Costa Rica, April 2007

The wonderful little country of Costa Rica again lived up to its reputation, and we have recently completed another successful 'Photo Safari,' seeing and photographing a wide variety of birds and other wildlife, along with many not seen on previous trips. I am continually amazed that no matter how many times I visit Costa Rica, there seems to be no end to the variety of wildlife we encounter.

As with this past December's trip, we headed first to Poas Volcano, and La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Mist once again obscured our view at Poas, unfortunately, but La Paz was quite productive. In particular, they have a brand new Aviary which were able to visit, which was a wonderful experience, and a great introduction to the birds of Costa Rica. We then headed to the Sarapiqui area, where we were able to shoot on the beautiful grounds at our lodge, along with a visit to the LaSelva OTS, and a boat trip on the Sarapiqui River. Then we were off to Cerro de la Muerte, in search of the Resplendant Quetzal. We were extremely fortunate, as there was a nesting pair a very short distance from our lodge, right off the dirt road. We had several opportunities to see and shoot these beautiful birds, as they went to and from the nest, feeding their chick (inside the hollow of a tree trunk). We even saw several of them in the trees of the grounds at our lodge. Having only seen 1 individual in all my previous trips, on a rain-soaked morning in Monteverde, this was a fantastic opportunity, and one of the highlights of this trip for me. The final destination was on the Pacific coast, where we visited Manuel Antonio National Park, Carara National Park, had another great experience on the Tarcoles River boat trip, and shot Scarlet Macaws at a beach near the Tarcoles, which has been very consistent for us each time we've been there.

I have grouped the images into 3 small galleries, which basically cover the trip in chronological order, and which can be accessed by clicking on the Icons below. For those with Google Earth installed on your computers, you can see where the images were taken by clicking on the following KMZ files: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Finally, details are almost complete for my next trip, with tentative dates of Nov. 29 through Dec. 9, 2007. I am designing the itinerary with a "best of" approach, selecting the locations and activities that have been most worthwhile, based on all my previous visits to Costa Rica. I am also selecting the best lodging, as well as streamlining the travel logistics, which should take this trip to the "next level." Please email me if you have interest, or would like additional information.

All Content © Donald L. Cohen, MD All Rights Reserved Click on each thumbnail to open up a larger image.

These images, along with all the others present in the various galleries, are available for purchase as prints up to 13"x19". For more details on buying prints, please click here.

Costa Rica, April 2007 - Part 1

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Keel-billed Toucan

Brown Violet-ear Hummingbird

Purple-throated Mountain Gem (Female)

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Common Tody Flycatcher

Yellow-bellied Elania

White Hawk in Flight

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Long-tailed Tyrant

Long-tailed Tyrant on Nest

Crested Guan

Green Parrot Snake

Peccary