However in the mean time we still had some und=finished business around the lodge, and after getting ready we headed out to the insect light. Yesterday we had sat watching to see what birds would arrive to take the moths, this morning we were interested to see what moths were coming to the light. Identification was always going to be difficult, as there are over 6000 species of moth and butterfly in Costa Rica, but I was up to give it a go. I picked out the more exotic of the species present.
This is a type of clearwing
These next ones looked quite spectacular
While these are familiar to European species, a type of Emerald
Almost like a Silver Y or Prominent
And a Swallowtail?
This is very similar to a Cracker butterfly
Then some big ones, this is a type of Emperor.
And this is like a dead leaf when the wings are closed, but as it opens up the abdomen is bright orange and black
Leaving the moths the sun was just coming up, and for the
first time on this trip there was blue sky about and we were treated to a
proper dawn. We headed down the track
out towards the area where yesterday we had seen and heard the White-collared
Manakins, and as we approached once again we could hear the fire cracker sounds
that told us they were about.
We made our way carefully down the track, it was quite muddy
now after the rains of the previous day.
At the level patch we stood and waited and in the dark areas a male
appeared
Manakins “lek”, that is they gather in chosen places and
perform courtship rituals, in the case of the White-collared Manakin this
involves the snapping of the wings and dancing by jumping up and down on a
selected branch accompanied by another male bird.
The individual we were watching did not dance in the open,
but did call when it was out in the open
While the male has the white collar, and yellow breast and
belly, the female is all green apart from the orange legs that you can see here
on the male.
This particular bird would come and go, but we were able to
watch it dancing and snapping the wings deep into the undergrowth. It would then re-appear on the same branch.
As we waited for the Manakin to appear, a Green Hermit
Hummingbird flew past, pausing briefly around the heliconias, and in the scrub
were several Red-throated Ant Tanagers
As breakfast time approached we wandered back to the lodge,
a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird sat on the flower of a Bird of Paradise.
While over breakfast a Streak-headed Woodcreeper appeared in
the garden
Along with a pair of Keel-billed Toucans
After breakfast we returned to the track and spent some time
in one of the neighbour’s garden. The
owner very generously allowed us to sit around the garden where he has several
feeders and a feeding station.
Hummingbirds, were of course, everywhere. A Violet-crowned Wood Nymph.
While a Rufous Motmot silently appeared.
White-necked Jacobins were busy defending territory,
flashing their white tail feathers at any other hummingbird that dared to
encroach.
There were nice views of a male Rufous-tailed Hummingbird,
that was quite content to feed naturally from the Bird of Paradise flowers
Butterflies were also about, not sure of the identification
of this one, although it looks like a
However this one is a Helcale Longwing
When we arrived, the owner pointed out the nest of an
Olive-backed Euphonia. As we left we
could just make out the head of one of the young birds inside the nest.
Before walking back up the path to the lodge, we checked on
the Manakins once more. The male was out
sitting on the branch calling just in front of the lek area.
Leaving the Manakin, we walked back up the road, pausing to
look at a pair of Roadside Hawks, and several Banded Peacocks nectaring on the
flowers by the side of the track.
At the car park I stopped to watch the verbena and was
rewarded with some wonderful close up views of the male Snowcap sitting on its
favourite perch.
A Stunning little hummingbird, more than worthy of the number of photographs taken!
Leaving the Snowcap I was taken by a Longwing butterfly on a
nearby bush.
Finally it was time to move on. The driver arrived and turned out to be one who
had driven us last year from Monteverde to Tambor. This time our route would take us back to
Cartago, through Paraiso, so named because it was considered to be paradise by
the early Spanish settlers, then up onto the Pan American Highway and into the
National Park Los Quetzales, and the Cerro de la Muerte (the Mountain of the
Dead), ending up in the valley area of San Gerardo de Dota.
The climb up through the national park saw us enter quite
thick cloud and rain, and before we turned off for San Gerardo we stopped at
the Parisio Quetzal Lodge. Our guide
from yesterday had said this was a good spot for hummingbirds. We could watch as we had lunch.
As we walked up the hill from the car park to the lodge it
soon became evident that we were now at altitude, and climbing the steps took
quite some effort.There were feeders outside the main door on a small
terrace.
I could immediately see that
these were different birds to those we had seen at the last lodge. In my Costa Rica bird book this hummingbird was known as the
Magnificent Hummingbird, the only member of the genus. But since publication of the book the species
has been split, with the birds found in the southern range, Costa Rica and
Panama, being renamed the Talamanca Hummingbird, and those to the north, the
nominate species being renamed Rivoli’s Hummingbird.
The long straight bill and white patch behind the eye a key
identification feature along with the general larger size.
With the right angle of the head there is an electric blue
throat patch and a violet forehead
The cloud and mist gave way to a rain shower, but the
overall temperature was quite pleasant.
On the ground beneath the feeders a small Robin like bird appeared. This is a Black-billed Nightingale Thrush
which is commonly found at altitudes above 2,200 metres in the Highland region.
After lunch I concentrated on the feeders and the bushes
around them. Another new hummingbird,
this time the diminutive Volcano Hummingbird.
The males have a wine-coloured throat gorget, the females spotted, both
have a white breast band. This is a female.
Back to the Talamanca Hummingbirds that were the dominant
bird around the feeders.
One other species which was the one I was looking to find
here was the Fiery-throated Hummingbird.
Slightly smaller than the Talamanca and therefore having to
give way to the larger bird, it would show it’s annoyance by flashing a bright
multi-coloured throat patch.
There was another bird attracted to the nectar feeders that was not a hummingbird, a little bit bigger it feeds on nectar, but uses its hooked bill to pierce the base of the flower to get to the sweet nectar. This is the Slaty Flowerpiercer.
Rufous-necked Sparrows were also a common sight on the grass around
the main building, the first encounter showed them to be quite a smart sparrow,
but after a while they became widespread and generally ignored.
Before we left there was one more picture of a Talamanca
Hummingbird, and probably left the best one until last
There was a main restaurant and reception, and then guest bungalows that were set in the side of the slopes overlooking the valley. Just after we arrived and had settled in it started to rain again. Our driver had recommended a little cafe just up the hill from the lodge, and we ventured there for the afternoon. As it turns out, this piece of advice delivered something really special, but more on that later.
As usual darkness fell quite early, and we settled in, changed and made our way downhill in the rain to the restaurant. After dinner the walk back up the hill was very challenging, a combination of good food, wine, and the altitude. Tomorrow the quest is on.
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