More quetzals

Our last full day in Costa Rica was focused on quetzals. While we had the chance to see them up in the Monteverde Cloud Forest last week, our tour group members had not, except for a brief glimpse as we drove into the Savegre valley yesterday afternoon.  So today we drove to Paraiso de Quetzales, a fascinating private reserve and community engagement model. In the 1950s, this part of Costa Rica was settled by farmers from the Central Valley who had  lost their farms to volcanic eruptions. They cleared land, cutting down all the trees and bringing in cows, which thrived because the high mountain ridge gets rain or cloud condensation all year long so the grass was great.  Then in the 1970s the government realized that they needed to protect  the water supply so they outlawed any additional clearing of land. Many people sold their land back to the government and move back to the Central Valley. Much of the land began to convert to secondary growth forest, which is great for the wild avocado trees beloved by quetzals and other birds and animals. But still the farming culture and the conservation culture were at odds. In 2012 the Paraiso reserve started an experiment with two farms, where the fees paid by eco-tourists to visit the reserve were partially shared with the farmers in exchange for their protecting the quetzal habitats. Quetzals were the rallying cry but many other species benefit from the habitat protection. There are now 20 farm families participating and some of the younger generation from the farms are training to be guides. The quetzal population has boomed as well. 

We spent the morning on the land of one of the farms, where there is a quetzal nest. When we first arrived at the nest site, the male was incubating the eggs and we could just see the ends of his long tail feathers sticking out of the nest hole in a tall tree. About an hour later, he stuck his head out of the nest hole; then he left the hole and rested in a nearby tree to rest for a few moments.  He then flew off in search of food (wild avocados). The female arrived very shortly after the male departed to take over the incubation process. We were able to see both parents separately, and the cycle of parental behavior at the nest was very exciting. 

We went on several wildlife walks as well — with several new bird sightings.  For dinner, we ate at a tiny restaurant run by a young woman chef who only switched from nursing to cooking a few years ago (though she has been cooking for her family for years).  The food was simple but delicious and she is totally charming.  Tomorrow we drive back to San Jose and start the trek home. 

Mushrooms and mountains

The highlight for today was a wonderful home cooked lunch on a shiitake mushroom and blackberry farm (yes really) at about 7500 feet elevation in the Talamanca Mountains. The shiitake farm is one of two that were initiated as part of a government program back in 2008.  The farmers were taught how to grow and harvest the mushrooms by experts from Bhutan.  The farm we visited produces 80 pounds of shiitakes a month.  They are sold at local farmers’s markets and to restaurants.  The farmer told us about the process. Did you know that shiitake mushrooms require oak logs for the fungus to grow? Or that a single log and set of spores can produce mushrooms four times a year for up to four years? 

The lunch we had was traditional Costa Rican fare: rice and beans with a variety of cooked fruits and vegetables. Dessert was small pastries filled with jams from the farm. The kitchen was pristine and the pots and pans were spotless.  The meal was cooked on a wood-fired cook-stove in the center of the kitchen.  

Lunch was of course preceded by the morning, which of course began with a bird watching walk before breakfast. Then we walked out about a half-mile into the Pacific (well not exactly) to the “whale’s tail” — a strip of rocky beach only accessible at low tide. We saw water birds and fiddler crabs, and watched small snails make beautiful patterns in the sand.  Afterwards, we drove on the Pan American Highway (which stretches from Alaska to the tip of Argentina) to its highest point (10931 ft) and then back down to our lunch spot (in a village named Siberia). After lunch, we drove deeper into the mountains, caught a glimpse of quetzal, and visited a hummingbird garden. It’s not just the colors of the hummingbirds that astonish... they come in vastly different sizes and the big ones are loud (!) when they fly past you. 

Mammal day

Today we had amazing mammal viewing day. On a morning walk we saw two female 3-toed sloths (one with a small baby) and a 2-toed sloth, all three sleeping in trees (sloths  are nocturnal, though based on what we heard the snooze a fair bit at night as well). The mother-and-baby were a really treat because they were unusually easy to see, including both their faces! Even our guides were amazed by the clarity of that view.  The typical sloth view is a brown lump and you spend time trying to figure out which end of the lump is the head. We also enjoyed watching a troop of 15-20 white-faced capuchin monkeys; just as with humans, the adults thought a nap would be great but the children wanted to wrestle and snack. We also saw several new and unusual birds. 

Then after lunch our trip leader said “on our way back let’s just stop by a spot where sometimes we see howler monkeys”, and we were rewarded with a family of 7 ... again mostly tired adults and playing children. One of the howler babies was very tiny (our guide’s estimate was 2 months old) and it was clearly having a great time exploring while mama slept.

While some of our group headed to the beach to watch the sunset, we did some birding and had a sunset swim in the pool. On the way to dinner Katharine had a close encounter with a giant grasshopper — it was about 4” in length.  Speaking of dinner, the food has been quite good.  Costa Rican food is not spicy like Mexican.  It is simple seasoning, but quite flavorful, and the abundance of fresh fruit has been delightful.

Sierpe River

Today we were scheduled to leave our our jungle lodge around 10:00.  Getting up at 5:30 gave us an opportunity to get some last minute bird watching (well more like hunting) before and after breakfast.  We were able to see a few new species of birds along with some “regulars” including the yellow-throated toucan. We also saw an interesting behavior:  one adult crested guan delicately feeding fruit to, we presume, its mate. During the after breakfast walkabout we headed down to the beach.  There we witnessed a long line of brown pelicans flying southward along the coast line.  At 10:00, we boarded a couple of single propeller airplanes and headed to a more populated part of Costa Rica, about 60 miles further north along the pacific coast. 

We spent the afternoon on a boat ride on the Sierpe (serpent) River. We saw 24 species of birds, most of them new ones, as well as iguanas, bats, boa constrictors (relatively small ones), and a small crocodile. At one point we saw 21 scarlet macaws in flight at one time! We also saw all three species of monkeys (howler, white-faced capuchin and squirrel).  

More than the sheer number of sightings, today was memorable for the behaviors we saw.  Along with the guan feeding its mate, this afternoon we watched scarlet macaws mate discreetly behind a tree. We watched a capuchin monkey come down to the river, get wet, and then scamper back up out of the water to lick the water off his fur; this behavior enables him to quench his thirst without lingering in the water exposing itself to predators. 

Pictured: toucan, macaw and a very wet monkey. 

Rainforest living

 This morning neither of us found scorpions in our boots, however, later in the day we discovered a bat in the shower and two anoles on the bedroom wall.  This is true rain forest living.  

We went on a bird walk before breakfast, the highlight of which was seeing scarlet macaws in a tree rather than just flying overhead. After breakfast we took a hike through the rainforest, and learned a lot about that ecosystem... including watching what looked like light rain falling from the tall trees across a valley, but it turned out to be cicada pee! There are enormous numbers of cicadas, very noisy and some so large you can spot them by eye from 20 feet away. They are also a vital food source for monkeys and toucans, especially between fruiting seasons. On that walk we also watched red-capped manikins “moonwalk dance” on a branch and pale-billed woodpeckers taking food home to their nest (see below).

After chasing the sound of toucans all yesterday (only to hear that others had seen them) we finally got a good view today. On another hike after lunch we also saw a two-toed sloth, sleeping in a tree above us, and a howler monkey hanging by his tail to reach leaves to eat.  We heard from a young man from the local sea turtle (Olive Redly species) rescue hatchery, and then from the man who converted the land around the lodge from clear-cut farm fields back into rain forest, a labor of love that has taken 40 years.  It is inspiring to see the devotion to conservation and the visible success of both programs. 

Tiskita jungle lodge

Today we flew on small planes (truly small: 5 seats including the 2 pilot chairs, one of which Kevin and Katharine each sat in on two different planes), to the southwestern tip of Costa Rica, very close to the Panama border. This is the Costa Rica people expect— hot, humid, jungle, Pacific Ocean below the lodge. This is a “jungle lodge” which comes with instructions like “stay on the trails to avoid poisonous snakes” and “check your shoes for scorpions before you put them on”!  The cabin is lovely, with some unique features, for example, the bathroom is open to the forest on one side (the wall only goes up about 3 feet)so you can watch a coati go by while you brush your teeth. 

Today we saw: male and female 3-toed sloths, three kinds of monkey (white-faced capuchin, squirrel, and howler), tent-making bats (there are no caves here so bats have to create their own shelter; the bats plus the breeze keep the mosquitoes under control), and many new birds.  On a night walk this evening we saw scorpions flowing in UV light, a red-eyed tree frog and a few-de-lance, a highly poisonous viper (from far away). 

Speaking of bats, we learned that bats are the primary pollinators in this part of Costa Rica.  Also, bats make up more than half of the mammalian species in Costa Rica.

Heading south

Our final day in Monteverde was just what it should be (and what we avoided the first two days): sideways wind-driven mist, as the clouds surrounded us. Full days of sun are not typical for Monteverde — though the sunshine was nice.  The birds had the good sense to stay under cover for the most part but we did still see a few new species and.... more quetzals! We saw three male quetzals of different ages — you can tell his age by the length of his beautiful green “upper tail” feathers; younger birds have shorter feathers (as in today’s photo) than older makes (compare to yesterday’s photo) and therefore are less likely to be chosen as mates by the females. 

After lunch we drove back to San Jose. We had only gone about 15 minutes when the landscape returned to dry deforested hills reminiscent of California, instead of the green dense forest and underbrush to which we had become accustomed. On our way, we made a brief stop on the side of the road to take a few photos of the Pacific Ocean.  We checked into our hotel in San Jose and since we still had a few hours before the group dinner, we went.... bird watching of course! We saw several new species including some very noisy crimson-fronted parakeets and the lineated woodpecker pictured below. Tomorrow we take a small plane south to the Osa Peninsula near the border with Panama, to enjoy a coastline rain forest for a few days. 

More Monteverde

An easy day today, only two 3-hour nature hikes ( plus some of our own rambling around).  We visited two new reserves, one for hiking (with great views of quetzals and coatis) and one with new hanging bridges up in the canopy.  A few new species today, two of which are pictured below in addition to the quetzal.  Originally, we were scheduled for a night walk tonight, but after the great sightings last night, we decided to have a relaxing evening.  

We have learned a lot already on this trip. Remember when we were surprised when we landed that Costa Rica seemed dry? Well, it turns out that in Costa Rica the prevailing winds are from the Caribbean, so places west of the high mountain ridge are dry (the inverse of how it works in the US for example)... but here in Monteverde the clouds condense as they pass over the ridge, creating the cloud forest.  The cloud forest receives 6 feet of moisture per year but only half of that is in rainfall, the rest is straight cloud condensation. All that moisture in the air enables huge numbers of epiphytes (non parasitic plants that grow on a host) including orchids, bromeliads and other flowering plants. Only 5% of the sunlight reaches the forest floor, so these epiphytes grow up on the trees themselves.  Cloud forests are rare, and at risk from climate change.

This morning we walked through the oldest reserve here in Monteverde, created 40 years ago by the donation of land (both primary forest and cleared dairy farms) by a Quaker community. The secondary forest has filled in fairly quickly — trees can grow 6 feet per year — and there is now no difference between the primary and secondary in terms of plant, animal or bird species. The reserves here have grown with time, and are huge tourist attractions. Yet only about 15% of the reserve land mass is open to the public, enabling huge areas for the native species to thrive. The thick foliage makes it difficult to spot small birds close to the ground and the low amount of sunlight that makes it to the forest floor makes photographing the little, flitting devils a real challenge.

One more nature walk in the morning and then we head south and west to begin the next part of the adventure.   Pictured: male resplendent quetzal, spotted wood creeper, male white-nosed coati. 

A full day

A full day indeed!  We began at dawn with a 4-hour bird watching walk in a nearby reserve.  One of the iconic bird species for Central America is the Resplendent Quetzal, long revered for the brilliant colors and hunted for the long plumes of the males. Quetzals are famously elusive and hard to see— this morning we saw FOUR, one juvenile male, one adult male with his long tail feathers floating in the breeze, and two females.  In the same large avocadito tree (little avocados, a wild version inedible for humans but delectable for animals and birds), we saw crested guans (large black birds with brilliant red throats) and a blue-throated toucanet.  Needless to say much time was spent in that one spot; we also saw beautiful native and migratory songbirds, many kinds of hummingbirds and a sleeping two-toed sloth high in a tree. 

After lunch ( which was interrupted by several bird sightings) we went for a 2-hour walk on a trail that includes 8 hanging bridges. The bridges are up to 500 feet long, and can be up to 180 feet above the forest floor. It was fascinating to see the forest from that vantage point, and to be so much nearer both the birds and the troop of howler monkeys we saw.  We got back with only 10 minutes to spare before tonight’s sunset-night walk, but it was worth the hurrying. Tonight we saw two kinds of opossum, a mottled morning owl, a fabulous tarantula and a really good viewing of a kinkajou.

Sitting down for dinner sure felt good!  Pictured below: the toucanet, a hanging bridge and a yellow-throated euphonia.

To Monteverde

Well it’s been a 20 hour day, starting with a pre-dawn flight from Laguardia to Atlanta then onto San Jose, Costa Rica. By the picture below you can see that we were active participants in this leg of our trip — actually, the pilot (Jim “Half” Nelson) was kind enough to let children of all ages visit the cockpit  before we took off from Atlanta. Flying over the Everglades, Cuba and Nicaragua was interesting,   We were surprised by how dry (both in terms of foliage and humidity) Costa Rica is, and now that we are up in the mountains of Monteverde (3 hours by surprisingly unbumpy and unsurprisingly twisty roads), it is lovely and cool with a steady breeze.  We strolled around the grounds of our lodge before dinner and were able to spot and photograph some birds.  We had an excellent dinner, then went on a night walk.  We did not see any mammals tonight, but did see some sleeping birds, including one that our guide said is very rare for this area (he was very excited), frogs, and spiders.  For a mostly travel day, not a bad start to our trip.