Day 4 – Caño Negro Wetlands National Wildlife Refuge
Our day to visit Caño Negro Wetlands National Wildlife Refuge started early. We piled ourselves and our gear into the car well before sunrise. I had reservations about the trip. We had only scratched the surface of what there was to see at Arenal and now we were devoting an entire day to drive over two and a half hours to Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge for a boat ride. Our guide Alex assured us it was worth the time, but I was skeptical.
Nevertheless, here we were, headed out for our first river tour of the trip. As we neared our destination and the sun rose, we saw some unique aspects of the wet Caribbean slope ecosystem. Looking up at the powerlines epiphytes were growing on the wires. The environment has enough moisture to sustain these air plants growing almost anywhere!
Part of the reason we left so early was to have a little time to bird along the road into the town of Caño Negro. Like many places in Costa Rica, the last few miles of the road were rough. Alex said the road had been rebuilt a few years ago and was a smooth ride. Then the tail end of a hurricane came through and washed much of it away. Efforts to patch it up afterward left it a mess of potholes, pavement, and gravel that required close attention and a slow speed to navigate. This facilitated watching along the road for birds. We saw our first Northern Jacanas and a Purple Gallinule in a nearby pond. Across the field, we got our first look at a Bare-throated Tiger Heron. I was beginning to warm up to the day’s adventure.
Eventually, we arrived at our destination, met our boat captain, and boarded the boat to head down the river channel. We had a large, stable boat with only the captain, Alex, Jody, and me. The day was clear and sunny. The breeze on the water helped keep us comfortable despite the heat and humidity. Traveling up the river was quite peaceful. The water was smooth, the light was great, and the many cooperative birds made for a pleasant excursion. The birds and animals were plentiful and not as easily disturbed as they are when you are walking around. They don’t perceive the boat as a threat as they do humans on foot. Our captain was skilled at spotting birds and navigating the boat for clear and steady shots of them.
We hadn’t gone far before we got great unobstructed looks at the unique Boat-billed Heron. We had seen some nestled in trees while traveling to Arenal but this one sat in the open for its glamor shot. A green basilisk was basking in the sun on the riverbank and a couple of Banded Kingfishers chased each other back and forth across the water. There were many Spectacled Caimans along the bank and floating in the river. As we saw more and more, and my camera’s memory cards started filling up I was settling into the enjoyable rhythm of the trip.
The day’s highlight was a small lagoon, full of different types of birds: Roseate Spoonbills, Southern Lapwings, Northern Jacanas, many Egrets, Tri-colored, Great Blue, and Green Herons, and many more. Highlights for me were the Wood Storks and Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks. These were species I had not photographed before. The birds waded around in the shallow water or walked along the shoreline with brilliant green grass behind them. It was a beautiful setting, just overflowing with striking birds. We even had a Black-collared Hawk fly in and pose. It was exciting to see this striking raptor up close. No matter which way I turned birds were posing in a beautiful setting. I could have spent hours there.
On the way back to the dock, we saw many more birds. An Amazon Kingfisher was sitting near its nesting hole in the riverbank. We saw another sunning itself on a branch with its wings spread out to soak up the sun. Alex said this was a very unusual sight to see. We saw Anhingas, cormorants, and baby Southern Rough-winded Sparrows begging to be fed. Blue-and-white Swallows were perched on the dock as we pulled up to it.
Once back in the car, we drove out the rough, local road back to the highway. As Alex navigated the potholes, I spotted a bird on the fence and called out “Trogon!” Alex stopped the car and backed up. We hoped the bird wouldn’t fly away as often happens. Thankfully, it stayed perched. It was a gorgeous male Black-headed Trogon. As we watched and photographed the bird, Alex explained that the termite nest on the nearby fencepost doubled as the trogon’s nest. The trogons burrow up inside the termite nest and use it as their own. The birds and the insects coexist in the same nest.
After another stop for a pair of Groove-billed Anis, we made it to the highway and settled in for the long ride back to Arenal. Over the day, we saw around forty species of birds, many new to Jody and me. There were three species of kingfishers, seven types of herons, three different egrets, two sparrow species, and many more. While I still wanted to explore the grounds at the Arenal Observatory Lodge, I was happy we had taken the time to explore Caño Negro. It was a magical day.
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