The Quest sailed into the Golfo Dulce overnight, and today we explored the east side of the Osa Peninsula. In the morning we traveled to a cocoa farm, and in the afternoon explored wildlife on the west side of the gulf near Playa Blanca.
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The cocoa farm tour was really interesting, even though I had not expected it to be so. The owner, Alex, was passionate about all that he was growing: cocoa, bananas, flowers, and more. We saw how cocoa was processed and got to taste some of his chocolate products. What amazed me the most were the bananas. I used to love bananas as a child, but the ones we eat today have no flavor. They are picked green and processed for markets. The bananas I tasted on this tour reminded me of a taste I had not experienced in more than 50 years. We didn't see a lot of birds there. A few Scarlet Macaws flew around; I photographed a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, and I heard and saw two Black-crowned Manakins but could not get a photo of them.
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Cocoa plant
Flowers
Flowers
Leaf-carrying ants
There was a large open field surrounded by trees on three sides a short distance from the beach where we had lunch. There were several trees with fruit on both sides of the field, and a lot of birds were flying back and forth. The trick was to photograph them before they disappeared in the leaves.
Blue-gray Tanager
Great Kiskadee
Tropical Kingbird
Tropical Kingbird
Gray-headed Chachacala
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Palm Tanager
Palm Tanager
Cherrie's (Scarlet-rumped) Tanager
Cherrie's (Scarlet-rumped) Tanager
Cherrie's (Scarlet-rumped) Tanager
Yellow-throated Toucan
Yellow-throated Toucan
Yellow-throated Toucan
Yellow-throated Toucan
Magnificent Frigatebird
I saw a Roadside Hawk flying, but was unable to get a photo.
Today's life birds (trip# 37-43): Rufous-tailed Hummingbird; Black-crowned Manakin; Palm Tanager; Gray-headed Chachacala; Red-crowned Woodpecker; Yellow-throated Toucan; Roadside Hawk.
