Travel: Panama & Costa Rica Day 12: Hotel Belmar Bird Tour
On our final day in Monteverde, we planned a morning bird tour with Hotel Belmar. The tour would take us to Savia, the hotel's private reserve as well as other areas depending on our preference of bird. Our guide, Daniel, came to meet with us the evening before the tour to ask what birds we were interested in seeing. We had a long list including the Three-wattled Bellbird, Toucanets, Euphonia, and Tanagers.
The morning was rainy, as is normal in the cloud forest. However the week leading up to the tour had been unusually dry. While at Savia, we heard some birds but the only one we managed to see was an Emerald Toucanet. It was high up in the trees and blended well. Daniel explained that when the whether changes birds are usually a bit less active until they get used to the change.
Savia has a suspended bridge to a tree house where we had breakfast and coffee. Some members in our group went to higher levels of the tree house, but I opted to stay on the low level that didn't require me to climb higher.
After we left Savia we went to Finca Ecológica San Luis, an ecological farm with bird feeders set up to attract a wide variety of birds. While we didn't get to see the Three-wattled Bellbird during our time there we did see many other birds. A troupe of Capuchin Monkeys also came to check us out.
The rain at Finca Ecológica had me worried a bit about my camera, but it made for some amazing photos with high shutter speeds.
There were many Montezuma Oropendola at and around the feeders. The white marking below their eyes along with their bright orange beak tip makes me think of a clown.
Yellow-throated Euphonias were also very common. The feeders had bananas, which the bird seemed to love.
A Tennessee Warbler perches on a branch.
This is a Scarlet-rumped Tanager. The two on the top left who are brown-colored females.
There were plenty of hummingbirds. The upper left is a Rufus-tailed Hummingbird. The rest are Green-crowned Brilliants. I especially the way the green feathers shine on the bottom photos.
A Tennessee Warbler in flight
A Hoffman's Woodpecker
A Palm Tanager shares a perch with a Tennessee Warbler before trying to intimidate it away.
Shots of some Brown Jays one picking up a banana before throwing it to eat it better.
Blue-gray Tanagers in a tree and at the feeder perches.
We also saw a Chestnut-headed Orophendola. The photo on the right has it sharing a perch with the Montezuma Oropendola.
A Palm Tanager at the feeder perches.
The Scarlet-thighed Dacnis. Such a cool bird with its blue helmet. Its scarlet thighs are usually hard to see, but especially when covered by leaves in the photo. This fellow gets to have some modesty.
A Clay-colored Thrush eats a berry on a palm leaf
A Plain-colored Tanager in a bare spot of a tree. This bird is typically found on the Atlantic side of Costa Rica and not Monteverde, but it was at the perserve.
A female Hoffman's Woodpecker on the feeder birch. She's with a Brown Jay in the right two photos.
A Melodious Blackbird in the tree. We heard many more of these birds when we were in Tamarindo. Their song is very unique and loud.
A Capuchin Monkey checking us out. It seemed to be eating the brown leaves in front of it.
An Oropendola flies off toward the mountains.
This was a really fun way to spend our last morning in Monteverde, I didn't know what to expect when booking the tour at all. Daniel was incredibly knowledgable and passionate about birds. His excitement and ability to recognize the birds we saw at the feeder, pointing out new arrivals and talking about their habits was really great.
I would have loved to see the Three-wattled Bellbird. Perhaps on a future trip.