Planning –
This is the toughest phase, especially when it’s a different country, when people there speak a different language and when everyone you know who has been there points you to a tour operator. But don’t give up, the internet is a powerful tool, seek and you shall find. So I did a lot of reading on the birds, the climate, the travel, the language, currency, locations, target species etc. during this time I spoke to a lot of locals too who in their way tried a lot to help (and make money). But then I met a great person from the west coast who is a great photographer and was super helpful in furnishing everything I was trying to find out. Here’s the suggestion I got from him.
Contacts –
1st night at San Jose – Extended stay america.
Car rentals – Hertz, etc (always get a gps) I got the vehicle from the lodge as this was my 1st time here
3 Nights Laguna Lagarto Lodge – Kurt 0050683694886
2 nights Bosque De Paz Lodge – 0050622346676
Day Trip from Bosque De Paz – Catarata Del Torro – Wil Y Donais – 0050624760800
Tip – Carry cash, very very important
– Laguna Lagarto Lodge –
We took a flight from Houston to San Juan Santa Maria airport which was roughly a 3 hrs flight. Upon landing it took us no time to realize that we were in the tropics. The weather button had flipped from 2 degrees to 32 suddenly and there was humidity. But the call of toucans was already ringing in the head and everything looked set for the next few days. I had pre booked a cab that was waiting for us at the airport. Laguna Lagarto is a 3.5 hr drive from the airport in a 4×4 but a very enjoyable one. Keep an eye for all the 1st time lifers that you will see on the way. We also chanced upon a lovely rainbow and got some shots with my phone camera.
We reached the resort by around 1pm and fresh hot food was served, costa rican style! As soon as I finished lunch I got on to the ramp ready to shoot. This is a bird feeder spot and there is no shame in saying it. All toucan images you see of wildlife photographers with clean bg shot in costa rica is from this place, period! There is nothing unethical about it as there is no other way of photographing these shy birds in the wild with great bgs. What followed for the next 3 days was pure magic. Hours near the feeder, walking on the birding trails, waiting for vultures, getting bitten by giant mosquitos, rashes, fear of getting bitten by vipers and other snakes, searching owls at mid night and spending time with poison frogs. The place is magic! I highly recommend Laguna Lagarto lodge to anyone who wants to visit costa rica for the 1st time. During the trip I met some famed tour operators too and we did spend a good bit talking about various things. It was here where I accomplished some long awaited shots that I wanted to make of long tongued bats in the wild too.
My recommendation would be to plan a stay of atleast 3-4 days here –
Day 1 – spend time at the feeder shooting tanagers, toucans, parrots, honeycreepers and other birds that are almost impossible to get good shots of. One key to take help from the senior naturalist of the place Didier. He is amazing! Very hard working and extremely knowledgeable too.
Tip – Remember that a good naturalist can make or break your trip. So make sure you are polite and respectful with them.
Day 2 – spend this day at the manager (Adolfo’s) house. He has one of the craziest gardens I have ever seen. The place has 8-9 different species of humming birds and various other small birds all concentrated within an area of 800-1000 sq feet!! He has a very nominal charge for the session so be sure to enquire before starting. Don’t forget to check back for my write up on high sync speed to make some good humming bird shots.
You can spend the evening shooting bats if you have planned this in advance and have the right gear for the shots. I had to purchase a lot of equipment for this setup and will write a separate column on the setup.
Day 3 – I spent this day doing multiple things. King vulture was on the top of my list but due to bad weather it kept getting delayed. However the sun decided to show up after 11am and things changed. I spent the rest of the day looking for poison dart frogs and snakes. My guide – Didier whos one the best in that area and has worked with greats like Greg Basco was helping me find these little guys and helped me immensely with my macro setup. One needs to be extremely careful dealing with these reptiles as things can change very quickly with 1 bite! Imagine you are are 3 hrs away from a doctor with no anti venom around you. Be careful, the excitement can sometimes get the better of you!
Later this evening I had only 1 thing in mind. I had promised a dear friend from delhi a record shot of a black and white owl and to my great luck we found one calling during dinner near our camp. A little bit of searching and the task was completed. Since these are the experiences that define a wildlife trip I decided to pursue looking for more owls that evening. A collared owl later obliged at a very bad angle but everything is acceptable at that time.
Bosque De Paz
Day 4 –
Next day we left for BDP after breakfast.
While looking for birds at fixed locations is fun I really find birding while driving on roads to be as gripping as the rest. On our way to the airport I had seen a lot of raptors and knew that there will be many opportunities while heading back as well. As luck would have it we got some good shots of a gray hawk, groove billed ani and some other birds.
We reached bosque de paz at around noon and the resort was much nicer compared to laguna in terms of luxury (this is sometimes a good thing while travelling with a non birder spouse J ). Lots of humming bird activities around the place made it extremely promising as well. Bosque de paz is situated in the high altitudes and rain is a constant botheration here. It is extremely important to be equipped with rain gear all the time if birding on foot. It is here that I got some record shots of the collared trogon high on the trees.
The next day we drove to the Catarate Del Toro waterfalls to shoot humming birds. The owner Wil is a dutch gentleman who runs the place and needs to be aware of your trip in advance. The restaurant area is swarmed by many species of humming birds and a great place to make some fantastic images. Carry cash! Carry flash! One huge mistake that i did during the trip was not to carry a decent background to shoots hummers. Since you will be shooting a very narrow aperture for hummers it is extremely important to carry a bg that makes or breaks your image. While i got some sharp shots of the hummers i hated the black bgs.
Headed back to BDP later in the after noon and spent more time shooting humming birds but we knew our time in the magnificent country was coming to an end. The place had very few guests and was very good for us to finally unwind before heading back home.
Some final thoughts –
- A bit of spanish will go a long way, especially if you have to deal with locals
- Carry american dollar bills, they can be really important at some places
- If using flashes use eneloop batteries and have enough chargers
- Must have a tripod!
- A great time to visit is Nov – Jan
- Leave you thoughts in the comments below 🙂
HAPPY BIRDING!
Wild Escapades Photography - Supreet Sahoo 