During the guided tour through the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve I saw quite a lot of animals. Maybe not as many as in La Fortuna, but still. It was an impressive haul of pictures from Monteverde. Besides the guided tour through the Cloud Forest I also went on a night walk with Judith. Unfortunately this was a rather wet undertaking. Heavy rain, accompanied by lightning and thunder, was our companion for the walk.
Honestly I was a little underwhelmed by what we saw. With the rain I had more to do to check where I was going than with finding any animals. We did see a sloth though, baby spiders, a toucan, some stick insects, another insect that looked like a leaf, a snake, and a mini frog. Not really sure if I will ever do that again though. Going on a night walk I mean. In case if I do, I definitely need a stronger flashlight.
But let’s start with the animals from the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. Right away there was a little bird nest beside the trail on knee level. Interesting, don’t you find? I always thought birds would nest up in trees.
a bird’s nest beside the trail @Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
Look at this green and black bug I came across. Aren’t his colors just amazing? The green is so shiny and brilliant, it looks almost photo shopped.
brillantly colored bug @Monteverde
My favorite though was the orange kneed tarantula. Kindly enough the nest was right on my eye level, not that I would have seen it without the guide though. But it was just perfect for taking a picture.
orange kneed tarantula @Monteverde
I loved the dung beetle, trying to get its ball to whatever destination he had in mind. Even I recognized that beetle. Still, it looked a lot sparklier than any I have seen at home. See a video about its tribulations here. It literally works its butt off.
dung beetle at work @Monteverde
I also made a video of some birds soaring over the tree top view point in the Santa Elena Cloud forest Reserve. The guide told us its name, there was actually a couple of them, but I can’t remember it anymore. Please see the video here.
There was of course less to see while on the night walk. But still, I have a couple of pictures from this miserable tour. Another beetle, this one in black. Honestly, I think I spotted that one myself.
a beetle during the night walk @Monteverde
What I never managed during the day, I achieved at night. Taking a picture of a tiny frog. This one in yellow. Can’t remember if it made any sound, but probably. Otherwise how would the guide have spotted it. It sat transfixed in the ray of our flashlights.
yellow frog @Monteverde
On the next picture you can see a snake lying on a branch which goes right through the middle of the picture. It’s the white thingy across the tree trunk.
a snake at night @Monteverde
This insect looks like a leaf, with its body in green and in shape almost in the form of the leaf underneath. I guess in bright daylight it might not have been as visible.
leaf insect @Monteverde
I kept the best for last. The guide spotted a toucan, from far away and also from behind. Eventually the bird turned to the side and we could all take a look through the telescope. Quite magical the colors really.
a toucan in profile @Monteverde
The blue poncho, which I bought in Tortuguero helped to keep me dry, at least on top. But the shoes and everything else up to the knees were soaking wet. In the end, although I am not sure sure it’s worth repeating, I am glad I went on the night walk. The forest just looks different in the dark. Yours, Pollybert
