COSTA RICA - DEC 9TH 2011

OUR first non-birding day started at 7am!!! we had a two hour lie-in what a luxury says Dawn. It was a bright clear blue sky and we sat on the terrace of the hotel and had a woderful breakfast.

We spent most of the day on the beach reading and dozing. I did take a couple of walks with bins and logged: Brown Booby, Magnificent Frigate, Brown Pelican, Royal Tern out at sea and Ringed kingfisher, Amazon Kingfisher, Spotted Sandpiper and Red-crowned Woodpecker near some mangrove swamps. Inland I found Inca Doves, Summer Tanager, Great-tailed Grackles (everywhere) and both Black and Turkey Vultures.

Back at the hotel I saw Wilson's Warbler, Palm Tanager and Summer Tanager from our balcony and a new bird the Blue -crowned Mot-Mot from the terrrace.

As I didn't take my scope with me today I have no new photographs, but here are a couple of my favourite family of Costa Rican birds the Cotingas.


TURQUOISE COTINGA (taken at Los Cosingas) on the 8th


SNOWY COTINGA (taken at La Selva on the 4th)