Who, me?

We spent this evening wandering in the rainforest at La Selva Biological Station, looking at owls and frogs and nocturnal mammals and anything else we could find. This little Vermiculated Screech-Owl was one of the highlights. After traipsing along concrete paths through the darkened forest for more than an hour without hearing a peep from any owl, we suddenly heard one call right from a dense tangle just beside us off the path. Putting our flashlights out, we stood in silence with the bright beams of a nearly full moon raining light down between the leaves. Our local guide whistled softly. A hiss of indrawn breath from our driver Lenin, who stood beside me, alerted me he'd seen something go past. I flicked on my light and he guided the beam toward a branch almost within touching distance. Magical! That little owl sat on its branch, head swiveling between us and the surrounding forest for more than 10 minutes. We finally walked away from it, leaving it to its nighttime kingdom.

A wide-eyed Vermiculated Screech-Owl checks out the birders.