Category: Costa Rica

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Vultures Feeding at Sarapiquí

Even among birds there is the less beautiful but necessary functions.
Black Vulture
Along the Puerto Viejo River
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Black Vulture feeding on a dead calf
Along the Puerto Viejo River
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Black Vulture (Some wait patiently in trees)
Along the Puerto Viejo River
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Black Vulture (The younger, weaker ones wait across river on sandbar)
Along the Puerto Viejo River
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

See also my Photo Gallery of Costa Rica Birds

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Hummingbirds at Sarapiquí

White-necked Jacobin
Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Green-breasted Mango Hummingbird female
Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird
Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Maybe a Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer
Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Maybe a Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer
Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Some of these were shot at the Selva Verde Lodge, some at Dave & Dave’s Nature Park, and possibly one at La Selva. I did not indicate exact location when uploading. Sorry.

Also note that when I say “Sarapiquí” I am referring to a region that has become a popular birding Sarapiquí River and Highway 4 (Ruta 4) down through and south of the bigger, main town of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí where the boat docks are. Near there is the La Selva Biological Research Station and the large Braulio Carrillo National Park. This is the first of the Caribbean lowlands after the mountain range. There are many competing lodges, but I had read very good things about Selva Verde and now glad I chose it. Hard to imagine better birding anywhere. Though I understand that some other hotels have more luxurious rooms and even air conditioning. Selva Verde has a few rooms with a/c in the main building near the highway if you absolutely require it. The ceiling fan was fine for me.
location and somewhat for adventure sports and tourism in general. It is not a town but an area running from the little town of La Virgen in the west (closer to the mountains I drove through) along the

An additional note for people not familiar with Costa Rica, there are two towns named Puerto Viejo and those who want to avoid confusion use the “full names” or Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí for this area’s main town, and on the Caribbean Coast south of the port city of Limon is the more popular beach town of Puerto Viejo de Limon (in Limon Province) or sometimes call Puerto Viejo Talamanca as it is at the foot of the Talamanca Mountains near where the Bribri indigenous people live. I like both areas and birding is good and different in each. It will take years to explore all the nature spots in this beautiful country! And I will try!  🙂    

See also my Photo Gallery of Costa Rica Birds

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Thrushes, Warblers & Swallows at Sarapiquí

Clay-colored Thrush or Yigüirro
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica
The national bird of Costa Rica

Wood Thrush (possibly Swainson’s or Gray-cheeked)
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Buff-rumped Warbler
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Chestnut-sided Warbler
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Puerto Viejo & Sarapiquí Rivers, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Mangrove Swallows
Puerto Viejo & Sarapiquí Rivers, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

See also my Photo Gallery of Costa Rica Birds
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Tanagers at Sarapiquí

Summer Tanager
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Yellow-winged Tanager
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Blue-gray Tanager
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Palm Tanager
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Passerini’s Tanager
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Gray-headed Tanager
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

See also my Photo Gallery of Costa Rica Birds

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Trogon, Kingfisher & Puffbird

Slaty-tailed Trogon male
Rio Puerto Viejo, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Green Kingfisher male
Rio Puerto Viejo, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Green Kingfisher female
Rio Puerto Viejo, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Pied Puffbird
La Selva Biological Station
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

See also my Photo Gallery of Costa Rica Birds

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3 Species of Toucans Every Day!

Yellow-throated Toucan
Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, La Virgen, Costa Rica
Former known as Chestnut-Mandibled and then Black-Mandibled Toucan
A very common bird in Sarapiquí area including at Selva Verde Lodge.

Keel-billed Toucan
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Collared Aracari
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Keel-billed Toucan Flying
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

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Pale-billed Woodpecker & Crested Guan

Pale-billed Woodpecker
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica
Pale-billed Woodpecker
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Crested Guan
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Crested Guan
Above the Sarapiquí River, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Though I have photographed both of these birds before, these are my best photos of them so far and one goal of all birding trips to keep making better photos of each bird found. Fun!

These are also special because they were both found on the little “self-guided trail” behind my cabin or within 40 meters of my room. Nice! Helping to put Selva Verde Lodge on my “preferred” list! Now do note that the flying guan was shot from the boat down-river from the lodge, but they took me to the boat and provided a guide to help find the guan. Great service at Selva Verde!

I’m still sorting and organizing photos and will be for several days, but will try to use some logic in presenting the photos from the lodge and other venues nearby. A lot of photos of a lot of birds!

“I don’t feed the birds because they need me; 
I feed the birds because I need them.” 
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The Last Cell Phone Post & Home Again

I’m glad to be home but good photos not processed yet, so here’s more cell phone shots:

White-water rafters seen from the terrace of my cabin in cell phone.
Selva Verde Lodge, Chilamate, Sarapiquí, Costa Rica
on the Sarapiquí River 

Rafters zoomed-in and cropped from cell phone pix.
Selva Verde Lodge, Chilamate, Sarapiquí, Costa Rica
on the Sarapiquí River 

Yellow-throated Toucan cell phone shot cropped to 1/4 size to enlarge.
Behind dining room, Selva Verde Lodge, Chilamate, Sarapiquí, Costa Rica.
Good photos of this bird coming in next few days. Saw him everywhere! 

Lower Falls at La Paz Gardens
Seen from highway enroute to and from
Selva Verde Lodge Costa Rica this trip.
You don’t see this on your paid visit
inside the park!  🙂

I drove a rent car through the mountains above Alajuela to avoid going through the nerve-wracking traffic of San Jose, but not sure how much better with all the hairpin curves! It is a tiring drive of less than 60 miles that takes 3 hours. (Yep! I averaged 20 mph!) And rent cars with full insurance are expensive! So next trip will be on public transportation even though I am still not fluent in Spanish. With friendly Ticos I can struggle through the language with less stress than comes with driving through city traffic or mountain curves AND it will be a whole lot less expensive! And slower is part of the adventure. ¡Pura Vida! I was told at Selva Verde that the bus from San Jose was the equivalent of $4, but of course mine will be discounted with my senior adult card.  🙂

I’ll try to start posting Sarapiqui bird photos tomorrow and over the next few days or probably a week since I made over 3,000 photos. And I promise that most will be much better than these cell phone shots I’ve been forced to share since I forgot my USB cord on this trip. 
I drove straight to the airport with one stop for snack and baño. The bus to Atenas and cab home. A suitcase is no problem on bus since there is storage underneath the bus. Then a taxi home. The Selva Verde buffet restaurant was all Tico food and the sit-down restaurant with waiters was pasta and pizza, so I took Anthony to Donde Bocha for a hamburguesa tonight. Nice change!

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Christmas Day Wildlife Photos

The 6 AM Bird Walk had a different guide, Ronald, and a lot more birds today! Of course most photos are on my SLR camera, but the guide used my phone on his spotting scope for the next three photos below. I have some better ones on my real camera. All the guides here are provided by the Selva Verde Lodge, at a reasonable extra cost or in my case as part of a “Birding Package.”

Snowy Cotinga  (A first sighting for me)
By Nature Guide Ronald on my phone through his spotting scope
Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Yellow-throated Toucan (formerly Chestnut or Black-mandibled Toucan)
By Nature Guide Ronald on my phone through his spotting scope
Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Mantled Howler Monkey
By Nature Guide Ronald on my phone through his spotting scope
Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica
And I haven’t mentioned that I hear them often in the forest here.

Nature Guide Ronald at the front entrance
to Selva Verde before we cross the road
for birds in a botanical garden.
Then, late morning I got out of our lodge reserve to visit Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion which several people had recommended. It is basically a lot of different kinds of feeders on the edge of a thick secondary rainforest with a lot of birds. It provided me with some good close-ups and of a few new birds. So it was worth the 10 km drive down the highway. The father-son project has a great story behind it but I will let you read about it on their website at Dave & Dave’s.
More hummingbirds than I’ve seen almost anywhere else.
Some eating out of that heliconia flower.
Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

There was a group of German photographers there with their big lenses.
Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Dave Senior putting out more fruit for the birds.
Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica
Tonight I am going on the “Night Hike” and hope to get another good shot of a red-eyed tree frog. We will see. Animals are unpredictable. The restaurant has had this Christmas tree up since I’ve been here and they play Christmas music.
Christmas Tree
Selva Verde Lodge Restaurant #1
Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Tomorrow I’ve scheduled an early morning boat trip, Guide Evan is going with me. And oh yes, in the rainforest there are still afternoon showers, even in the Dry Season. A shot from my room this afternoon during the short shower to keep everything watered!  🙂

Rain seen from Riverside Room 45, Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

And all these photos were made on my cell phone!

Merry Christmas Day!  ~Charlie
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First Night and Forgot Something!

Somewhere beyond La Paz was this
 roadside waterfall that had tourists stopping
 and trucks slowing down. Cell phone shot
in a misty rain.
The first adventure was driving to Selva Verde. To avoid the horrible traffic in San Jose I chose the mountain route north of Alajuela which did involve driving through downtown Alajuela, but before businesses opened, so not as bad as San Jose at all hours! Then it was mountain curves (hairpin curves) and farmers almost all the way from Alajuela to Puerto Viejo Sarapiqui. The total drive from Atenas to the lodge was just 99 km or about 53 miles and took me 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is approximately averaging around 33 km an hour or 17 miles an hour. No muy rapido! For the visitors whom I’ve taken to Poas Volcano and/or La Paz Waterfall Gardens, I drove right by both and you know what those roads are like!  J

Soon after arriving I started photographing birds on my SLR camera but I screwed up on this trip and forgot to bring the USB cable to connect my camera to the computer. So no bird photos until I return home. Sorry, but maybe meant to be. I have to go to hotel lobby or dining room for Wifi service, and that is a long walk since my room is down by the river, the furthermost away. Lesson learned: Use check-lists when packing!

SO ALL I CAN SHOW FROM HERE IS WHAT I DO ON THE CELLPHONE WHICH IS SELDOM A BIRD! My favorite today is of a Golden-fronted Woodpecker. You will see bird photos after the trip.

The front porch of my room overlooking the Sarapiqui River.
You can see the swinging bridge in the distant that I already walked over.

The Sarapiqui River by my room with good sleeping noise.
Its a mountain stream that here is down to the flat lands near banana farms.