Molly and I visited El Viejo for the third time yesterday, and the folks at this beautiful location never cease to impress! We had booked the 9:00 am river tour for our family, a group of eight. As always, you should arrive early and with your guide’s permission and agreement head immediately to the river for the cruise. Thus, we arrived at 8:30 am, and were the first touring boat. Our guide, Hernán Chaverri, was superb! I was the only birder in our group, but he kept everyone entranced and engaged from my youngest grandchild (age 8), the teenagers, my daughter and her husband, up through Molly and me. Thankfully, I was able to get everyone rallied early in the morning for our 90 minutes drive.
After the river cruise, Hernán asked if we would like to visit the wetlands (driving loop). He did an amazing job of moving back and forth between two cars, and keeping the non birding folks engaged. The thousands of Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks did not hurt, either! However, for me the star of the show was the Laughing Falcon. I have always waned to see this bird, and Lady Luck and Hernán’s sharp eyes came through in an amazing way!
Laughing Falcon
Other stars were …
Double Striped Thick-Kneed
Green Kingfisher
Jabiru Stork
Russet Naped Wood Rail
and finally …
Snail Kite
We finished our time a Hacienda El Viejo with a lunch in their beautiful, historic open air lodge. If interested, here are our two eBird reports:
Finally, it you are a coffee lover … purchase some Organikos Coffee! You may find this product in the El Viejo gift shop, or have the coffee shipped to the USA. While I am a Diet Coke drinker who dislikes the taste of coffee, this small company has a commitment to conservation. I had fun talking with the Organikos owner who was delivering product. Not only does this coffee grower believe in conservation, their son attended the Cornell School of Ornithology and is off now doing bird research! As always, my link to Organikos (or any company) is non sponsored.
