Tag: Selva Verde Lodge

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Iguanas & Lizards at Sarapiquí

Green Iguana (male in mating orange)
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Emerald Basilisk (“Jesus Christ Lizard”)
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Gray Lichen Anole
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Unknown – Possibly a type of Skink or Ameiva (there are many)
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

See also my photo gallery of Reptiles      And I still have insects and other animals to share! 🙂

What Global Warming is Doing to Costa Rica This Year is an interesting article about the radical weather we have been having. We had our first hurricane in 300 years, more eruptions of one volcano, and heavier winds and rains than normal. You guys in the states need to convince your new idiot president-elect that global warming is real! It affects everyone! 

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Frogs at Sarapiquí

Red-eyed Tree Frog
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Dead Leaf Frog
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Green & Black Poison Frog
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Bare-hearted or Lime-colored Glass Frog
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica
The size of my thumbnail.

All but the Green & Black Poison Frog was photographed on the Selva Verde Lodge‘s Night Hike. Night is the best time to see and photograph frogs, BUT they did not allow us to use camera flash, so these were made with a flashlight! Difficult!

See also my photo gallery of Amphibians   

Turrialba Volcano still erupting through the weekend. Click link for more photos.

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Last 5 Birds from Sarapiquí

Buff-throated Saltator
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica
Also saw a black-headed saltator, but no decent photo.

Spotted Sandpiper
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica
As seen from my room balcony on Sarapiquí River
And I have never seen one with actual spots.

Northern Barred Woodcreeper
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Great Kiskadee
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Gray-capped Flycatcher
Along the Puerto Viejo River, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

See also my Photo Gallery of Costa Rica Birds

Well, that really is all the bird photos I will share from this great trip! But expect about 4 more posts of other wildlife photographed in the Sarapiquí area of Costa Rica.

Corcovado Beach at southern end of
Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica

Then a 4-month break before my next big adventure the first week of May to Corcovado National Park (largest Pacific Coast rainforest) and Drake Bay, staying at the AGUILA DE OSA, Rainforest & Marine Adventure Lodge.  There is no end to adventure and nature photography in Costa Rica and I intend experience as much of it as possible! All my reservations are made including small plane air transportation down which is cheaper than a rent car. I could have done the bus but it is so much easier flying to the South Pacific! It is the wrong time of year for whale-watching, but my focus is birds right now. I’ll do whales another time.

Back in 2009 I visited the southern end of Osa Peninsula and Corcovado (above photo) on a birding trip to Luna Lodge and Lookout Inn, flying to Puerto Jimenez and a 2 hour dirt road drive to the edge of the park. This will be different at the other end or northern end and will include a visit to an island reserve out in the ocean. I can hardly wait!  

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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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Blackbirds & Orioles at Sarapiquí

Montezuma Oropendola
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Montezuma Oropendola Nests
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Black-cowled Oriole
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Baltimore Oriole female (I thought at first, but now doubt it) What?
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Baltimore Oriole male
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

See also my Photo Gallery of Costa Rica Birds

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Tanagers at Sarapiquí

Summer Tanager
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Yellow-winged Tanager
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Blue-gray Tanager
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Palm Tanager
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Passerini’s Tanager
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Gray-headed Tanager
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

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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Christmas Day Wildlife Photos

The 6 AM Bird Walk had a different guide, Ronald, and a lot more birds today! Of course most photos are on my SLR camera, but the guide used my phone on his spotting scope for the next three photos below. I have some better ones on my real camera. All the guides here are provided by the Selva Verde Lodge, at a reasonable extra cost or in my case as part of a “Birding Package.”

Snowy Cotinga  (A first sighting for me)
By Nature Guide Ronald on my phone through his spotting scope
Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

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

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.

Nature Guide Ronald at the front entrance
to Selva Verde before we cross the road
for birds in a botanical garden.
Then, late morning I got out of our lodge reserve to visit Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion which several people had recommended. It is basically a lot of different kinds of feeders on the edge of a thick secondary rainforest with a lot of birds. It provided me with some good close-ups and of a few new birds. So it was worth the 10 km drive down the highway. The father-son project has a great story behind it but I will let you read about it on their website at Dave & Dave’s.
More hummingbirds than I’ve seen almost anywhere else.
Some eating out of that heliconia flower.
Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

There was a group of German photographers there with their big lenses.
Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Dave Senior putting out more fruit for the birds.
Dave & Dave’s Nature Pavilion, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica
Tonight I am going on the “Night Hike” and hope to get another good shot of a red-eyed tree frog. We will see. Animals are unpredictable. The restaurant has had this Christmas tree up since I’ve been here and they play Christmas music.
Christmas Tree
Selva Verde Lodge Restaurant #1
Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Tomorrow I’ve scheduled an early morning boat trip, Guide Evan is going with me. And oh yes, in the rainforest there are still afternoon showers, even in the Dry Season. A shot from my room this afternoon during the short shower to keep everything watered!  🙂

Rain seen from Riverside Room 45, Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

And all these photos were made on my cell phone!

Merry Christmas Day!  ~Charlie