The goal for day 4 was reached: I officially broke 300 species of birds! Overall the day was pretty slow, but also extremely insightful.
We woke up early before heading to pick up a second guide, from a different tour company. He was going to be our tour guide on the boat cruise at Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, and help us spot and identify the different animals we would see. We then drove the approximate two hours to the refuge, where we first ordered lunch and used the bathrooms before driving to the boat launch and boarding our boat. Immediately, the second species we saw was the Green Heron, my most wanted bird and the bane of my birding existence. Throughout the next two hour tour, we heading in both directions up the river, spotting sloths, monkeys, and dozens of birds. At one point we came to the boarder mark that signified the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica! At one point during the cruise, I saw my 300th species, the Purple Gallinule. For the first time ever, people congratulated me on my sighting. Our guide announced it to the whole boat, and everyone clapped. It brought a huge smile to my face, to see people happy for me while birdwatching, something that I’ve never seen before among my peers. We also saw caimans, the border of Nicaragua, and some amazing views while out the boat cruise.
After this cruise we headed off to lunch, where the skies opened up and gave us some fascinating views in the open-windowed restaurant that we were eating at. The food and drink was delicious, and we all sat and discussed the wonderful sights we had seen during the cruise. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel, with many of us falling asleep on the drive back. We made one pit stop however, at a restaurant that had trees FULL of iguanas next to it, where we spent a couple minutes so people could use the bathroom, get ice cream, and take pictures of the iguanas. It was really cool to get as close to the iguanas as we did, giving us an opportunity it approach animals that usually stay a decent distance away from us.
The day was slow, with only one spot visited, but extremely memorable. Once back in town some of us walked around before dinner, exploring more some of the local spots we hadn’t been to. Tomorrow entails a very strenuous day, yet a day I have been looking forward to for a long time. Hope you can’t wait to hear all about it!
Happy Birding!