We paid the price, now we get the glorious benefit

Okay, I'll say it.  This was not my favorite hotel.  In fact, I'm not sure hotel is the correct word for this place.  Without going into detail, I'll just say that hot water was not included but a giant spider on the pillow was included.  I had wine with dinner.

And this morning, guess what we saw?  Just about everything!  Check it out.  There were several birds around, but the first one I got a good look at was this oriole.  Not bad, starting with something so vivid!

streak-backed oriole

 Hummingbird! Yes, it's not a great picture, but it's the best I got.  We were hoping to see this guy here, because obviously we've been deprived of sufficient hummingbird sightings, and we've been feeling the lack.  Heh.

cinnamon hummingbird

 Yes, I still enjoy flycatchers, even in this bird-crazy tropical place!  I think it's a brown-crested but that's really just a guess.  There are two or three that it might be.  I enjoyed watching it, whatever it is.

mystery flycatcher

 There were too many birds here for me to even deal with.  Gulls, terns, swallows, pelicans, little blue herons - all on the rail of the dock.  Someone saw surfbirds, which sounds made up to me, but they insisted that it's a real bird.  Sandpipers of various sorts.  It's too much for me, so here's an inadequate representative shot.

Brown pelican

 We are getting really quite spoiled now.  There are multiple pairs of trogon flying around.  There are two types, so we are getting our fill of trogons this morning!

black-headed trogon

 Other little lovelies wanted some attention too.  I love euphonias!

scrub euphonia, mystery warbler

Did I mention trogons?

violaceous trogon

 Oh, and parrots. Don't forget the parrots.  

white-fronted parrot

 A few wood storks flew right over us, one by one.  I tried to take pictures but I think I got too excited.  Lots of blurry shots.  But I will love this one of the stork barreling down towards us.

wood stork

 Wheeeeeeeeee!  :-)

wood stork

 The trogon and motmot want the same branch, and are checking each other out.

violaceous trogon, turquoise-browed motmot

 My camera cannot handle the crown.

turquoise-browed motmot

 Some of these are seed pods.  Some of them are parakeets.  I've cropped this photo, but trust me, at first it was quite hard to tell the difference!

orange-chinned parakeet

 We saw a few of these guys, including on the breakfast table.  With a crest like that they get away with just about anything!

white-throated magpie jay

 We heard the owl, we heard it again, we narrowed it down to a tree, and we searched and search.  And someone was the Hero Of The Day and found it!  We were all thrilled to see it.

ferruginous pygmy owl

 Okay, that's probably it, right?  Wrong!  Next was a gorgeous pair of orioles playing in pretty pink petals.

streak-backed oriole

 And a stripe-headed sparrow or three at first hiding, then showing off for the happy birders.

stripe-headed sparrow

 How can something so bright blend so well? Yes, I have asked this many many times about many birds.  Still.........  :-)

eastern meadowlark

 The gardener had another amazing surprise for us.  He took us right over, found this little fellow, and we all got a good look.  It was about another small owl, not quite as small as the other, but they look really different.  This one is a rough-and-tumble sort, not dapper like the other.

pacific screech owl 

 Ah, what grace.

brown pelican

 Hahahahaha, oh you silly yellow warbler, what have you been into?

yellow warbler

 Snowy egret?  No.  Great egret?  No.  What then?  A little blue heron, first year.  Look at those legs!

little blue heron

 Another day, another squirrel cuckoo.  And another sadly blurry picture.  Someday, you crazy cuckoo!

squirrel cuckoo

 Wait.  What's that sound?  I have no idea, but the guides do - and look who we saw!

masked tityra 

 And, appropriately  another glance at this gorgeous guy before we get back on the bus.

turquoise-browed motmot