Cartagena, Colombia I

If it were not for a lovely family who literally came over and invited me into their home and afforded me Internet access, there would have been no Blog today! Bless Em!

We didn't have to travel very far for the wildlife today, as just at the end of the jetty there was a tidy little park holding

 EARED DOVE,
 
 
 a few 'captive' (but 'free-range') CHILEAN FLAMINGO

 and our first SPOTTED SANDPIPER of the trip with 'spots'!

Only a short walk from there we arrived at a pristine stand of woodland, complete with feeding stations and a whole host of birds

 the first of which is still causing consternation. Having been through the Tanagers, it is not known where to look next??

 Soon on the scene were WHITE-TIPPED DOVE,

 CLAY-COLOURED THRUSH

 and then something far more exotic
SCARLET MACAW*

 and CHESTNUT-FRONTED MACAW* two welcome additions to the Trip List although not 'Lifers'. Deciding to make a re-visit to the wood later in the day, we took a taxi to the nearby

 which along with a wonderful selection of plants also held plenty of birds.

ORANGE-CHINNED PARAKEET were soon located simply by following the squawking,

 and thought this an amusing run of photos, a RED SQUIRREL disturbing a MONKEY Sp.

A bit of howling

 and a bit of back-scratching

 

 and a few acrobatics from one of several BLUE-and-YELLOW MACAW*

 BLACK-CHESTED JAY*

 and the closest view yet of BLACK VULTURE.

BICOLOURED WREN*

MEALY AMAZON*

BAT FALCON

 brief views of LINEATED WOODPECKER,

 OLIVACEOUS FLATBILL*
 
 BLACK-BILLED FLYCATCHER*

 CRESTED OROPENDOLA*

BUTTERFLY

 DRAGONFLY

 
 thought to be
BUFF-THROATED FOLIAGE-GLEANER*

 BOAT-BILLED FLYCATCHER*

 RUFOUS-CRESTED COQUETTE*

It had been a Hard Day's Night!

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica III

After four and a half hours we finally cracked the 35Km and reached

First on show was a fine adult VIOLACEOUS TROGON

with this juvenile close by.

 
 
Next up MASKED TITYRA*,

 
female Large-tailed Grackle

while in the canopy PROTHONOTARY WARBLER's were vocal, active but difficult to capture.

Parasitic Wasp Nest

'Bird of the day' was undoubtedly this fine

WHITE-COLLARED MANAKIN*, not because it was a 'lifer'
but just look at it!!

ONly fleeting glimpses but enough to score another new bird
CLAY-COLOURED THRUSH*

 
before taking a look at a small troop of Howler Monkeys.

Flower of the Forest

BLUE MORPHO BUTTERFLY but you only get short flashes of radiant blue.

FUNGI

and a much more obliging Prothonatory Warbler.
The name is said to originate from the colour of the raiment worn by the Pope's closest advisers.

Some distance away a STRAIGHT-BILLED WOODCREEPER*

and another Violaceous Trogon

Equally distant, but nearing all the time

the first BROAD-WINGED HAWK* of the trip.

Butterfly

Rupert, our taxi driver, was responsible for finding 70% of the Birds  and Mammals today, we had really struck lucky to find him, but however he spotted this group of 12 or more PLAIN CHACHALACA will remain a mystery to me forever - I couldn't even see the tree he was pointing out!

Another Black-cheeked Woodpecker before we headed back to the docks

where, from a distance, we could see the tiny form of M/V VOYAGER secured close to 2 Monsters of the Sea. I maintain 'small is best' at sea and very much the case here. To watch the passengers disembark from our neighbours was like watching the Battle Scene from Lord of the Rings!

KEEP IT BIJOU!