Birding in Playa Tortuga

We did a bird survey in the neighborhood.

Around 5 o'clock in the morning it already is light outside, no wonder that birding starts here around the same time. I woke up hearing all these wonderful bird sounds and was pretty sure I also heard monkeys in the neighborhood. Today we went out to do a bird survey in the neighborhood, a 3 km hike which was a combination of going up and down the hills.

At some point it wasn't easy, because while going up hill you also had to check for some birds.

Here we spotted a small group of Gray-headed Chachalaca's (Ortalis cinereiceps). They look so similar to the ones I know in Kabalebo, the Little Chachalaca's. Also a bit shy or cautious.

We also spotted the Great-tailed Crackle (Quiscalus mexicanus). They make this weird sound that almost sounds like the Ringed Woodpecker.

Speaking of woodpeckers, we spotted two different ones; the Golden-naped Woodpecker and the Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus). Only the latter was willing to pose as it was also closer to the road.

There weren't many cars on the road which made it also a pleasant hike. From time to time a sign appeared warning drivers not to speed as it is possible a sloth may cross the road. Unfortunately I haven't met any yet.

A familia face, the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus). Also quite common in Costa Rica, this was also one of the most frequent seen bird during our bird survey. Never disappoints.

From time to time I had to catch my breath, mainly because I was mesmerized by the magical surroundings.

Another common bird was the Cherrie's Tanager (Ramphocelus costaricensis). I still need to photograph the male, but only time is of essence here.

I heard from our guide/supervisor that today was our lucky day as we spotted 3 Crested Guans (Penelope purpurascens). He said that after 3 years of bird surveys they are once again spotted. They remind me of our own Spix's Guan but these are much larger. We spotted them in someone's garden near the road.

After 2 hours we went back to the Reserva where a nice surprise was waiting for me.

A Black-mandibled Toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus) was hit by a truck and had suffered some bruises. A passerby brought the injured bird to the Reserva, afterwards it was brought to a nearby vet for further inspection.
It was a pleasant hike and I was able to add even more birds to my ever growing international bird list.