Can we please move here?

So today was pretty incredible.

It started out with a new experience.  I found this.  In our room.  That was disturbing.

scorpion

Then it was back into the truck, and off to see a toucanet!

blue-throated toucanet

 Then we stopped by our favorite pond to see what was going on.  Look at how gorgeous that pond is!  The property it's on is a strongly terraced farm, the whole thing is pretty cool.

 Look at that fancy tail!

squirrel cuckoo

 On to one of our destinations, this watercress farm.  Now I want to live on a watercress farm.  Talk about lush!

 Maybe a big fan of the X-men, maybe just marking the spot.  

yellow-faced grassquit

 Another gorgeous fancy hummingbird.  I can't keep them straight.

violet-crowned wood nymph

I don't even know if this is the same one.  Actually, I figured it out - it's not!

sapphire-throated hummingbird

 Tawny cap for sure!

tawny-capped euphonia

 Next spot.  Our guide is ahead of us on the "path."  Yes, that's the path.  I think.  We did go off-path sometimes, but it was sort of hard to tell.  It's the opposite of that place with the crazy awesome sidewalk through the wilderness!

 Banana bird on a flower.  Irresistible!

bananaquit

 Life is a balancing act.

sapphire-throated hummingbird

 Back at the lodge, enjoying the show at the feeders.

orange-billed sparrow

 And it was quite a show!

rufous motmot

fulvous-vented euphonia 

 Off again after lunch - and straight to manakins!  It's still true - I have never met a manakin I didn't like.  Again, feel free to take it as a challenge!

golden-collared manakin

 We spent quite a while watching some toucans of various sorts from afar, and this was the best picture.  It's not perfect, but I absolutely love it!

collared aracari

 Back at the lodge, and one round through the garden before dinner.  And I'm glad I went - these aracari came in right above me, and scouted out this hole for a nest!  Oh, a woodpecker was seriously angry.  But the camera only loved the aracari, it wouldn't even focus on the woodpecker.

collared aracari

collared aracari

Another day, another amazing change of scene, more gorgeous wildlife

So we took a road trip to a remote luxury community with lots of wild land and a few huge houses.  It's in the mountains, and the road is so steep that you have to have 4-wheel-drive engaged to get there. It was pretty amazing!

There is a lake with a long path around it (it's incredibly well maintained) that we went partway around.  Right away it was pretty exciting, with some broad-winged hawks and a swallow-tailed kite flying over.

swallow-tailed kite

Then this white hawk came in, flew over a few times and settled down for a good 15 minutes.  What a treat!

white hawk

There were of course other cool birds at the lake, which we couldn't even see until the white hawk left.  But they were gorgeous too!

green heron

belted kingfisher

 Okay, time to hit the path.  Heading through the tall tall trees........

 On an actual sidewalk.  It's skinny, but it's cleared and incredibly well-maintained.

 And there were awesome birds!  Also plenty of mosquitos.  But let's not focus on that.

orange-bellied trogon

orange-bellied trogon

 This motmot was showing off how it can swing its tail.

rufous motmot

 My record stands - I have never met a manakin I didn't like.  I challenge you to bring me to a manakin that I don't like!  :-)

white-ruffed manakin

 We were all excited to have a nice sighting of a snowcap!   It's not in the Panama book, but..... well, there it is!

snowcap hummingbird

Of course there is a 360-degree lookout at the top of a rise.  And of course it is gorgeous!

 Parting shot of the motmot, it might be even more gorgeous from the front!

rufous motmot

Pitta! At last!

Today we went back to La Mesa, and hit another area later.  We saw at last the elusive pitta!  Yes, yes, I know, that kills the suspense, but I just can't help blurting it out.

streak-chested antpitta

streak-chested antpitta

orange-chinned parakeet

masked tityra

snowy-bellied hummingbird

mystery flycatcher

keel-billed toucan

song wren

mourning warbler

bay-headed tanager

basilisk

Amazon kingfisher

Canada warbler

swallow-tailed kite

Our trail was gorgeous but a little hard on the ankles - a dry streambed, going right through the forest.

The day with the luxury beach house

What a day!  Up very early for breakfast, then in the truck with a different guide who was also wonderful.  We were driving to the beach, birding along the way.  And it didn't take long to get started, these bobwhites were right on the road!

crested bobwhite

 I love the light in this picture.

groove-billed ani

 We saw quite a bit driving around, with several stops to check out what was nearby.

fork-tailed flycatcher

 It took the guide a couple of tries to convince me that the bird on the left was the juvie version on the bird on the right.  I am still dubious even though there seems to be widespread agreement.  :-)

wattled jacana, adult(R) and juvenile(L)

 Tody!  I love those little guys!

common tody-flycatcher

mystery flycatcher

 I think this is a short-tailed hawk, but I can't make any promises.

mystery hawk

mystery hummingbird

barred antshrike

 It was cool seeing these guys so close to each other.

yellow warbler, lesser goldfinch

brown-throated parakeet

 It was sort of awesome seeing another vulture, but sort of anti-climactic.  It looks basically like a turkey vulture with a yellow beak.  Which is hard to see.  Oh well, it was cool!

lesser yellow-headed vulture

 I loved seeing a caracara mix it up with the black vultures.

crested caracara, black vulture

We saw so many savannah hawks!  Including two in nests!  It was amazing - the first one was hard to find, then they were just sort of everywhere.

savannah hawk

 Look how gorgeous this guy is!!!!!

straight-billed woodcreeper

 Oh, yeah, so then the caracara flew right in front of the car.  That was convenient.

crested caracara

 The tanager is like, hey buddy, what's up?

tropical mockingbird, blue-grey gnatcatcher

 We made it to the beach house for a late lunch, and it was amazing.  Delicious lunch on the patio, then swimming!  And they had a shower for us, hanging out for a little while, then we were off again.  To find this guy!

ferruginous pygmy-owl

Jack is getting better and better at digiscoping.  :-)

ferruginous pygmy-owl

 Back at the lodge, checking out the feeders before dinner, here comes the rail!

grey-necked wood rail

 Checking for a kingfisher is always a good idea.

tropical kingbird, green kingfisher