Final Blog: Savegre, Lauraceas Lodge

 The final destination, Savegre, has been, always, an extremely rewarding and beautiful place.  My first choice of all destinations, from the first trip until this one, has been the mountains of Costa Rica, which seem to me to be my natural element.  I am fond of beaches, I love almost all landscapes, but from the time I started to grow up in Western North Carolina, and experienced trails, waterfalls, wildflowers, all that the mountains can show you, all gave me a sense of great wonder, awe, reverence for mountains. 

So Savegre, at 6000' or so, is now a part of who I am.  

And it is with a bit of sadness that I do this last blog, because it may be, in fact, my last connection with Costa Rica.  I can't see myself returning in the future, because my time left has to be with family and especially Susan, who has always supported my traveling, but finds it more and more difficult to go through all it takes to travel a long distance.

And, let's face it, there are a helluvalotta birds in New England I haven't seen, so I still have those to look forward to! (I really, really need a great photo of a Nelson's Sparrow!)(Never mind the Le Conte!)

Here it is, and I hope it shows you the fondness I have for the place. 

My cabin at Lauraceas Lodge.  I had always stayed at Savegre Inn, but Gray and I opted for Lauraceas
and it was a very good choice.  One of the nicest rooms I have stayed in anywhere. 

On our first evening, a Torent Tyrannulet posed for me on a sunlit rock.

The restaurant at the lodge.  Excellent!

Out at 5:30 AM, looking for the required bird of the area, the Resplendent Quetzal.  The area has become a destination for birders from all over the world. 
Here is Gray, the famous Marino, and Neal.

Just down the road from us!

And here he is.  Audubon thought him the most beautiful bird in the world. 
(Confessions, this is not from this trip but from an earlier one;  I did not have a blog-worthy shot)

"Don't worry, we'll find him!"

Black-capped Flycatcher

A Wilson's Warber (finally, a decent photo!)
Probably headed North

Hoffman's Woodpecker

Dark Pewee

A bird becoming rare, the Golden-winged Warbler, again travelling through.

Spot-crowned Woodcreeper

"Where the %$%#$%^& is he?!"

Tufted Flycatcher

Slaty Flower-piercer

Lunch at Lauraceas Lodge

Collared Redstart

Breakfast at Lauraceas

At Anna de Arbol, one of the finest restaurants in Costa Rica

Marino charming everybody.  

And our last afternoon at Savegre, spent at Batsu Gardens, a wonderful area set up 
just for bird photography.  Time to relax, sit in a comfortable chair, and have birds come and pose
for you.  

Flame-colored Tanager

Tennessee Warbler

Gray on the trail above the gardens

Bay-headed Tanager

Black-capped Flycatcher

Acorn Woodpecker

Green-crowned Brilliant

And my favorite of favorites, the Volcano Hummingbird. Barely bigger than a bee, 
and completely fearless.  He was less than yard away, showing no stress at all. 

Last morning in Savegre, a quick visit to the gardens at Savegre Lodge

And, appropriately, (I saw one every visit), the White-throated Mountain Gem, female

On the way back to San Jose.
I believe this Turrialba Volcano

A lunch break with an incredible view.  Neal had become quite sick on his last day of hiking with 
altitude sickness and slept a great deal of the trip.  He rallied at lunch, but it really hit him hard. 

Back at Bougainvillea, and a waiter who remembered me from past trips.

A sad morning, Neal sick in bed, Sally and Gray at breakfast.  It was hard not to have 
a chance for one last good meal together, and I particularly missed saying goodby to Juan Carlos,
our superb driver and guide. 

And one final morning look into Bougainvillea's gardens
Will I ever see them again?

Again, the trip's overwhelming success and rewards were due so much to Sally's planning, attention
to detail (private guides!!), and Sonia Nunez' coming through in every case. 
And what a treasure to have spent the two weeks with three of the most charming, 
erudite, and warmly inviting companions one could hope for. 
I will never forget it. 

CR Blog 3: Villa Lapas, Carara Natl. Park, Tarcoles River

 A brand new area of CR for me, including a Pacific Ocean beach (finally, a beach in CR, my first ever).  One very frustrating hike, one hugely rewarding boat trip, and many very satisfying waterfowl shots. . 

Sally just couldn't abide crowds, and the result was that all but one of our hikes were with private guides for the four of us.  And the boat trip! Four of us in the boat with a guide and captain, about the perfect way to get some good photography done. (As we were leaving at the end, another crowd of about 60 birders were headed for the boats. Yeow!) Thank you, Sally (and Sonia!) for perhaps the most rewarding excursion of all. 

On the way to Villa Lapas, a Roadside Hawk

Neal, Gray and Sally in Juan Carlos' very comfy van

And! The Pacific Ocean!
Juan Carlos took us there early in the evening in hopes of getting a good glimpse.
of the Scarlet Macaws, which we did.

Sally, Neal

Beautiful shoreline

Magnificent Frigatebird, a bird barely out of the age of dinosaurs.

Scarlet Macaw

Neal, Gray

Sunset

I am not sure of the sequence but we traveled a great distance in a car to see very few
birds, BUT I did get to see a bird I have been after very trip and only succeeded this time. 
Spectacled Owl!

Slaty-tailed Trogan

Now on a hike in the Carara National Park, the least-rewarding, and by far the hottes
hike of the trip.  I am afraid our guide was more of a talker than a looker, but we did see
some rareties, and this Green-and-Black Poison-dart Frog

Magnificent specimen (the tree, I mean).  Oh, you too, Gray!

Pale-billed Woodpecker

And now, the afternoon boat ride on the Tarcoles River.
Greeting us at the landing was this Gartered Trogan

Just for the four of us. 

The first crocodile.  This one was about 6 feet.  We had a 
15-footer approach the boat, very sobering sight

I love this shot! A Roseate Spoonbill

Long-nosed Bats.  We were told by the guide that they perch in a straight line, but when in danger, create an S-shaped line resembling a snake!  Is dat True?

Ah, the Pacific Ocean again. 

Brown Pelican

Three shots of three Bare-necked Tiger-Herons, called that not because of the striping, 
but because they can growl. 

Drying out.

The drinks were free!  (Well, you know what I mean).

I think one more blog will do it. 
I admire your patience!