Day 08: February 25, 2014

Today’s wake up was at 5:45 a.m. for a 6:20 a.m. birding in the front parking lot and along the road.  Many of the birds don’t care where they are, as long as there are trees and plants, so these unusual locations proved to provide great birding!  We returned for breakfast which was eggs rancheros with tortillas.

After breakfast we drove up the road to the Quetzal BioTopo.  This location is not often visited so we were the only tourist group there.  The majority of celebrated orchids, often written about in guide books, were not in bloom, so we continued on to the trail.  We climbed up the mountain on a switchback path with verdant green surrounding us.  It is not an easy climb unless you are conditioned for climbing and many of our group was struggling.  There were workers going up and down the mountain harvesting palm fronds to sell for roof construction and we were in their way, as they sped past us balancing 50 to 60 pounds of palm leaves on their head and back.

It wasn’t long before Alex called off the hike due to the lack of birds and the degree of difficulty for the group.  This was not going to be the place to see the Quetzal, so we walked along the highway as Alex had been told that a quetzal had been sighted there.

After sighting some birds along the road, we went back to the lodge for a hearty lunch, a cup of coffee and a short rest till 3 p.m. when we met for birding again.  We met in the gardens and walked along the road to a fenced gate leading to a pasture.  This time, Alex had arranged for a local guide to follow along with us.  This reserve has a mix of pine and Cieba trees with rolling hills and small streams, contrasted with Bromeliads and Heliconia.  The birding was great and Alex has an exceptionally keen eye.

We birded for about an hour and headed back the same way. Much to our surprise, the way back was more of a challenge as it was mostly uphill and we had not remembered going downhill. A few of the folks had to rest but not many and thankfully Alex rested the entire group by spotting birds.

Passing the gift shop on our return drew in a few of our group and I was impressed with the many nice items — even Alex was shopping. We all took a well-deserved rest and were back in the gardens before dinner birding.  After dinner many of us hung out by the fire pits.

 Birds of the Day: White-collared Swift, Cattle Egret, Plain Chacalaca, Short-tailed Hawk, Barred Parakeet, Azure-crowned Hummingbird, Green-throated Mountain-gem, Blue-crowned Motmot, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker and Golden Olive Woodpecker.

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