Birds, Butterflies and Coffee of Costa Rica..... and those Potholes !

[Chakra]

A shadowy Motmot - No, this one is a Blue-crowned Motmot Ha ha. I was referring to the fact that the Motmot was sitting in shadow

What are ya, a bunch of comedians?

 

That large and handsome iguana certainly is both. You even got him sticking out his tongue. Much less reptilian than I would have guessed. Nice aracari action.

 

Your photos look like you are using the correct exposure to me, but ISO could be the culprit. And you still got many, even though a good deal of time was devoted to the bat crawl one-by-one.

@@Atravelynn there are too many serious posters here with dry details : " We got up, drove out of the camp and then saw the lion etc etc. "

You need some leg pulling, teasing and fooling around to keep the balance. Photography was so challenging that I focused mostly on a good sharp focus first and let the camera take care of ISO and I hoped that I'd be able to correct the lighting in photoshop. So even in manual mode I was using Auto iso with a base of 100 and a ceiling of 6400 max.

 

 

Not a bunch, @@Atravelynn , just the two of us , with some previous history in that department ! But I will refrain from being funny in the future, and will stick to adding useful info and less useful trivia .

 

The rodent-like animal is a rodent, a Common Agouti. Native to Central America it can be found all over Costa Rica, but in lowlands.

Aracari is a Collared Aracari (there are two species of this bird found in Costa Rica).

Cocoa trees were almost completely wiped out by a nasty monilia fungus in late 70ies, however it looks like the cocoa bean is fighting its way back into Costa Rica: http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/01/27/costa-ricas-chocolate-comeback

I am gald that the cocoa is coming back. Anything to support these wonderful people.

 

Fantastic photography, such detail. Really enjoyed reading this far. Pen

Thanks Penolva. We have been reading each other's experiences for a while and thankfully still enjoying. Please let me know when you start you SA TR.

Edited December 10, 2016 by Chakra

[penolva]

I won't be doing a TR here, will let you see the book when its finished! its taking a while with all the planning for next year. Pen

[Chakra]

In 1949 the High Court in Alabama jailed 28 year old Marvin Rockwell and three of his friends. Their crime: refusal to join US military in preparation for Korean War.
Marvin and his friends were from the small group of Quakers, who were pacifists and taking another man’s life was against their faith. But refusal to join US army was a crime for US citizens. Their "Conscientious Objector" appeal was quashed by the hardline southern justice system and they were sent to jail.
The Quakers felt they had to leave Texas and they wanted to leave USA altogether. They sent scouts to many places and one of them returned with promising news from a tiny country called Costa Rica. Something dramatic had happened there.

On Dec. 1, 1948 Jose Figueres, then president of Costa Rica, made a fiery and eloquent speech, after which he took a sledgehammer and bashed a hole in a huge stone wall at the nation's military headquarters, Cuartel Bellavista in San Jose. Its imposing towers and massive gates had loomed over the capital city of San Jose since 1917, the country's premier symbol of military power and the home of the "Tico" military establishment.

Figueres was not just being a showman; he was announcing something truly extraordinary: Henceforth, Costa Rica would take the almost unheard-of step of renouncing its military.

So in 1951 after serving one third of his jail sentence, Marvin and about 100 other Quakers started their journey from Texas to Costa Rica.

No planes, no trains, no automobiles for them.

They travelled by foot, using bullock carts to ferry their supply through the crocodile infested swamps/rivers of Central America. Once after checking for crocs when they had started crossing a river, the Quakers saw locals shouting and gesticulating at them. The Quakers did not know that the Bull sharks were often seen swimming up river , hundreds of miles from the ocean. They did not undersatnd what the locals were shouting about and blissfully unaware crossed the river

Where there was no road they built their own road and eventually reached a beautiful valley in Central Costa Rica. It was so green that they named the place Green Hills or Monte Verde.
They set up small farms, bought cows, made cheese and being pragmatic they realised the importance of conservation and started buying more lands in that region, regenerating the rain forest.
Within 30 years they had developed a big private Cloud Forest reserve where the trees and animals were protected.
Being Quakers they shunned publicity, but words got out about this rejuvenated Rain Forest and BBC and National Geographic Society got interested.
BBC did a special programme in 1978 and in 1983 Nat Geo sent a team and published a famous article on Costa Rica, where they claimed “ Monteverde is a perfect place to catch a glimpse of the elusive bird Resplendent Quetzal”.

Quetzal !!! Quetzal !!! Quetzal !!!

Immediately all the birders got very excited and people started arriving with their cameras, huge lenses, scopes, tripods and binoculars. They braved the horrendous roads, mosquitoes and rain. The poor Quakers just could not get it and started feeling overwhelmed by birders!!
In their futile attempt to prevent hordes of tourists coming, Quakers passed a regulation of not repairing any road but still people kept on coming and coming in lure of this mythical bird which had practically disappeared from more easily accessible places of Central America.

And so I also followed their footsteps and Monteverde would never be the same again !
No other bird has such high status and mythological connection like the Resplendent Quetzal.
Quetzal means Green Shiny feathers in Mayan language and only the Emperor of the vast Aztec or Mayan empire could use Quetzal feather in his crown. Killing a quetzal was punishable by death.

Ancient Mayans believed Quetzal to be the “Free Spirt” and a symbol of resistance as Quetzals would never live in captivity. That is actually not true anymore as some US zoos have successfully managed to keep them.

Quetzalcoatl, the cultural force for good for both Mayas and Aztecs, was symbolised by the head of a serpent adorned with the feathers of a Resplendent Quetzal.
The rulers in both cultures required tributes and head-dresses made of quetzal tail-streamers, but since the birds were considered sacred, the penalty for killing one was death; thus the birds were freed after the long plumes were removed.

According to Aztec legend, Quetzalcoatl was supposed to return as god-king in 1519 to rule them, so when in that year the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez sailed into Vera Cruz harbour, it was hardly surprising that the first gift Montezuma sent him was a magnificent head-dress of quetzal plumes.

Quetzal later became the symbol of resistance to Spanish Conquistadors.

The story goes that, Quetzal originally had a green chest. In the big battle in 1524 the last Aztec prince Tecun Uman (of modern day Guatemala) fought the Spanish general Pedro de Alavarado and died with thousands of Aztec warriors.
The Quetzal was the Spirit Guide of Tecun Uman and after his death the Quetzal came down and sat on the chest of the dead warrior to carry away his soul. The Quetzal’s green chest was forever coloured blood red from the Prince’s mortal wounds.

Again the authenticity of this story is debatable but I am a sucker for a good tale!
Guatemala decided to name the Quetzal as its national bird and not only that, they actually named their currency as Quetzal. I’ve not come across this before. Although my learned friends had brought it to my attention that the Canadians have a Loon, but that's not really the name of their currency !!
Just imagine me buying an underwear in India for 500 Peacocks or paying the Domino's delivery guy in UK in 10 Robins !!

From this aspect Quetzal is unique.

In the brief mating season the males grow enormously long tail feathers and their courtship dance is described as one of the most stunning displays in animal kingdom, The Flying Green Serpent.

So armed with my knowledge, camera and binocular off I went to the forest of Monteverde with Andres "Andy" Alavarados ( ? descendent of the conquistador ), the best guide in the world, as my guide.
We searched and searched for four hours and then gave up !! We Tried again another time and we searched and searched and again we gave up !!!

The Quetzals are endangered because of human deforestation and the total numbers in Monteverde are probably less than thirty and they are extremely elusive.
They are a classic example of a species pushed to the verge of extinction by us !

Just think the numbers from Aztec time.

At the height of the Aztec empire, five provinces which contained cloud-forest were compelled to furnish tributes in the form of as many as 2,480 “bunches” or “handfuls” of mostly tail-streamers from Resplendent Quetzals.
If it is assumed that each “handful” contained 10–50 such feathers (four from each bird), this would have meant a harvest of 6,200–31,000 Resplendent Quetzals per year !!!
Goodness me ! I definitely would not have needed a guide to spot a Quetzal in 1500 AD.

Heartbroken, I left Monteverde but Andy reassured me that I’d get another chance at the mountains.

So off I went to a national park which was actually named after the bird : Los Quetzelas National Park.
And my wish was at last granted on a freezing cold morning satnding in front the school in the tiny village of San Gerardo de Dota, when my guide Alex spotted the elusive bird, sitting in a wild Avocado tree eating its breakfast.

It was at least 100 metres away, siting still, completely camouflaged in the green shadow and I could not spot it for a long time.
But then I saw the crimson chest stained from the blood of the Aztec Prince and my wish was fulfilled.

Photos did not come out well even with my expensive equipment and immense expertise . slightly grainy for high ISO and too far even with 500 mm needing tight cropping, but the memory would remain fresh.

It was a perfect example of Iridescence when at last, the male Quetzale came out and the sun light changed its colour significantly. I also saw some females without the red chest and some juvenile males without the long tail feathers.

Now, was it worth so much trouble to see this bird ?

Sujata was totally anti-Quetzal and kept on saying that our good old Peacock was hundred times better looking.
Well, I do agree that I have seen better looking or more interesting birds and of course we did not manage to see the Resplendent Quatzel in its full glory, but to me it was still a very special bird.
There are many pretty birds, some common, some rare, but there is only one elusive bird which represents the free spirit of a continent.
And I thank Marvin and the visionary Quakers of Monteverde and modern day Costa Ricans who have embraced the spirit of the Quetzal and may they stay forever free from the effects of our modern lives !

 

Adult Male Quetzal with its long tail feathers and the scarlet breast: tainted by the blood of the last Aztec Prince

 

 

A Juvenile Male

 

 

Another adult male

 

 

 

 

Adut with the crest

 

 

 

The Iridiscent neck and breast bathed in the morning sun looking completely different

 

 

 

This one is having a Bad Hair day

 

 

 

And here is Alex the ace Quatzel spotter : I'm forever thankful to you Amigo !!

 

 

 

And here is that famous issue of National Geographic magazine which changed history

 

 

And here is a picture of Mr. Marvin Rockwell, downloaded from Internet. A visionary who gave Mother Nature a chance to survive. I salute thee, Sir !

 

 

And here is God Quetzalcoatl, from Mexico

 

 

 

 

 

[xelas]

And the storytelling continues!!!

[Chakra]

Fog plays a very important role in Horror genre, which is my favourite genre of movies and books. I felt like Antonio Banderas and his Viking friends in the "Thirteenth Warrior" dreading the swirling fog rolling towards them with which will come the Eaters of the Flesh. And I hoped the Fog will not bring the monsters of Stephen King's "Mist" from the depth of the abyss.
But the Fog here is life giving and a huge number of creatures depend on the fog which brings moisture, trees grow, trees bear fruits, insects thrive, birds eat the fruits and insects and spread seeds to ensure continuing growth of the Cloud Forest.

This is San Gerrado de Dota. A tiny village 11, 000 feet above sea nestled between peaks of Cordilera de Talamanca range and the altitude made me pant like a beached whale just after walking 100 feet.

But what a relief after the heat and continuous rain !

Google Map had still not managed to locate this place properly and Miss Google suggested to take a right turn where no road existed and we had to trust our paper maps and poor Spanish to reach the place.

It is so green just unbelievable. The tree canopy looks like a giant Broccoli spreading for mile after mile. But to reach this place one has to drive the twisty Inter-Americana road, which is also known as Cerro De la Muerte ( Peak of Death). The visibility changes in a minute and I had race with the fog coming up from all sides to engulf me.

Add the rain and it looks like this

Thankfully the road is now a proper paved road but I dread to think how it was fifty year back with no tar or lane marks and rocks falling all the time.

San Gerardo is probably the best place I've ever visited to see birds. Unlike Stephen King's monsters these birds emerged out of the fog to brighten my day ! And even if you are not into birds, just visit this place just to have a break from the rain and humidity of CR. It reminded me of tiny picturesque villages of Alps.
All you have to do is just leave one or two fruits on your balcony and then just sit and watch. Birding from balcony: the best pastime.
And of course I'll find waterfall even in moon. The horrendous hike on shaking hanging bridges, missing steps and hanging on to ropes will bring one to the thunderous double waterfall of Savegre river. I won't say it was a mind blowing experince but it was nice preparation for the excellent lunch I had afterwards at Donna Miriam's Comida Tipica consisting of freshly caught trout and homemade deserts. And then just put my feet up while a spectacular Acorn woodpecker entertained me.
But what makes this place unique is the Costa Ricans. Each and everyone we met was friendly and not at all pushy or touristy. I was amazed to see the infrastructure and awareness of conservation in this remote place.

The second morning we did not need any guides to spot the elusive bird as some of the farmers guided us to the crowd gathered ahead.

Some shots of the San Gerardo area

Oue little slice of heaven at Quatzel Valley cabin. For $ 70 a night it was a quarter of the priecy lodges around but it ticked all the boxes for me.

View from my balcony

My breakfast buddy

A little clearing in teh middle of cloud forest for a lodge

Fogs rolling in like Thirteenth Warrior with the Eaters of Flesh to follow

The Last Rays

Rainbow over the fog

Tree tomatoes

Epiphytes

Trek to the waterfall ; Reluctant hikers

Standing over Savegre river on a shaky bridge

Some steps missing

The sky

The Hypnotising sky

Interesting advertising on the highway

[Atravelynn]

RE: Quetzal

What a resplendent show and tell! I would not have guessed that Quakers and Quetzals had any relation beyond the front 2 letters. Fascinating

 

"total numbers in Monteverde are probably less than thirty" That is not many. Were you given an indication of whether that is holding steady, increasing, or decreasing?

 

Had you planned to visit Los Quetzelas National Park originally? Or did you go there as a second shot at the bird? Was it near Monte Verde?

 

When you drove to Monteverde (or when Andy drove) did you find the roads to be harrowing? I recalled they were, but that was long ago. Not as long ago as the Aztecs or the pacifist Quakers--probably 1990.

 

Great job photographing your target! You got the beautiful colors.

[Alexander33]

@ Chakra

 

Continuing to love your report. Fascinating tale about the Quakers and their settlement in Costa Rica, especially for me, a Texan. I did not know this story.

 

But, I must confess that I am confused about this:

 

"Well, I do agree I have seen better looking or more interesting birds and of course we did not manage to see the Resplendent Quetzal in its full glory..."

 

Okay, maybe not a peacock, but I'm hard-pressed to think of anything much more exotic than the Resplendent Quetzal. Yes, there were some shots of an immature bird, but it looks to me like you also got the adult male with its long tail feathers intact and well-exposed on top of that. What am I missing???

[Chakra]

RE: Quetzal

What a resplendent show and tell! I would not have guessed that Quakers and Quetzals had any relation beyond the front 2 letters. Fascinating. Thanks @@Atravelynn, Wow, I missed that relation

 

"total numbers in Monteverde are probably less than thirty" That is not many. Were you given an indication of whether that is holding steady, increasing, or decreasing? I believe the population is steady at present, both for Quetzals and the Bell Birds. I was told that Bell birds were about 60 in number in Monteverde. But I'm no expert and I refer to others.

 

Had you planned to visit Los Quetzelas National Park originally? Or did you go there as a second shot at the bird? Was it near Monte Verde? No, I'm afraid it is nowhere near Monteverde. But it was on my way to the southern part of the country so I had originally planned to spend couple of days there anyway, mostly to escape from the rain and heat !! I was informed that the spotting of the elusive bird was easier here, which of course made the decision easier.

 

When you drove to Monteverde (or when Andy drove) did you find the roads to be harrowing? I recalled they were, but that was long ago. Not as long ago as the Aztecs or the pacifist Quakers--probably 1990. The roads are still quite bad but not unmanageable and some part of the road from the Highway 1 is now tarred. You have to take it real slow, but a 4WD is not a must. The road inside Monteverde are full of potholes but they are not as bad as Osa where potholes were humongous and would swallow a small car

 

Great job photographing your target! You got the beautiful colors.

Edited December 13, 2016 by Chakra

[Chakra]

@ Chakra

 

Continuing to love your report. Fascinating tale about the Quakers and their settlement in Costa Rica, especially for me, a Texan. I did not know this story.

 

But, I must confess that I am confused about this:

 

"Well, I do agree I have seen better looking or more interesting birds and of course we did not manage to see the Resplendent Quetzal in its full glory..."

 

Okay, maybe not a peacock, but I'm hard-pressed to think of anything much more exotic than the Resplendent Quetzal. Yes, there were some shots of an immature bird, but it looks to me like you also got the adult male with its long tail feathers intact and well-exposed on top of that. What am I missing???

@@Alexander33 : thanks very much for your continued interest. I find it heartening to hear that a veteran like you enjoy the tale of a novice !

 

OK , now comes the contoversial part.

Me and my good wife had long debate about the worthiness of Quetzal. And since then I also had some chats with some of my friends who are birders par excellence and have travelled all over the world.

My wife's reasoning is that the long tail, colour and iridescence are not unique here. A male peacock with its huge tail in full flow when the ritual of mating dance starts, is indeed a sight to behold. But Peacock is a much commoner bird. So are the African Pin tailed Whydah with its very long tail ( one entertained me for hours in Cape Town last year) and Paradise flycatcher which also have very impressive tails, but relatively easy to see.

My wife feels the elusiveness of Quetzal adds to its attraction, but that's not the bird's fault.

 

I personally found the three wattled bell bird more interesting with its bizarre appearance and unique noise.

 

One of my friends, Sujan, the most experinced birder in India that I know personally, was also enthralled with Quetzal and turned green ( not iridiscent though ) in jealousy after seeing my photos. But I have seen his photos and Sir David Attenborough's Planet Earth series showing Bird of Paradise performing mating dance in the rainforest of Papua New Guinea and it was genuinely jaw dropping. I personally feel the Bird of Paradise, especially the Wilson's is no less exotic looking than the Quetzal. I have plans to travel to Papua and then I'll be a in a better position to comment on both of them.

Regarding the "full glory" : I'm sorry about the confusion. I did see a full grown male with its long tail feathers and the crest but what I meant was that, I only saw it sitting most of the times or in short flights. The mating season was over so I did not have the chance to see the male wooing the female with its swinging feathers. That would have been the "full glory" !!

But I never agree with my wife so we agreed to disagree and I feel till I have seen the Bird of Paradise the Quetzal retains the Top Spot

Edited December 13, 2016 by Chakra

[penolva]

Quetzal! What a bird and what great pictures. Brilliant

[Chakra]

I hope I have convinced everyone reading this report, to visit San Gerardo de Dota. If not then there are some more attractive local fauna which are literally sitting at your doorstep. Again I have no clue about ID so feel free to educate me. I did learn about the Acorn Woodpecker though, as it looked so handsome. There is one black bird which has a yellow kneecap and was continuously fighting with the flame coloured tanagers !

Mama , mama, I am hungry !! Find your own food Juniour !!

No fighting please. Naughty one !!

????? Who can ID this bird just looking at the rear ?

Clearly not a Bird !!!

A tiny one

Our lovely Quetzal valley cabin sign

And lastly a video of the waterfall. It was small and not easy to reach, but had a nice twisting appearance.

Edited December 13, 2016 by Chakra

[xelas]

@Chak

 

Very nice variety of birds. You will make our life easier if you will number those photos you need to be ID. Let me try:

 

1,2 Flame-coloured Tanager, male

3 Flame-coloured Tanager, female

4 ?? Tanager

5 Rufous-collared Sparrow

6 ?? Thrush

7,8 Yellow-tighted Finch

9 Blue-throated Toucanet (eastern form)

10 ?? (Warbler)

11 Road-side Hawk, immature

12 Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher

13 Clay-coloured Robin / Clay-coloured Thrush - Turdus grayi (another bird that has confusing names yet I thing Thrush is proper)

14 very very small hummingbird

15 A tiny one is Yellow-faced Grassquit

16 Acorn Woodpecker (oh, you ID this one yourself already )

Edited December 13, 2016 by xelas

[Chakra]

@@xelas : that's superb. Apologies. I'll try to get them numbered in future. Was watching football while the photos were uploading

 

These are all seen in one afternoon on our own without any guide and just walking around the village. Without doubt many more can be seen with an experienced guide and more effort .

[Atravelynn]

Regarding the Quetzal controversy, there is also the aspect of "Love the One You're With." Perhaps the mating dance of the Paradise Flycatcher in PNG is more of a jaw dropping spectacle, but it's not happening in Costa Rica.

 

Sing it Stephen Stills!

 

[Alexander33]

@Chakra

 

True statements, all of those. Would love to see the birds-of-paradise someday. Now, if only Papua New Guinea were a 4-hour direct flight for me like Costa Rica!

 

Great views of the Acorn Woodpecker. They occur in the western United States as well. It is always slightly jarring to see species that we find on our Great Plains or arid West in the tropical lushness of Costa Rica.

Edited December 13, 2016 by Alexander33

[xelas]

And I was listening to the football when ID-ing . Maybe we will become #2 tomorrow??

[michael-ibk]

Great report, Chakra. Thank you for all the details, very helpful for planning. Really appreciate your writing style, very funny and informative. And some great pictures of wildlife under very challenging conditions. The three-toed Sloth is the highlight for me of course, and even though your family is doubting the appeal a bit, I do think that the Quetzal is an extraordinarily beautiful bird and would love to see one.

[lmonmm]

@@Chakra If I wasn't sitting in my cubicle at work on my lunch hour I'd be applauding I so enjoyed this report Beautiful birds, flowers, butterflies, etc and your story telling and goofy sense of humor just made this so much fun to read. Thank you. I've never been to CR, but have been to Peru so this brings back many memories of fabulous birds, plants and ugh, mosquitos. Anyway- thanks for this. Unfortunately I also need to go back to work.

[Chakra]

 

Regarding the Quetzal controversy, there is also the aspect of "Love the One You're With." Perhaps the mating dance of the Paradise Flycatcher in PNG is more of a jaw dropping spectacle, but it's not happening in Costa Rica.

 

Sing it Stephen Stills!

 

 

Wow ! @@Atravelynn you have great taste in music !!

[Chakra]

Great report, Chakra. Thank you for all the details, very helpful for planning. Really appreciate your writing style, very funny and informative. And some great pictures of wildlife under very challenging conditions. The three-toed Sloth is the highlight for me of course, and even though your family is doubting the appeal a bit, I do think that the Quetzal is an extraordinarily beautiful bird and would love to see one.

@@michael-ibk : thanks. Nice to hear from you again. What I know about your travelling style I'm pretty sure you'd love the experince in CR. And for information just ask xelas : he'll plan evreything for you and even mark the spot on the map where you can see the sloth and the Quetzal :P

 

@@Chakra If I wasn't sitting in my cubicle at work on my lunch hour I'd be applauding I so enjoyed this report Beautiful birds, flowers, butterflies, etc and your story telling and goofy sense of humor just made this so much fun to read. Thank you. I've never been to CR, but have been to Peru so this brings back many memories of fabulous birds, plants and ugh, mosquitos. Anyway- thanks for this. Unfortunately I also need to go back to work.

@Imonmm Many thanks. Sadly most of us need to go back to work at some point. I also attend frequent useless meetings where I often doze off while speakers do the number crunching. In those situations I keep myself awake pretending to listen, while I go through the colours and smells of places like Costa Rica in my mind

Edited December 14, 2016 by Chakra

[Chakra]

And I was listening to the football when ID-ing . Maybe we will become #2 tomorrow??

All football matches over. Your team is indeed second in the league.

So let's celebrate with a picture of the Football Stadium in San Jose, Costa Rica and the shanty town growing in its shadow. Football is the thing which gives the dwellers of these tin shacks some relief from their daily struggles, an escape for couple of hours , to shout and cheer with genuine passion at the skillls of their demigods..

Jogo Bonito : The beautiful game.

I'm now on my way to the most exciting and the most dreaded part of the trip : Parque Nacional Corcovado and La Sirena Ranger Station.

A place with highest biodiversity in the world.

How will I cope ?

Will I see the tapir ? The Fer-de-Lance ? The Puma ? The Jaguar ? Will the rain stop ? Most importantly where would I sleep?

The sky does not look promising.

Edited December 14, 2016 by Chakra

[offshorebirder]

This is a really great and richly detailed report @@Chakra!

 

The beautiful and intricate brown moth in post #66 is a Black Witch Moth (Ascalapha odorata). They are wonderful creatures, but Central Americans have a superstition that if they roost over your door, that someone in the house will die soon.

 

Your photo is a male - females have a bright stripe running diagonally along the upperwings.

 

They are rare vagrants north of the Mexico-USA border, but I once found one roosting by a window at my mother's house. Having never seen one before, I researched what it was and have been captivated by them ever since.

 

Great photo of a wonderful creature - it is a fresh and perfect individual with no wear and missing chunks like a grizzled old moth would have.

Edited December 14, 2016 by offshorebirder

[xelas]

 

Great report, Chakra. Thank you for all the details, very helpful for planning. Really appreciate your writing style, very funny and informative. And some great pictures of wildlife under very challenging conditions. The three-toed Sloth is the highlight for me of course, and even though your family is doubting the appeal a bit, I do think that the Quetzal is an extraordinarily beautiful bird and would love to see one.

@@michael-ibk : thanks. Nice to hear from you again. What I know about your travelling style I'm pretty sure you'd love the experince in CR. And for information just ask xelas : he'll plan evreything for you and even mark the spot on the map where you can see the sloth and the Quetzal :P

 

@@Chakra If I wasn't sitting in my cubicle at work on my lunch hour I'd be applauding I so enjoyed this report Beautiful birds, flowers, butterflies, etc and your story telling and goofy sense of humor just made this so much fun to read. Thank you. I've never been to CR, but have been to Peru so this brings back many memories of fabulous birds, plants and ugh, mosquitos. Anyway- thanks for this. Unfortunately I also need to go back to work.

@Imonmm Many thanks. Sadly most of us need to go back to work at some point. I also attend frequent useless meetings where I often doze off while speakers do the number crunching. In those situations I keep myself awake pretending to listen, while I go through the colours and smells of places like Costa Rica in my mind

 

 

 

 

@@michael-ibk - I can outdo even myself; I can drive you around Costa Rica, and bring you to the sloths and the quetzals

( @@Chakra declined my generous offer, fearing that dos comediantes en un coche might be just a tad too much for his family ) / OK, not entirely true, but very likely scenario /

Edited December 15, 2016 by xelas

[Chakra]

This is a really great and richly detailed report @@Chakra!

 

The beautiful and intricate brown moth in post #66 is a Black Witch Moth (Ascalapha odorata). They are wonderful creatures, but Central Americans have a superstition that if they roost over your door, that someone in the house will die soon.

 

Your photo is a male - females have a bright stripe running diagonally along the upperwings.

 

They are rare vagrants north of the Mexico-USA border, but I once found one roosting by a window at my mother's house. Having never seen one before, I researched what it was and have been captivated by them ever since.

 

Great photo of a wonderful creature - it is a fresh and perfect individual with no wear and missing chunks like a grizzled old moth would have.

Thank you very very much @@offshorebirder. You are not only an offshore birder but an offshore entomologist as well. This is why I share my experiences here. I love finding out more about the little creatures as I think they are no less fascinating than the bigger, more poular ones, but I have little knowledge. That Witch Moth story is very interesting. I'm gradually going through your flickr gallery. Will take me a while !!

I'll most certainly need your knowledge as I wade through the mud of Corcovado.

[Chakra]

"( @Chakra declined my generous offer, fearing that dos comediantes en un coche might be just a tad too much for his family ) / OK, not entirely true, but very likely scenario /"

 

These Two come to my mind