I went off to Costa Rica a few weeks ago, finally managed to get through some of the photos I took and get them uploaded. Unfortunately I didn't get as many landscape shots as I had hoped but there were so many animals it didn't really matter.
First the couple of landscapes I've got sorted so far.
The area used to house a large farm of black peppers however the farm went by the wayside a few decades ago and just the workers huts and some run down communal areas remain.
It's a rainforest, it rains, not as much as I was expecting (having gone in the rainy season!)
La Fortuna main street facing Arenal Volcano. The volcano used to be one of the 10 most active in the world but has been dormant since 2010.
One of the roads out of La Fortuna.
Chato Volcano. Now long dormant/extinct (last eruption several tens of thousands of years ago) and the crater is filled with water making an enclosed lagoon several hundred feet below the crater rim. As we were up there the clouds came in rapidly and all hell broke loose with torrential rain so I gave my camera my hat and videoed it all.
The Milky way, shot near Tortugara on the north Caribbean coast. We had been watching turtles lay eggs on the beach and as we were waiting for the boat to come and pick us up I had time to get some shots in a location with virtually nil light pollution.
Now on to the Animals.
There were a plethora of insects all round, especially in the more remote areas we were visiting (including many spiders and tarantulas), some were more relaxed about their photos being taken than other.
Costa Rican tree frog. Stunning creatures with florescent blue on their legs and bright red eyes, never managed to get a shot with their eyes open though... Just for reference for those interested in shooting in the jungle, guides don't like you shooting insects with flash, make sure you have a couple of powerful torches so you can get enough light to get some good shots.
It seems the locals like chucking in meat at a certain bridge, que a large number of crocodiles living underneath!
The area was swarming with lizards, some small, some larger...
Including Iguanas, this one was sunning itself on a rock in a semi deserted cove, with several others around it.
The same beach had a reputation for theft, specifically Monkeys and Racoons. This one was obviously feeling rather cheeky after having just scoffed half a bag of a friends crisps...
We went to a Jaguar rescue centre one after morning, except there were no Jaguars there, there was a Margay however, much smaller but very cute.
Costa Rica has four species of monkey, I was lucky enough to see all four, including the endangered squirrel monkey. The one above is a Mantled howler monkey which can be heard all over the place due to their distinctive howling that can travel miles. This was shot after we heard some howling just behind us, we missed them as we walked under them but not when they started making noises!
This White Headed Capuchin monkey was very interested in us and had some great vocal expressions.
Back to the Jaguar rescue centre, aside from the lack of Jaguars, there were a lot of monkeys, including this baby Howler that was being hand fed.
I also managed to see a few sloths (cuter in person than in pictures!) and both wild Green and Scarlet Macaws which made my trip. They were a little far away to get any good shots though.
Any C&C appreciated
First the couple of landscapes I've got sorted so far.
The area used to house a large farm of black peppers however the farm went by the wayside a few decades ago and just the workers huts and some run down communal areas remain.
It's a rainforest, it rains, not as much as I was expecting (having gone in the rainy season!)
La Fortuna main street facing Arenal Volcano. The volcano used to be one of the 10 most active in the world but has been dormant since 2010.
One of the roads out of La Fortuna.
Chato Volcano. Now long dormant/extinct (last eruption several tens of thousands of years ago) and the crater is filled with water making an enclosed lagoon several hundred feet below the crater rim. As we were up there the clouds came in rapidly and all hell broke loose with torrential rain so I gave my camera my hat and videoed it all.
The Milky way, shot near Tortugara on the north Caribbean coast. We had been watching turtles lay eggs on the beach and as we were waiting for the boat to come and pick us up I had time to get some shots in a location with virtually nil light pollution.
Now on to the Animals.
There were a plethora of insects all round, especially in the more remote areas we were visiting (including many spiders and tarantulas), some were more relaxed about their photos being taken than other.
Costa Rican tree frog. Stunning creatures with florescent blue on their legs and bright red eyes, never managed to get a shot with their eyes open though... Just for reference for those interested in shooting in the jungle, guides don't like you shooting insects with flash, make sure you have a couple of powerful torches so you can get enough light to get some good shots.
It seems the locals like chucking in meat at a certain bridge, que a large number of crocodiles living underneath!
The area was swarming with lizards, some small, some larger...
Including Iguanas, this one was sunning itself on a rock in a semi deserted cove, with several others around it.
The same beach had a reputation for theft, specifically Monkeys and Racoons. This one was obviously feeling rather cheeky after having just scoffed half a bag of a friends crisps...
We went to a Jaguar rescue centre one after morning, except there were no Jaguars there, there was a Margay however, much smaller but very cute.
Costa Rica has four species of monkey, I was lucky enough to see all four, including the endangered squirrel monkey. The one above is a Mantled howler monkey which can be heard all over the place due to their distinctive howling that can travel miles. This was shot after we heard some howling just behind us, we missed them as we walked under them but not when they started making noises!
This White Headed Capuchin monkey was very interested in us and had some great vocal expressions.
Back to the Jaguar rescue centre, aside from the lack of Jaguars, there were a lot of monkeys, including this baby Howler that was being hand fed.
I also managed to see a few sloths (cuter in person than in pictures!) and both wild Green and Scarlet Macaws which made my trip. They were a little far away to get any good shots though.
Any C&C appreciated
