Called a “Congo” by Costa Ricans, the Mantled Howler Monkey is the largest and loudest of the four species of monkeys in Costa Rica and the only one I got photos of this trip, from alongside Rio Tres Amigos on float trip last Wednesday near Maquenque Ecolodge. I heard them at the lodge but never was close enough for photos and the same for the Spider Monkeys. I’ve been photographing Howler Monkeys since my first weeks in Costa Rica and have an okay GALLERY: Mantled Howler Monkey of Costa Rica.
Mantled Howler Monkey male, Rio Tres Amigos, San Carlos Canton, Alajuela, Costa RicaImmature Mantled Howler Monkey, Rio Tres Amigos, San Carlos Canton, Alajuela, Costa Rica
I photographed this beautiful bird along the road on our way to Rio Tres Amigos for our floating safari. The guides and drivers are all so good about stopping when a significant bird is seen. I would not have photographed this bird had we not stopped the van. The map on eBird shows this falcon type bird throughout the Americas, but more so in Central and South america.
Crested Caracara, near Rio Tres Amigos, San Carlos Canton, Alajuela, Costa Rica.Crested Caracara, near Rio Tres Amigos, San Carlos Canton, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
I was originally planning to do my post on Rio Tres Amigos today, but simply have too many photo of too many things to have them ready by today, plus this is a very full week with two medical appointments and tourist friends from the states stopping by! 🙂 So I may stick to individual birds, etc. for most of this week. But that Rio Tres Amigos was a great half-day trip that is going to make a super gallery when finished!
WARNING! The photos in this post are graphic and could be considered gross, especially if you are a lizard or have close friends who are lizards! 🙂
I was waiting for my driver from Atenas to arrive at Maquenque for lunch and our return trip home when one of the lodge staff come running in, excitedly telling me that there was a Toucan in a tree in front of the restaurant eating a lizard. Of course I grabbed my camera and ran out for some photos which were difficult because of the poor light in the tree at almost 12 noon! But here’s 5 shots of the Yellow-throated Toucan with his captured lizard and the final shot of another toucan either stealing lizard meat from him or having it shared. I could not tell which. 🙂
Yellow-throated Toucan eating a lizard for lunch at Maquenque Ecolodge, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica.
The only way we are going to save the earth for future generation is by “rewilding” or creating “new” old growth forests of about 50% of the globe by planting more trees. Yesterday I did one tiny part of that by planting an Almond Tree here at Maquenque, where they hope to reintroduce the endangered Green Macaws that eat mostly almonds! And soon they will add nesting boxes to replace the big old trees with nesting holes, one of several reasons they are endangered. It will be a few years before my little baby Almond Tree will feed Macaws, but we have to plan for the future! And that is symbolized by Vicky’s (lodge manager’s) children standing with me in the second photo.
Plus Maquenque does have a few grown Almond Trees here already, “los almendros.” But very few macaws on the ground now, mostly flying overhead as in the third photo below. Plus, since they are located north-central, close to the continental divide, they can have both Green Macaws (Caribbean Slope which they are on) and some Scarlet Macaws (from the Pacific Slope). The Scarlets evidently fly over the Continental Divide which is not high mountains here in the lowlands. Scarlet Macaws are not as endangered as the green but are near-endangered because of habitat loss.
Charlie Doggett with the baby Almond Tree he helped plant at Maquenque Ecolodge & Reserve, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica, April 13, 2023.
Not a new bird for me but definitely in the best positions for photos! It was like he was posing for 3 or 4 of us photographers at breakfast this morning! 😊 You can read about them on eBird – found from Guatemala south as far as Paraguay and from north to south in Costa Rica, though mostly on the Atlantic or Caribbean Slope in both Costa Rica & Panama. Here’s 4 shots I made this morning that I’m pleased with because I could get close enough. Usually I have to try and photograph from a great distance. Another beautiful and different bird found here. My GALLERY of them is linked at the bottom of this post.
Long-tailed Tyrant, Maquenque Ecolodge, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica.
Last night before a late dinner I took the “Night Walk” which is always a favorite almost everywhere I go in Costa Rica and especially here with the large variety of wildlife! I was the only participant and my guide favored frogs as I do, though we did see some spiders and other creatures, I will just share the 7 frog photos I got which included 3 or 4 new species for me. And thanks to Antonio for helping to make most of these photos! Young people handle cell phones better than us old guys! 🙂
This morning I finally got to go on the rubber raft “Safari” on the Rio Tres Amigos and though not a large number of birds, I did get a nesting Sunbittern! A Rare sight! I will share on some future blog post, but for now, last night’s 7 different species of frogs . . .
The Guide called it a “Green Bone Tree Frog” while online I found it without the green. Boca Tapada, Costa Rica
Well, I shared last night’s post with yesterday morning’s guide, Antonio, and the one I called “Yellow-bellied Seedeater” is actually a “Morelet’s Seedeater” (similar, but the other is on the Pacific Slope and we are on the Atlantic Slope or called Caribbean Slope here.
PLUS I shared with Antonio an unidentified bird photo from yesterday and he identified it as an “Olive-crowned Yellowthroat” which is another new bird species for me, thus now 4 Lifers for yesterday’s morning bird walk! 🙂 That is really good for someone with more than 360 species in Costa Rica already recorded! 🙂
Olive-crowned Yellowthroat, Maquenque Ecolodge, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica
And the correct identification of this one . . .
Morelet’s Seedeater, Maquenque Ecolodge, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica
In just a day and a half I’ve photographed 44 species of birds which continues Maquenque as my best birding place in Costa Rica! And to top it off, thanks to a very good birding guide this morning, I got photos of three lifers! That’s 3 birds seen for the first time in my life! Here’s photos of the three lifers and I may not get all of the others in the blog but will of course have them in my trip gallery! 🙂 The weirdest one first . . .
Olivaceous Piculet (a tiny woodpecker), Maquenque Ecolodge, Boca Tapada, Costa RicaYellow-bellied Seedeater, Maquenque Ecolodge, Boca Tapada, Costa RicaCommon Pauraque, Maquenque Ecolodge, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica
These three photos will be the start of three new bird galleries in my Costa Rica Birds Galleries, which is a good place to get acquainted with birds you can see in Costa Rica, whether you live here or you are coming for a visit. Check it out! And I’ve included where I photographed each bird plus three names: English, Spanish and the Latin Scientific Name! 🙂
After a 3.5 hour drive up to Boca Tapada near the Nicaragua border on the San Carlos River, I crossed the river and got settled in my little rainforest “bungalow” on a small lake where I’ve already photographed more birds and other wildlife than I can count! But I will stay simple the first night and post only one photo, the back porch of my cabin overlooking the lake. Pura vida! 🙂
Back porch of my rainforest cabin at Maquenque Ecolodge, Boca Tapada, San Carlos, Alajuela, Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!
Since it is such a short post, you might want more information:
My favorite hotel in Costa Rica’s Caribbean South is Banana Azul and I just completed a new book which I will take copies of on my next visit there in September for other patrons to enjoy in the lobby along with others of my photo books about the area that are already there.
This new book has photos of 28 species of butterflies photographed on the Banana Azul property or at nearby locations. Enjoy thumbing through it for free electronically at my bookstore by clicking the cover image below or just going to this web address:
