Costa Rica Day 7

Costa Rica Day 7

More driving! One of the downfalls of seeing diverse ecosystems and visiting every corner of a country is all of the driving involved in getting there. Day 7 started with an early morning walk at the Suria Lodge, then a visit at el Paramo way above the clouds, lunch in a cute little pizzeria in the town of San Vito, and finally to our overnight destination at the Wilson Botanical Gardens.

The bird for the day is another Tanager; the Flame-colored Tanager. These birds are so cute and pose nicely for your camera. The female is mostly yellow while the male has the striking flame color.

A funny thing I noticed throughout the country of Costa Rica is how they love barbed wire! It was everywhere. Any and all fences contained barbed wire. 

Our early morning hike was over this mountain stream. I think I could have been happy spending a full week in this area of the country. It was just peaceful and clean, the air smelled wonderful, and the only sounds came from the river water cascading downstream and the thousands of birds singing overhead. Unfortunately, after our walk and a quick breakfast, we were on the road again.

Can you tell we are above the clouds? Not much to see up there. Carlos said that this was a unique ecosystem because of the altitude and we may see some bird species that don’t live at the lower elevations, but I didn’t see any. I think you have to be a true birder to appreciate the trek to isolated habitats just to maybe catch a glimpse of a rare bird. Personally, I was happy with the common species flocking around the feeders.

Pizzeria, Costa Rican style. Again, no screens! I just love outdoor dining.

Here is the lodge at the Wilson Botanical Garden in Las Cruces. The wall of windows in the rooms and the view from the deck was stunning. These gardens were a collection of tropical plants and a location for scientific study of the vegetation.

This is a Blue Crowned Motmot. I can’t quite remember which location we spotted him, but I’m posting his picture here. Check out that tail… the feathers on the very tip are connected by just two tiny, huh… don’t know what those are called, quills? Spines? My guide book says this bird habitually swings his tail like a pendulum. Show off!