It has been rather quiet on my website the past month. This is not because I have been inactive, but because I have been on a holiday to Costa Rica. Man, what a joy that was! Never before I have visited this beautiful country in Central America, but a voice inside me tells me my visit will not be limited to only one…

Costa Rica:  land of colors, sounds, light, scents, birds,  butterflies, plants, monkeys, frogs, hummingbirds etc. How can I describe you without doing shortage to your richness?

Let’s start with the hummingbirds. So small, so fast, and so pretty. It’s great to see them nearby feeders, but it is even more great to see them drink from natural plants like the beautifully formed and colored heliconias.

The great thing about staying longer at one place than just one or two days is that you get to know the behavior of, in this case, the hummingbirds. I noticed that this particular hummingbird had a kind of observation post nearby. He just sat there for a few minutes, resting and at the same time inspecting intensively his surroundings by constantly looking to the right and the left. An ideal moment for me to ‘catch’  him.

I have seen lots of Iguanas. They are perfectly camouflaged when sitting in the vegetation. Most of the time I only noticed them because they moved when I passed by. However, the one shot below was easily spot by me because it was green and was sitting on a purple kind of plant. This is a young specimen from the Common or Green Iguana. Young and beautiful.

I think it’s true what they say: the prettier the bird, the uglier its sound. Anyway, in my opinion this surely applies to the Scarlet Macaws. The crazy thing is, you forget about the sound when you see them. They are so pretty! And not shy at all! To see them fly, almost always male and female together, above the rain forest is just breathtaking. I got the chance to see them very close, a very precious moment I will always cherish.

And now it’s back to earth, back to my life in the Netherlands again. Give me some time to get used to my normal life again. Costa Rica, you have stolen my heart!