On our 6AM pre-breakfast walk, we first saw an Orange-billed Sparrow.

Along the road, Carolyn spotted a little bird that Chito identified as a female Red-capped Manakin.

Female Red-capped Manakin, flapping its wings

Female Red-capped Manakin

This Great Kiskadee showed us its yellow crest.

Farther along the road, we saw a Roadside Hawk.

The Roadside Hawk had some ragged tail feathers.

We took the Riverside Trail off the road and Chito found a Rufous-tailed Jacamar.
Digiscope photo, taken through his Leica spotting scope, by Chito Motina with my Pixel phone camera

Female Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Female Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Female Rufous-tailed Jacamar

The rainforest along Riverside Trail

Part of our group: Steve, Tom, Chito, Derek, Leigh, Monica

Male Orange-collared Manakin, singing on a lek on the Riverside Trail, Esquinas Rainforest Lodge grounds, Puntarena, Costa Rica

Back side of a male Orange-collared Manakin

Male Orange-collared Manakin

On our walk back to the lodge for breakfast, some of us stragglers got to see a dark morph Collared Forest Falcon over the Caiman Pond.

Mary thought the tail of the dark morph Collared Forest Falcon must have held some form of code in the pattern of its tail.

Dark morph Collared Forest Falcon

Dark morph Collared Forest Falcon

Collared Forest Falcon

White-tipped Dove, along the road to the lodge

Charming Hummingbird

Charming Hummingbird

Jody and others spotted a male Green Kingfisher at the back of the Caiman Pond.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird with reddish bill

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, with slightly curved, reddish bill

Female Charming Hummingbird

Charming Hummingbird

A Squirrel Cuckoo flew above us as we approached the lodge dining area.

After breakfast, we took a bus ride and saw Gray-cowled Wood-Rails under a tree alongside a stream at the side of the road.

This Cattle Egret had claimed his personal cow.

We got out of the bus on the road into a refuge and found birds on both sides of us.
Deb (behind Monica), Monica, Fran, Ann, Derek, Leigh, Carolyn (behind Leigh), Steve

A couple of King Vultures flew over us.

Double-toothed Kite, with long, narrow tail

Two Black Vultures

Cocoa Woodcreeper

The bright rump of the Bright-rumped Attila

Bright-rumped Attila

Black-hooded Antshrike

Black-hooded Antshrike

Male Black-hooded Antshrike

Male Black-hooded Antshrike

This Long-billed Gnatwren kept hopping around a 3-4 feet from the ground in the thick growth along the side of the road.

Long-billed Gnatwren

Long-billed Gnatwren

Long-billed Gnatwren

Long-billed Gnatwren

Long-billed Gnatwren

Long-billed Gnatwren--when the rest of the group started chasing another bird, the gnatwren came closer to the edge of the thicket and I was able to get a less-obstructed, but still far away photo

Long-billed Gnatwren

Long-billed Gnatwren

Long-billed Gnatwren

Long-billed Gnatwren

Red on the belly and black on the face indicate this is a Golden-naped Woodpecker.

Golden-naped Woodpecker

Male Rufous-winged Woodpecker

Male Rufous-winged Woodpecker

Another King Vulture

Though we were running short of time before lunch, Chito decided we would take a quick look inside Refugio Nactional de Fauna Silvestre Golfito. We stopped at the administration building for a restroom break and chance for Chito to consult with staff, then we walked the grounds.

Mary was taken with the whimsically decorated recycle containers.

Male Red-crowned Woodpecker, on a tree near the refuge admin building

Female Red-crowned Woodpecker, in the same tree

Male (L) and female (R) Red-crowned Woodpeckers in the national wildlife refuge at Golfito, Costa Rica

Female Slaty-tailed Trogon

Female Slaty-tailed Trogon

Rufous Mourner

Rufous Mourner

Rufous Mourner

Rufous Mourner

Rufous Mourner

Rufous Mourner

Wedge-billed Woodcreeper

Wedge-billed Woodcreeper

The Rufous Mourner again, in a cute pose at the edge of a leaf

We watched a Blue Morpho butterfly flit around us and make an unusual stop on the leaf litter. I was hoping to get a photo with its wings open and Chito told me to focus the camera and he would walk up behind it to get it to take off.

Chito was so stealthy he was able to grab the butterfly and display it for us; these are the top-of-the-wings colors that are so mesmerizing...

...and these are the underwing colors that are such good camoflage when it's resting somewhere.

Blue Morpho

Female Black-hooded Antshrike

Streakes on the female Black-hooded Antshrike

The shy Chestnut-backed Antbird did not give us a clear view.

As we left the forest and got back into the open near the administration building, we saw several Ruddy Ground-Doves feeding like this male.

Female Ruddy Ground-Dove

Mary found a tree with very interesting thorns on it.

After leaving the refuge, we drove to Mar Y Luna Restaurante on the gulf shore in Golfito for lunch; Steve, Derek, Tom, Ann and Fran check the surroundings.

There was a Ruddy Turnstone on the rocks just below the restaurant deck.

Out on the muddy beach was a Snowy Egret.

The tide was out and this White Ibis was poking in the mud.

Snowy Egret and White Ibis on the shore of Golfo Dulce, Golfito, Costa Rica

Two Brown Pelicans perched on a floating dock.

A Whimbrel, walking the beach

A Green Heron found a perch on the edge of a boat tied to the dock.

Across the small bay from the restaurant, a group of Black Vultures found something to fight over.

A female Magnificent Frigatebird flew over Golfo Dulce.

We found there were two Green Herons and one was staying close to a nest just above us in a tree between the restaurant and the shore.

It wasn't easy to distinguish the rough nest of twigs left of the Green Heron from the branches of the tree.

Two Yellow-headed Caracaras flew into trees across the bay from us.

Yellow-headed Caracara

A nonbreeding plumage Spotted Sandpiper walked in the mud just below us.

The Ruddy Turnstone wandered among the rocks.

Ruddy Turnstone

One of the Green Herons searched for food on the shore.

Laughing Gulls, across the bay

When one of the caracaras flew into the tree holding its nest, the Green Heron stretched out its neck in high alert.

After lunch, we drove back to the lodge and found this Yellow-throated Toucan in the same tree where we'd seen it before, still working on a nest cavity.

I think we'd seen this big female Ringed Kingfisher here before too.

On the right side of the road to the lodge, we found a pair of Southern Lapwings with their crest feathers and red eyes, walking in the field.

Front view, showing the black breast of the Southern Lapwing

A Social Flycatcher was in the field as well.

Southern Lapwing

Male Pacific race Variable Seedeater

Front view of the male Variable Seedeater

Another look at a male Variable Seedeater, eating grass seeds

Male Variable Seedeater

Two female Variable Seedeaters

Male Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, in the same area with the Variable Seedeaters

The habitat was a little different on each side of the road; the seedeaters were most often in the grasses along the fence on the left side of the road and this Smooth-billed Ani and other birds were in the small trees or bushes in the open fields on the right side of the road.

Female Variable Seedeaters, left of the road

Red-breasted Meadowlark, on the right side of the road

We stopped at a dead tree with a Black-crowned Tityra perched near a hole; after a while a second tityra flew out of the hole and away.

Black-crowned Tityra

Then we noticed a second tityra--a Masked Tityra--sitting near a hole at the top of the same tree.

Masked Tityra, sitting atop a snag just above a nest hole

The Black-crowned Tityra seemed to take note of its upstairs neighbor.

Farther along the road, we found a couple of Blue-headed Parrots.

Blue-headed Parrot

Two Blue-headed Parrots

A Northern Jacana walked in the field to our right.

On the left, we saw a Fork-tailed Flycatcher.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

We stopped and got out of the bus to walk down a side road and saw two Red-crowned Woodpeckers.

Red-crowned Woodpecker

Cattle Egret, on a palm frond

Purple Gallinule, on a palm frond

Palm tree, with fruit and bright green new growth

A nest Chito thought might be of the Pale-breasted Spinetail, but we never saw the bird approach the nest.

Some of the monoculture palm trees planted for their oil.

Leigh, Jody, Steve, Carolyn, Fran and Deb, watching and waiting on the road while Chito played a bird call

Two birds appeared on the same palm, the Pale-breasted Spinetail (L) and Yellow Tyrannulet (R).

Spinetail and tyrannulet

Adult Pale-breasted Spinetail, with rufous cap and pale throat and breast

The Yellow Tyrannulet looks like it has a translucent wing feather.

On the other side of the road, Chito sighted an American Pygmy Kingfisher.

American Pygmy Kingfisher
Digiscope image taken by Chito Motina through his Leica spotting scope using my Pixel phone camera

Mary found these plants intriguing.

Yellow-flowering plant, with blossom and buds

Mimosa-like leaves and new growth

Close-up of the new growth

Chito played the call of the White-throated Crake while Derek, Tom, Jody, Ann and Deb listened.

The White-throated Crake called back from four feet in front of us, but we could not see it in the thick grass. Steve was sure if we all stepped into the grass we could surround and see it, but Chito didn't show any interest.

The Pale-breasted Spinetail showed up again, but it stayed behind palm fronds like a burlesque dancer.

Pale-breasted Spinetail

Pale-breasted Spinetail

After most of the group stopped looking the Pale-breasted Spinetail hopped down into the grass closer to the road...

...and showed us its namesake.

A Great Kiskadee with a single tail feather sat on the wire above us.

Nearby, on a power pole, was the kiskadee nest.

Lower on the same pole, there was a Social Flycatcher nest, similar in style but smaller.

Pink flowers at the roadside

Pink flowers and the plant's leaves

Pink flowers

Pink flowers, or buds, or seed heads

Back on the bus and heading to the lodge, we passed this warning sign.

Nearing the lodge, we spotted a Bat Falcon in a tree above a parking lot on the left side of the road; it was getting dark, but that did not deter us from trying to get some photos.

The Bat Falcon flew out a couple of times, perhaps flycatching, but returned to the some roost.
Digiscope image taken by Chito Motina through his Leica spotting scope using my Pixel phone camera

Side view of the Bat Falcon

Out near the road, a Linneated Woodpecker inspected a branch.

Linneated Woodpecker

Also nearby were three Fiery-billed Aracaris.

This Fiery-billed Aracari seemed to be scraping with its bill at branch on which it was sitting.

Preening Fiery-billed Aracari

Fiery-billed Aracari

The Linneated Woodpecker moved to another tree and continued its drumming and pecking.

Linneated Woodpecker

Fiery-billed Aracari

Fiery-billed Aracari

Back at the dining room at the lodge, we sat down to dinner at tables decorated with candles and fresh flowers.

After dinner, some of us went back out on the bus to look for owls. This was the best look we got at the Tropical Screech Owl.

We had better luck with the Striped Owl; after finding one at a distance in a field, Enrique spotted this one sitting on a power line next to the road.

We looked at the Striped Owl from inside the bus as it perched 20-30 feet from us.

The Striped Owl did not seem perturbed by our observing it.

In fact, the Striped Owl seemed more focused on some prey along the side of the road below it.

Striped Owl

The Striped Owl turned around on the wire to keep an eye on whatever it was tracking.

Striped Owl

Striped Owl

We left the Striped Owl to its hunting and returned to the lodge and bed.