What is there to see in Costa Rica? Close encounters with nature and wildlife!

I have produced a short video on the exotic wildlife of Costa Rica. To make this video, I mixed together a variety of short video clips and digital pictures from my most recent trip. Most of the footage is from Turrialba Valley, Ostional Beach and San Jose’s Culture Plaza. In Turrialba Valley, you’ll observe wasps pollinating a Heliconia at Guayabo Lodge, a sloth foraging in the tree and leafcutter ants on the march at Guayabo National Monument as well as a variety of flycatchers and an unusual hopping black bird by the roadside. In Ostional/Nosara Beach (Nicoya Peninsula), you’ll see a Black Iguana, a Marine Toad and a Great White Heron. The final segment of the video features scenes from San Jose’s popular Culture Plaza which are reminiscent of The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock’s famous thriller. PURA VIDA!

Note: The young bird guide from Guayabo National Monument identified the black hopping bird along the roadside as a Variable Seedeater (see video between 1:40.20 - 2:07). I’m not too sure about this! In any case, the bird’s hopping behavior is either uncovering seeds or exposing small insects for him to eat. The Black Iguana (who I affectionately named Jesus) and the toad were residents of Luna Azul, my hotel in Ostional.

Birdwatching and sighting exotic tropical butterflies are two of the most popular pastimes of the many Natural History enthusiasts who visit Costa Rica. From my experience, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to sample the rich diversity of the tropics including the wildlife from the comfort of your own hotel, especially if you’re staying out in the countryside. From your own verandah, chances are you’ll see many species of birds and colorful butterflies, iguanas and the like, and if your hotel is located in a heavily wooded area, you may even be visited by a howler monkey troop. Whoop, whoop…

At night, if you listen carefully you may even hear the chirping of the resident gecko (or two) who lives in your room. Don’t be afraid, they won’t harm you. They earn their room and board by keeping the room free of small insects.

Now if you’re into exotic insects (of the non butterfly variety), you’ll be in “Seventh Heaven” as many of the ‘little buggers’ will be crawling around the hotel grounds doing their thing - sight unseen of course. It was just the other day that I was leisurely enjoying some hot Costa Rican coffee on the veranda of the Guayabo Lodge in Turrialba Valley, when I had an encounter with a large, rather ferocious looking beetle. The creature was making his journey across a small table; unfortunately it didn’t see the table edge and the poor beetle took a dive overboard, landing unceremoniously upside down of the floor. With a little prodding, I flipped the bug over allowing it to continue it’s daily rounds. Strange but true!