To Christine Vadai:
It sure sounds like you had a very productive trip to Costa Rica. Having
birded that country several times, my interest was piqued by the following
referrence:

). In the afternoon we took a trail to a much
cleaner lake/pond to see more crocodiles, and it also contained a colony
of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, some Green-backed Herons, a Northern
Jacana, some Least Grebes, a pair of Amazon Kingfishers and an Anhinga.
(By the list I was making, this was beginning to get deja vu of Santa
Ana NWR in Texas.) Roadside in the area, we also spotted a Mangrove
Cuckoo, a Striped Cuckoo, and a Boat-billed Heron

Could you please elaborate on the whereabouts of this site as it sounds like
a potential birding area for future visits.
Sorry you had to find out the hard way about the disappointing Tempisque
River trips (expensive and uncomfortable due to the constant soaking in the
dirty river water). Exploring Palo Verde by land seems more satisfying.

To Tweets in general:
The recent discussion about Conservation Licenses at Skagit Game Refuge has
left me wondering what we birders north of the border are required to pay. I
imagine non resident fees may substantially more than $10. Am I right?

BTW, my first bird of 98 was a Mourning Dove in Ontario. I hope this doesn't
forbode a lugubrious year.

Top of the new year to all,
Brian Scott
"Time flies like an arrow,
Fruit flys like a banana."