Review (Costa Rica)
After lunch we headed back to San José, pausing at a rest-stop complex with a restaurant and gift shop before continuing to a hotel closer to the airport, Wyndham San José Herradura Hotel & Convention Center. It was another nice stay well positioned. We checked in, enjoyed a few drinks around the pool, and then went to the Farewell Dinner where everyone shared goodbyes and recounted their favorite moments.
Karen’s input— Things I learned: Epiphytes (those branches that grow from other plants for physical support), Bananas are sold in “hands”, monkeys travel in troops, binoculars do not show color well. It was amazing to see the communities that embraced the eco-tourism industry leaped forward 100 years in the last 30. The Coconut Man went from no running water, no electricity, to all spaces connected by WiFi. Each of our hosts described the balance between idealism and practicality. They sought to maximize their eco-tourism income while balancing their altruism about saving the planet. One host told the story about the hummingbird heading back into the forest fire with one drop of water to douse the fire. When asked by the other animals why it bothered, knowing that it would have little impact, the hummingbird replies, it’s what I can do, and better than nothing. Left me thinking about my grandchildren, and my potential contribution to the planet.
Once again we were impressed with Road Scholar — our guide/ naturalists maintained incredible enthusiasm throughout our 12 days. We met our goal of spotting many different birds and animals and had a blast shooting nearly 6,000 pictures. Thank you, Katherine. Where to next?
I would also like to recognize Barbara B., who meticulously tracked every bird she saw using the Merlin app — a simply amazing tool that offers quick identification help for birdwatchers and outdoor enthusiasts of all levels and covers birds in any country. In addition to Merlin’s instant ID and learning features, Barbara used eBird to create and share her lists with the wider birding community, making her observations both personal records and valuable contributions to citizen science. Below is Barbara’s list of birds seen, a testament to her dedication, curiosity, and the joy of discovering feathered friends wherever her travels took her.
Below is the 140 birds (from Barbara’s list) that we saw. To view the bird select the link below. I am sorry but this will take you out of the blog and to return to the blog use the back button.
