It was a bright clear morning when I arrived, the tide was ebbing so small shingle banks and sandy spits were emerging from the water. Many Snowy, Cattle and Great White Egrets were feeding and Green-Backed, Great Blue, Small Blue, Bare-throated Tiger and Tricloured Herons were also present in good numbers. Throughout the next two hours I also recorded White Ibis, the beautiful Roseate Spoonbill, Olivaceous Cormorant and several birds of prey.
The two pictures above are of Roadside Hawk, a very common bird that reminds me of Grasshopper Buzzard from the Gambia. Several waders were persent, both along the river and along the beach pools. Whimbrel (below) was joined by the plentiful Black-necked Stilt, Willet and also Sanderling, Ruddy Turstone and Spotted Sandpiper.
More birds of prey appeared along the beach, Osprey, Yellow-headed Caracara and a new species for me Black Hawk-Eagle, it flew passed me but refused to land and pose for my camera, next time!
The Black Vulture is also very common and many were sitting on the beach looking for dead things.
A sandbar near the mouth of the Rio Parrita held a group of roosting terns, which consisted of Royal Tern (shown above) and Sandwich Terns. Out at sea many more terns were joined by Laughing Gulls, Brown Pelican and Magnificent Frigatebirds.
Back along the track on the way home I stopped to photograph this very noisy Northern Jacana. Behind me there was a shrimp farm with many pools. On the nearest pool there were 100+ Lesser Scaup and one Least Grebe.
Another photograph of an immatureWhite Ibis, I never caught up with the adults, at least not close enough for the camera.
Two of my favourite herons the Small Blue, above, and the Bare-throated Tiger Heron below were both found in good numbers along the river.
Other birds included: Streaked Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Golden-hooded, Palm, Blue and Grey Tanagers, Red-crowned Woodpecker and lots more.At 11am we set for a slow drive to San Jose, we intended to take all afternoon to do so and indeed it did take that long because of road works, birding stops lunch stop, car accidents and a wrong turn in San Jose. One stop was on the bridge overlooking the Rio Tarcoles where over a dozen gigantic Crocdiles were lying on the river banks!!
Our bird list for this last trip included Scarlet Macaw, several were seen around Jaco. Also the giant Ringed Kingfisher, Grey-breatsed Martins, Barn Swallows, Amazon Swallows, White-winged dove, Ruddy ground Dove and many Turkey and Black Vultures.
I never found 10 new species - only 7!
This will be the last bird report from Costa Rica unless something good turns up in the hotel grounds first thing tomorrow morning - we have to be at the airport by 8am.
Plenty more photographs will follow in the next few days.
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