One’s response to data is predicated virtually totally on the data base that opinions are drawn from. Given this truth, reactions can simply differ if this data base is frequently rising. This has been made stark by evaluating how I felt after I first heard of the prospect of birding the slopes of Turrialba Volcano to right this moment, as I pen this text. Let me clarify.
I’ve a long-standing infatuation with mountains. Seen from a distance with distinct biodiversity and most significantly cool air, I stay for probably the most half blissfully unaware of the cornucopia of risks that accompany this kind of terrain. Sitting across the desk within the foyer of Rancho Naturalista with Nikky and Harry, we mentioned our plans for my time there. On the playing cards was a go to to Turrialba Volcano, and I drooled on the prospect of birding a pair thousand metres above sea stage. Gnarled and stunted branches laden with all manners of moss and lichen beckoned.
As a lot as I attempted to boring my expectations – my typical modus operandi is to erase them altogether – my thoughts stored me busy on the drive out of the lodge. Within the darkness of the pre-dawn I had a clean canvas upon which these good pictures started to materialise. Finally these visages vaporised as slivers of pink and orange started to course their manner throughout the sky. Lastly, I knew the place east was. Stopping briefly for Meche to graciously seize me a cup of pure – and positively scrumptious – Costa Rican espresso, I obtained an opportunity to have a look at the resident Nice-tailed Grackles as they argued on the still-dark pavement. Then, we started the step by step intensifying ascent.
I’m no panorama photographer, however we completely needed to cease for this jaw-dropper of a vista.
Our subsequent cease was to seize a photograph of the signal that mentioned “Turrialba Volcano” with the precise volcano within the background – however we had been interrupted by a wonderful male Volcano Hummingbird that was perched close by.
Volcano Hummingbird
Birds had been aplenty from this preliminary cease, together with Sooty Thrush and Rufous-collared Sparrow. A number of others zoomed previous and though each skilled guides Harry and Meche knew what they had been, I couldn’t depend these as any notable sightings on my half.
Sooty Thrush is range-restricted and prompted appreciable pleasure.
Rufous-collared Sparrow on a suitably adorned perch.
We made many stops as we continued our ascent into the clouds – there was completely little doubt that we had been within the cloud forest as many occasions we had been utterly encased in dense mist. Regardless of the seemingly pleasant situations, we needed to frequently intentionally preserve hydrated as dehydration can simply creep up on the unaware. It was understandably tough to have breakfast comfortably, as there was at all times some hen that might momentarily materialise and trigger all events to determine between shoving the rest of their sandwich again within the bag or down the throat. Whether or not it was a nesting Volcano Hummingbird cleverly hid (I don’t know the way Meche discovered this) or an uncommonly seen Ochraceous Pewee, I smiled with the understanding that it was precisely as I had hoped it will be.
The helpful factor about flycatchers is that they typically make very brief flights in the hunt for their most well-liked flying insect prey. The flutter of wings on the nook of my eye drew my consideration to a Darkish Pewee, a hen I’d have been woefully incapable of figuring out with out the intervention of my guides.
Darkish Pewee
Boreal migrants had been additionally beginning to seem in larger numbers. We noticed Summer time Tanagers in lots of locations, however unusually solely females.
Wilson’s Warbler, one other customer from the north.
I added a number of Catharus thrushes to the life listing I don’t preserve together with two extra nightingale-thrushes – the primary of which was this Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush.
There have been a variety of soot-inspired birds within the highlands, I realised. A Sooty-capped Chlorospingus gave us good views. Whereas I used to be making an attempt to get a photograph of the Chlorospingus, a Slaty Flowerpiercer foraged inside a close-by thicket. I obtained a glimpse ultimately, however didn’t handle an affordable picture till later within the day. There have been extra Sooty Thrushes on present as waves of clouds continued to carry and launch us, in addition to just a few Black-capped Flycatchers.
Sooty-capped Chlorospingus
Black-capped Flycatcher
A distant motion turned out to be the near-endemic costaricensis subspecies of Crimson-tailed Hawk, a a lot nearer motion was in actual fact not a mouse however a feminine Slaty Flowerpiercer.
Slaty Flowerpiercer
Seeing a hen like this Blue-crowned Chlorophonia felt like selecting out a highlighter in a field of charcoal pencils.
A brief distance down the street led us to the place the Crimson-tailed Hawk had perched. Because it preened, a Fiery-throated Hummingbird buzzed it briefly. The hawk didn’t appear to be bothered by the hummingbird, the latter didn’t waste a lot time on it and moved off after just a few seconds. Or possibly the hummingbird noticed an incoming cloud rolling in, because it quickly turned not possible to see the raptor on the perch from the place we had been.
Crimson-tailed Hawk
We made a short cease simply after cresting the hill at simply over 2,600m above sea stage the place a hummingbird feeder attracted a number of species of those real-life fairies: from the tiny Volcano Hummingbird to the a lot bigger Lesser Violetear and Fiery-throated Hummingbird. Overseeing all of them was a pair of Talamanca Hummingbirds. Sadly, the climate situations meant that visibility was at greatest only some metres so we opted to curtail our keep right here in favour of heading down the mountain.
Lesser Violetear
Fiery-throated Hummingbird
Talamanca Hummingbird
We weren’t but out of earshot of this place when Harry noticed a roadside Ochraceous Pewee that prompted our automobile to return to a screeching halt. With good motive, too, as our preliminary sighting earlier that morning had been of a distant hen on a wire.
Ochraceous Pewee
At one other cease, nonetheless looking forward to any sighting of a Resplendent Quetzal, we scanned the dense, moss-laden vegetation for any faint glint of emerald. We remained with out luck on this division, however because the optimist in me at all times says, should depart one thing for an additional time. Nonetheless, I did handle a have a look at a pair of Black Guans that had been shifting by means of the cover. Once more, simply because the clouds had been rolling in.
I then caught a glimpse of the second of the day’s two nightingale-thrushes, this Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush that ultimately popped out onto the street.
The descent was easy, a distinction to the fixed drone of the engine that was pushing us up the mountain earlier within the day. As we rolled on in the hunt for cloudless forest (aka a spot to hen the place one can see into the timber) we scanned the vegetation for any signal of motion. Generally, we’d discover one thing and cease to have the clouds roll in after just a few seconds, however different occasions we had been afforded extra time. Minutes, even. At one level whereas we had been having fun with some frenetic exercise in a thicket the clouds truly parted and the solar confirmed itself for the primary time since yesterday. At that second I turned painfully conscious of the time. Judging from how a lot my pores and skin was immediately stinging, it was very near noon.
Nonetheless, the birds had been nonetheless unimaginable. This flurry of exercise was made obvious by the flitting round of a Collared Redstart, however upon nearer inspection there was additionally a gaggle of Yellow-thighed Brushfinches shifting round throughout the vines. Add to this each Black-cheeked and Flame-throated Warblers, a Ruddy Treerunner, and a Purple-throated Mountain-gem and I used to be appropriately overwhelmed.
Collared Redstart
Yellow-thighed Brushfinch
Black-cheeked Warbler
Flame-throated Warbler
Ruddy Treerunner (it was each brilliant and darkish on the identical time, photographers will perceive)
Purple-throated Mountain-gem
I managed to catch one other Slaty Flowerpiercer within the combine as properly.
Additional down the street, we stumbled on one more pewee, and unsurprisingly one which I used to be not sure of. This one turned out to be a Western Wooden-Pewee, as evidenced by its principally darkish invoice.
By this level, we had been made conscious of the time by one other issue – that of starvation. Steadily, human habitation started to be extra obvious as we descended. Driving by means of the clouds was an otherworldly expertise, as there was no indication in any way of what was past the white wall. Oftentimes, a lone large tree would immediately heave into view, a reminder of the dense forest that after populated the realm. Now, agriculture dominates the decrease slopes; these remoted timber had been by some means spared the axe.
At present, as I started getting ready this put up, I made a decision to seek for extra data on Turrialbla Volcano. The wikipedia web page commenced in dramatic trend: “Turrialba Volcano is an lively volcano in central Costa Rica that has been explosively eruptive in recent times…“
Had I been conscious of this earlier than, maybe my response would have been a bit completely different. Would I’ve gone nonetheless? Completely.