Explorations of an Ecologist: San José to the Selva Verde Lodge

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Our nearly two weeks with the rental car in Costa Rica was coming to an end. But we were just trading one rental in for another. You see, my parents were flying down from Canada, and were looking forward to spending March Break with us in Costa Rica!

The Covid-19 pandemic was quickly becoming a Big Deal around this time. Each hour, it seemed, additional dreadful news about the pandemic was broadcast. My parents were actually en route to Costa Rica when our Prime Minister declared that Canadians should not undergo non-essential travel. A few hours later they landed in San José. We would make the most of our travels together, even if it meant that they might have to cut the trip short at some point to fly home early.

Laura and I had planned out the whole trip for my parents. Well, to be honest, Laura did almost all of the work! We would begin with three nights in the lush Caribbean lowlands of La Selva, followed by some time at two Pacific lowland locations, and we would finish up in the highlands east of San José.

Bridge near La Virgen del Socorro, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Friday dawned sunny with a light breeze as we picked up the rental car (a Toyota Rav4) at the San José airport. We dealt with the usual rental car bullshit as they tried to up-sell us on various insurances that are neither mandatory nor a particularly good deal, but we were soon on our way.

The sun was replaced by heavy cloud cover as we ascended the mountains leaving the city. We could not resist making a few stops to stretch our legs and to do a little bit of birding. One such location was a picturesque bridge near the Virgen del Socorro, depicted above. As we walked, we enjoyed some crisp looks at Yellow-throated Toucans, picked through a small mixed flock (two Scarlet-thighed Dacnis were nice!) and watched at least six Swallow-tailed Kites perform aerial acrobatics above us.

Birding at La Virgen del Socorro, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Arawacus togarna - La Virgen del Socorro, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Even though the rain threatened while we explored, a few butterflies had taken to the wing. Above is a Arawacus hairstreak; pictured below is a Spot-winged Daggerwing.

Spot-winged Daggerwing - La Virgen del Socorro, Alajuela, Costa Rica

A coffee break at a roadside cafe produced an amazing view as well as some excellent birds - Purple-throated Mountain-Gem and Prong-billed Barbet included.

Prong-billed Barbet - Cinchona area, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Silver-throated Tanager - Cinchona area, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Lunch was at a roadside barbeque joint that, I have to say, was possibly the best meal of the trip. Of course ,there was some birding to be had from our table here while we waited for the food to arrive. The Gray-headed Chachalacas were a real hit!

During the afternoon we completed the last hour of the drive, pulling up to the Selva Verde Lodge just after 3:30 PM. For those birders reading, you may be wondering why we stayed at Selva Verde Lodge instead of the famous La Selva Biological Station. Somewhere in the planning our wires got crossed and Laura booked Selva Verde instead of La Selva. It is an easy mistake to make as the names are virtually identical and the locations are near each other. Short story long, but we were able to call Selva Verde and cancel the last two nights of the reservation, though we felt bad and agreed to stay there for the first night after all. Fortunately, La Selva Biological Station had space for the last two nights and so we booked it!

Bare-throated Tiger-Heron - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

La Selva Biological Station has some distinct advantages to naturalists that simply aren't afforded to guests at Selva Verde, unless money is not a limitation. At Selva Verde all of the high quality forest in on the far side of the raging Sarapiqui River, the only access being a single bridge. To reach this forest, one has to hire a guide for an exorbitant fee. You simply are not allowed to visit without a guide. Of course the lodge has a locked gate located at the far end of the bridge, meaning that an individual could not even sneak into the high quality forest if they tried (not that I would ever try that...). That being said, there are a couple of small self-guided loop trails that go through more degraded forest - one near the lodge, and the other across the road from the lodge. At La Selva Biological Station there are countless trails that can all be visited without having to hire a guide.

One benefit that Selva Verde Lodge does provide is that the food and lodging are a little more high-end. We enjoyed the relative luxury for our one night! Following a delicious dinner we set out for a night hike. Rain earlier in the day had primed the forest and we were excited for what was in store.

We did not venture too far from the lodge, finding most species in the gardens. Snakes sadly remained unaccounted for but we had a little more luck with lizards. Below are two gorgeous species (Yellow-spotted Night Lizard and Yellow-headed Gecko) and one that is a bit more drab (Border Anole).

Yellow-spotted Night Lizard (Lepidophyma flavimaculatum) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Yellow-headed Gecko (Gonatodes albogularis) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Border Anole (Anolis limifrons) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Fitzinger's Robber Frog is not flashy but it is one that I seem to see everywhere that I travel within the lowlands of Central America. This species can be quite common in disturbed areas, but also in pristine habitat.

Fitzinger's Robber Frog (Craugastor fitzingeri) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Near the pool we discovered a species of frog which we had been targeting. A Red-eyed Treefrog!

Red-eyed Treefrog (Agalychnis callidryas) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Red-eyed Tree Frogs are one of the iconic species of Costa Rica and so we were all quite happy to find these ones!

Nearby, a different individual perched a little lower down on the vegetation. This enabled a few initial photo opportunities but it quickly wizened up to us. It brought in its legs close to its body, hid its toes, and closed its eyes so that only the green body colouration was visible. Remarkable!

Red-eyed Treefrog (Agalychnis callidryas) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

The Red-eyed Treefrog would not even be the flashiest frog species that we encountered this evening. That honour would be bestowed upon the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Oophaga pumilio).

Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Oophaga pumilio) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

These little gems would prove to be abundant on the grounds of Selva Verde Lodge and we totalled double digit numbers of them. Some populations of this species are among the most toxic of Oophaga dart frogs, though there are other dart frog genera which are far more toxic.

Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Oophila pumilio) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Bird-wise, I was very happy to hear my very first Middle American Screech Owl vocalizing. No luck with a visual though!

Of course the arachnids, insects and other arthropods are almost as exciting as the reptile or amphibian representatives of a night-hike. Below are a few that I photographed.

Unidentified cicada - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Unidentified orbweaver (Araneidae) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Unidentified katydid (tribe Cocconotini) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Unidentified derbid planthopper (Derbidae) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Below is the famous Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata). I still have yet to be stung by one of these, but I am sure it will happen eventually!

Bullet Ant - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Unidentified cockroach - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

This incredible planthopper might be my favourite non-vertebrate find of our night-hike.

Biolleyana costalis - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Butterflies can sometimes be found roosting on vegetation through the night. Below are two examples.

Taygeta inconspicua - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Mechanitis polymnia - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

This odd treefrog caught my attention, demanding a closer look. It is known as Boulenger's Snouted Tree Frog (Scinax boulengeri) and it ranges from Honduras to northwest Colombia.

Scinax boulengeri - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

The howls of Mantled Howler Monkeys began just before dawn, signalling the arrival of a new day. Around lunchtime we would be leaving Selva Verde and making the short trip to the La Selva Biological Station, our home for the next two nights, but first, we had one morning to inspect the grounds of Selva Verde for wildlife.

Before breakfast, my dad and I made our way over to where the monkeys had been calling from and we quickly found a group of them slowly moving through the trees. Mantled Howler Monkeys live in groups of typically 10-20 individuals. These include 1 to 3 adult males and 5 to 10 adult females, along with some immature individuals. It is said that individuals in a group are generally not related to each other since both males and females will leave the group upon reaching sexual maturity.

Mantled Howler Monkey - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

We enjoyed breakfast simultaneously with the oropendolas and orioles!

Montezuma Oropendola - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Baltimore Oriole - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Next on the agenda was a hike of the loop trail, located on the opposite side of the road from the lodge. We had the trail to ourselves and it was a gorgeous morning, if a tad humid (as expected in the lowlands).

Rufous Motmot - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Red-throated Ant-Tanager - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

We enjoyed a nice walk though the birding was a little slow. We kept our eyes out for herps and were pretty successful with a few lizard species and another dart frog - the Green-and-Black Dart Frog (Dendrobates auratus).

Yellow-headed Gecko (Gonatodes albogularis) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Green-and-black Dart Frog (Dendrobates auratus) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

I noticed a suspiciously coiled vine by a small pond and quickly realized that it was a snake. A huge Bird-eating Snake (Phrynonax poecilonotus)!

Bird-eating Snake (Phrynonax poecilonotus) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

I moved very slowly and carefully as I picked up the snake. It was remarkably relaxed and did not attempt to bite once during the ordeal. A seriously impressive snake for my parents to observe!

Bird-eating Snake (Phrynonax poecilonotus) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

We enjoyed our time with this incredible serpent and let it on its way, wishing for it many bird nests in its future.

Bird-eating Snake (Phrynonax poecilonotus) - Selva Verde Lodge, Heredia, Costa Rica

Our time at Selva Verde was complete and we made the short drive to nearby La Selva Biological Station. Our visit at La Selva will be the focus of my next two Costa Rica posts.

Saturday, 17 October 2020

San José to the Selva Verde Lodge

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