C.A.T.I.E.

We planned to visit the coffee and chocolate research centre in the main town (abbreviated to CATIE) after breakfast.  It was a touch more overcast than normal though:

The cloud gave way to rain but having nothing better to do we headed down anyway.  We also had a bit of a flap about petrol.  It turns out being Catholic the country shuts on Good Friday, so no petrol stations open anywhere around us.  Luckily we had enough for the round trip and a return to the town the following morning.

So given the rain and the cloud, we delayed our departure and took some pictures in the garden of Rancho, seeing Banaquit:

Black-striped Sparrow:

A Blue-crowned Motmot dropped in for breakfast:

And a damp looking Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer stayed under the cover of the overhanging roof:

Once the rain let off at Rancho we headed down to town.  It rained the whole time we were at the CATIE, which limited movement and photography but we still did see some birds, including Northern Jacana:

A Cattle Egret in breeding plumage:

Golden-hooded Tanager on what looked to be a similar fruit to an apple:

A very wet Great-crested Flycatcher:

Great Blue Heron:

We were making the best of it but it really wasn't much fun so we decided to head back for lunch.  On the way back the rain cleared again.  A Broad-winged Hawk was drying itself off by the side of the steep path back to the lodge:

Back at the lodge we had lunch then went for a walk down the hill.  On our little jaunt we saw a Summer Tanager flitting above:

And then another Long-tailed Tyrant, this one just above its nest I believe:

Back in the garden another of the most heard birds at Rancho, the Melodious Blackbird:

Was joined by Brown Jay:

Chestnut-headed Oropendola:

and Blue-Gray Tanager:

other birds included Clay-coloured Robin:

White-necked Jacobin:

A male White-lined Tanager:

a Banana stealing squirrel, whose antics were particularly amusing to watch:

Black-cheeked Woodpecker:

The balcony meanwhile had been over-taken by the photography group.  It was sort of uncomfortable as the balcony included a double french-window/door entry to our room.

This was made-up for though when I was invited to join for twenty minutes to fill a spot which someone had vacated to check out the pools....