Tag: Sarapiqui River

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Virtual Rainforest Hike with Iván Castillo

Earlier I shared two videos of virtual night & day rainforest hikes with one of the young female guides at Selva Verde Lodge, Melany Ocón. The kind I experience on my trips, though we see more on our live hikes than these short videos . . .

Today is a hike with one of the young male guides whom I have been hiking with before when there (an expert on frogs). We saw a lot more than they see on this video, but it gives you an idea of what it is like to hike at Selva Verde Lodge & Reserve, one of my many favorite places in Costa Rica. You will see a couple of frogs, a helmeted lizard, a pit viper and an anteater, so worth your effort to watch for 20 minutes and see just a little of why I love to explore the forests of Costa Rica with guides like Iván and Melany. June 30 I head north of Sarapiqui (location of these videos) for a week at Maquenque Lodge with other guides but similar experiences. And remember that English is not their first language! They do much better with English than I do with Spanish!   🙂

 

“If man doesn’t learn to treat the oceans and the rainforest with respect, man will become extinct.” 
~Peter Benchley

And for my photos of two visits to Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui:

2019-May 9-15 — Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiqui

2016 December 23-27 – Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui

¡Pura Vida!

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Boat Safari

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

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Other Wildlife on the River

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Boat & River Shots

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“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

 

¡Pura Vida!

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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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Woodpecker, Anhinga & Hawk at Sarapiquí

Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica
Photographed from the Dining Room
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Along the Puerto Viejo River
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica
Note how his tail braces him on tree trunk.

I earlier posted a photo of a different woodpecker, the Pale-billed Woodpecker found behind my cabin at Selva Verde Lodge which is even more impressive! I was much closer!

Anhinga female
Along the Puerto Viejo River 
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Anhinga
Along the Puerto Viejo River 
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica
This is the typical pose of a male drying his wings,
but the male neck is usually black, so this may be a female,
though her neck is usually lighter than this. See other photo.

Semiplumbeous Hawk
Along the Puerto Viejo River 
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica
See also my Photo Gallery of Costa Rica Birds

PERSONAL UPDATE: I’ve had what I thought was a bad cold for the last week+ or maybe allergies or sinusitis. Well it is probably volcanic ash that continues to fall over the central valley from Turrialba Volcano which won’t quit belching smoke/ash. 

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Herons, Egrets & Ibis at Sarapiquí

Bare-throated Tiger Heron
Puerto Viejo & Sarapiquí Rivers, Costa Rica

Little Blue Heron
Puerto Viejo & Sarapiquí Rivers, Costa Rica

Great Blue Heron
Puerto Viejo & Sarapiquí Rivers, Costa Rica

Green Heron
Puerto Viejo & Sarapiquí Rivers, Costa Rica

Green Ibis
Puerto Viejo & Sarapiquí Rivers, Costa Rica

Cattle Egret
Flying over Sarapiquí River, Selva Verde Lodge, Chilamate, Costa Rica
Evening flight to roosting tree.

I did two boat trips from the town of Puerto Viejo on the two rivers that merge near there, the Sarapiqui River and the Puerto Viejo River. The afternoon trip was not bad but the morning trip had more birds and they were somewhat different birds the two times. 

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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On the River Again

First thing this morning I meet guide Evon at the Reception Desk and we drive to the boat dock for what I know has to be a better boat trip with always more birds in the mornings. Well it turned out to be maybe more but not a lot more, just a lot of different birds which is very good and worth the trip! I was especially pleased with photographing Crested Guans, Rough-winged Swallow, Green Ibis, Lattice-tailed Trogon and a Hook-billed Kite, among others.

We were then late for breakfast at Selva Verde and I treated Lavon with breakfast at a local Soda. Then when I returned to Selva Verde I decided to try the self-guided trail again, expecting it to be better in the morning (a la 10). Sure enough! I got more photos of Crested Guans here plus some wonderful close-up shots of a Pale-billed Woodpecker, probably my best yet of him! Also some fun lizard shots I haven’t identified yet. So a good morning!

Yesterday was too long and busy, so relaxing the rest of today and looking forward to my visit to La Selva Biological Station tomorrow morning for maybe the best birding yet (say some people). Then I head home.

Last night’s “Night Hike” was mainly about hiking in the mud in lodge-provided high boots. We saw some sleeping birds, lots of different frogs, an opossum, lots of insects, and probably something else I’ve forgotten. We went across the swinging bridge in the dark to the lodge’s primary rainforest across the river. Very interesting including a nice little waterfall with frogs around it. And of course the interesting people from all parts of Europe and North America. But for birding I still prefer my solo trips!


Levon helping another night hiker get wading boots.

Sorry, forgot to make any cellphone photos on the boat trip. Here’s one of the boardwalk to my room and one of a silk cotton tree on the trail near my room.

The red wood I thought was cedar is
actually almond tree wood.
I’m typing this at lunch while watching a Yellow-throated Toucan just below me eating bananas at the feeder. I’ve gotten so many toucan photos that it is no big deal anymore. That has been the most seen big bird here this week. I’m posting this now so I don’t have to bring the computer to dinner tonight. There is no Wifi in the rooms, only lobby and both restaurants.  Pura Vida!

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TWO YEARS TODAY LIVING IN COSTA RICA

Two years ago today (on Dec.24, 2014) I boarded a plane in Nashville with 5 suitcases and a one-way ticket to Costa Rica. (I’ve since learned the airline was not supposed to sell me a one-way ticket since I wasn’t a legal resident of CR yet. But anyway, I got here late and the taxi driver drove me in the dark up the winding mountain road (Ruta 3) from airport to Atenas and the inefficient Dutch owner/manager of the apartments Hacienda La Jacaranda was not ready for me, thinking I was not coming until January. His girlfriend had to clean an empty apartment for me before I could move in and the adventure began!

Today’s Boat Captain/Guide, Luis
Two years later I’m on my umpteenth birding trip, this time to Sarapiqui and what some have told me is one of the best birding spots in Costa Rica. Well . . . I’ve only been here a day and a half, but it has not yet proven to be one of my best! Most of the birds I’ve been able to photograph have been at the feeder outside the dining room and only a fraction of what I can see in 2 hours on the Tarcoles River or a short time at San Gerado de Dota or Rancho Naturalista.

I was hopeful about the birding river boat trip this afternoon, but some new friends told me they saw only 4 birds on yesterday’s boat trip, so expecting the worse, I went. Well I saw about 12-15 bird species including a yellow-throated toucan, so very good for me and better than today’s morning walk, though not like Rio Tarcoles. But my guide here, Evon, is trying to schedule me an early morning boat trip for Monday when I’m likely to see a lot more birds. Hope it works out! 

Tomorrow, Christmas Day, I do morning and afternoon walks and maybe will see a lot more. The lodge on the river is nice and I’m enjoying my stay here; resting, birding and meeting some very interesting people, especially today a couple from Ireland who also lived in The Gambia once like me.

Didn’t use my cell phone camera much today, but above is a shot of by boat captain and guide Luis and below a couple of shots here at the lodge. 

Violet-headed Fairy Hummingbird
In the gardens of Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiqui
Maybe the only bird shot on my cell phone.
Shooting into the sun is not good on any camera!

Orchid Blooms
In the gardens of Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiqui near my room.

I heard that we will have the option of tamales for dinner tonight which is a big Christmas tradition in Costa Rica. I’ll tell you tomorrow on Christmas Day. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS or Feliz Navidad!

Charlie
Enjoying Retirement in Costa Rica
My 2014 Selfie at Trogon Lodge, San Gerado de Dota