Costa Rica wrap-up

Coming soon

Sunday, February 26

I did not sleep well and only reluctantly got out of bed at 7am to try again for a view of the male quetzal. The trail to the nesting hole offered Spotted Barbtail, but once again only two tail feathers were on display. Many of the same birds from yesterday also appeared. Overhead, the Central American variety of Red-tailed Hawk (bright rufous tail, but clean white breast) made a few wide circles before disappearing behind the ridge. I again left for breakfast without seeing the male, but returned later when everyone else had left. My patience was rewarded with an outstanding view of the female from several angles, though I never did see the male full-on. My last new bird of the trip appeared in the brush on my way out, Yellowish Flycatcher, along with Tanwy-capped Nightingale Thrush, Philadelphia Vireo and Common Brush-finch.

Resplendant Quetzal female

The women working at Suenos packed a lunch for me and I headed to Savegre to grab a ride up to the Pan-American Highway. As we ascended, it became increasingly misty. Memories of getting soaked in Cotapata sprang to mind, but thankfully the bus stop was covered with a tin roof. It took some time for a bus to San Jose to pass, giving me plenty of time to observe Ticos. For instance, it caught my attention that a large trailer was charging up the mountain far faster than those that had preceded it. I then noticed a large sticker of a hemp leaf on his window. A second truck was decorated with a large mural of Moses parting the Red Sea so his truck could pass. Stay classy, Costa Rica.

When I saw a bus coming down the highway, I waved it down with my hat. There were obviously no seats available so I eventually found a spot on the floor reserved for wheelchairs. The twisting and turning and smell of diesel fumes did a number on my stomach, but I held it together long enough to eventually get a seat when a man got off before the outskirts of Cartago. The remaining ride to San Jose was uneventful.

Now, I generally have few complaints about Costa Rica. It is basically paradise. But why on god’s green earth can’t there be one central bus terminal? The terminal for the bus from San Isidro is about 20 blocks from the terminal for Alajuela. Since it had stopped raining, I took this as an opportunity to see some of San Jose. The central plaza is great for people watching, but the city lacks any sort of real charm. The walk and subsequent bus ride out were sufficient sight-seeing as far as I was concerned.

Arriving in Alajuela, I went directly to Hotel Pacande, dropped my bag, grab an inferior meal, packed my bag and went to bed for the early flight the next day.

Friday, February 24

There wasn't much need to rush in the morning, so I woke up around 7 to pack my bag and get my things ready for the trip down to San Gerardo de Dota. Breakfast was served in a beautiful dining area, though it seemed like I was the only person staying at the hotel. After paying, I asked for directions to the bus for San Gerardo. Thus began a ridiculous tour of the city.

It would be too easy for every city to have one central bus station. Instead, bus stops are spread seemingly randomly, which seems to be more common the larger the city. I walked from corner to corner, following a new set of directions each time. This was partly my fault as my pronunciation of "Gerardo" is sufficiently poor that locals only focused on "de Dota." As a result, I was being directed to various stops for Santa Maria de Dota, which is close, but not really. Eventually, with the help of two older gentleman frantically waving their arms from a bus shelter,  I found a ticket counter. The lady informed me that the bus to San Isidro only runs once a day from Cartago and it already ran. I would have to take a bus back to San Jose.

Enough. I walked back outside and flagged down a taxi. I negotiated a price of $50 for the ride (I was actually willing to pay $60, the cost of a rental car for the day). It was a beautiful ride out of the valley and into the Talamanca Cordillera. The driver became increasingly concerned as the meter ran higher with no destination in sight. Now, I don't know why the meter was running. I just ignored it, confident in my ability to claim we negotiated a price of $50, which strikes me as a good day's pay for 75 minutes of work.in Costa Rica, even accounting for the gas. He kept wanting to stop to ask for directions and I kept repeating, "Sigue, sigue. Yo se." This was in fact true, as the turn off for San Gerardo is well marked at 80km of the Pan-American. I started counting down the kilometers for him, so he would relax.

When we arrived around 11:00am, the meter read 32,000 colones, or about $64. I figured if I asked him to actually drop me off at the hotel, I would have to pay the metered amount so I just got out there. He took out his calculator, so I removed my bag and all my stuff ASAP, lest he drive away unsatisfied (IMPORTANT TRAVEL RULE: never take out your money until all your stuff is out of a cab). I handed him $40 and 5000 colones, which would cover the $50 fare. I think the mixture of currencies confused him, so he thanked me and left. Now, I face the inevitable battle of being reimbursed for this expense without a receipt.

I started the hike down to Savegre Lodge and it is quite the downhill trek. The claim is that it is 9km, but it felt like a lot more than that. But, what a beautiful walk. Also, by dropping several hundred meters, the walk down actually provides some excellent birding. For the next 4 hours, I was treated with lifer after lifer. It started with Large-footed Finch and Yellow-thighed Finch.

The road runs along a steep hillside, so corners allowed an opportunity to look into the canopy and down onto the forest floor. At one corner, I found a Sooty Robin and Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher. Another corner yielded Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush and Black-thighed Grosbeak. At 5km, I reached Dantica Lodge, which offered an opportunity to rest and browse the collection of Latin American crafts. Sulpher-winged Parakeet flew overhead.

Black-thighed Grosbeak

Further on, I crossed the river and found a very birdy area of reeds that included Flame-throated Warbler and Collared Red-start. The road followed the river and eventually flattened out. The woods along this stretch provided Spot-crowned Woodcreeper, Tufted Flycatcher, Volcano Hummingbird, American Dipper and Collared Redstart.

The goal of coming to San Gerardo was to explore an area whose economic activity is largely centered around one resource, an abundant supply of Resplendant Quetzal. This superlative bird is a major draw for people like me and largely supports the extensive ecotourism that exists in the area. The topography of the area is remarkable and the geological history explains the high degree of endemism. Large portions of the Central American isthmus used to be covered by water. This separated the highland areas, creating sky islands, where variation in altitude(moisture) and long distances allowed for unique speciation. Interestingly, the quetzal is not endemic, just beautiful. And the area has capitalized on this fact. I think there are lessons to be learned from this model that apply broadly.

Arriving at the lodge, I was immediately greeted by a host of birds at the feeders. These included Slaty Flowerpiercer, Grey-breasted Woodwren, Flame-backed Tanager, Magnificent Hummingbird, Green Violet-ear and Grey-tailed Mountain Gem. After getting settled in my cabin at neighboring Suenos del Bosque, I returned to Savegre for a quick hike, yielding a Chestnut-capped Brushfinch and a bathing Black-faced Solitaire.

Magnificent Hummingbird

Green Violetear

The lodge at Savegre is beautiful and the bar included a reasonable happy hour and a fire place. It was the perfect spot to recover before heading back to Suenos del Bosque for a shower and dinner. And what a dinner. The main course was trucha (lake trout) with capers. There was also broccoli and carrots in an amazing butter garlic sauce. And dessert. And fresh guava juice. It was really something. The cabin is also amazing. It is large, with high ceilings and outstanding woodwork. I was puzzled by the 4 blankets on the bed until I woke up at 3 in the morning freezing.

Thursday, February 23

I could have woken up early again to bird, but I really needed the sleep. After breakfast, we began our trek to Cartago to meet with the Director of the Department of Social Sciences. Along the way, we drove through Zarcero, a quaint town with a notable main square that is famous for its topiary and home to a successful organic cooperative. The area is dominated by dairy farms, which matches the topographical similarity to the Swiss country-side. Step hillsides make farming difficult, but the plentiful rainfall guarantees high quality forage for livestock.

Moving east from Zarcero, we descended into the Central Valley, which cradles the main cities of Costa Rica: San Jose (the capital), Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago (the former capital). As the temperatures rise, the agriculture switches to coffee and sugar cane. Cartago is a sleepy college town 25km east of San Jose famous for its two churches, Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles and Santiago Apostal. The former is a major pilgrimage site, while the latter are ruins of church destroyed in 1910 by a major earthquake. Both have impressively complex back-stories.

Arriving at 1pm, I got settled in my hotel, Casa Mora, just a block from Nuestra Senora. The building has a lovely interior emphasizing wood craftsmanship. We then headed around the corner for lunch, before driving to ITCR for our meeting.

Again, this was conducted in Spanish. Thank god for Eugenio, though I was significantly better than with Don Juan. The meeting was very productive and I left very encouraged. Among many things we discussed, was the possibility of a capstone project where each team had students from both universities. What an amazing learning experience to work on a project in a foreign country collaborating with locals! I am very excited to see if we can actually pull this off.

After the meeting, Eugenio drove me back to the hotel and we parted ways. He is such an amazing asset for the Soltis Center and Texas A&M. My inchoate ideas would have withered without his assistance, but I think we are on the verge of creating a unique learning experience for the students in my department.

Despite sleeping in, I didn't actually sleep well, so I threw myself into bed for a long nap. I woke up after the sun had set and contemplated just staying under the covers, but thought I should walk around Cartago at night to get a feel for the place. My feel was decided boring. I ate a pizza at Ostero's, a neat joint a few blocks down from Nueva Senora with TV's playing Hollywood movies. Otherwise, the place was quiet. It might not be where I would want to spend a lot of time, but it looked like a town that would minimize the trouble our students could find.

Wednesday, February 22

I again started the day early to get some quick birding in before breakfast. There was a lot of movement in certain spots along the trail, but mostly very secretive Furnariids that are difficult to differentiate even in good light. After many frustrating misses, I did finally get a picture of a Dusky-mantled Antbird. On the way out, I noticed a dove perched on branch near eye-level. Based on location, a hint of rufous on the nape, a yellow eye, red orbital skin and a dark grayish breast, this was a Grey-chested Dove. Many of the same characteristics describe the closely related Grey-headed Dove, also a Leptotila dove, but Grey-headed is only found on the Pacific slope.

After breakfast, we headed to Finca Luna Nueva, just down the heavily rutted dirt road from the Soltis Center. We met with Steve Farrell, a self-described back-to-the-land hippie farmer. His deep knowledge of the scientific research on agricultural practices was truly impressive and his participation in our program would be a tremendous addition. After chatting for nearly an hour, we took a tour of the operation. It seemed possible for our students to visit the finca in the morning, harvest cacao and produce their own chocolate. That struck me as both an incredible learning opportunity, to participate fully in the process of getting food from the field to the plate, and an experience that students would always remember.

We returned to the Center for lunch, and Eugenio had left my last afternoon open to see some of the sites in the area. Partly it was for me to enjoy myself, but there was also a practical aspect: idle hands do the devil’s work. A program that provides too little down-time for students would surely lead to burnout, but a program that contained too much unstructured time would invite students to create their own fun. I needed some ideas for recreational activities that students could do (and the university would approve) as part of the program. One option was visiting Volcan Arenal, but I opted for a hike of the Hanging Bridges. First, it offered an unparalleled view of the volcano. Second, it would provide an opportunity for excellent birding. It did not disappoint on either account.

It did not take long to find a Violet-headed and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds and a Wood Thrush. Believe it or not, while I have seen and heard Wood Thrush on numerous occasions, this was the first time I was able to get a photograph. This was followed by a Yellow-olive Flycatcher with its diagnostic pale iris. Soon, the real fun began. With Alberth’s help, we identified Orange-billed Sparrow. As we came to one of the first bridges over a small stream, a Rufous Motmot was perched beautiful on an exposed branch. We remained still and he eventually moved too close to focus.

Around the next corner, a pair of Buff-throated Foliage-gleaners were foraging among dead leaves along with a White-breasted Wood-wren. While I snapped away, Alberth and Eugenio called me over to see a Broad-billed Motmot, the smaller relative of the Rufous. The next big find was a Tawny-capped Euphonia, though only the pictures of the female were decent. After exiting a tunnel, we entered a very birdy area that included both Dull-mantled Antbird, Wood Thrush and Green Hermit. I also caught a glimpse of a Spider Monkey with a baby clinging to its back.

Rufous Motmot

Broad-billed Motmot

Next, we crossed over a canyon via a bridge suspended by wire cables. At the end of the bridge, I could see a Dusky-rumped Warbler on the trail. I followed it down to the waterfall before it eventually flushed to the other side of the river. Crossing another suspended bridge, I flushed a dove, which thankfully Alberth noticed. Once moving, the dove was happy to walk along the forest floor just below the trail. We heard the song of a Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush, causing us to temporarily abandon the hunt. This striking bird hopped onto a tree stump allowing for a tremendous view. Returning to the mystery dove, we patiently waited for a good look through the underbrush, eventually identifying the bird as Olive-backed Quail Dove with its diagnostic white face. I should note, that none of the three provided good photographs given the light and dense underbrush.

Our next discovery was a Rufous-tailed Jacamar. As the trail ended, a group of Crested Guan were roosting in a tree along with a male Great Currasow. Overall, a tremendous couple of hours of birding. Even the ride back to the Center offered a Common Paraque roosting on the driveway.

Tuesday, February 21

I had a long day ahead of me, starting with breakfast at 6:30am. I was out of bed by 5:30 so that I could walk some of the trails at the Center before taking a shower. Only a few hundred meters down the first trail, as I was coming around a corner, a large crested black bird was crossing the path: a male Great Currasow. Soon after, his partner followed. In less than 24 hours, I had seen both a guan and a currasow, two groups of birds (both in family Cracidae) that had alluded me in Latin America.

Our first stop of the day was at the ITCR branch campus to discuss my ideas for the program with an agronomy professor. This was the first time I was able to meet Alberth, Eugenio's assistant and a crack birder. While Eugenio spoke with an acquaintance, Alberth was describing some of the aspects of campus, including a crocodile farm where Boat-billed Heron were nesting just across the road. This has been an annoying blank on my life list, but the tress were full of them in easy view.

Boat-billed Heron

Our meeting lasted almost two hours, conducted nearly entirely in Spanish. It must have been the excitement of the curassow, but I think I performed quite well and understood nearly everything that was said. While many things were discussed, I think the most important idea we developed was a capstone project as part of the program. After students learn some economic theory from me and learn about successful operations while in the field, we thought it would be great for them to then meet a group of producers looking to solve a business problem. Based on what they have learned over the program, they then work in teams to propose a solution. Basically, a practicum to finish off the project. I really think this idea has great potential.

After lunch, Eugenio and I headed to Finca Educativa Don Juan. I clearly broke my brain during the last meeting because suddenly I could not finish a sentence in Spanish. Somehow, I could suddenly understand the German being spoken at another table. Go figure. Although I failed miserably in communicating, the stop was well worth it. On two acres, they organically grow enough food to feed nearly 40 people per day! Even the cow manure that is produced during milking is placed in a digester to generate methane that is then used to heat the serving trays.

The economics are surprisingly simple. Don Juan produces basic crops (cassava, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc) that do not generate particularly high premia for being organic. Instead, he makes his operation profitable through market power. Instead of bringing his goods to the consumer, the consumers come to his goods. And no one sees a deformed organic tomato on the shelf. Instead, they taste delicious fresh tomatoes that have been chopped and added to a salad.

Visitors have the option of showing up in the morning, working on the farm, harvesting fruits and vegetables, milking cows and then at lunch, the staff prepares food using the ingredients they have collected. A significant contemporary problem is that too many people think that food magically appears in the supermarket. The experience of actually working to produce a meal from it basic starting point I think would be a tremendous educational experience and something like this should definitely be included in the program.

We returned to the Center around 3:30, leaving about an hour to rest and an hour to bird before dinner.  I was having a terrible time locating birds and really thought my time on the trails was a giant waste. This was only exacerbated by the horrible light that exists in a dense forest setting. Only afterwards did I discover that I had actually done pretty well. The woodcreeper I spotted was actually a new find: Wedge-billed Woodcreeper. A hummingbird I was unable to identify in the field was also new: Violet-crowned Woodnympth. Finally, a pair of large woodpeckers turned out not to be Lineated. Instead, I had finally gotten Pale-billed Woodpecker.  Of course, none of the pictures of these birds are particularly good. Indeed, they are quite bad. But, any picture counts.

And as I had hoped, with an amazingly productive day in terms of developing the program, I was also able to add 5 lifers in less than 2 hours of actual birding time squeezed in around meals.

Monday, February 20

I woke up at 5am to go birding with Kevin Martinez, Alex’s son, who received a degree in ecotourism from ITCR. This would give me an opportunity to chat about my ideas for the study abroad program and ask him about ecotourism/agritourism in the Sarapiqui area. It had rained intermittently during the night, but it was dry when we started. It did not stay dry for long.

At the entrance to the trail, a pair of Black-striped Sparrows were foraging. Without Kevin, I would have assumed they were Olive Sparrows and just moved on. Although they look very similar (genus Arremonops), the Black-striped has a grayish head (rather than beige) and a yellow patch on the wing. We did not get much farther when it started to drizzle. Then rain. And then torrent. It rained so hard, it turned a noun into a verb.

As we huddled under leaf cover, I was the first of five Crested Guans fly from their perch in one tree, across a wide open field and into another tree. Their black, crested silhouette against the fog and rain was eerie, but beautiful.

After only 30 minutes or so, Kevin headed back, but since water was already soaking through to my drawers, I pressed on. Nothing good came of this until the rain finally stopped. But when it did, anything relying on insects for sustenance had a field day. Tropical Pewee and Southern Rough-winged Swallow were numerous. I finally took the time to sort through the collection of flycatchers and noticed a Grey-capped Flycatcher perched next to a Social Flycatcher (both genus Myiozetetes, the former has a grey head, narrow white superciliary and pale eye, while the latter has a dark brown head, wide superciliary and dark eye). I also noticed several odd looking Yellowthroats. One had only black lores, instead of a black mask. Another had a black mask, but no white border. Although both birds are related to the Common Yellowthroat found in the United States (genus Geothlypis), the former was a Grey-crowned Yellowthroat and the latter was an Olive-crowned Yellowthroat.  

Grey-headed Yellowthroat

On the walk out, Kevin pointed out a Red-billed Pigeon in the distance, which did not interest me as I had already seen one and already had a bad picture taken from too far way. Coming back, I also noticed a large, plump bird on a distance branch across the field. Although it had a red bill, its chest was much more intricately patterned than what I remember from the Red-bill. Indeed, upon checking my guide, it was a Scaled Pigeon.

I was back to Andrea Cristina by 8 soaked to the bone. After a warmish shower and several cups of coffee, it was time to pack for the trip via bus to…well, I didn’t really know where. I kinda, sorta knew the general area and thought that would be enough. While I prepared for the next leg of the trip, I started chatting with Alex’s brother. I described my reason for visiting and he was quite interested. He owns a coffee roasting operation in British Columbia, and is preparing a proposal for environmental conservation projects funded by the Japanese government. Just by chance, I actually learned quite a lot about the conservation process in the country. It appears that most of the good work that actually gets done in the country is through the dedication and passion of individuals working with private donors and foreign governments. The result is patchwork progress that occurs often in spite of the Costa Rican government. Before leaving, I quickly emailed my contact at the Soltis Center, Eugenio Gonzalez, that I was coming by bus and would make my way to Finca Luna Nueva.

                           

I walked to Puerto Viejo and ate lunch at Pollo Rico before catching a bus to San Carlos (aka Quesada). A highlight of the trip was driving past the church in Venecia where Rich Woodward was married (he met his wife while working in Peace Corps). In San Carlos, the wheels started to come off. I was exhausted. My Spanish was starting to fail me (it seems to get progressively worse over the course of the day as I get tired and my brain rebels). I went from bus to bus asking for Chachagua. I didn’t know if I was actually supposed to go to Chachagua, but it at least seemed in the general direction of what I wanted. A driver told me he did not go all the way to Chachagua, turning away at San Isidro. This name rung a bell, so I asked if Finca Luna Nueva was in San Isidro. He respond, “Yo creo, yo creo.” This is all I needed to hear. I paid my 500colones ($1) and happily exclaimed “San Isidro!”

Of course, there were no seats available, so I stood. On my Google maps app, San Isidro did not correspond to the junction I saw in my guidebook. This worried me. As we drove out of town, it did not take long for us to disappear onto a part of the map with no roads. It was just me and a lonely blue arrow moving through emptiness. I did not know where I was going or how I was getting there or really where in the hell I was at the moment. Fun.

People started to get off the bus. Then more people. And I kept waiting for us to get onto a Googleable road. And I kept hoping to see a sign for the Finca. None of this happened. Instead, I moved to another part of the bus for a better view. The driver quickly pulled over and came to the back of the bus, “San Isidro, si?” When I responded, “Si,” he replied with something that obviously meant, we passed that long ago. We actually were only 3km outside of town and I quickly found a cab that knew precisely where I needed to be. Saving only cost me 4000colones ($8), but it took nearly 5 hours to cover the distance between Puerto Viejo and the Soltis Center, 126 miles.

The finca called Eugenio, who came and picked me up. The Soltis Center is impressive, both in design and location. I was quickly settled in and walked around the grounds. Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds were active in nearly every flowering plant, but a smaller hummingbird stood out and I eventually captured a Violet-headed Hummingbird. 

Violet-headed Hummingbird

Sunday, February 19

It's Sunday. Nothing happens on Sunday in a Catholic country except church. So, I had the morning to bird.

Striped Cuckoo

Black-cowled Oriole

More details to come, but the day included Striped Cuckoo, Olive-backed Euphonia, Passerini's Tanager, Black Hawk-Eagle, Long-tailed Tyrant, Black-cowled Oriole, Gold-faced Grosbeak, Amazonian Kingfisher, Mealy Parrot, Keel-billed Toucan, Chestnut Mandibled Toucan, and Montezuma's Oropendola.

Saturday, February 18

I could have gotten up at 5 am. I actually set my alarm for that. An alarm going off at 5am on only 3 hours of sleep only causes one thing: an overwhelming sense of self-loathing followed by turning your phone off.

I got out of the hotel at 8am (still only 5+ of bad hours of sleep on a body that needs 8-9 to function properly) and headed back to the car rental place. Things had changed dramatically from last night. Last night, I was alone. This morning, I was in a long line of people angry and frustrated at the absence of cars. The other rental companies were no help because they didn't have extra cars to rent out.

Instead of waiting (and waiting=pissed to me), I decided to focus on the amazingly beautiful weather, forego any thoughts of driving while in Costa Rica, grab a cab to San Jose and take a bus to Puerto Viejo a Sarapiqui. After walking in the wrong direction or too far in the right direction several times, I eventually found my bed of the night at Posada Andrea Cristina. I picked this place because the gentleman who runs it is a Costa Rican and important local conservationist, Alex Martinez. In addition, his son has a degree in ecotourism from ITCR, the university with which I am hoping to partner. This area also includes many important conservation, ecotourism and agritourism operations, including Rara-Avis and La Selva Biological Station.  This seemed like a good introduction to Costa Rica for the purposes of my travel.

After finding a Pollo Rico for lunch and getting lost several times, I showed up sweaty and tired around 3pm. Since there was not much time for anything else and I was already a mess, Alex dropped me off at the nesting site of a Great Green Macaw, who was dutifully watching his nest.

Friday, February 17

Complete and utter disaster.

3 flights. 3 broken planes.

In Austin, it was a warning light that said a door was not shut. Not like that is important in a pressurized environment.

In Dallas, it was a tube leaking fluid. Then it was the confusion on whether the oil on the engine was residual from the leak or a new leak.

In Miami, who knows. Miami sucks. Always has. Always will. Flying through MIA is like having your soul ripped from your body through your urethra with hot hedge clippers covered in glass shards and tabasco sauce. Have I mentioned I don't like Miami?

OK, I finally arrive in San Jose and guess what? No cars for rent. This can happen. But not if you actually have a reservation for a car. After lots of back and forth, I finally end up in a hotel (not the one I originally booked) in Alajuela at 2 am.

Costa Rica 2012

I am in Costa Rica to explore options for developing a study abroad program. Costa Rica is a birding hot spot that I have been avoiding because it is too developed. Yeah, just because I like tropical diseases and bouts of diarrhea. That's how I roll.

Travelling through Latin America, I have been struck by small agricultural operations that produce a high value crop in an environmentally sustainable manner; respect the traditions of rural farming communities; and encourage tourists to experience a unique aspect of the country. In general, these operations exist because of individuals from the developed world who have been inspired during their own travels off the beaten path. Given its long-standing dedication to rural economic development, I decided that this is precisely something that Texas A&M and my department should base a study-abroad opportunity upon. And I am here to start that process.

Of course, there is only so much time available for meetings, so in the mornings and late afternoons, I will do as much birding as I can manage.