On the walk down to the bus for our early morning outing, this Acorn Woodpecker greeted us.

Acorn Woodpecker with an insect
Savegre Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, Cartago Province, Costa Rica

Blue-Gray Tanager and Silver-throated Tanager at a feeder at Savegre Lodge, CR

Flame-colored Tanager

Slaty Flowerpiercer

Enrique drove us up the road from the lodge to look for Resplendent Quetzals where we found we were not alone in our quest; Mary counted 67 people on the road in the chilly morning air.

Part of the crowd of quetzal seekers along the road.

We were searching this terrain for the birds.

While we were looking, we saw several other species, including this Sooty-capped Chlorospingus (formerly Bush-Tanager).

Spotted Wood-Quail along the road above Savegre Lodge, CR

Large-footed Finches

Large-footed Finch

Back view of Large-footed Finch

Large-footed Finch

Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush

Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush

Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush

Spotted Wood-Quail

Spotted Wood-Quail

Spotted Wood-Quail

Sooty-capped Chlorospingus

Black-faced Solitaire

Black-faced Solitaire

Sooty Thrush

The quetzals did not present themselves at this location, so we headed back to the bus.
Mary, Carolyn, Andy, Barbara, Erick and Jerry

Erick was not disheartened or deterred; we were on to the next stop!

Mary, Carolyn and Andy heading back to the bus

There was some colorful low-growing vegetation on the roadside.

Success! Just a quarter mile down the road toward the lodge, we sighted quetzals.

Resplendent Quetzal

Male Resplendent Quetzal

Resplendent Quetzal
digiscoped image

Resplendent Quetzal
digiscoped image

Male Resplendent Quetzal flies up to grab something to eat
digiscoped image

Resplendent Quetzal with fruit or nut in its bill
digiscoped image

Male Resplendent Quetzal flying to another perch

Female Resplendent Quetzal

Male and female Resplendent Quetzals
digiscoped image

This juvenile Rufous-collared Sparrow was at the side of the road.

After finding the quetzals, we went back to the lodge for breakfast. The chef at Savegre Lodge, here serving Mary, was a jovial character.

After breakfast, this female Flame-colored Tanager was outside the dining room.

Mountain Elaenia

Mountain Elaenia

Mountain Elaenia

A female and male Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher were also in the bushes outside the dining room.

Male Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher with a berry in its bill

The Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher was acrobatic in its search for food.

Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher

Male Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher

Andy, Carolyn and Erick look at birds before boarding the vehicle to take us on our after-breakfast birding expedition.

We loaded up inside and in the back of the 4-wheel drive vehicle to ride up the mountain behind the lodge. Steve, Mary, Vickie, Terri, Carolyn and Barbara

The vehicle was bouncing up the road, so holding my phone steady (and not dropping it) was not easy. Steve, Mary, Andy, Vickie, Catherine (back of head in cab), Terri, Carolyn, Barbara, Jerry, Erick

Steve, Mary, Andy, Vickie, Catherine (head turned in cab), Terri, Carolyn, Barbara, Jerry, Erick

Our ride left us at the top of the hill and we started our walk down.
Mary, Andy, Enrique, Catherine

Some of the trails were dedicated to people who had helped develop the area.

Looking and listening: Barbara, Catherine, Enrique, Carolyn, Erick (behind), Andy, Jerry (behind)

Back view of Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush

Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush

Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush

Practice holes and final location of a woodpecker nest cavity

Interesting lichen on a tree

Yellow-winged Vireo

A pair of Acorn Woodpeckers

Our fifth Resplendent Quetzal of the morning, a male

Male Resplendent Quetzal

The female Resplendent Quetzal, our sixth of the morning, did not pose well for us.

Spot-crowned Woodcreeper

Spot-crowned Woodcreeper

Male Resplendent Quetzal again

Heading down the mountain: Terri, Catherine, Steve, Barbara, Andy, Jerry, Vickie, Erick, Enrique

The valley below

Steve, Andy, Catherine, Barbara, Erick, Carolyn, Terri

A small apple orchard and wildflowers

Erick, Vickie, Barbara, Jerry, Terri

Acorn Woodpecker

The Acorn Woodpecker seems to be curious about us.

Ruddy Treerunner

Ruddy Treerunner

Ruddy Treerunner

Ruddy Treerunner

Ruddy Treerunner

Ruddy Treerunner

The Olive-sided Flycatcher was badly backlit high on a bare branch.

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Eastern Wood-Pewee
orange lower mandible

Back views of Jerry, Enrique, Erick, Vickie, Catherine, Andy, Carolyn, Barbara

Mary and Terri step carefully down a steep curve.

Sooty-capped Chlorospingus

Sooty-capped Chlorospingus

Sooty-capped Chlorospingus

Tufted Flycatcher on a branch over the road

The Tufted Flycatcher would fly out from its perch after an insect, then return to the same branch.

Tufted Flycatcher

Tufted Flycatcher

Tufted Flycatcher

A couple of professor researchers from an Oklahoma City university helped landowners in San Gerardo de Dota develop this area for bird research and eco-tourism.

The Oklahoma City university-based professors and researchers

Mountain Elaenia hiding among the leaves

Back view of Mountain Elaenia

Flame-throated Warbler

Spot-crowned Woodcreeper

Yellow-thighed Finch

Black-faced Solitaire

Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush

This Sulphur-winged Parakeet was eating an apple at the edge of the trail just above the lodge when we returned.

Sulphur-winged Parakeet

Sulphur-winged Parakeet

Sulphur-winged Parakeet holding and eating an apple

Sulphur-winged Parakeet

Sulphur-winged Parakeet

Slaty Flowerpiercer

Slaty Flowerpiercer in action

Flame-colored Tanager

Flame-colored Tanager searching the leaves for insects

Slaty Flowerpiercer

Male Magnificent Hummingbird

Male Stripe-tailed Hummingbird

Male White-throated Mountain-Gem

Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher

Blue and White Swallows on the wire above the dining room at Savegre Lodge, CR, before lunch

I found this Red-headed Barbet in the trees along the creek behind the dining room before lunch.

Red-headed Barbet, Savegre Lodge, CR

Male Red-headed Barbet

Red-headed Barbet giving me a fierce stare

It was drizzling after lunch as we prepared for our afternoon walk: Terri, Barbara, Carolyn, Vickie

Despite the drizzle, spirits were high: Vickie, Terri, Carolyn

Vickie, Barbara, Terri, Carolyn

Yellow-thighed Finch along the wall behind the dining room at Savegre Lodge

Female White-throated Mountain-Gem

Silver-throated Tanager

Silver-throated Tanagers

Mountain Elaenia from below

Mountain Elaenia

Male White-throated Mountain-Gem

Back view of Flame-throated Warbler

Flame-throated Warbler

Flame-throated Warbler

Flame-throated Warbler

Sooty-capped Chlorospingus

Female and Male Flame-colored Tanagers

Monument to pioneers of the region along side the road

"This site represents the ideals and efforts of the pioneers, the Chacón-Ureñas and the Zuñiga-Calvos, who on Sunday, March 14, 1954, opened the first pass into this beautiful place that is now San Gerardo. For the forgers of dreams, realities and hopes, the timeless recognition of their descendants. April 2, 2005"

Band-tailed Pigeon

Band-tailed Pigeon

Magnificent Hummingbird

We came to a gate and just beyond it were some birds rustling through leaves at the edge of the trail. One was this Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush.

The other birds were two Chestnut-capped Brush Finches.
The white vertical stripe is a bar of the gate across the trail.

Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch

Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch
It was overcast, under the canopy of the trees and the photos didn't get any sharper.

Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch
But I kept taking them anyway.

We went around the gate and proceeded down the trail.
Steve, Jerry, Terri, Catherine, Erick, Barbara, Vickie

We took some photos of the stream from the bridge across it.
Steve, Catherine, Vickie, Barbara, Terri, Jerry, Erick

The view upstream

Upstream from the bridge

Downstream from the bridge

Downstream

Our seventh Resplendent Quetzal of the day!

Resplendent Quetzal
digiscoped image

Badly blown-out photo of the Yellowish Flycatcher seen near the end of our walk

Back at the lodge, Erick pointed out this Red-tailed Hawk on a distant bare branch up the mountain.

After the group broke up, I walked around the lodge grounds briefly and found this female White-throated Mountain-Gem at some pink flowers.

Female White-throated Mountain-Gem

Female White-throated Mountain-Gem

Female White-throated Mountain-Gem

Female White-throated Mountain-Gem

Whitish flower

Red-headed Barbet male

Male Red-headed Barbet

Male Red-headed Barbet

Male Red-headed Barbet

Male Red-headed Barbet spreading its neck feathers

Male Red-headed Barbet

Male White-throated Mountain-Gem

Male White-throated Mountain-Gem displaying its colors

Magnificent Hummingbird male

Magnificent Hummingbird

Male White-throated Mountain-Gem

Male White-throated Mountain-Gem

Male White-throated Mountain-Gem

Magnificent Hummngbird

Magnificent Hummingbird

Slaty Flowerpiercer

Morely dangling flowers

Lesser Violetear

Lesser Violetear

Lesser Violetear

Sedum

Swainson's Thrush

Back view of Rufous-throated Sparrow

Rufous-throated Sparrow on colorful low-growing vegetation

Giving drink orders in the lounge before going over our checklists

Our entire group on our last night at our last checklist review: Andy, Caroline, Jerry, Barbara, Catherine, Enrique, Erick, Terri, Keith, Carl, Vickie, Mary, Steve

One more photo of our entire group on our last night