Hummingbird Galleries 2

 We saw so many hummingbirds that we could easily share pictures of them for another couple of weeks without even repeating species, but rather than get TOO indulgent, we'll wrap up with this second post of some of the most interesting hummingbirds we saw.

First off, this Green Thorntail we saw at La Paz was particularly special since we didn't even identify it until we were home and looking through the pictures with enough time to notice its tail and white patches were totally different from anything else we'd seen, giving us a new bird several months after we got home.

 While almost all hummingbirds have some pretty striking iridescence, many of the galleries were in shady clearings in an overcast cloud forest where colours don't shine through as brightly. Such was not the case with this Fiery-Throated Hummingbird at a gallery on the cuerro de la muerte (yep, the "Highway of Death" features several very high passes where people used to freeze to death trying to cross) which was stunning in the full sun.

Contrasting full sun with total darkness, we found this unidentified hummingbird perched on a branch during a night walk. Hummingbirds have such high metabolism that rather than sleep, they go into a hibernation-like state of torpor each night to prevent their bodies from burning through all their energy. This ones eye appears open, but it didn't move at all as we gathered around for a look.

Hummingbird Galleries 1

While Canadians will easily (and rightly) get excited about seeing a single hummingbird from the handful of species available, Costa Rica is home to 52 different species. Not only are there a great variety of them to see, but their high energy requirements make them easy draws to hummingbird galleries, which are delightfully frequent places across the country. We visited at least 3 galleries, each of which had a dozen or more feeders which were each attracting several hummingbirds.

One of the most common were Coppery-Headed Emeralds like the one below, which measure in at a tiny 3 inches long. All hummingbirds are pretty small and VERY fast moving, but with a little bit of patience and luck you can get some very nice posed portraits when they land on branches nearby to rest between trips to the feeders.

 At the larger end of the spectrum, the Violet Sabrewing is one of the biggest hummingbird in Costa Rica with a monstrous length of 6 inches. That may not seem to big without context, but when there are dozens of these birds zipping in all directions and speeds they seem pretty enormous and loud.

 

Kathryn and I were both so enchanted with the color and variety of the hummingbirds of Costa Rica that the next post will share a few more of our favorite pictures of these charismatic little fellows.

Red-Eyed Tree Frogs

The red-eyed tree frog is one of the most popular and recognized animals in Costa Rica and even on the Earth. Apparently people go to Costa Rica just to see these little animals, which is a task made all the harder by the fact that (1) they are tiny (2) they are nocturnal (3) they get quiet when you get close. There are, of course, places that have these frogs in captivity, but we think that counting animals you see that way is cheating, so we made sure to come see some of our own.

This is no easy feat mind you, based on the 3 reasons given above. However, I did have an ace up my sleeve given that Kathryn is incredibly sharp-eyed AND passionate about seeing everything she possibly can on holiday. It is still beyond me how she managed to find the frog below though. This was about 40 feet in the air, among the leaves and in the pitch black. The photo below was taken with a 400mm lens and has all the flashlights in the group on it, but to the naked eye with a fraction of that light it looked like a slightly lighter leaf.

 Our sighting the following night was a little more co-operative, as this fellow was maybe only 15 feet away and perched at a more reasonable level (the one below is the same one as the top photo, just from the side rather than the front). I particularly like how its legs dangle down below where it gripped on with its feet.

No Lifeguard on Duty: Swim at Your Own Risk

 On our way down the Pacific side of the country we stopped for lunch and a walk in a little town on the Rio Tarcoles. Unlike many bridges we crossed, this particular one was a popular viewing spot for a sizeable number of American crocodiles. Kathryn counted several dozen in the area, basking in the sun and generally drawing a crowd - the area is very popular for crocodile boat tours as well.

 Our guide told us that several years ago a fellow had gotten drunk in the bar near where we had lunch and decided to swim across the river in the middle of the night. Needless to say that plan did not work out well for him at all and he never saw the other side. I recommend the bridge, because these things are terrifying even at a distance.

 The majority of them looked quite fat and healthy, but there were a few interesting outliers with unfortunate defects. One was missing the front half of his top jaw, but didn't appear to be suffering for its absence, while this individual did NOT appear to be in a good way. His whole spine was very desiccated and you can see how shrunken all the tissues around his head have gotten, to the point that you could probably drink out of the divots in his skull.

Hikes in the Rain and Slides into a Hot Tub

 Arenal is one of the famous volcanos in Costa Rica, but also located in the heart of their cloud forest and frequently obscured from view. After a rather long and damp hike, the picture below shows all we were able to see of that famous (and unseen) peak.

 Fortunately, although we were rained out of our second hike for the day, the lodge we were staying at was able to leverage one of the benefits of nearby geothermal activity - namely a giant hot tub. Not only were there several smaller and personal pools that you'd expect with most hot tubs, but the sheer volume of hot water available meant that the entire pools were very toasty and several were accessible by water slides. (the picture below is early in the morning when the water has been drained for cleaning)

 After a few water slides and some frolicking, it was nice to be able to enjoy a few drinks at the swim up bar. Wrist bands let us charge drinks to our rooms rather than fuss with money, and a cool fruity beverage was a perfect match for toasty warm waters.

White Water Rafting on the Sarapiqui

Not every minute of our trip was spent traveling from hike to hike in our van. On the contrary, we had a few days where we left most of the fancy camera gear behind and got a little more extreme, like our afternoon of rafting on the Sarapiqui river. The tour was nicely divided into 2 sections with the rougher patch being first, followed by a nacho lunch and then a more leisurely finish.

 Our group was the perfect size to fill a raft without anyone being too squeezed or left behind, and the danger of the waters was low enough that we all had fun and had turns directing the raft. The waters were very cool and refreshing, and there was enough shade from the trees and breeze in the air to keep us pleasantly cool the whole time. There were some nice animals to see in the area, including a stunning bird called a sunbittern, but given the fairly high moisture involved in the excursion, we wisely decided to leave all the gear except for the GoPro behind. Luckily there was a local photographer there to take the pictures in this posting at a few key points.

 Never to be one left behind, Mario went through the rapids in a kayak which alternately led and followed our raft through the rapids. As a bonus, in the second half of the outing, each pair of people in our expedition got a turn in the kayak, which gives you a little more freedom and mobility but requires a little more effort as well.

Unexpected Rivals on the Lagoon

 Early in our visit to the Caribbean side of the country, we took a canoe ride across a lagoon on the Rio Estrella and learned about an interesting rivalry that I never would have guessed had we not been told. This further reinforces the notion that nature is beautiful on the surface and red in tooth and claw the instant you look a little closer.

 One frequent sight along the banks of the lagoon were Northern Jacanas. We had seen Jacanas in Africa, but these were a different group altogether, the common feature being that they have enormous pads on their feet that let them walk across loose vegetation floating on the tops of lagoons which lets them wander out further on the water and escape predators. When not doing a Jesus impression, they are also notable in that the males hatch and raise the eggs and they have a polyandrous mating cycle. Below is a proud father herding his brood of chicks along the water surface.

 In the same area we also saw several Purple Gallinule, also known as "swamp hens," which are very striking and beautifully coloured birds. Unexpectedly they are also omnivorous and one of their favorite meals in the area is Jacana eggs and chicks, such that Jacanas will frequently attack them on sight. So while they look lovely to us, they are the arch enemy of the Jacana and an unexpectedly sinister sighting in such a peaceful place.