El Copal is a park and lodge an hour's drive from my hotel. El Copal is located in an area where there are no asphalt roads. It is a relatively poor and sparsely populated area, and to get to the lodge you first have to open the gate yourself. In short, very different from the Netherlands. The guide was already at my hotel at 5 am, so we start with breakfast, with the Costa Rica version of an uitsmijter, with rice and beans next to the eggs and fried cheese.

El Copal has a feeder for tanagers, but the attraction for me are the other birds. They are not attracted by feeders but are just there. That was difficult for me, but luckily the guide recognizes the sounds. He manages to find a number of new species. And of course the blog contains new photos of old acquaintances.