Here are some images from a trip to Costa Rica back in December. We spent several day down in the Osa Peninsula and then a few more up in the Monteverde area. Photos are in somewhat chronological order, so the Osa is up first. (note that very few of these critters were actually spotted by me. A lot of them were found by my wife as well as other members of our group)
Leptodeira septentrionalis
Hypsiboas rosenbergi
Iguana iguana
Dendrophidion percarinatum sleeping a few feet off the ground:
Imantodes cenchoa
Smilisca phaeota
The Agalychnis callidryas here were considerable less colorful than I saw years ago on the Caribbean side. They were everywhere though.
Bothrops asper in situ
Leptodeira septentrionalis in situ.
Dendropsophus ebraccatus
Kinosternon leucostomum
Corytophanes cristatus. I missed these on my first trip to Costa Rica in 2007 so I was very excited to see this guy. Actually one of my favorite animals from this trip.
6’ Clelia clelia
Corallus ruschenbergerii
Centruroides limbatus
Net-casting spider (Deinopis sp.) These things are pretty cool
The only eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) of the trip
Basiliscus basiliscus (note the significant scarring on the face)
Cochranella granulosa
Dermophis occidentalis Certainly one of the highlights of the trip
Oedipina alleni The only salamander species found on the trip, though several individuals turned up.
Oxyrhopus petolarius
Oxbelis aeneus
In situ This juvenile seemed to be settling in for the night.
7’ Boa constrictor. This was not a happy snake, and probably one of the most intimidating snakes I have ever encountered.
A very uncooperative Micrurus alleni. We also turned up a M. nigrocinctus the following night, but I did not get photos.
A few other odds and ends from the Osa:
Leaf-cutter ants
Spider monkey
Green kingfisher
Orange daggerwing
Robber fly with mosquito
Hermit crab
The rest is from the Monteverde area.
My wife spotted this stunningly beautiful Bothriechis lateralis
We saw two of these Geophis hoffmanni. They are very reminiscent of Carphophis.
Ninia maculata A couple of these were found down in the Osa, too, but I didn’t get photos.
Sceloporus malachiticus
Norops biporcatus
Lithobates forreri
Agouti
Blue-crowned motmot
Katydid
Planarian
We spent a day in the Cloud Forest Reserve and had a guide show us around. He wasn’t able to show us any herps, but he knew his stuff when it came to the birds. As soon as we met him, a pair of male resplendent quetzals were spotted right in the parking lot. That was easy. We got great looks (but not great shots).
Black guan
Emerald toucanet
We saw a number of other species in the park, with the highlights being a mottled owl and a green fronted lancebill, but they were too far for photos. Before leaving we checked out the hummingbird feeders, where we saw seven different species of hummingbirds, and I got photos of six of them (missed the green hermit).
Coppery-headed emerald
Male purple-throated mountaingem
Female purple-throated mountaingem
Male green-crowned brilliant
Female green-crowned brilliant
Violet sabrewing
Green violetear
Female magenta-throated woodstar
Bananaquit
And I’ll wrap things up with a shot of a strangler fig.
Thanks for looking.
-Kevin
Costa Rica December 2015
Moderator: Scott Waters
Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Really enjoyed your post, excellent photography and animals. When you were in the osa, did you spend time in corcovado national park? I had heard a guide is required now, I visited the park years ago and was able to hike around on my own, do you know if what I heard about mandatory guides is accurate?
Re: Costa Rica December 2015
I did not go to Corcovado, so I am not sure whether you need a guide or not.
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Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Awesome post Kevin. Ive seen em all on your flickr site but its even more impressive when you put em all together.
Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Beautiful shots of a great diversity of critters. That Dermophis is very cool!
Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Nice shots, bud. Lots of cool stuff here. I was planning to do a Costa Rica trip in December but had to cancel. It's nice to vicariously enjoy yours!
- walk-about
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Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Kevin -
WoW! What a splendid body of work. Your pictures are stunning!! That cryptic Eyelash Viper is a real beauty! Thanks for posting.
Dave
WoW! What a splendid body of work. Your pictures are stunning!! That cryptic Eyelash Viper is a real beauty! Thanks for posting.
Dave
Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Great pictures Kevin. Just missing the bushmaster!
Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Stunning photography. You guys really did well. Thanks for sharing.
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Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Hypsiboas rosenbergi!!!!!! Great post.
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Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Beautiful photographs, I loved them all. I have made 4 trips to Costa Rica and NEVER got to see Corytophanes cristatus! One correction: your spider monkey is actually a squirrel monkey.. I need to get back down there.
Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Thanks, everybody. Everyone should make a trip to Costa Rica at some point in their life. Beautiful place.
Thanks for pointing that out. I knew that, just mislabeled it (I labeled it right on flickr if that counts for anything). It's the only species I didn't get to see on my previous trip to CR, which was exclusively to the Caribbean side, so I was happy to see those guys everywhere down in the Osa.ClosetHerper wrote:One correction: your spider monkey is actually a squirrel monkey.
Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Great photos, thanks for posting. That eyelash viper is a master of disguise.
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Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Awesome post! that eyelash viper is great. also the humming bird pictures are fantastic. what kind of camera gear do you use? also was there a feeder or something near by or were you able to get close enough to get those pics of all the hummingbirds without a feeder. either way they were awesome. congrats on the awesome finds on your trip.
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Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Fantastic photos of great finds! I love all the skinny, shoestring-like tree snakes. Must be fun to photograph!
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Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Awesome photos, Kevin! You had some very cooperative subjects (apart from the Boa constrictor). The hermit crab was a nice little gem.
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Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Wow, those shots are amazing!!!
What field guide do you recommend for Costa Rica? I'll be there over spring break and own the book by Savage but it is absolutely massive. Is there any guide I can bring into the field?
What field guide do you recommend for Costa Rica? I'll be there over spring break and own the book by Savage but it is absolutely massive. Is there any guide I can bring into the field?
Re: Costa Rica December 2015
I am shooting Sony gear (A77 body). Most of the photos were taken with either a Sigma 70mm macro or a Sony 70-400mm telephoto.Yes, those hummingbirds and the bananaquit were photographed at the feeders next to the coffee shop at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve entrance. Very poor light for photography, but tons of hummingbirds with no fear.pythonregius3 wrote:Awesome post! that eyelash viper is great. also the humming bird pictures are fantastic. what kind of camera gear do you use? also was there a feeder or something near by or were you able to get close enough to get those pics of all the hummingbirds without a feeder. either way they were awesome. congrats on the awesome finds on your trip.
Yeah, the Savage book is the best source, but definitely not a field guide (and becoming out of date with a lot of the changes in taxonomy, particularly the frogs). Several folks in my group had the "Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Pocket Guide" by Chacon and Johnston, and it is pretty good for a field guide covering such a diverse area. I did notice some issues, primarily with the maps, which are small and broken into regions (not a terrible way to do it), but did not appear to be terribly accurate. As in not showing species to occur in areas where they definitely do occur, so you may have to take those with a grain of salt. I personally have "A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica" by Twan Leenders. I have some issues with this one as well. It does not include all species that occur in Costa Rica, often only including one member of a genus. For example, it only includes one Geophis, even though there seven different species. It doesn't even mention the other species (other than in the appendix), let alone how to tell them apart. Of course, some concessions need to be made to keep down the size of the book, and they mention as much in the introduction. I would just prefer less natural history info and more ID characteristics in a field guide. I can look that other stuff up at home.jack4rogers wrote:Wow, those shots are amazing!!!
What field guide do you recommend for Costa Rica? I'll be there over spring break and own the book by Savage but it is absolutely massive. Is there any guide I can bring into the field?
I also noticed some people in our group were relying too heavily on the photos from the field guides. Most similar species, especially the Eleutherodactylus/Craugastor frogs, the anoles, and the small fossorial snakes need to be keyed out or at least check multiple characteristics, as pattern an color can be highly variable. Best to take photos of anything that might be useful (dorsum, venter, feet, scales, etc.) and consult with Savage later. But either of those field guides will help narrow things down in the field.
- jack4rogers
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Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Wow, thanks! I'll check it out!Stohlgren wrote:I am shooting Sony gear (A77 body). Most of the photos were taken with either a Sigma 70mm macro or a Sony 70-400mm telephoto.Yes, those hummingbirds and the bananaquit were photographed at the feeders next to the coffee shop at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve entrance. Very poor light for photography, but tons of hummingbirds with no fear.pythonregius3 wrote:Awesome post! that eyelash viper is great. also the humming bird pictures are fantastic. what kind of camera gear do you use? also was there a feeder or something near by or were you able to get close enough to get those pics of all the hummingbirds without a feeder. either way they were awesome. congrats on the awesome finds on your trip.
Yeah, the Savage book is the best source, but definitely not a field guide (and becoming out of date with a lot of the changes in taxonomy, particularly the frogs). Several folks in my group had the "Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Pocket Guide" by Chacon and Johnston, and it is pretty good for a field guide covering such a diverse area. I did notice some issues, primarily with the maps, which are small and broken into regions (not a terrible way to do it), but did not appear to be terribly accurate. As in not showing species to occur in areas where they definitely do occur, so you may have to take those with a grain of salt. I personally have "A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica" by Twan Leenders. I have some issues with this one as well. It does not include all species that occur in Costa Rica, often only including one member of a genus. For example, it only includes one Geophis, even though there seven different species. It doesn't even mention the other species (other than in the appendix), let alone how to tell them apart. Of course, some concessions need to be made to keep down the size of the book, and they mention as much in the introduction. I would just prefer less natural history info and more ID characteristics in a field guide. I can look that other stuff up at home.jack4rogers wrote:Wow, those shots are amazing!!!
What field guide do you recommend for Costa Rica? I'll be there over spring break and own the book by Savage but it is absolutely massive. Is there any guide I can bring into the field?
I also noticed some people in our group were relying too heavily on the photos from the field guides. Most similar species, especially the Eleutherodactylus/Craugastor frogs, the anoles, and the small fossorial snakes need to be keyed out or at least check multiple characteristics, as pattern an color can be highly variable. Best to take photos of anything that might be useful (dorsum, venter, feet, scales, etc.) and consult with Savage later. But either of those field guides will help narrow things down in the field.
Re: Costa Rica December 2015
Love the Dermophis and everything else, all great shots! Wow that Bothriechis!!!