, food and services were all first class while immersed in a rainforest. You know that I have a lot of places I like all over Costa Rica, but this new one for me just moved near the top of my list! And realize that I was here during the wettest month of the year for them and still had a great experience! And it may have helped that I was the only guest there this week and had a personal birding guide! Plus a personal chef and maid! 🙂 Hey! This is living! Retired in Costa Rica!
My Trip Gallery is Posted!
See the birds, animals, flowers, lodge and Golfito in my gallery for this trip at 2018 Esquinas Rainforest Lodge Visit. Photos are the reason I make these trips and this collection is the result of this trip. A photo book will be coming soon! If no one else, the host lodges all love my photo books as I send one to each of them.
My Birds This Trip
Here are the birds I saw and photographed with the “lifers” or ones seen for the first time in boldface type. Presented in the order of the lodge’s bird list which is a little different from the Field Guide:
Great Curassow
Brown Booby (1st in CR, got some in Panama in June)
I highly recommend it! The lodging, food and services were all first class while immersed in a rainforest. You know that I have a lot of places I like all over Costa Rica, but this new one for me just moved near the top of my list! And realize that I was here during the wettest month of the year for them and still had a great experience! And it may have helped that I was the only guest there this week and had a personal birding guide! Plus a personal chef and maid! 🙂 Hey! This is living! Retired in Costa Rica!
