Day two

We went to the botanical garden with birding pal Gilberto.
Our visit was lovely as the botanical garden was closed due to it being a bank holiday, but Gilberto was allowed in as he had a pass. As a result we were pretty much the only people there and the birds were around as it was quiet.
Gilberto was very patient with us, showing us the birds, allowing us to stop and photograph even the commonest ones, and finding them in the field guide.
Walking through the gardens, there were two lakes, one surrounded by jungle vegetation and trees, and the other one with a more open aspect. We spotted some rare wood rails around the first one, but the second one was full of turtles which was entertaining.

Eventually we had seen what there was to see and Gilberto was keen to show us a marshland near the airport. When we got there we were warned about some people on bikes up the track who we should avoid as they may be robbing people. We had our expensive photo kit and new binoculars with us so this made me very nervous and spoiled my enjoyment of the area. We did however see some parakeets nesting, which was a highlight.
We went back to the hotel for lunch and bought lunch for Gilberto to say thank you.
That evening we dined in the hotel with some other folk attending the conference.Read more