We started the day with our usual early morning walk and found a Chestnut-backed Antbird that had found a moth for its breakfast.

The moth seemed to be trying to hide under a leaf...

...but the antbird found it anyway.

We went to the observation tower and saw this Pale-billed Woodpecker.

A Great Crested Flycatcher was also in a nearby tree.

My shot of the male and female Blue Dacnis was photo-bombed by a Piratic Flycatcher.

A Scarlet Macaw flew over us.

Piratic Flycatcher

Golden-naped Woodpecker

Golden-naped Woodpecker

Male White-shouldered Tanager

The Great Crested Flycatcher caught a tiny cicada.

Great Crested Flycatcher, with cicada

Male White-shouldered Tanager

The male Blue Dacnis came into a Cecropia tree very close to the tower.

Male Blue Dacnis, eating the fruit of the Cecropia tree

Blue Dacnis

Blue Dacnis

The female Blue Dacnis also flew into the Cecropia tree.

Female Blue Dacnis

Female Blue Dacnis

Male Blue Dacnis, at the fruit of the Cecropia tree again

Male Blue Dacnis

Female Blue Dacnis

Female Blue Dacnis

Female Blue Dacnis
The pair never got close enough to each other to pose together, but certainly offered a number of individual poses.

Summer Tanager

Blue-gray Tanager

Female Spot-crowned Euphonia

Blue-gray Tanager

Female Spot-crowned Euphonia

Back view of the male Blue Dacnis

While we were on the tower, a butterfly landed on Mary's head a couple of times while Carolyn looked on--must have like her shampoo.

What butterfly is that?

Derek and Jody looked for birds from the rail of the tower.

The clearing below the tower

Part of the view from the tower, looking into and over the tops of trees

A White-crowned Parrot perched in the early morning sunlight.

White-crowned Parrot

Orange-chinned Parakeet

Orange-chinned Parakeet

Orange-chinned Parakeets, one eating a fluffy-looking fruit while the other watches

Orange-chinned Parakeets

Orange-chinned Parakeets

Another Scarlet Macaw flew over us.

Scarlet Macaw

Crested Caracara

Male Spot-crowned Euphonia

Another view of the rainforest canopy and sky from the tower

Golden-hooded Tanager

Back view of the Golden-hooded Tanager

Zebrawing butterfly

Two more Scarlet Macaws, flying by

Yellow-throated Toucan

Female White-shouldered Tanager

The surprise of the morning was this Tiny Hawk that flew into a nearby tree. It was flying with, or perhaps, chasing a Broad-winged Hawk, but Chito excitedly told us to focus our attention on this bird, because this species is rarely seen.

The Tiny Hawk had something on its bill--remnants of breakfast perhaps?

Tiny Hawk

Tiny Hawk

The Tiny Hawk hopped to 2-3 different trees around the tower while we watched and took photos.

Tiny Hawk

Tiny Hawk

Tiny Hawk, from observation tower at Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica

Yellow-throated Toucan

Female Masked Tityra

Mooned by a Yellow-throated Toucan

Yellow-throated Toucan

Yellow-throated Toucan

I think this must be a digiscope photo of the Tiny Hawk, so taken by Chito through his Leica spotting scope, using my Pixel phone camera.

We saw the toadstools again on our way back to the lodge from the tower.

Heliconia, next to a carved tree stump at the dining pavilion

While we were having breakfast, this Long-billed Hermit came to the heliconia at the edge of the dining area.

While we were walking after breakfast, we saw this insect egg pouch attached to the underside of a palm leaf.

A second egg pouch

Spider, at the center of its web

Butterfly, on tropical verbena at the lodge

Wood Stork

Jody, Mary, Deb, Derek, Chito, Ann, Monica and Carolyn, getting ready to go to Puerto Jimenez for our kayak ride.

We stopped at a soccer field park near the center of Puerto Jimenez and there were several Scarlet Macaws in the trees around the park.

Scarlet Macaw

There were also several pigeons in the trees near the macaws.

Can you see all the Scarlet Macaws in these trees? We counted 6 or 8.

A pair of Scarlet Macaws, at the park at Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica

There were also macaws flying among the trees.

Scarlet Macaws

A pair of Scarlet Macaws

Panama Flycatcher

This pair of Scarlet Macaws were preening each other.

A little kissy-face after the preening

And a little more canoodling

Close-up of one of the Scarlet Macaws

Scarlet Macaw

After lunch at a nice restaurant in town, of which we inexplicably took no photos and made no notes, we proceeded to the kayak venue. They had two-person kayaks and, after a little instruction and pulling on life vests, we paired up and took off.

Monica took Mary under her wing and Mary enjoyed the ride.

Monica and Mary, on the water at Golfo Dulce mangrove, Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica

Rounding our first corner, we came upon a mixed group of shore birds: Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, dowitchers, Ruddy Turnstone and Whimbrel.

Dowitchers, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Whimbrel

Ruddy Turnstones, Greater Yellowlegs, Whimbrels, Willet, dowitchers, more turnstones and a plover in the background

Dowitchers, willets and a plover

Black-bellied Plover

Black-bellied Plover

Greater Yellowlegs

Black-bellied Plovers behind dowitchers

Whimbrels

Whimbrel

Dowitchers, turnstones, willets and yellowlegs...

...and whimbrels and plovers

Tricolored Heron

Tricolored Heron

Back view of Tricolored Heron

Sanderling, with three Semipalmated Plovers in the background

Wilson's Plovers, with a couple of Semipalmated Plovers among them

Wilson's Plover, in front of a Semipalmated Plover

Jody and Ann; one of our guides, Royner; Tom and Fran; Chito and Carolyn; and Deb and Leigh; moving up the mangrove ahead of Monica and Mary (somewhere) and Derek and me.

Our two guides, Royner and Laura, in the blue kayaks, were leading the way.

Monica and Mary

Monica and Mary, pulling ahead of Derek and me, with Jody and Ann in the lead

Derek and Steve, bringing up the rear--Derek had to contend with my wanting to slow down to take more photos

Once we got farther into the mangroves, we found this Lesser Nighthawk resting on a nearby branch.

Lesser Nighthawk

Close-up of the Lesser Nighthawk

A little farther down, on the same side, was the White-necked Puffbird.

White-necked Puffbird

White-necked Puffbird

White-necked Puffbird

On our other side, we found some Boat-billed Herons hiding deeper in the mangrove.

Close-up of the head of one of the Boat-billed Herons

Boat-billed Heron

Farther along and higher in a bare tree, this Osprey looked for fish.

Osprey

Around another bend, we spied an American Pygmy Kingfisher on a branch just above the water.

Deb and Leigh went deeper into the mangrove and Tom and Fran followed them in.

Leigh, Deb, Fran and Tom

Derek and Steve pulled ahead of some of the group.

Derek, in the foreground, with Royner, Carolyn and Chito, and all the rest of our group behind them

Derek and the stragglers

One more. Are they gaining on us?

At some point, Laura decided the tide was going out and said it was time to turn around; on the way out, we passed some Mangrove Swallows resting on branches sticking up from the water.

Mangrove Swallow

About two-thirds of our way home, we stopped on a sandbar and looked back where we'd been.

Across the sand from the mangrove was the Pacific Ocean.

Monica, Mary, Jody, Leigh, Deb, Derek, Ann, Tom

Sky and clouds over the gulf

Tom, Ann and Derek, enjoying a break for kayaking

Beach and sky

One more

Mary, ready for more

Mary, on the beach at Golfo Dulce, near Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica

Steve, on the beach

Tom, Monica and Deb got wet.

Ann found a little hermit crab.

Hermit crab

More beach and sky

Laura and Royner surprised us with some fresh coconut milk and pineapple: Laura, Carolyn (in the distance), Monica, Chito, Jody, Tom, Fran, Derek

Royner, Mary and Jody (in the background)

Steve and Mary on the beach at Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

Steve and Mary, seasoned kayakers

Steve and Mary, on the other side of the sandbar, with Chito, Ann and the mangrove behind

Mary and Steve

Monica and Mary, back on the water and headed for home

The Tricolored Heron showed us its front side on the way back.

Snowy Egret

Wait for me! Look at the flexible upper mandible on that Short-billed Dowitcher.

Willet and Short-billed Dowitchers, marching away from us

The Black-bellied Plovers again

Black-bellied Plovers

Ruddy Turnstones

Short-billed Dowitchers, with a Willet

Semipalmated Plover, with its feet in the mud

After returning our kayaks, paddles and life vests--and washing a lot, but not all, the sand--we boarded the bus and headed home. Not far down the road, we saw this Amazon Kingfisher on a wire over the water, looking for a meal.

Then, not far from it, was this big Ringed Kingfisher.

As we were nearing the turn-off to the lodge, we spotted this Tropical Mockingbird on a wire next to the road.

When we got back to the lodge, we had another tasty and beautifully-presented meal. Steve had the pepper stuffed with veggies, adorned with carrot strips and sauce--yummy.

On the way back to our room, we found another interesting spider.

When we arrived at our cabin and went into the open-air bathroom, we found something even more interesting, a little snake wrapped around the PVC pipe going to the shower.

The snake was about a foot long and only about a quarter of an inch in diameter. Chito identified it the next day as a Cat-eyed Snake (Northern Cat-eyed snake, Leptodeira septentrionalis, in Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica), because of the pattern on its back.

Chito said the Cat-eyed Snake eats frog eggs, so we were not in danger, but when I got up to go to the bathroom after midnight, its intention seemed to be to come into our space. I slept better after brushing it off the pipe and outside the bathroom.