November 13-16; Region and Locations: San Jose area (El Rodeo, University of Peace); Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui area (Dave and Dave’s Nature Park, La Quinta Lodge, Martinez B&B farm)
This amazing experience began to take shape in early 2018 when the board members of LHNM began to brainstorm about a gift for our retirement from the responsibilities we have carried in that organization for many years. The surprise was presented to us at our retirement celebration in October 2018. Many friends and colleagues contributed to the fund that made this trip possible. We are deeply grateful!
We were connected with Ken Miller, owner of Mi Lora Tours in Costa Rica. After many emails and various options considered, we set the dates for November 13-27, 2019. Ken put together a very satisfying itinerary, giving us the most exposure to the birding hotspots that we might pack into that block of time and budget.
Our goals were built from our love for birding and for enjoying flowers in places of the world where the varieties are plentiful and (for us) unusual. We hoped to see birds we hadn’t seen before, photograph as many of these as possible, and see as many parts of the country as we could.
Assisted by expert guides on parts of each day, we identified 312 species in total. About 215 of those were lifers for us.
The rest of the trip will be covered in successive posts, by region.
All photos are the property of Merle Nisly.
Merle, I don’t need to tell you this, but 312 is an excellent number for a 2-week adventure here. It represents a little over a third of the species the official bird list for Costa Rica. You got some excellent results with your camera during those first four days, despite the constant lighting challenges. Thank you for sharing the joy.