Come along with me for day two of my Costa Rica photo adventure. Watch the video below or keep reading!
It’s 5 o’clock in the morning and the sun still isn’t up but there are creatures stirring in the trees above. A troop of howler monkeys has decided to greet the day with a chorus of eerie howling sounds. Let’s see what we can find once the sun rises and sheds some light on the area.
This beautiful little bird is a male Rufous tailed hummingbird but he’s got his face buried deep in that pink mimosa flower.
Ah, now we can see his cute little face. What a cool looking little bird and in this shot you can clearly see where he got his name. Look at that rufous colored tail and who could miss that amazing iridescent green color on his throat.
This vibrant colored bird doesn’t mind chasing away all the other hummingbirds in the area but he isn’t so tough when this large wasp appears on the scene and I think now’s a good time to move to our next location.
A nice steady breeze moves in and with it a soft whispering sound that makes the plants sway back and forth as if they are dancing. A gentle and much welcomed rain is accompanied by the wind. This helps keep the temperatures nice and comfortable. The thick canopy of trees acts like a giant umbrella keeping everything deep inside the forest nice and dry. Let’s see what we can find.
A tiny frog hops onto the scene. Check out those wild colors. They are nature’s way of saying stay back because this is a poison granular frog. It’s skin is loaded with toxins but these toxins are only used as a defense against predators. Let’s safely take a closer look.
Wow, look at this creature. The first and most obvious thing you notice are the colors but take a closer look at the texture on this frog’s skin. It is covered with all sorts of bumps and ridges. This frog is native to Costa Rica and Panama and sadly its numbers are declining due to deforestation but this area is practically crawling with all sorts of frogs. Join me on a Costa Rica Photography Workshop.
Check out this red eyed tree frog. It is pretty obvious how this amazing looking amphibian got its name. My what big red eyes you have little frog. Those big red eyes help act like a defense mechanism. When the frog senses a predator is near, they open their eyes big and wide. The predator takes one look at those big red eyes and says yep, that’s a little too weird looking for me to eat and the frog lives another day. All right let’s leave these amphibians alone and see if we can find any reptiles before the rain makes its way through the thick treetops above.
Where there are frogs, you will usually find snakes but this snake isn’t interested in any frogs. This is a Cloudy Snail Eating Snake. Its diet consists of snails and slugs. Luckily this snake isn’t venomous so we can take a closer look without having to worry about being bitten. This is my first time seeing one of these snakes and man what a cool looking snake it is. I would have guessed it to be venomous from the side of the head but apparently this snake is only interested in eating snails and slugs but where there are little snakes, there are often big snakes like this one.
This is the highly venomous Fur-de-lance viper, a snake that some consider to be the most dangerous snake in the entire western hemisphere. Some even call this snake the ultimate pit viper because it has no problems defending itself against any threat. I photographed this snake using my Nikon 500mm F4 ED G lens and kept a distance of about 25 feet or 8 meters. Thankfully the Nikon D850 has a good high resolution sensor which will allows us to get a closer look without actually getting too close.
Now we can safely take a very close look at this snake. Check out those eyes and take note of the shape of its pupils. Those cat like eyes are one indicator that this snake is venomous and I don’t ever suggest getting close enough to a snake’s eyes to try and determine whether or not it is venomous.
The other obvious clue that this snake is venomous is the shape of the head. Venomous snakes have a large arrow shaped head and again, you really shouldn’t ever be getting this close to a snake to find out whether or not it is venomous. Thanks to modern technology we can all get a close look safely. It is amazing how well this snake blends in with its environment but this snake’s camouflage is nothing compared to this ones.
Talk about chilling, this snake is the craziest looking snake I have ever seen and it looks like the rain has made its way through the trees. A few water drops will make this photo shoot even better.
Based on what I said before, do you think this snake is venomous? You bet it is. You can clearly see the venom glands on this snake on the right and left side’s of its head. Those venom glands are connected to this snake’s fangs and when the snake bites, they pump venom through the fangs and into the bite area. Let’s take a closer look at the eye. You can clearly see that cat like eye yet another indicator that this snake is venomous but what kind of snake is it?
Those little scales above the eye that look like cute little eyelashes are the give away. This snake is an eyelash viper and what a wild looking viper it is. All right enough of the reptiles and amphibians, there are other creatures here who have enjoyed the recent rain like this beautiful male Rufous hummingbird.
Now that’s a close-up! What a beautiful little bird and look at that tiny drop of water on its head. Let’s see the other side. Awesome. This view looks just as good as the other.
A little more tail feathers in this shot and check out that beak. I would have never guessed it opened like that! We’ve got to see the underside of that beak and in case you have ever wondered what a Rufous Tailed hummingbird’s tongue looks like, here’s a shot of just its tongue in perfect focus.
Well, yeah that’s weird but you never know when you might need a shot of a hummingbird’s tongue and while we are at it. let’s add to the weirdness with this strange pose. All right, nice photo shoot little bird but let’s see if we can get in a few action shots.
And its time for our male Rufous tailed hummingbird to refuel on some tasty nectar but not before speeding away to another flower a few feet away. I knew my Costa Rica Photography Workshop and all of its amazing wildlife might be filled with some amazing vibrant colors but I wasn’t prepared for what happened next.
My guide quickly jumped up and ran towards a tree pointing and calling my name the entire way. I aim my lens at the tree tops and focus on a shimmering blue light. This is the Turquoise Cotinga, a bird that rarely makes an appearance in this location.
Like most birds, the male Turquoise Cotinga has all the color from that soft purple color on his chest to that metallic blue color on his back. What an amazing bird and there’s his girlfriend sitting in the tree just below him. We still have a few hours of light left, let’s head back to the resort and see if we can’t find a few more birds.
One the way back my guide spots this bird, a laughing falcon who is intently staring at something down below. What could it be? I see some feathers there but wow this is one tall bird. It’s a tiger heron and now it is looking right at me. Time to move on.
Woah! Look at this amazing bird. This is a Red Legged Honeycreeper and what a crazy looking bird it is!
Check out those wild looking red legs but that cute little face topped off with a baby blue crest is what draws me in. Undeniably beautiful but we have one more little cutie to check out.
This beautiful bird is a Golden Hooded Tanager yet another incredibly colorful and vibrant bird that is quite common in Costa Rica, a rich and diverse land overflowing with amazing wildlife and color! What an amazing way to end my second day in Costa Rica.
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