Costa Rica - Hotel Bougainvillea - Before the Heavens opened!

A hooting owl had me up at ridiculous o clock this morning. I guess it was always going to be a bit of a needle in a haystack finding it but I guess this hotel must be used to this kind of extreme behaviour!

The early morning added a few more species to my list. It was quite pleasant without being too humid. I started with a quick walk round where I chased a couple of Hoffman’s Woodpecker across the gardens.

I literally bumped into Rufous-collared Sparrow that was feeding on the borders near the path edge. The bird didn’t seem bothered at all looking up and then carried on feeding.

I then headed for the tower to bag some Wrens. Plain Wren was a busy but noisy soul but I eventually managed some pictures.

Greyish Saltator was far more obliging with good views as it commuted between small bushes and a fruit tray strategically placed in amongst the shrubs.

A Squirrel Cuckoo emerged from the tree line to pose for a couple of shots before disappearing over the far wall.

The gardens have a few resident pairs of Variegated Squirrels who were busy gathering a harvest not that I imagine food is ever in short supply in these gardens. That was a good cue to go and tuck in to the early morning meal which left me feeling like Baloo from the jungle book! A good walk was required to work it off the gardens providing the perfect answer.

As the temperature rose the movement of Hirundines increased. The test this morning was to identify the Swifts that started out as dots in the sky but thankfully came closer to feed on the insects that were still low over the garden. White Collared Swift and a new species Vaux’s Swift was the product of my patience.

The Vultures were the next to appear circling on the warm thermals. Most were Black with the odd Turkey appearing. Then a raptor that caught me totally off guard camera settings all wrong but I managed to partially rescue the situation. I am still contemplating the id as the torso is not clear.

During lunch the heavens opened giving me a good opportunity to catch up on the photos and naturally the blog! What will the afternoon bring apart from rain!