I’m not an early riser. That’s an understatement. The only time I see 4 a.m. is if I can’t sleep or I am pulling an all nighter. But to rise and shine before the suns up or the birds are singing is a novel event. Same goes for Bruce although he did go to work earlier then me before we began this life of leisure as retirees.
My friend Barbara, she likes those pre dawn hours and today’s event is, I believe, one of her most favorite things to do. Bird watching. Yep. Bird watching which appears to be an early morning activity. So up and out, we waited on the street for our driver from Finca Filadefia to show. Pick up time was scheduled for 5:15. As 5:20 approached I felt the beginning of panic start to rumble within my psyche. But before it became a major eruption, I heard the clankety clank of the giant Finca Filadelfia 4 wheel drive tankers. Actually their kind of cute but big, and you get a birds eye view of everything around you.
Saulo, the driver, introduced himself and informed us he was going to be our guide. His English was excellent and he had us climb on board. We were heading up the mountains. Wow! There were awesome views but the road was rather terrifying if you have a fear of heights. We climbed to an elevation of over 7000 feet on a single lane dirt and cobble stone road with hair pin turns and no guard rail. It was dark so not so intimidating yet.
We made it to the top and proceeded to a viewing area. Saulo, the wonderful guide, brought along coffee and cookies to get us going. It was about 6 in the morning – usually time for me to roll over.
Our first siting was a Rufus Collared Robin. From a distance it looked like a plain brown bird but I put my 70 x 300 zoom on my Nikon and I was able to see there was a whole lot more to this little bird.
We were able to observe quite a few birds from this viewing area. I was thinking this birding isn’t too tough. We saw a clay colored thrush and stellar jays. We also saw a rabbit and a few more Rufus Collared Robins.
All seemed great until Saulo said, “Ready to go?” Of course, I thought, thinking we were getting back in the truck and going someplace where he was going to give us another cup of coffee. But that wasn’t his plan. We were setting off on a four kilometer hike, in the cold without my requisite 4 cups of java. Well, the views made up for the lack of artificial energy. They were breathtaking.
We hiked for four hours but the time passed quickly, especially after the sun started peaking through and the gusts of wind settled down. Saulo pointed out many birds and was great at identifying sounds. Barbara was pleased that she saw a few birds she never saw before. I was happy that some of my shots came out.
The blue bird in the trees above is a Stellar’s Jay and the other bird I believe is a Greater Peewee.
After this birding trip my thoughts are, let the birders be birders. I liked the landscape, the flowers, and yes, a bird or two.
Later in the day, the first Sunday celebration of Lent was taking place in Antigua. A procession leaves from a tiny church on the outskirts of Antigua and marches into the Cathedral on Central Park. The streets are packed and it is an amazing Christian Celebration in Antigua.
It was a great day, seeing and doing new things. But tomorrow comes quickly and I’m climbing an active volcano for fun! What have I gotten myself into now! Stay tuned!
thefouramigosblog 