Tag: frog

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Threatened Species Seen This Morning

Brilliant Forest Frog (iNaturalist link) or Warszewitsch’s frog, Rana warszewitschii, is a species of frog in the Ranidae family found in Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, plantations, rural gardens, urban areas, and heavily degraded former forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.  ~iNaturalist

Brilliant Forest Frog, a threatened species at Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica

I found it this morning in the “Frog Pond” of Arenal Observatory Lodge where I usually find Red-eyed Tree Frogs on night walks here. (I’m getting a private night walk later this week for photos.) The guys at the front desk had no idea of the ID and at first I could not find it on the web, but they helped me with this ID using one of the fold-out ID charts they sell and I followed up with the above link to an iNaturalist website.  🙂

Sign at the Frog Pond, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica.

When I did a Google Search for “Brilliant Forest Frog” one of my 2019 blog posts came up on this species I saw at Macaw Lodge which has different hind legs but “Brilliant Forest Frog” is what that lodge staff told me it was. The beige top and wide black stripe down the side are the same. Maybe they are cousins?   🙂

See that other frog with this ID in my Brilliant Forest Frog GALLERY. They may or may not be the same species.  🙂

Or better yet, see my bigger Amphibians Costa Rica GALLERY.

¡Pura Vida!

And MERRY CHRISTMAS or ¡Feliz Navidad!

 

 

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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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Oh, the Places I’ll Go!

Monday I’m off to Arenal Observatory Lodge in Arenal Volcano National Park with my choice room reserved again – #27 – where my deck looks up at the volcano and out past the bird feeders to Lake Arenal over which the suns sets each evening in brilliant colors!

I was there a year and a half ago and you can see why I like it in my trip photo gallery: 2018-May 4-9 – Arenal Observatory Lodge.  It is truly one of my favorite places and I’m beginning to return to such more often now, where there are more birds than I will every photograph! (An “official” birding hot spot.) Plus waterfalls, trails, horses, a farm, beautiful scenery, good food, and a comfortable room with more places nearby to visit. And I will probably relax more this time without the rush of trying to see and do everything the first time!   ¡Tranquilo!

“You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So… get on your way!”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

¡Pura Vida!

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Green & Black Poison Dart Frog

We seem to have a lot of these neat tropical frogs here at Banana Azul, one of 7 different species of “Poison Dart Frogs” in Costa Rica. Read about them on Wikipedia.  Or see my other photos of them at Poison Dart Frogs: Green & Black. or my whole Amphibians gallery.

 

Why are frogs so happy? They eat whatever bugs them! 

¡Pura Vida!

 

See also my TRIP GALLERY:   2019 Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo

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Other Wildlife at Macaw Lodge

This is not all that I saw! There were really a lot of lizards of all kinds, especially a lot of Common Basilisks, which I never got a good photo of except the one juvenile below without the crown on his head. And as usual a lot more butterflies than I could ever get photos of. Plus my main focus is always birds!   🙂    But here is some “other wildlife”:

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

 

Walking is my main method of relaxation. I don’t go over my lines or try to solve the world’s problems, I just enjoy the scenery and the wildlife.

~Kevin Whately

Macaw Lodge

¡Pura Vida!

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Brilliant Forest Frog

On my waterfall hike the other day I photographed a frog that was new to me. Lisa here at the lodge helped identify it at a Brilliant Forest Frog or Lithobates warszewitschii which is among the 194 species of frogs here in Costa Rica. The link to frog name is to Wikipedia but more research has info on:   (1) IUCN Red List, (2) Amphibiaweb, (3) CRBio, and many more!

The first photo below is of the back of the frog made on my cell phone and the other, a side view, with my Canon. To avoid scaring him away, both had to be shot from a distance in little forest light,f thus had to be cropped a lot, so not very good shots, but you can see what he basically looks like and online you will see some varieties of colors, etc.

20190619_084009-A-WEBIMG_2915-A-WEB

See also my Costa Rica Amphibians Photo Gallery for more than 20 species I have photograph and about that many more unidentified!   🙂

Macaw Lodge

¡Pura Vida!

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FROGS!

Last night’s Frog Walk was one of the best things done yet here! Ivan was my guide and it was just the two of us. He was one of my 2 guides the last time I was here in 2016 and he claims he remembers me (Ticos are so nice!)

He really knows his frogs and after I get these posted in my gallery I will ask him to identify them which I cannot now. We saw about 16 species, and here is 14 or 15 of those. One I did not get a useable photo of and another I have 2 photos of because they are so different.

Selva Verde Frog Walk

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Ruffled Feathers & Wet to the Skin

It rained the whole 2 hours + I was at La Selva Research Station, thus no good photos, but the ones I got tell a story like the wet ruffled feathers on the Tropical Kingbird and Clay-colored Thrush. The only creature that seemed to love the rain was that Blue Jeans Frog!    🙂

After returning to lodge for breakfast there was no rain, thus some better photos at the lodge, but no time tonight to post them, Later! Tonight is my frog hike.   🙂

La Selva Rain Shots

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Fun, even in the rain!   🙂

¡PURA VIDA!

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More from Manzanillo

More photos from Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge visit yesterday:

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Did you notice the quote on the entrance sign to this refuge?  It is . . .

“The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.”

― Charles Darwin

 

¡Pura Vida!

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Best Night Hike Ever!

All photos made on my cell phone camera during a light rain. Amazing!

Red-eyed Tree Frog
Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica

Long-billed Hermit Hummingbird Sleeping 
 Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica
Baby Basilisk 
 Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica

Tropical Rainforest Frog 
 Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica

Katydid 
 Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica

Fleur-de-lis Spider 
 Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica

Fleur-de-lis Spider hiding in curled dead leaf 
 Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica

Blue Morpho Butterfly Sleeping 
 They are bright blue on top with underside like an owl butterfly
 Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica

Red-eyed Tree Frog 
 Danta Corcovado Lodge, Costa Rica

I got a new guide for this hike who specializes in night hikes, a more mature man than the 18 year-old David. He was really good and helped make some of the photos. His name is Jairo, but the way everyone pronounced it, sounded something like “Hydel,”  I almost backed out of the hike because of the light rain and sure glad I did not. Today’s hike in the park was postponed until tomorrow (Friday) because I was the only one going today and they need a minimum of two to afford it. There’s 5 of us for tomorrow. But they do the night hike solo and I was glad as the only one because I got more attention and probably saw/photographed more creatures!