COSTA RICA July/August 1985: Braulio Carillo & Monteverde

Nick Preston and I were keen to revisit the Neotropics in 1985 but after an incident filled Peru trip in 1984 we felt a less challenging destination might be in order.  Costa Rica, helped by a superb trip report by Andy Goodwin, fitted the bill – it was a safe, small country with good public transport and many good nature reserves.  Colin Winyard, an excellent travelling companion, was interested too and we planned a trip for the three of us.  Both Nick and Colin were teachers but their holidays overlapped.  I was working but in those days the summer was a slack time in Universities, enabling me to get extra time off.  A bigger concern was not seeing my future wife, who I’d not long met, for six weeks but happily we survived.  In the end the plan was that I would go out with Nick for the first week, Colin would then join us and we’d spend 4 weeks in Costa Rica and travel down to Panama by bus.  After a couple of days Nick would return to the UK and Colin and I would stay on for another six days.  As usual this blog is constructed from notebook entries and digitised slides of varying quality and degredation.  I also no longer have my original field notebook, testing my memory further.  I took no photos at all during the first week of the trip.  Dark forest and low cloud being my excuse although I'm disappointed not to have got a few views.

20 July 1985:  Not a good start.  My bus from Brighton to Heathrow was delayed due to Brighton Carnival and I arrived at Heathrow over an hour late to find, just before getting off the bus, that I had brought my old passport.  It was in better condition that the new one but that was no excuse.  Nick was pacing around anxiously waiting for me as it was just under an hour before the flight left.  Nick’s relief at seeing me was short lived when I explained the passport situation.  We went to check-in in the hope that we could get on the next day’s flight (if not I’d have to wait a week as KLM only flew out on Saturday and Sundays).  Very luckily there was one place left on the next day’s flight, although the KLM assistant changed Nick’s flight rather than mine and found Nick’s seat had gone before she could put him back.  She then managed to switch us and Nick went off promising to find a hotel for when I arrived, or at least that was what I thought the plan was.  Nick’s flight was due to arrive on Sunday morning, mine at 10pm that night.  I caught the bus home and tore the cover off my old passport.

21 July 1985:  I caught the early bus up to Heathrow and the flight was on time.  We changed planes in Amsterdam and briefly touched down at Caracas where a White-tailed Kite was seen from the plane. In the check-in queue I befriended a volunteer who was going to Nicaragua and mentioned to him that my friend Nick was meeting me at San Jose airport and would hopefully have sorted out a cheap hotel nearby.  He was interested and with great expectation we were met by Nick.  It transpired that he had spent the day birding around the airport and playing football with local kids - a half built house by the airport being the best accommodation he could find!

22 July 1985:  After being disturbed at dawn by a rather surprised owner of the house we caught a bus into town and said goodbye to our Nicaraguan bound friend.  I’m not sure what he made of us but we probably saved him a taxi and hotel fare.  We found decent central hostel for the night (it seemed to be full of Peace Corps volunteers), found the office and booked for the three of us to stay at La Selva later in the trip and got a bus to University where we birded the surrounding area.  Birds seen included Cinnamon Hummingbird, Blue-crowned Motmot, Chestnut-capped Warbler, Yellow-throated Brush-Finch and White-faced Ground-Sparrow.

23 July 1985:  We left the hostel and got an early bus from San Jose to San Geronimo.  We then walked into Braulio Carrillo, over a ridge and across a river before putting up Nick’s tent by the old road at La Montura.  An excellent if rather tiring day.  Birds seen included Solitary Eagle, Black-breasted Wood Quail, Purple-throated Mountaingem, Green-crowned Brilliant, Collared Trogon, Emerald Toucanet, Prong-billed Barbet, Spotted Barbtail, Lineated Foliage-Gleaner, Streak-breasted Treehunter, Rufous Mourner, Black Phoebe, Torrent Tyrannulet, Tufted Flycatcher, American Dipper, Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush and Buff-rumped Warbler.

24 July 1985:  We packed up the tent, had a look around La Montura and slowly walked down the unfinished new road to the Braulio Carillo Ranger Station.  Here we were given a room by the very friendly rangers.  Birds seen included Crested and Black Guans, Broad-billed Motmot, Red-headed Barbet, Brown-billed Scythbill, Sharpbill, Dark Pewee, White-throated Spadebill, Ochraceous Wren, Grey-breasted Wood Wren, Mountain Thrush and Azure-hooded Jay.

25-27 July 1985:  We stayed at the Brauilo Carrillo Ranger Station where basic but very nice meals were provided.  It was amazingly cheap.  While there we birded the ridge trail below the Ranger Station and along the dirt road.  It rained very hard most afternoons/evenings and my most vivid memory was the amazing frog chorus as it got dark.  On our last day we got a lift in a truck back to the main road and from there a bus back to San Jose.  We returned to the ‘Peace Corps’ hostel we’d stayed in before.  While at Braulio we saw Rufous-fronted Wood Quail, Olive-backed Quail-Dove, Red-fronted Parrotlet, Green-fronted Lancebill, Purple-crowned Fairy, White-whiskered Puffbird, Red-headed Barbet, Yellow-eared Toucanet, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Spectacled Foliage Gleaner, Fasciated Antshrike, Streak-crowned Antvireo, Black-faced Ant-thrush, White-ruffed Manakin, Band-backed, Bay and Stripe-breasted Wrens, White-breasted Wood Wren, Pale-vented Thrush, Black-capped Nightingale Thrush, Long-billed and Tawny-faced Gnatwrens, Green Shrike-Vireo, Emerald, Crimson-collared, Tawny-crested and Black & Yellow Tanagers, White-throated Shrike-Tanager and Orange-billed Sparrow although best of all were three encounters with Oso hormigueros (Lesser Antbears).

28 July 1985:  We did a day trip to Volcan Poas on a tourist bus.  It was a bit frustrating stopping at touristy shops on the way when we just wanted to get there but once there we had to wait for a couple of hours before the low cloud started to clear.  We eventually saw Fiery-throated and Cerise-throated Hummingbirds, Slaty-backed and Black-billed Nightingale-Thrushes, Black & Yellow Phainoptila, Slaty Flowerpiercer, Black-cheeked Warbler, Sooty-capped Bush Tanager and Yellow-thighed and Large-footed Finches.  We returned to San Jose for a meal then went to the airport to meet Colin who was pretty much first out of the airport.

forest at Volcan Poas as the cloud started to clear

the rim of the crater looking like an open cast mine

Volcan Poas crater

we could smell it long before we could see it

29 July 1985:  We got a bus from San Jose to Puntarenas where we stayed in an expensive dive.  The town had little to recommend it but was a necessary stop for us to connect with the daily bus to Monteverde.  Previous reports mentioned seeing storm petrels off the point but we saw nothing.  The mangroves were more productive with Snowy Egret, Little Blue and Louisiana Herons, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, Collared Plover, Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Willet, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Short-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, White-fronted Parrot, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Mangrove Swallow, Rufous-naped Wren and lots of mosquitoes.

view from Puntarenas, no sign of any hoped for petrels, next rain storm approaching

distant mudflats at Puntarenas

Green Heron at Puntarenas, the foreground of this image rather summed up my view of Puntarenas

young Yellow-crowned Night Heron

30 July 1985:  The bus from Puentarenas to Santa Elania was delayed and arrived as it was getting dark.  The nearer hostels were all full although we wanted to stay at Pension Flo Mar anyway as it was nearer to the reserve entrance.  They were full too but we were put up in an overflow room.

31 July-5 August:  Monteverde was a 20 minute uphill walk in each day from Pension Flor Mar which was a very nice place to stay.  Being cloud forest it was often wet and got quite chilly at night.  Around the pension and in the pastures we saw Laughing Falcon, Brown-hooded Parrot, Fork-tailed and Coppery-headed Emeralds, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Magenta-throated Woodstar, Resplendent Quetzal (common in pastures), Blue-crowned Motmot, Emerald Toucanet, Keel-billed Toucan, Red-faced Spinetail, Long-tailed Manakin, Three-wattled Bellbird, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Plain and Rufous & White Wrens, Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Yellow-throated Euphonia, Yellow-throated Brush Finch and White-eared Ground Sparrow.  We spent most time birding in the forested reserve (zone 4) seeing Barred Forest Falcon, Black Guan, Black Breasted Wood Quail, Rufous-breasted and Buff-fronted Quail-Doves, Violet Sabrewing, Purple-throated Mountaingem, Green-crowned Brilliant, Prong-billed Barbet, Ruddy Treerunner, Spotted Barbtail, Lineated Foliage Gleaner, Tawny-throated Leafscraper, Immaculate Antbird, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Yellowish Flycatcher, Eye-ringed Flatbill, Azure-hooded Jay, Black-faced Solitare, Slaty-backed and Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrushes, Black & Yellow Phainoptila, Slaty Flowerpiercer, Collared Whitestart, Wrenthrush (after much effort for Colin and I), Sooty-capped Bush Tanager, Yellow-thighed Finch and Chestnut-capped Brush Finch.

pastures between Flor Mar and Monteverde entrance

silhouette of a male Resplendent Quetzal, one of the main targets for the trip

slightly better image of a male quetzal, this one with a shorter tail

Monteverde at dusk

low cloud typical of our time at Monteverde

Purple-throated Mountaingen and Green-crowned Brilliant on a feeder at Monteverde

Green-crowned Brilliant by the feeder

waterfall in the forest at Monteverde

Blue-crowned Motmot

Emerald Toucanet

cloud and forest at Monteverde

more cloud and more forest

somewhat staged celebrations at Monteverde on day 3.  Colin (centre) and I (right) have just seen our first Wrenthrush.  Nick (left) looks on in amazement having seen two already.  I was as wet as I look, having just crawled out of the ravine behind us that I almost fell into following a wrenthrushes call.  In the process I almost strangling myself when I got a liana caught around my neck at the same time as a log I was standing on gave way.  Nick and Colin weren't much drier, it was that sort of place ...  Wrenthrush was probably bird of the trip, although they had some stiff competition.

sunset at Pension Flor Mar, Monteverde

one of the rare occasions when there was a significant break in the clouds

BOTSWANA & ZIMBABWE January 1985: Chobe & Victoria Falls

This is the second and final part of a blog recounting a trip my younger sister Ruth and I made to Botswana over Christmas 1984 to see our parents who were living there on a two-year contract.  It is based on my unreliable memories, rather scant notebook entries and degraded digitised slides. 

On 31 December we left Selebi-Pikwe.  We had had an enjoyable 10 days there but were setting out to visit the Chobi National Park and Victoria Falls.  Mum and dad would then drop Ruth and I in Bulawayo on their way back.  We only drove as far as Shashe on the first day, having another look around the reservoir there.  An adult Cape Vulture, Red-eyed Bulbul and 4 Streaky-headed Seedeaters were new with other highlights being Lanner, 4 Southern Carmine Bee-eaters, 3 Groundscraper Thrushes and a Kalahari Scrub-Robin.  On 1 January we drove north from Shashe and were soon on a dirt road through very patchy dry scrub and desert.  It was a bit rough in places but nothing to worry our fully loaded saloon car.  The undoubted highlight of the drive and perhaps the trip was a flock of 5 Variegated Sandgrouse we came across by the road on the way to Chobi.  Other birds seen on the journey were a pair of Ostriches with about 20 young, 6 Bateleurs, 10 Southern Carmine Bee-eaters, Kalahari Scrub-Robin and 10 Red-backed Shrikes.  Once inside the National Park the surroundings became much greener.  We checked into a safari camp and went for a drive along the flood plains seeing 200 Elephants, 40 Wart Hogs, 10 Meerkats, 3 Giraffes, 10 Eland, 3 Greater Kudu, 40 Puku and 10 Impala.  Three Red-billed Francolins, 6 White-rumped Babbler and a Swamp Boubou were further new birds while I also saw 6 African Fish Eagles, 150 Collared Pratincoles, 25 Blacksmith Plovers, 2 Long-toed Lapwing, Barn Owl, 20 Blue-cheeked and another 3 Southern Carmine Bee-eaters, Scimitarbill and African Golden Oriole.

Variegated Sandgrouse

a chance encounter with a small flock right by the road was a lucky break with one of my most hoped for birds of the trip

tortoise

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Ostrich with young

Brown Snake Eagle

Elephants causing a bit of forest destruction

sensible to allow them the right of way on the road

We had a full day in the Chobe on 2 January, seeing similar animals but a few different birds in the flood plains and woodland patches.  African Pygmy Goose was a much wanted species and I was not disappointed, seeing 11 males and 9 females.  Lesser Jacana was almost as good while Yellow-bellied Greenbul was a much less impressive new bird!  I also saw 3 Lappet-faced and 4 Hooded Vultures, 2 Martial and 2 Long-crested Hawk-Eagles, 8 African Fish Eagles, 10 Bateleurs, 6 Retz’s Red-billed Shrikes, 2 Eastern Bearded Scrub-Robin, Red-capped Robinchat and a Long-billed Crombec.  

Chobe flood plains

Hammerkop

Wart Hog family, always comical and a firm favourite of mine

the short tail, dark plumage and all black bill suggest a Black-winged Pratincole, a bit embarrassing as I only identified Collared at the time

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater - probably a juvenile?

juvenile Little Bee-eater

Spur-winged was not the Goose I was most hoping to see

African Pygmy Goose was and they were as good as I was expecting them to be

Martial Eagle

Water Buffalo

On 3 January I had a quick look around the safari camp before we left Chobi National Park and drove to Kasongula where Botwsana, Zimbabwe and Zambia meet.  Birds seen included African Pygmy Goose, African Fish Eagle, Swamp Boubou, Sulphur-breasted and Grey-headed Bush-Shrikes and two parties of Retz’s Red-billed Shrikes.  It was with some sadness that I left Botswana and uneventfully crossed into Zimbabwe where we drove along another dirt road to Victoria Falls.  Here we stayed in a tourist hotel.  It was more upmarket than I was used to but that doesn't rule out much!  A walk in the grounds and along the river above the falls produced 14 Rock Pratincloes, an excellent Half-collared Kingfisher, Cape Wagtail, 4 Collared Palm-Thrushes and 3 Coppery Sunbirds, all were new.  I also saw 2 Bateleurs, 3 Livingstone’s Turacos, Giant Kingfisher, 10 Trumpeter Hornbills and 5 White-browed Robin-Chats.  Victoria Falls was very impressive and ‘the smoke that thunders’ an appropriate name as the spray could be seen above the riverine forest and the noise of the water heard from some distance.

African Fish Eagle

We spent all day on 4 January at Victoria Falls.  I went out early and walked along the river seeing 7 White-crowned Plovers on the opposite riverbank, my only new bird, a superb Peter’s Finfoot and 2 Collared Palm-Thrushes.  After breakfast we visited the falls, eventually walking across the bridge to the Zambian border.  Dad was reluctant to join us anticipating the border crossing would be more problematical than it proved to be.  On the Zambian side it was much easier to get to the water’s edge and it was nice to get complementary views of the falls although few birds were evident and I failed to see the hoped for Taita Falcon from the bridge.  I later discovered that the best site was on the cliffs a short way downriver.  Around the falls I did see 15 Rock Pratincoles, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Livingstone’s Turaco, Giant, Half-collared and Malachite Kingfishers and Trumpeter Hornbills. 

the smoke that thunders

looking back at dad (right hand white dot) in Zimbabwe

me in Zambia

close to the edge

On 5 January a pre-breakfast walk along the river above the falls was uneventful with Natal Francolin, White-crowned Plover, Wire-tailed Swallow and Eastern Bearded Scrub-Robin best.  We then left Victoria Falls and drove to Bulawayo with a few stops en route.  A single Swallow-tailed Bee-eater was my last new bird with my hopes of seeing Racket-tailed Roller not materialising.  Other roadside birds included 6 Bateleurs, 3 Swainson’s Francolins, Narina’s Trogon, 30 European Bee-eaters and a suspected male Eastern Red-footed Falcon.  The latter was perched on a telegraph pole but frustratingly managed to fly directly away from me without revealing its underwing.  We arrived in Bulawayo in good time for our flight and said goodbye to mum and dad who we would be seeing in six months when dad’s contract ended.  They had done us proud and we had had a very enjoyable visit.  I’d also seen 65 new birds, not bad on a family visit, although efforts to persuade dad to look for a contract in PNG fell on deaf ears!

Dark Chanting Goshawk

Baobab, dad and mum, Bulawayo

mum and dad Bulawayo Airport

me and Ruth at Bulawayo Airport.  Short shorts were fashionable in the mid 1980s although I can't think why!

Ruth and I had an uneventful connection in Harare but approaching London after an overnight flight the pilot informed us that bad weather at Heathrow meant we would be diverting.  Ruth, who was living in Luton, hoped it would be to there, for me Gatwick would have been more convenient.  It was to Manchester, no use to either of us.  What was worse for Ruth was that the train laid on to take us back to London did not stop in Luton so she had to go into London and back out again.  It also had no heating and was freezing after the heat of a Southern African summer.  Welcome to the UK!


[blogged June 2014]