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Birding trip to northern Costa Rica: Medio Queso wetlands, Caño negro and San Carlos area. Part 3

PART 3: CAÑO NEGRO.

After almost 20 endless kilometers (particularly if you drive your own sedan-type car) of bumpy road we reached Caño negro, finding a boat tour here is very easy but the fee is much more expensive than what we payed in Medio Queso.

We got on the boat at 15h20min, but previously spoke to the guide about possibilities of seeing a great potoo, a lifer for me, my wife, Magaly and Elias. He said yes, and that he saw it that day in the am tour he did, so I did not hesitate on joining!! Caño negro appears to be very reliable for the great potoo based on ebird postings, and other birders I have asked.

Here my good friend Roy and me posing by the sign.

We saw pretty much the common herons and egrets, cormorants and kingfishers, the main goal was great potoo, nicaraguan grackle, black collared hawk, fulvous whistling-duck and green-and-rufous kingfisher. Unfortunately we only saw the potoo, but Roy and I got another lifer: olive crowned yellowthroat.

Great potoo

I am afraid Caño negro was too flooded (what could we expect, its rainy season here!) So not that much abundance of species as we hoped.

Caño negro

This is the ebird posting of what I saw.

Despite the bad luck I was not disappointed, it yielded me 2 lifers, 1 for Roy and several for my wife. The beautiful weather and scenery added to the trip, so nice to share with my friends. I really hope to return to caño negro in the summer which is the best time to visit.