More shots from Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiqui as I sit at my computer with another wonderful afternoon rain! It rained every afternoon at Selva Verde and it was like I brought the rainy season back with me, rain every afternoon in Atenas now! I love it! And tempted to take a little nap as I’m doing more now. 🙂
Everyday for a week I walked through the grounds of Selva Verde Lodge among these big old trees and one day across the river on that long swinging bridge to the protected old-growth rainforest where I saw those Manakin Leks and several other birds. One must have a guide to go with you to cross the river into that forest thus most of these shots are on the lodge side, still magnificent!
“Today I have grown taller from walking with the trees.”
On Saturday, my 3rd day here I chose to do the boat tour of part of the Sarapiqui River and part on the Puerto Viejo River. When I was here before in a December it was one of my best places for a large number of bird, but this time, like everywhere else in May, there were not as many birds. But it was still a good tour and a nice young couple from Austin, TX also in Selva Verde Lodge went on the same tour with me plus about 5 others on the boat. Here’s my photos in three categories:
Birds on the River
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Other Wildlife on the River
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Boat & River Shots
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
“Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?” That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future.”
― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
Today, Tuesday, is my last full day at Selva Verde Lodge, (link to their website) so of course I tried to get some more bird photos! Most of these are repeat birds, but different images and two are new for this trip. I just can’t stop photographing that baby Aracari and this morning after breakfast I saw him fly out of his hole to the nearest branch, not far, but he is learning! A treat to experience!
Last Day Birds
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
I woke up this morning, Smiled at the rising sun, Three little birds, Sat on my doorstep, Singing sweet songs
These are just a few of the “other” wildlife I photographed here at Selva Verde Lodge, on the grounds. Of course birds & frogs have already been shown and I just got two different/new birds this morning, thus hard to keep up with. All will appear in the trip gallery soon to be announced after I return home tomorrow.
Selva Verde Wildlife
Long-nosed Bat
Black River Turtle
Emerald Basiisk
Leaf-cutter Ants
Green Iguana
Central America Ameiva
Rhinoceros Beetle
Unknown Caterpillar
Variegated Squirrel
Brown Basilisk
“The smaller the creature, the bolder its spirit.”
― Suzy Kassem
With the offical morning bird walk and personal walks around the lodge grounds today, I saw several birds not seen yesterday. The two special ones were the babies. The featured photo above is a baby Collared Aracari peeking his head out of the tree hole nest. Also in the slide show below is a baby Great Kiskadee. Both were first-time baby sightings here. It is that time of year, the beginning of the rainy season. Tomorrow I may share the birds we saw on our “Boat Bird Safari” Saturday, then sometime the other wildlife. It is so great to be out in a rainforest like this! Pura vida!
New Birds at Lodge Today
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
“Pan, who and what art thou?” he cried huskily. “I’m youth, I’m joy,” Peter answered at a venture, “I’m a little bird that has broken out of the egg.”
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.
~William Wordsworth
Emerald Toucanet Monteverde 2016
In planning for my trip to Monteverde, I scheduled a different cloud forest reserve for each of the 5 full days I have there, believing the variety will give me more bird photos and I am expecting some “lifers” (1st time seen birds) on this trip.
My biggest discovery in the planning was learning about the reserve I’m visiting on my last day there – Children’s Eternal Rainforest. Wow! What a place with a great history from the Quakers setting aside virgin forest for a reserve, to the children of Sweden rallying financial support and to the reserve being a place where Montessori schools all over the globe bring their children to experience and learn from rainforest nature. From them I got the above Wordsworth quote. See some of the videos on their website linked to their name and you will know that I have a treat coming along with each of the reserves for which I have private tours scheduled:
And for the whole week I’m staying at Monteverde Lodge and Gardens, a step up from the local cabins I stayed in on my last trip there (2016). I’m really looking forward to this week! This hotel uses Costa Rica Expeditions (a tour company connected to select hotels over CR) to plan their excursions and they are handling the first three days plus the night hike Thursday. I made my own arrangements for Selvatura and Children’s Eternal Rainforest, both of which will pick me up at my hotel and return me there.
Brown Jay, Monteverde, 2016
For people visiting here from out of country, a tour company like CR Expeditions is the best way to go because they connect all your needs like transportation, hotels, and the kinds of activities you want. You will notice in the right column I also recommend “My Costa Rica”because they were a big help in a tack-on trip I added in 2014 to my relocation tour. Both companies are excellent! And when I go to the Caribbean side of CR I use the services of the very helpful crew at Caribe Fun Tours who have an office in Hotel Banana Azul where I always stay. I use these companies and I live here! So I definitely recommend them to foreign visitors!
Costa Rica is such a wonderful and diverse place to visit with something for everyone! I will never finish exploring it! But for next week, I’m in nature’s classroom of the cloud forests of Monteverde – photographing birds and much more! Stay tuned for nightly reports beginning Sunday.
Read below abouta new “Great Big Story” coming March 25 – The Brave – I received as a subscriber to The Great Big Story.
It is time to do something about man’s destruction of earth!
So in 2019, we’re making a concerted effort to drive change, fusing the storytelling you’ve come to expect from us with action-oriented programs focused on the environment, diversity and inclusion, community, and audacity. We believe in leaving a gentle footprint on the planet and making a big imprint on our communities. We believe in the resiliency of people and in our power to achieve the seemingly impossible. But above of all, we believe this world—the one we all call home—is worth fighting for.
Introducing: “The Brave”
We’re excited to kick off a month-long celebration of our Great Big Planet with a new series, “The Brave,” on Monday, March 25, where you’ll meet the extraordinary people taking incredible action on Mother Earth’s behalf.
One section of my photo gallery was recently added as Pre-Costa Rica Travel. I am slowly adding one trip at a time until it is finished, starting with my Latin American travels since that is where I live now. 🙂
But one couple living in snowy New Hampshire just left their winter visit to Atenas to return home until their trip next January which will be longer or two months next year. They are not sure yet about retiring here, but wrote to say that my blog keeps them looking forward to their annual trek here.
Well, their message reminded me of my only trip to New Hampshire which was a fall color photography trip in 2004. including lots of vistas and 22 covered bridges along with many of my other interests! So I just got motivated (by new friends) and added this photo gallery ahead of schedule with some of my favorite fall color shots. See this “New” old travel gallery now included here – CLICK Linked Title Below:
A part of the joy of being “Retired in Costa Rica” is occasionally remembering old times and places which is something my photography and Gallery provide, along with the personal pages of my Blog/Website on the top menu above (still being developed). And of course I continue my regular reports on Costa Rica! 🙂 My first love now!
“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.”
― Karl Lagerfeld
For more than 4 years I have been trying and hoping to get a good photo of aFiery-billed Aracari (Neotropical Birds Link for description), one of the unique and more rare smaller toucans found only on the Pacific slope of southern Costa Rica and western Panama. I really expected to photo one at Punta Leona last week but the only one seen was at a great distance up a mountain and impossible to photograph.
In 2016 I got one shot of a Fiery-billed in a high tree at Los Campesinos Ecolodge, Quebrada Arroyo, Naranjito, Costa Rica, up the mountain from Quepos on the Pacific (Not a very good photo.). I also got one shot of an injured Fiery-billed at the ZooAve in La Garita, but it is wild birds I want!
Thus I was surprised and thrilled Tuesday morning when on my terrace for breakfast around 7, five young Fiery Billed Aracaris flitted between my Strangler Fig Tree and my Guarumo or Cecropia Tree. They were socializing and eating what appeared to be leaves on the fig tree. Here’s 20 of nearly 200 photos I quickly snapped before they left. As Alice said, “There’s no place like home!”and though our part of Central Valley is on the Pacific Slope, it is mid-Pacific and not southern Pacific where they say these aracaris are. So I consider myself quite fortunate! I think they are juveniles and probably siblings or one might be the parent.
Christopher Howard Live in Costa Rica Tour and his website/blog (Feature photo above is of his tour group I was with, 2014) and note that his tour includes the ARCR 2-Day Seminar that answers all your questions.
Retire for Less in Costa Rica website and newsletter and also their
On Healthcare Tour after I moved here – very helpful to me!
Checking out many other websites, books, organizations, though the above were the most helpful for me personally
Securing a Costa Rica Attorney BEFORE the move really helped me! I did it through ARCR but there are other sources.
Starting the Residency Requirements while still in the states makes it easier to get the needed apostille legal documents BEFORE the move and your attorney here will help you with what to get before leaving states.
Make several visits here BEFORE you move, getting acquainted with places to live, people, and your options, and always rent before you buy!
Starting Spanish classes BEFORE the move and continuing here. You can live here without the Spanish language, but you will then always be an outsider, a foreigner and life will be more difficult than the difficulty of learning the language. I’m still struggling, but locals appreciate my efforts.
Getting acquainted with local expats who came here before you. Their experience is always helpful even if their situation is different.
And when zeroing in on a town or community, join any expat groups or Facebook groups there to learn more from the expats now doing it! In Atenas we have Atenas CR Info Facebook Group which you have to join for free to read the posts and answers to questions (like all FB Groups). It is at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/atenascostaricainfo/about/
A few people like the organization and its magazine International Living. I did not like them nor find them helpful to me. They were more about getting my money – that was my personal experience. And I question their motives for promoting certain countries, places, etc. But you may want to check them out.
After 4 months in an apartment, I found this rent house on hillside overlooking Atenas Central. Love it – walk to town!
And for the final decision, follow both your heart and your head, but most important is to follow your heart! Where do you want to be? Doing what?
