Costa Rica- the Highlands

We ended our time in the highland cloud forest.  Our rain gear remained in our baggage because it is the dry season in February.  But, we were prepared! Next time I will only bring a small umbrella.

At elevation, we mostly saw little critters with a preponderance of rapidly moving hummingbirds. I prefer natural settings for  subjects so there are none showing feeding stations.  Compounding this is the speed for most hummingbirds.


There are a group of nectar feeders that rob nectar without pollinating the flowers.  They cut directly into the nectar site.  I believe this little brown bird is doing just that.  He perches beneath the cluster of blooms and .....

...  uses its sharp beak to enter at the right spot.

 Only occasionally was I fast enough to get focus and grab an image.

I never could do this with film.  It would take half a dozen rolls to get just one shot like this, or the next one.

There were unexpected visitors like this Red-tailed Squirrel.  It came in for the ripe fruit on a platform feeder.  It looks very similar to the Red Squirrels in New York.

While the hovering hummers only allow a few seconds to capture a photo, sometimes one will choose to perch in full sunlight.  Then you have maybe 30 seconds, which is a luxury.

That birds was clearly visible. This next image is a favorite for me because it offered a narrow tunnel of visibility.

There was one larger visitor, a Black-cheeked Woodpecker.  It seems all woodpeckers have sharply defined patterns.

The highland cloud forest, even in the dry season, offers a fine display of flowers including bountiful numbers of succulents.  This cluster was outside our lodging in the Savegre River valley.

Every lodging we visited had beautiful flower beds like these.

It is little surprise that Costa Rica is such a popular destination. The Tico are serious about maintaining a balance with their natural resources.  Pura Vida!  It reflects their philosophy.

Have to visit again, maybe in the wet season?

Paul Schmitt