We gathered at 5:30AM and took another walk to the observation tower at Las Cruces Biological Station.

From the top of the tower, we saw this colorful Scarlet-thighed Dacnis.

There was also a Mistletoe Tyrannulet in the nearby trees.

On the way back to the dining hall for breakfast, we passed this colorful tree trunk that had fallen in the forest.

We also spotted this Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in a tree over the trail as we returned.

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

This flowering plant was growing out of the rock wall along the steps to the dining area.

A male Green Honeycreeper was at the feeders on the dining hall patio.

This is a mud beehive that was built on the corner of the roof to the patio.

As we were going to our room from breakfast, Mary and I saw this female Rufous-collared Sparrow in the flower bed along the walkway.

While waiting in our room before checking out, we watched some birds from our deck; this male Variable Seedeater looked blue in the light.

Variable Seedeater

This Blue-headed Parrot posed for quite a while on the branch of a tree behind our room.

Blue-headed Parrot, from the deck our room (Musa, the genus of bananas and plantains) at the Las Cruces Biological Station, Costa Rica

Blue-headed Parrot

Blue-headed Parrot

This Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and its mate also perched near our deck.

We saw this Yellow-olive Flycatcher from our deck as well.

Yellow-olive Flycatcher

Mary took some photos of the multi-colored fruits of the banana-like plants.

We haven't found anything online to identify these, but they're very colorful and varied.

More bead-like seeds, or something

And more

By 8:20AM, we were on the bus and Chito was telling his life story, how he learned English and became a birding guide. He handed out a treat for us, chocolate over a guava center--very tasty--of the brand Gallita, so he said we were eating 'little rooster' candies.

Chito passed around his map, on which he had marked our route and our stops after arriving in Golfito from San José.

This sign, a re-purposed Claro-brand satellite dish, seems to be giving an ecological warning; a loose translation is "If you burn the forests, that's how you'll end up."

We returned to the bridge over the Rincón River, where we'd stopped yesterday, to look again for the Yellow-billed Cotinga; what we saw first was this Mangrove Swallow on a stump in the river.

Mangrove Swallow

Tropical Kingbird

On the opposite side of the bridge, there were several shorebirds, including this Willet.

Snowy Egret, walking along the edge of the Rincón River

Farther down, we spied this White Ibis.

A Black Vulture came to get a drink.

A group of Cattle Egrets was roosting in some trees across the river.

Gray-breasted Martins were on the power line that ran beside the bridge.

There were also Mangrove Swallows on the wire.

Immature Mangrove Swallows, over the Rincón River

Immature Mangrove Swallow

From the parking lot where we were parked, we saw several White-faced Monkeys playing in the trees along the river.

White-faced Monkey

White-faced Monkey

White-faced Monkey

White-faced Monkey

White-faced Monkey

White-faced Monkey

White-faced Monkey

A Double-toothed Kite flew over the bridge.

Double-toothed Kite

We left the bridge and arrived at our destination a little before noon: Danta Corcovado Lodge.
Danta is Spanish for tapir and the lodge's logo was the footprint of the tapir.

One of our first birds at the lodge was the Charming Hummingbird.

Charming Hummingbird

Charming Hummingbird

Charming Hummingbird

Charming Hummingbird

Charming Hummingbird

Female Chestnut-backed Antbird

Female Chestnut-backed Antbird

Male Chestnut-backed Antbird

Back view of the Chestnut-backed Antbird

When our rooms were assigned, they placed a tag with the name of our 'cottage' on our bags, so they would know where to deliver them. Our bungalow was named 'Cherenga,' Spanish for the Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata).

At the pavilion, they had a rule that we remove our shoes before walking on the wood floor; Chito already had his shoes off, enjoying the shade, when we got back from our rooms.

After lunch, we went for a walk around the grounds and Chito pointed out a nutmeg fruit. It includes the nut (source of nutmeg spice); the flowery, fleshy, red arils (source of the spice mace); and shell (broken with a wooden club after drying 6-8 weeks).

Monica took photos of the ant-eaten palm leaves Chito pointed out to us.

Caterpillars and ants chew and eat parts of the palm leaves; leaf-cutter ants mostly work along the leaf edge, creating a lacy pattern.

Palm leaf, eaten by ants and caterpillars

This looks like a white petunia, but it's a fungus growing out of a dead branch on the ground.

We had to watch where we stepped, because there were many leaf-cutter ant trails that crossed our human trails.

Leaf-cutter ants, on the path to our room

This bunch of leaf-cutter ants looked like they were backed up on the freeway because of leaves that had fallen across their route.

Back at the lodge pavilion, this immature Riverside Wren perched in its naivete in clear view for our photographing.

It looked like this adult Riverside Wren was monitoring the proceedings from the relative safety of a high roof beam.

On the path to our room, we noticed this covered rest stop and thought it strange that it had only a single chair. Later that night, as we went to our room, we found a 'sentry' at this spot.

When we got into our room, after it had been cleaned, we were surprised to see the artful design of the bathroom--and to find that it was open to the elements--the elements being anything that wanted to fly or climb or slither over the wall.

There were bottles built into the wall, as if enough light might not come over it--and the toilet and sink were encased in tree trunk-shaped plaster.

The sink in our bathroom.

We joked with the rest of our group about all taking photos of our bathrooms and sharing them, because they were all designed a little differently. Ours was the only one with a puma guarding the shower head over the sunken tub.

Our sleeping area was elegantly decorated with branches for bed posts and head boards and slices of big trees for night stands.

There was also a deep 'couch' we used to lay out our suitcases.

There was a ceiling fan and floor fan to help offset the 90-degree midday heat and high humidity.

At 3PM, we took a walk around the grounds of the lodge and found this Roadside Hawk.

A King Vulture flew overhead.

Masked Tityra

Masked Tityra

Why is everyone looking down at the ground?

Leaf-cutter ants, of course

About 4PM, Enrique picked us up in the bus from where we'd walked along the road and took us to Playa Blanca on the Pacific Ocean. One of the first creatures spotted was this Two-toed Sloth--and there's supposed to be a young one in that mass of fur somewhere.

Scarlet Macaws flew along the beach periodically.

On the beach, we found a Whimbrel.

Willet, along the shore

Clouds over the Pacific Ocean at Playa Blanca, Costa Rica

Monica and Leigh went for a swim, while Jody, Tom and Deb waded along the shore.

Ann, Carolyn, Fran and Mary stayed on the beach.

Chito points out something to Deb while Tom and Jody wade and Monica and Leigh swim.

More clouds over the Pacific Ocean at Playa Blanca, Costa Rica

More clouds over the Pacific Ocean at Playa Blanca, Costa Rica

You can't see the 'mustard' on its bill, but this is a Sandwich Tern.

Juvenile or first winter Sandwich Tern, with little to no yellow on tip of bill

Sandwich Tern, over Playa Blanca, Costa Rica

A couple of Scarlet Macaws, flying by in the evening light

Chito joked that this was an 'un' Spotted' Sandpiper, since it wasn't in breeding plumage.

Spotted Sandpiper

Its white head indicates this is a juvenile Magnificent Frigatebird.

The Spotted Sandpiper had the same unkempt wing feather on both wings.

Blurry, unidentified swallow

The bill doesn't look quite right for this to be a female Variable Seedeater, but if not, what?

Unidentified bird

Palm Tanager

Palm Tanager

On our way back to the lodge, we stopped to look at Red-lored Parrots perched along the road.

Red-lored Parrot

Red-lored Parrots

Red-lored Parrots

There was also a Mangrove Warbler at the same stop.

By the time we got back to the lodge, the sun was setting and coloring the sky.

Mary got some photos of the palms and other trees silhouetted against the evening sky.

We all raved about the expert way the kitchen staff presented all the meals we had--and it was some of the best-tasting food of the trip.

Our 'sentry' kind of spooked us when we spotted him as we walked to our room in the dark after dinner, then he showed us this Yellow-throated Toucan roosting over the path.