Definitely my favourite spot of the entire trip, the Monteverde Cloud Forest area is absolutely spectacular. The rich biodiversity is amazing and no photos can do it justice. You have to see it to believe it.
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| Lesson's Motmot Santa Elena, Costa Rica (Jan 2019) |
On our first day there, Gary and I toured the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve with a local guide, Esteban Mendez. This was our only birding-specific tour with a birding guide during our 14 day trip and it was amazing. I learned a lot. The bird I really wanted to see was the Resplendent Quetzal and we saw a beautiful male on that day with Esteban. But it wasn't the only Quetzal of the Monteverde segment of the trip. We eventually saw more the next day and 1 more on January 3rd.
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| Esteban and I on the trails Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica |
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| Steely-vented Hummingbird Santa Elena, Costa Rica |
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| Orange-bellied Trogon Santa Elena, Costa Rica |
We arrived at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve at 7h30am. You have to arrive early since they limit the number of visitors that can go into the park at once, which I think is a great thing for controlling human impact and preventing overcrowding.
We saw many interesting species during that January 2nd morning. Here are a few of our sightings. Note: Since the Cloud Forest consists of extremely dense vegetation and is almost constantly in the mist and clouds, the lighting is not ideal for capturing anything in photos. But that's totally ok; that's exactly how it should be because this high-moisture climate is what makes the Cloud Forest what it is.
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| Tufted Flycatcher Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (2 Jan 2019) |
We saw a Green-fronted Lancebill near a set of waterfalls, which is a great place to find this hummingbird (who doesn't visit feeders). My photo doesn't do it justice at all...the long bill is entirely straight. It was one of my favourite hummingbirds of the trip!
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| Very bad photo of the Green-fronted Lancebill |
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| Waterfalls in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Where we saw the Green-fronted Lancebill |
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| Green-crowned Brilliant on nest Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve |
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| Eye-ringed Flatbill Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (2 Jan 2019) |
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| Tawny-throated Leaftosser Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve |
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| Costa Rican Warbler Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (2 Jan 2019) |
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| Slate-throated Redstart Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (2 Jan 2019) |
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| Violet Sabrewing Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (2 Jan 2019) |
On January 3rd we explored the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve again, but this time with the 4 friends we were travelling with. On that day, a female Quetzal landed right beside us as we were exploring trails close to the waterfalls.
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| Female Resplendent Quetzal Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (3 January 2019) |
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| Purple-throated Mountain-gem Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve |
On January 4th, we did a walking tour in Selvatura Park with Juan Carlos Calvo, a great local guide that helped us learn about the flora, fauna, history and the impact of climate change on the Cloud Forest. The hike offered great views of the Cloud Forest from a series of hanging bridges.
On the Selvatura Park trail, I was able to see my first Spangle-cheeked Tanager and Silver-throated Tanager. We also watched 2 Red-faced Spinetails working on their big hanging nest. And of course, all that to the beautiful song of the Black-faced Solitaire.
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| Black-faced Solitaire Selvatura Park, Monteverde Cloud Forest |
One of the highlights of the Selvatura bridge walk was seing a male Resplendent Quetzal at eye-level from one of the bridges. The beauty of Resplendent Quetzal is indescribable. It was in an avocado tree. The following photo shows the wild avocado fruits that were in abundance while we were there; it is one of the many fruits they like to eat (although sometimes they will also eat lizards and insects).
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| Resplendent Quetzal (male) Selvatura Park - Monteverde Cloud Forest |
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| Resplendent Quetzal Selvatura Park - Monteverde Cloud Forest |
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| One of the wild avocado fruits that I found on the ground Monteverde Cloud Forest. |
The cabin we were renting in Santa Elena had easy access to a series of trails, which was a great way to explore more of the forest after our morning tours. The following birds were photographed right on the Los Pinos Cabins property:
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| Lesson's Motmots Los Pinos, Santa Elena, Costa Rica |
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| Northern Emerald Toucanet Los Pinos Trails, Santa Elena |
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| White-fronted Parrot Los Pinos, Santa Elena |
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| White-eared Ground-Sparrow Los Pinos, Santa Elena |
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| Hoffmann's Woodpecker Los Pinos, Santa Elena |
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| Black Guan looking at us Los Pinos Trails, Santa Elena, Costa Rica |
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| Black Guan Los Pinos Trails, Santa Elena |
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| Olivaceous Woodcreeper Los Pinos Trails, Santa Elena |
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