Costa Rican creatures

Spotting the different creatures on our trip in Costa Rica became a treasure hunt. Each of the areas we visited was quite distinct from the other - cloud forest, beach, tropical forest - and each had different species of wildlife. Trying to find them, see them, and identify them, was part of the fun. I was able to take some great snaps with my camera phone, such as the one of the sloth above, but for the most part I was content to add some of their names to an ever-growing list.

Many of the guides were determined to show sloths, and we did see them everywhere on our travels, but mostly they were very hard to see - motionless and hidden by the leaves in trees. We did get a very good view of one or two, and when you can see their faces they are strangely adorable.

Local guides were indispensable to find the flora and fauna, because they knew what's what and what's where. Sometimes, even with guides pointing directly at some of the creatures and with viewing scopes aimed, it was hard to spot specimens because they were so very well camouflaged. The nocturnal creatures that were sleeping during the day were extremely hard to spot. Two-toed sloths looked like hairy coconuts, a massive tapir disappeared right into the shadows, resting owls were invisible. During the day, a nocturnal florescent green pit viper blended so well into the jungle floor I almost stepped on her, but during on our night tour she was much more visible in the strike position! 

Caligo (owl) butterfly

The Morpho and Caligo butterflies were a sight to behold - the blue of the morpho so exquisite! And the Caligo markings to disguise it from predators as an owl or snake. Pieces of fragile art floating by in the air.

We saw leaf-cutter ants hard at work in the forests, trails and jungles. Deafening cicadas. Huge spiders. And tarantulas, which I learned aren't even part of the spider family. 

And so many different birds! 

Blue-crowned motmot

Just sitting on the deck of our cabins we could see different birds. One of my favourites was the blue crowned motmot, with its elegant tail. Many different types of flycatchers and hummingbirds. With our guide in the cloud forest, we sighted and identified more than forty different bird species in four hours, including a female quetzal. Not all were brightly coloured, such as the clay coloured thrush, wood creepers and owls. The guide gave us a tip to visit the Hummingbird Gallery where we saw hundreds darting around the feeders, and so many different types! Seeing the ruby throated hummingbird was special, knowing that like us, it had made its journey from Canada. 

In Drake Bay we would often hear mackaws and saw them in silhouette as they flew overhead. On our last morning there we were determined to see them up close so hung out on the beach near a grove where a couple had been sighted. Two Scarlet Mackaws flew in and gave us a good view of their brightly coloured feathers. A nice way to end our stay!

Spider monkey in Corcovado Park, Osa

We saw monkeys in La Fortuna, Manuel Antonio and the Osa, but they were most plentiful in Manuel Antonio. Our hotel there had a troop of howlers and a gang of squirrel monkeys and we watched them from our balcony for hours. The howlers would sound whenever buses or trucks went by, which was frequently. What a noise! They are the loudest land mammal. Capuchin monkeys made themselves a nuisance to restaurants, and were quite bold hanging in the trees and darting to tables to steal packets of sugar and ketchup.

On the Osa Penninsula, our journey by car ended and we travelled by boat, first through mangroves past crocodiles and then out to the Pacific. On our way to Corcovado Sirena Station, we saw sea turtles mating and dolphins fishing with boobies overhead. We also went on a whale watching tour, and although we saw one spout in the distance, the biggest thrill was being in the centre of a pod of spotted dolphins - hundreds of them at play, swimming near the boat, jumping high and smacking their tails.

Spotted dolphins played near our boat.

Yes! I kept a list of some of the creatures that we sighted during our Costa Rica road trip, but I wasn't completely diligent. Here's the list:

La Fortuna

3 toed sloth in tree
Stingless bees

Mistico Hanging Bridges Park
Spider monkey
White-nosed coati (Pizote)

Northern Tamandua (similar to anteater, long snout)
Leaf cutter ants
Vampire bats
Glass wing butterfly

Birds

Clay coloured thrush (national bird)
Cherry tanager
Blue unting 
Wood creeper
Turkey vultures
Rock doves
Great tailed grackel
Black guan
Motmot
Yellow crowned euphonia
Swallows
Parakeets

Black iguana

Samara

Ctenosaur (black iguana)
Opossum

Birds

Frigate
Hummingbirds
Egret
Heron
Sandpipers
Black vulture
Great kiskadee

Monteverde

Monkey white faced capachin
Agouti
Orange kneed tarantula

Pit Viper

Birds

Blue crowned motmot
Great tail grackle

... with Guide in Curi-Cancha reserve and Stella's

Brown jay
Flycatchers

• Boat billed flycatcher
• Tropical
• Social
• Dust cap flycatcher
• Kiskadee

Palm tree pilanolette
Yellow faced grass grebe
Baltimore oriole
Tanagers

• Blue grey tanager
• Summer tanager
• Silver throated tanager
• Palm tanager

White crowned parrot

Euphonias

• Yellow crowned
• Yellow throated

Golden olive woodpecker

White eared ground sparrow (endemic)
Plain chachalaca

Hummingbirds!!

• Violet
• Lesser violet ear
• Copper
• Purple throated mountain gem
• Ruby-throated

Olivaceous wood creeper
Paltry Tyrannulet
Slate throated redstart
Thrush
Mountain thrush
Crested guan
Wild Turkey
Female quetzal
Scarlet thighed Dacnis
Common chlorudspingus (some argument whether this is a sparrow or tanager)
Northern emerald toucanette
Black and white warbler
House wren
Black-faced solitaire
Mottled Owl

Sleeping Toucan in Monteverde

Manuel Antonio

My list disappeared! But here in the park we saw 2 and 3 toed sloths (with babies), capuchins, howlers, orange land crabs, devil spiders, bats, and a toucan. An anteater (surprised to see it in a tree)

From our balcony, a troop of howlers + gang of squirel monkeys. Lizards and iguanas on our walks to and from the beach.

Pelicans overhead!

Osa Penninsula

Cane toad

Golden Orb spider

Morpho butterfly

Birds

Heron
Mackaw
Hawk
Pelicans

Hummingbirds

Wimbrell

Limpkin

Corcovado Park

on our way marine

Sea Turtles mating

Dolphins fishing

11 ecosystems + 150 p per day, including guides (vs 2000 in Manuel Antonio)

Leaf cutter ants

Spider monkey
Ferdinand snake
Long nosed quati

Tapir  
Agouti
Bats 

Anteater

Birds in Corcovado Park

Egret

Kingfisher
Common Blackhawk
Crested owl
Mariola
Female Trogan red breast

Whale-watching/Dolphin Watching

Boobies

Spotted Dolphin

Smooth dolphin

Whale spouting