Birds Slate-throated Whitestart

Archibald said:

Slate-throated Whitestart. Low shutter speed to gain ISO under the forest canopy.

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Dcweather said:

Are these local to you.? Beautiful bird.

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Dcweather said:

Nice, on my bucket list to go there. Running out of time though ! Did yo go wit ha tour firm or independently, if you don't mind me asking?

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Archibald said:

David, I had an agency organize the Costa Rica itinerary for me. They booked the hotels, transfers (by vehicles), and a few tours.

I usually arrange all these things myself and had been to Costa Rica before, so back in November I started to look at eco lodges to book my own trip. But that soon became way too complicated. It takes a LOT of effort to research each place. Their websites mostly just say how much you will enjoy it instead of providing needed info. So it meant looking at reviews, checking proximity to parks, etc. It got too time-consuming. So I went with Costa Rican Vacations which I had used before. It went great - only one snafu (the hotel had me for 2 nights when it should have been 3) which I was told was the hotel's fault.

If you go, consider visiting three or four different regions, because they will have different birds and other critters.

CR is a small country, but travel times can be long, so allow time for that.

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Dcweather said:

Thanks for that info Ed. I was looking at both ways like you but would probably do what you did despite the higher costs. I have travelled widely around the world but never the Americas so have never seen a humming bird in the wild! I wouldn't need rarities as everything would be different from the UK so a lodge with a couple of trips would do. As I'm 74, despite being pretty fit, I woudn't want any strenuous trips really so I would have to ask questions about that side of it.

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Archibald said:

OK, very good. Costa Rica has mountains, so many outings involve elevation. Maybe check your abilities beforehand. Can you do 100 meters? I can do that but it requires time and effort.

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Dcweather said:

Yes, can walk a couple of miles, just might trip and fall! Hardest bit is leg room in vehicles - have long legs and two knee replacements which won't bend past 90 deg so mobility a bit restricted, like some theatre seats and back of cars

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