Friday, July 6 - Recovery day

Bob got up at 5:30 and left for breakfast, which I found out later was cheese-filled cornmeal fingers and honey-filled crepes! The variety of food here is amazing!

Lounge at the Owlet Lodge

Owlet mirror in the Lodge bathrooms

I slept in until the un-godly hour of 8:30 and wandered over to the dining room for more coca tea and biscuits. The others took off on the Tower Trail and beyond which turned out to be rather steep and muddy. Unfortunately there were few birds to be seen; the woods have been unusually quiet - maybe the result of a recent cold front coming through.

I felt pretty well by lunch and joined the others for Peruvian guacamole between deep-fried wonton sheets - really great! This was followed by meat (goat?) with a delicious sauce, rice and squash, with prickly pear fruit for dessert. Thanks to Alejandro’s advice regarding Pepto Bismol and Cipro I seem to be much better!


Hummers at the Lodge feeder

We re-assembled at 2:30 and walked down the road for a bit seeing some jays and other birds. The more hardy of us started down the Long Whiskered Owlet Trail once again with Pepe, and the rest of us followed John around the lodge where the birding was quiet once again. We saw some great battles at the hummingbird feeders, and I caught a glimpse of the Tayra, a large weasel with a white face who comes by to eat the bananas the Lodge puts out.



Bromeliads

We had a little break until 6:30 when five of us met John to walk around our cabins to hoot up some owls. He played the tape of the Rufous-Banded Owl and then the White-Throated Screech Owl; we got a pair of the latter to respond and approach us but then they flew away before we could put a spot light on them.

We went in for dinner at 8 and started eating fresh fried trout as the Long Whiskered Owlers came dragging in; they heard the owl but failed once again to see it.