Costa Rica 2009: A New Adventure
It wasn’t the frogs croaking or the crickets chirping or even the strange night sounds that abound throughout the rainforest. It wasn’t the songs of tropical birds in the early morning and not even the call of a toucan that could be heard in the distance. There was simply nothing like that first bite of fresh pineapple that told me I was back in Costa Rica. A little over a year had passed and I was about to begin my second journey photographing the wonders of Costa Rica with my good friend and incredible photographer Greg Basco of Foto Verde Tours.
Indeed…a second tour. When I mentioned to friends that I would be returning to Costa Rica for another photographic excursion they were somewhat baffled. “But you have already been there!?” they said. “Costa Rica is so alive!” I explained. There was still so much to explore…so much to see and experience in Costa Rica that I could not even imagine traveling anywhere else despite my desire to explore more of our planet. I simply love it there.
Our search for macaws, monkeys and quetzals began with a brief detour to the lovely Villa Lapas on the Pacific Coast to explore a tropical rainforest near the Carara National Park. Quite different from the Central Valley from were we departed, the heat and humidity struck like a brick wall as we exited our air conditioned mini bus piloted by our driver, naturalist and a pretty darn good photographer himself, Jose. We were greeted by a ctenosaur, more commonly known as the black iguana, who gracefully extended the courtesy of allowing us to photograph him before retreating to the comfort and privacy of shade. We capped off the evening with a fine dinner and a session with the famed red-eyed tree frog. To my amazement, Jose would disappear for a brief moment and return with our first specimen. From my previous journey through Costa Rica , I could recall the difficulty in finding these amazingly photogenic creatures and was awed by Jose’s skill in finding one in such a short time. When this little guy did not want to be photographed any longer, Jose simply left once again for a short moment and returned with our next specimen. “Jose, The Frog Master… Master of the Jungle ” I told myself in amazement once again.
The next morning I couldn’t help but hum the theme song to “Gilligan’s Island” as we boarded a small river boat for a “three hour tour”. With Greg as our “professor”, we travelled the Tarcoles River where we observed and photographed American crocodiles, snowy egrets, green herons, yellow headed cara cara, osprey, and even a kingfisher and a mot mot on the river bank. The snowy egrets were fearless towards the crocodiles and I patiently waited for nature to take it’s course. One egret casually moved within feet of a crocodiles wide open jaws and…well…lucky for the egret, I don’t think the crocodile was very hungry! It stealthily disappeared back into the dark river where I’m sure it planned it’s attack for it’s next meal. Our return to land brought us to a relaxing afternoon photographing a turquoise browed mot mot that seemed to relish the sounds of our shutters clicking and the lightning storm of flashes brought on by our better beamers. The elusive scarlet macaws however were to high in the sky to photograph as they passed overhead on their way home from their daytime feeding grounds.
Later that evening, the great Jose, “Frog Master” had simply become the “Great Jose, Mere Mortal” as I stumbled upon the pond where literally hundreds of frogs had gathered. Ok, maybe not hundreds, but there were a lot! It was the beginning of the wet season and unbeknownst to me, the beginning of the breeding season. It was comparable to fishing in a bathtub…there were frogs everywhere! Even the dropping of my flashlight into the pond did not deter me from having a lot of fun photographing these little “Kermit’s”. Lucky for me, my flashlight was somewhat waterproof and not hard to find as I followed the light path and reached into the pond to retrieve it. The next morning, we headed off further down the Pacific Coast to the wild jungle rainforests and beaches of the Golfito area near the Panama border. It was there, at Tiskita Lodge, where Jose would regain his status as “Master of the Rainforests” as we began our quest for squirrel, white faced and howler monkeys.
Tiskita Lodge is nestled amongst pristine tropical rainforests and beaches where our mornings were greeted by the sounds of howler monkeys and the smell of a variety of flowering plants and fruit trees near our cabin. My first thoughts of photographing monkeys was that hopefully they would pass by for good photographic opportunities. Jose’s head would pop up and say: “The monkeys are coming.” And so they did. The “Great Jose, Master of the Jungles” had once again regained his status! All kidding aside, Jose was an awesome naturalist and guide and I quickly learned that where Jose went, great photo opportunities arose. So I stayed close and to my delight, the monkeys not only passed by, but we spent hours upon hours following the troop of squirrel monkeys that frequented the area. It was absolutely amazing! We stopped to observe and photograph as the monkeys swung from tree to tree crossing the path we were on. I also watched the “master photographer” at work. As the monkeys flew from tree to tree, Greg was photographing them in mid air as they “flew” across our path. Perfect focus…perfect exposure…perfect timing…a perfect image…simply amazing! Similarly, the next day, the pursuit of the squirrel monkeys led us to another path to which they would once again swing from tree to tree to cross our path. I proceeded down the path to get a better angle and take advantage of the morning light when I spotted the young monkey attempting his leap. Just over head, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of him loosing his grip on the branch he had swung to. I cringed at the thought of how this little guy was going to react upon landing on my head. Luckily, he landed several feet next to me and I have never seen a monkey move so fast. With two leaps and with the speed of a lightning bolt, he was back with his troop amongst the trees. It was awesome! A note to Greg: For your next trip…hard hats optional? The jungles at Tiskita lodge were the hottest and the most humid environment I have ever experienced. Would I stay there again? In a heartbeat!
Our next journey up to the cool 8,000 foot misty Pacific slope cloud forest took us to the best area in the country to photograph the resplendent male quetzal and a variety of hummingbird species. Savegre Lodge was a welcome change from the heat and humidity of Tiskita as a jacket and long pants were necessary at times. We would rise at 5:30 a.m. and patiently wait for the male quetzal to come and perch on his favourite tree until 7:30a.m. He would grace us with his presence every morning but never in the ideal spot to capture a great shot. Finally on the last morning of our stay, he perched on our tree for a brief moment. Enough for us to fire off half a dozen or so frames before he headed off into the mountains. He perched and sat much like a king overlooking his kingdom. With a touch of arrogance but mostly confidence, his presence portrayed beauty and grace that only an emperor or great majesty can carry. He was gorgeous and he new it. He flew off with his magnificent tail waving behind him leaving me with an incredible feeling of fortune and satisfaction that I was able to witness this beautiful quetzal.
The hummingbirds of Costa Rica were one of my favourites of this journey. Greg’s system of multiple flashes not only aided in capturing fantastic images but also portrayed the birds as they are in nature. I must give Greg full credit for the hummingbird images as without his knowledge and expertise, they would not have been possible. There is something so mystical about these birds that keep me wanting to learn more about them. My brother in law says they are like fairies… “you hear about them but never see them.” Hummingbirds hover in mid air, can actually fly backwards and their wings beat 12-90 beats per second depending on the species. Their aerial acrobatics are incredible and for their size, they can be extremely aggressive and territorial. Capturing images of the magnificent and green-violet eared hummingbirds at Savegre was awesome, however, photographing the rufus-tailed and violet sabrewings with Greg was the highlight of my trip. A special thanks to Greg and his family for making my stay in Costa Rica so wonderful. Also a big thanks to Jose for keeping us safe and being an incredible naturalist and guide!
A return in 2010 with Foto Verde Tours? Without a doubt! Great friends, great people, great food and great adventures…what more could one ask for? See you in the jungles!!
Until next time…
F
