The Punta Leona Hotel provided a great mid-way respite for Sally. She spent time on the beaches while Johan and I did the birding. This included Carara National Park.
It is one of Costa Rica's most popular National Parks, in large part due to its proximity to San José. Carara is a favorite with bird watchers because of its position in a transition zone means that residents of both habitats are likely to appear. While Carara is a great place for bird watching, because of the dense and dark forest, bird photography was more difficult. I had to use a flash to get decent photographs. Highlights were the Orange-billed Sparrow, Black-hooded Antshrike, Orange-collared Manikin, Baird’s Trogon, Riverside Wren and Blue-crowned Manikin. The second highlight was the Río Grande de Tárcoles (see Tarcoles River).