Costa Rica - Wildlife and Nature 2011

by Kenth Esbensen

Costa Rican Wildlife and Nature 2011
- pictures from 10 days in the end of january.

Agalychnis calidryas - Red-eyed Treefrog.	*Hummingbirds* are small and extremely fast fliers!	*Bromelias* - in trees all over the place - even in the city!
Restrepia sp - one of many small orchids flowering in the Monteverde Orchid Garden in St. Elena.	*Psarocolius montezuma* - a Montezuma's Oropendula feeding on the ripe Papaya fruit.	*Pelecanus occidentalis* - The Brown Pelican is a very common sight at both the Carribean and the Pacific coasts.
*Calocitta formosa* - White-throated Magpie-Jay	*Mangrove trees* have very specialized, impressive roots.	*Treeferns* are part of the cloud forrests in Monteverde.
*Brachypelma smithii -* Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula	*Basiliscus plumifrons* - Green Basilisk - young specimen.	*Basiliscus basiliscus* - Brown Jesus-Christ Lizzard
*Arundinia graminifolia* - an asian guest in many gardens	Agalychnis saltator - Mis-fit Treefrog.	*Aulacorhyncus prasinus* - Emerald Toucanet
*Ramphocelus passerinii* - Passerini's Tanager.	*Cerro Chato Trail* - the Volcano has been dormant for 3700 years, and the cloud-forrest is covering the steep slopes.	Dendrobates auratus - Green poison-arrow Frog
Orchids in almost every tree in the rain- and cloudforrests!	*Sobralia* are terrestrial orchids, that are found widespread in Costa Rica - even alongside many country roads in farmlands.	Sobralia are some of the first to colonize maturing lava fields on Volcano Arenal - along with some Epidendrums.
*St. Elena Reserve* - a small sprouting tree on the side of a fallen large trunk has grown large itself - a 1st. floor tree!	*Epiphytes* of all sorts covering the branches of every old tree. The heavy load breaks off both small and bigger branches.	*Tigrisoma mexicanum* - Bare-throaeted Tiger-Heron
*Dendrobates pumilio* - Blue-jeans poison-arrow Frog.	*Heliconia* visited by a very swift hummingbird.	Rana warszewitchii - Brilliant Forrest Frog

*Atta colombica* - Leaf-cutting Ants harvesting raw-material for their underground fungus-farming!	*Atta colombica* - there are several different species of Leaf-cutting Ants - and they work day and night! - Nightshift are the most active!	*Atta colombica* - the entrance to their underground World - easily stretching several meters to all sides.
*Rana taylori* - Leopard Frog	*Treefern* putting out the next generation of leaves.	*Heliconia* with plantlets forming in the flower itself.
*Egretta coerulea* - a very common sight at the waterways.	*Tortuguero* - flooding of the land due to heavy rainfall for days.	*Leptodactylus pentadactylus* - Smoky Jungle Frog
*Choloepus hoffmannii* - the Two-toed sloth.	Smilisca sordida - Drab Treefrog	*Corallus ruschenbergerii* - The Mangrove Boa resting in a tree.
*Smilisca baudinii* - Mexican Treefrog	*Tortuguero* - the tours go on in the rain.	*Tortuguero -* I forgot the name of this spectacular and magnificent tree.
	Alouetta palliata - Manteled Howler Monkey
*Rhinoclemmys funerea* - Black Wood Turtles resting on a half submerged log in the river.	*Passiflora vitifolia* - Vine Leaf Passion flower really stand out in the rainforrest with the bright red color.	*Pteroglossus frantzii* - Fiery-billed Aracari
Cebus capucinus - White-faced Monkey.		Far from all flowers in the rainforrest are orchids.
*Ctenosaura similis* - Black Iguana.	*Dasyprocta punctata* - Agouti.	*Dryopus lineatus* - Lineated Woodpecker
Pleurothalis sp.	*Ctenosaura similis* - another Black Iguana - or is it?	*Costa Rican Wasps* in a Manuel Antonio tree.
*Nasua narica* - Koati.	Saimri oerstedtii - Squirrel Monkey	Lepanthes sp.
Saltator maximus - Buff-throated Saltator	Epiphytic ferns and mosses are everywhere - and orchids will eventually join in.	Ara macao - Scarlet Macaw
Small orchid from the Monteverde Orchid Garden.	Anhinga anhinga - American Darter	Hard to believe - two beautiful flowers on an even smaller epiphytic orchid plant on this tiny branch.
What is this? - A Black Iguana? - I don't think so - snout too blunt, and horns on the nose. Marine-Iguana in Costa Rica??	Another small beauty.
Volcano Arenal - still very active - but quiet for the moment.	The Arenal Summit - a glimpse for a moment.	*Cerro Chato* in the background - lava from 1999 in front!
	*Terns* - sorry - I don't know the right species name.	Bromelia - and even more Bromelia in different shapes!
Hermit-crab - a small fellow at Manuel Antonio National Park.		*Iguana iguana* - they are all over the place on the Carribean coast and lowland slopes.
Bromelia - and more Bromelia with or without flowers!	Jacana spinosa - American Jacana
This spiny palm species is not exactly inviting visitors!		*Eudocimus albus* - a White Ibis in the Pacific Mangrove.
	Bromelia - hundreds of different species in all sizes!	*Bradypus variegatus* - the 3-toed Sloth with a cob in Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific coast.
Heron or Egret sp. - but whitch one? - It's not in any of my books. - Any Help?	A 2-inch+ spider on a Heliconia flower	A huge *Epidendrum* with hundreds of flowers, together with a nice Bromelia in this fence-post
*Heliconia* - one of many spectacular and beautiful species in the Costa Rican forests.	Low tide in the Mangrove, revealing the silt deposits building up between the roots of the mangrove trees.	A Manuel Antonio beach - well before rush-hour!
Selenidera spectabilis - this should be the rarest of all Toucans in Costa Rica - Yellow-eared Toucanett.	Fine orchid plant with tiny white flowers.	*Ramphastos sulfuratus* - the Keel-billed Toucan.
This was the most common orchid species found in the rainforrest this time - I believe, it's a *Maxillaria sp*..	*Penelope purpurascens* - we saw the Crested Guan at several occasions in the Arenal area.	*Epidendrum radicans* - very common in old lava fields.
One of the many epiphytic ferns in Monteverde.	I'm not certain what kind of Motmot this is.	*Clowesia* is an orchid family known to grow well on rotten tree-stumps - and here it is spreading freely by seeds.
*Procyon lotor* - the Northern Racoon can be a pest - this one snatched a ham sandwich on the beach.	I don't know the name of this orchid species	One of the small fallen branches from the canopy - with a thick layer of moss - and several nice orchid plants!