Amazing Technology

Being big into technology I thought I knew how it all worked. But then this happened.

Driving along, these rocks appeared at the side of the road and the GPS said "Alert: Falling Rocks"

It's only blurred from the shaking caused by the falling rocks. Nothing to do with poor photo technique - of course.

Ooooops

What not to buy just before National Independence Day in a Central American country...

Just in case you don't recognise it - it's the Spanish Footy shirt. I bought it just as a tough shirt to wear in the jungle - a cotton T just doesn't cut it, and this was the least offensive - at least to me.

Everything for Sale

Yep you can even buy your own tourist bus here...

For Sale

There's so much property owned by foreigners in Costa Rica, sometimes it seems a shame the locals don't get more of a look in.

But then you see this 7000 square metres at $17 per sqm. Plenty of room for my tent...

We could all get together - there's a whole hillside of lots available.

Life on Life on Life

You really get a sense of the vibrancy of Nature here in Costa Rica. Animals live on animals, animals live on plants, plants live on plants etc etc ....

Even when you are really small, there are insects looking to live on you. This Poison Dart frog is about half an inch long.

Still there's an insect ready to live on him (her?).

The Other Side

Then on the same river you also get to see the more peaceful and beautiful side of river life ...

[One for you Mom]

Careful Now

There are a few animals here in Costa Rica that will try and kill you given half the chance. Generally you can stay away from where they hang out.

The American Crocodile is one such beast.

Read this chaps Tshirt and then look at what is in the water in front of him...

Things get a little more interesting...

... and ...

The Croc gets the chicken...

If you want to see these guys, you'll find them on the Tarcoles river on the West coast of Costa Rica.

Fascinating Creatures

There's so much weird an wonderful wildlife here in Costa Rica.

Meet the Common Basilisk, or Jesus Christ Lizard as they call them over here. Their webbed feet and fast legs mean they can walk on water. At least whilst they are small.

They're not quite as threatening as the Harry Potter versions, being only inches long.

Gimme yer Lunch

Sometimes it's just easier to follow the tourist crowds as the wildlife follows their food.

They pose for pictures on the understanding they get fed...

Quantity rather than Quality

Following a guide around can be quite bewildering, particularly somewhere like Corcovado National Park. There's so much to see that while you're still trying to get a better pic of one thing the guide is yelling at you to look at something else. By the time you move to that he is on to something else.

So I'm going for quantity and leaving the quality for when I have more time alone with my BIG lens... Here's what I've seen and identified so far...

Collared Anteater, Tamandua, Bairds Tapir, White Bat, Anhinga, Back Hooded Anstrike, Bird Forest Falcon, Black Bellied Whistling Duck, Brown Pelican, Common Black Hawk, Crested Guan, Double Toothed Kite, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Curacau, Great Kiskadee, Bare Throated Tiger Heron, Boat-billed Heron, Green Heron, Little Blue Heron, Tiger Heron, Yellow Crowned Night Heron, Mangrove Swallow, Pale Billed Woodpecker, Plain Wren, Roseated Spoonbill, Scarlet Macaw, Spotted Sandpiper, Squirrel Cuckoo, Toucan, Tropical Kingbird, Violaceous Trogon, White Ibis, White Whiskered Puffbird, Yellow Headed Caracara,, Hermit Crab, Neotropical Land Crab, White Tailed Deer, Black and Green Dart Frog, Tree Frog, Ants, Butterfly, Great Owl Butterfly, Grasshopper, Lobster Grasshopper, Honey Bee, Paper Wasp, Golden Web Spider, Stick Insect, Termites, Central American Squirrel Monkey, Howler Monkey, Spider Monkey, White Face Capuchin Monkey, Raccoon, American Freshwater Crocodile, Brown Anole, Crested Chameleon, Green Iguana, Jesus Christ Lizard, Bird Eating Snake, Spectacled Caiman,Sloth, Brown Throated Three Toed, Hofmans Two Toed, White Nosed Coati, Coatimundi, False Bird of Paradise, Quinine Plant

Can't See the Buggers for the Trees

So how do you become a wildlife photographer when you can't see the animals for the trees? No idea. Do it on the African plains instead maybe? Not only is alot of the wildlife here quite small, but being in the dense jungle makes them really hard to spot. I'm slowly giving up on the idea of trying to learn it all myself. I've tried out a few of the local guides...

They will walk along next to you, suddenly get all excited and point into the trees. You won't see anything. So they set up the scope and you look down it. There is this colourful animal clear as day. You move away from the scope and then spend the next 10 minutes trying to figure out where it actually is.

So even the normal tourist guides bring the places to life. I've walked back through the same places and hardly seen anything. I'm starting to get the hang of it though. Well a little.

It's Tough Out Here

The worst part of photography these days is sitting in front of the darned computer processing all those photos. I've just got back from Corcovado National Park - THE most intense nature experience possible (according to National Geographic). The wildlife is brilliant.

 Now I have thousands of photos to dig through and see if I can find any good ones. But if you have to sit in front of a computer - sometimes it ain't too bad....