Part 3
Costa Rica
On the
evening of the 19th, our ship sailed out of Puerto Colon, Panama, accompanied
by the usual Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns and Magnificent
Frigatebirds. Within an hour or two we encountered rough seas and rain.
This was the first unpleasant weather of the trip. After a rocky night, we
awoke to find that we had not docked in Puerto Limón, Costa Rica, but were in
a holding pattern just off-shore. An announcement that the port was closed due
to rough seas and high winds effectively dampened our spirits as we had made
some big plans for the next two days and now they were probably ruined.
Before leaving home, we had made arrangements to spend one night at a new eco-lodge located in the Caribbean lowlands south of Limón. When the ship was finally allowed to dock in the afternoon, a good half-day was already lost and we were scheduled to leave Costa Rica the next afternoon at 5 PM. It didn't take much for us to decide that if we could make arrangements with the lodge and get airline tickets to fly home from San Jose, we would leave the cruise and spend the rest of our time here. Everything fell into place and we did just that.
So it was with great anticipation that we departed the ship on the morning of the 21st for the little town of Bananito where we would be picked up and transported to Selva Bananito Lodge, where we would spend the rest of the week. Taking a cab from Limón, we arrived at the town and waited. No one was there to pick us up. I looked up and saw a flock of Swallow-tailed Kites flying overhead and suddenly was glad they were late. Doug missed the kites as he and the cab driver were walking toward the house that had a phone to call the lodge. Just then, Jürgen Stein drove up in a 4-wheel drive pickup with Flohsack (Fleabag) a huge and friendly German Shepherd. Jürgen and his sister Sofia run the Selva Bananito Lodge where we would be spending the next three days.
As
we drove up the rutted and washed out road we silently wondered if we had made
the right decision to leave the ship. We drove through several streams and the
ride was quite bumpy. I was sure our luggage was bouncing out of the back of
the truck or at least covered with mud. Suddenly it got so beautiful--a
Blue Morpho butterfly flitted by. Jürgen spotted a Three-toed Sloth
lazing in a treetop and we jumped out of the truck, mindless of the mud we
were stepping in, to see our first sloth in the wild. Soon we were driving
across the Bananito River and were at the lodge. We instantly knew we were
going to love it here.
The next three days were heaven--we were torn between exploring some of the 2000 acres that comprise the property or laying in the comfortable hammocks that adorned our cabin porch. We eventually did both.
Two thirds of Selva Bananito is primary rainforest managed and protected as a private preserve (Reserva Selva Bananito). The other third is low impact agricuture and cattle management. The finca (farm) borders the Parque International La Amistad, the country's largest national park.
Our
first morning we rose at 5:30 to meet Olie
our rainforest guide at six. We spent the next three and a half hours walking
the rainforest trail. It was a challenging
hike as it had been raining and the soil was
muddy and slick. Once or twice I
stepped in so deeply that I had to be pulled out of the mud. We saw iguanas,
frogs, crabs, leaf-cutter ants,
some birds (the two trogon species were especially nice) and enjoyed
the diversity of the plants that comprise the rainforest. Many of them are the
familiar house plants that we buy in nurseries and flower shops back home.
They looked happier here. The rainforest is beautiful but it is easier to bird
the finca where the land is in use and more open.
Exiting the forest on to the farmland, we found a large tree adorned with the hanging nests of Montezuma Oropendulas. They are very large members of the oriole family and their nest reflects that fact. Woven and pendulous, there were perhaps 20 in this one tree. On the ground below were a few old ones that had fallen down. It was interesting to examine their construction and note that the inside was lined with leaves. I was curious as I watched a large, similar-looking bird hanging around the nests. It was not the colors of the Oropendula but blackish. After consulting my field guide (Stiles and Skutch), I read about the Giant Cowbird that parasitizes the oropendula nests. Always the opportunist, it waits for the oropendulas to leave the nest tree, sneaks in and lays its egg.
As we walked we noticed a lot of new birds and were especially excited to see a flock of Grey-headed Chachalacas and a Common Black Hawk fly overhead.
After the hike we strolled down to the rancho and enjoyed a full Costa Rican breakfast of fresh pineapple and papaya, orange juice, Costa Rican cheeses, gallo pinto (a rice and bean dish that is delicious) and scrambled eggs with toast and jams made from tropical fruits. This was the fare served to us each morning of our stay at the rancho, a lovely building that was open to the sights and sounds of the rainforest. Among other birds, we would usually see a pair of White-lined Tanagers eating the large fruits of the Cecropia and both Lineated and Black-cheeked Woodpeckers working the trees. Our first view of a Keel-billed Toucan was during a meal at the rancho.
There are only seven cabins at the lodge and no electricity. Nevertheless we did not miss a thing (well, okay maybe I missed my hairdryer). Solar panels heated water for the shower and the cabins were modern and supremely comfortable. Constructed of beautiful hardwoods, 80% of each cabin was built from second class lumber which was left over by loggers. The bathrooms were modern, tiled and the shower which was big enough to hold about 10 people, had a large picture window (of one-way glass) looking out on a spectacular view. One could watch Keel-billed Toucans and Montezuma Oropendolas fly by as one showered!
Most of our days were spent hiking around the property. Sometimes we followed
one of the farm roads. Once we followed the
river trail to Las Pozas (the pools) where one could swim and watch
the White-collared and Chimney Swifts soar overhead, or we'd walk to
the other side of the river and visit the wild Heliconia garden and watch for
hummingbirds. We only found three species of hummingbirds during our short
stay: the agressive Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Purple-crowned Fairy
and the lovely Long-tailed Hermit. Down by the river you could be
assured of seeing Northern Jacanas and various members of the
flycatcher family: Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Social
Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Common Tody-flycatcher and Tropical
Pewee. Scarlet-rumped Tanagers were abundant and we were pleased to
find three species of kingfishers: Ringed, Amazon and Green.
There
are many options for activities available at Selva Bananito and I decided to
try tree-climbing. With the aid of a rope and other rock climbing devices I
managed to hoist myself some 60
feet up into the forest canopy. It was not the easiest thing I have ever done,
but once I got the hang of it, nothing was going to stop me from getting to
the canopy of that tree! It was from that vantage point that I got my best
view of the Blue-headed Parrot.
The weather was perfect -- warm pleasant days and cool nights -- not what we had expected. In the evenings, just as the Paraques and nightjars began to call, the cool air from the mountains would come into the valley and cool everything off. It is about as close to paradise as one can get.
On our last morning at the lodge we took a short hike to the other side of the river and were rewarded with the Golden-hooded Tanager and Collared Aracari, a smaller member of the toucan family. I watched as a group of Groove-billed Anis circled around a large, colorful snake and make threatening postures by opening up their wings while hopping around it. I thought they were going to gang up on it and kill it, but soon they lost interest and flew away.
Regretfully we packed up and said good-bye to the crew at Selva Bananito Lodge: Sofia Stein, Chris and Virginia (the two bilingual American students who have volunteered to work here for several months) and thanked them for the wonderful meals and great time.
We can highly recommend Selva Bananito Lodge as a great place to stay. You can visit their website for more information.
On our drive back down to Bananito, we found one more lifer--a beautiful Great Curassow. Our vacation was just about over--all that was left was the drive to San Jose. We wanted to stop everywhere along the way as we passed through the central valley and the mountains, but time was running out. We didn't get a tremendous variety of Costa Rican birds on this short stay but what we did see was exciting and rewarding and only whetted our appetite for a return to this beautiful country.
Here is a list of all birds seen on the entire trip.
