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| 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. |
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| Keel-billed Toucan Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica |
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| Collared Aracari Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica |
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| Keel-billed Toucan Flying Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica |
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| Pale-billed Woodpecker Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica |
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| Pale-billed Woodpecker Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica |
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| Crested Guan Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica |
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| 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!
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!
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| White-water rafters seen from the terrace of my cabin in cell phone. Selva Verde Lodge, Chilamate, Sarapiquí, Costa Rica on the Sarapiquí River |
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| Rafters zoomed-in and cropped from cell phone pix. Selva Verde Lodge, Chilamate, Sarapiquí, Costa Rica on the Sarapiquí River |
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| 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! |
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| 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. 🙂
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| Levon helping another night hiker get wading boots. |
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| The red wood I thought was cedar is actually almond tree wood. |
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| Snowy Cotinga (A first sighting for me) By Nature Guide Ronald on my phone through his spotting scope Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
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| 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 |
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| 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. |
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| Nature Guide Ronald at the front entrance to Selva Verde before we cross the road for birds in a botanical garden. |
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| More hummingbirds than I’ve seen almost anywhere else. Some eating out of that heliconia flower. Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
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| There was a group of German photographers there with their big lenses. Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
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| Dave Senior putting out more fruit for the birds. Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
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| Christmas Tree Selva Verde Lodge Restaurant #1 Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
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| Rain seen from Riverside Room 45, Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
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| Today’s Boat Captain/Guide, Luis |
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| 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! |
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| Orchid Blooms In the gardens of Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiqui near my room. |
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| Charlie Enjoying Retirement in Costa Rica My 2014 Selfie at Trogon Lodge, San Gerado de Dota |
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| Somewhere beyond La Paz was this roadside waterfall that had tourists stopping and trucks slowing down. Cell phone shot in a misty rain. |
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| The front porch of my room overlooking the Sarapiqui River. You can see the swinging bridge in the distant that I already walked over. |
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| 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. |
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| Yellow-throated Toucan I photographed at Manzanillo |
Somehow I have missed going to one of the most popular birding areas in Costa Rica during my first two years here, so that is my Christmas present to myself, leaving tomorrow (23rd). The Sarapiqui River runs along the base of the mountain chain down the center spine of the country that separates the Pacific and Atlantic (or Caribbean) slopes. It is on the Caribbean slope just northeast of San Jose, about 3.5 hours drive from Atenas unless I’m told a mountain shortcut is in good condition, then maybe 2.5 hours drive through the countryside north of San Jose (otherwise it takes an extra hour to drive through San Jose and over mountains of Braulio Carillo National Park). An adventure either way! 🙂 When I feel more confident with my Spanish, I will make these trips more adventurous by riding the bus to the closest town to a park or lodge, in this case Puerto Viejo Sarapiqui.
The Google Map is the most accurate presentation except that the time does not allow for the hour lost driving through San Jose and the park, bumper to bumper.
I am staying at Selva Verde Lodge which I would not have to leave to see and photograph hundreds of birds! But what made the place famous is the research and educational center La Selva Biological Research Station which I will get to visit my last day there. And then there is one commercial place I may visit that friends have bragged about called Dave & Dave’s Nature Park. I will be busy with morning and afternoon birding hikes plus one boat trip on the Sarapiqui River. A great Christmas plan for me! 🙂
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| Selva Verde Lodge, Puerto Viejo Sarapiqui, Costa Rica |
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| Yoga, Massages, Therapy and Detox are available in addition to pools, hiking, birds, views, etc. |
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| Expect to eat healthy and enjoy spectacular vistas. |
It is known as a Yoga Retreat, maybe the best in Costa Rica, but available as hotel, other retreats, or just to relax if you are willing to pay $221+ per night for luxury rooms in the mountains above Atenas with gardens, walking trails, a natural stream with waterfalls, and many optional activities, some at extra cost. Breakfast is included with all room prices. I just became aware of this and sorry I did not know of it for earlier visitors, though it is fairly new, this year I think.
They are offering us residents a Christmas Dinner with wine and entertainment for just $61 which I might do if I weren’t already scheduled for my jungle adventure at Selva Verde Lodge on the Sarapiqui River! They are likewise offering us a New Years Eve Celebration for $75 including fireworks! Yeah, just about anything you guys in the states have, we can find here, for a price! 🙂
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| The Retreat at Atenas |
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| Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Follow this blog for photos of my 23-27 Dec. trip to Selva Verde on Rio Sarapiqui. The above photo is from my neighborhood overlooking Atenas Central where we have year-around flowers! |
My Costa Rica Photo Gallery: Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA