Costa Rica, Day 4 - La Selva OTS

I won't wax poetic again about waking up in the rainforest - but I do love it.  This morning we were scheduled for a full guided day at La Selva OTS Biological Station.  (OTS stand for the Organization for Tropical Studies.)  I'd heard and read plenty about the birding here and was really looking forward to this day.
Heading from our room to the dining room at Selva Verde, we found a huge moth that I've not been able to identify yet...

I took the photo with my hand in it for a sense of size.  Any help with the ID would be appreciated!

We enjoyed another great breakfast then met our driver to take us the short drive to La Selva.  We checked in at the visitor center and were introduced to Octavio, our guide for the day.  We started the day in front of the visitor center where we were able to see some distant Three-toed Sloths lounging in a tree - unfortunately too far away for a good photo.  Our next stop was only another 30 yards away at a fruiting tree next to the dining room which was very popular.  We saw a few different species of tanagers in this tree including Passerini's and Golden-hooded Tanagers:

Also in this tree were a pair of birds that seem to be a bit of a specialty of this particular location - Crested Guan!

After spending some time enjoying our first looks (and taking photos) of the above species, we continued birding along the entrance road.  Looking skyward, we were treated to some spectacular numbers of migrating vultures, as well as a few nice hawks including nice long looks at a dark Hook-billed Kite.  Next up were some distant looks at a Long-tailed Tyrant, and we spent some time near the parking area where Octavio picked up on a Yellow-tailed Oriole - a species that has apparently declined quite a bit and not always easy to get.  Thanks to him we got some great looks - and a poor pic or two:

We proceeded to bird along the entrance road for the next hour or so, where we managed to pick up some nice tropical species like Green and Shining Honeycreepers, and Blue Dacnis.  And while Octavio worked hard to try to coax a Great Antshrike out of a thicket, I spotted a female Fasciated Antshrike with nesting material, and watched her going to the nest with it while the male attended on a nearby branch.   We then headed into some of the comfortable paved trails for a while, picking up species here and there including a number of wrens, flycatchers, four species of woodcreeper, a Slatey-tailed Trogon, and a pair of Scarlet-rumped Caciques. Two-toed Sloths were another welcome sight.  As the morning progressed it continued to get hotter and hotter, and the number of birds we saw started to dwindle, so we worked our way back towards the dining area.  As we were approaching, we did hear a trogon calling and managed to find a pair of Violaceous Trogons right next to where we began the day.  Here is a photo of the female with her lunch:

Lunch was served buffet style in the dining room, and we ate amongst the students and scientists that were residing there.  Given the heat (and I was really feeling it) I was concerned that the afternoon's birding would be pretty slow.  I needn't have worried though.

After eating (and doing a little quick souvenir shopping at the visitor center) we headed towards the suspension bridge that crossed the same river as at Selva Verde - although this bridge was quite a bit wider and more steady (it's not unusual to be passed by a bicycle on this one!).  We stopped a little way onto the bridge as I was watching a Black-cheeked Woodpecker and a Black-striped Woodcreeper.  Pamela, who I am continually thankful for having along with me birding, then says "I have a woodpecker on the other side of the bridge.  This one doesn't have any black on it - it's more brownish with red on the head."  Needless to say I immediately forgot about the birds I was looking at and was thrilled to see my first Rufous-winged Woodpecker.  We got to watch it for a quite a while as it worked it's way around the same area as the Black-cheeked Woodpecker was been.  Again, not a great photo (was still a little shakey on the bridge and I had very slow shutter speed with the dark understory light), but I was thrilled to add a new woodpecker to my life list...

We then continued across the bridge, and before we reached the end, Octavio had us on another life bird - a Broad-billed Motmot - another big target species for me on this trip.  Moments later we were also checking out a Pied Puffbird that was calling from the very top of a tree.  Next up on the exciting bird list was a beautiful male Great Currasow that I guess has become very acclimated to all the people around him, as it never seemed to notice anybody as he worked his way through the grass searching for food and ignoring those that biked by him.  A bird this cool looking just shouldn't be this easy:

Next, Octavio led us into the primary forest trails, to see what we could find there. Along the way we encountered a Semiplumbeous Hawk, which he seemed rather confident would be there, and heard a distant Laughing Falcon (alas, the only one we would encounter on this trip).  A pair of quiet Rufous-tailed Jacamars was a treat to watch, especially as one sallied forth from it's perch to catch an insect.  We found our second Pale-billed Woodpecker of the trip along these trails, as well as the only Tinamou that we'd see on this trip - a Great Tinamou that Octavio spotted early enough that we were able to stay back and quiet to get great looks as it foraged along the forest floor and among the buttressed roots of a large tree.  As the day was getting later, Octavio offered the opportunity to head off to another trail where there was a chance at seeing Bare-necked Umbrellabird, which was very tempting.  He'd not seen one yet this year, but I guess there is a chance in the late afternoon starting around this time of the year.  We'd given it some consideration but decided to leave that one on the table for the next time we come back - the long day, heat and humidity were certainly taking their toll on us.  We did managed to see an agouti as well - our only one for this trip, as well as a new hummingbird species for the trip - a Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer.  Not sure why it was named for it's bronzed tail, when really, one of the great distinguishing features of this bird is its red legs and feet!

Coming back to the bridge, I tried for additional looks at the Broad-billed Motmots that were now calling more regularly (or maybe I was just better able to identify the call once Octavio explained what I was listening to and for), but with limited success, and no photos.  Another time, I suppose.  Crossing the bridge, we were treated to a rather uncommon view, which I think was the highlight of Octavio's day - an otter was out of the water on a rock for a few seconds before it slinked back into the water and disappeared.
We grabbed a few bottles of water and then sat down to tally up the day (about 90 species of birds were seen or heard, as well as a few mammals, butterflies, dragonflies, and the biggest damselfly I have ever seen in my life).  Just as we were about to climb into the van to head back to Selva Verde, the driver mentioned that somebody had spotted a monkey on the bridge.  We asked if he would mind waiting a few minutes so we could see if it was still there and try to get a few photos, and he was more than happy to accommodate.  Sure enough, a Howler Monkey was working his way along the bridge, using every part of the bridge except the part that people walk on...

We arrived back at Selva Verde with enough time to put our stuff in the room, cool off a little bit, then head to the bar for a drink before having our last dinner there. (And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, it was - as delicious as all the other meals we' had there!)

As much as I would've liked to do some more after-dark exploration, we were just too tired, and it wasn't a difficult decision to go to bed early again.