Our last two days in Monteverde were spent hiking the trails within the Monteverde Reserve in search of the Resplendent Quetzal and other cloud forest creatures. We lucked out and spotted 2 female Quetzals on our first day and a male and female on the second day. They were feeding on the fruit from an avocado tree, which provides approximately 80% of their diet. On the second day we were able to watch the male Quetzal fly about from limb to limb allowing us to witness a dazzling display of his iridescent plumage.
We also saw several howler and white-faced monkeys, a kinkajou, and a bold little olinga that had a bad sugar water habit. Several times throughout the day this crafty mammal would work his way across and down a wire that held hummingbird feeders at the Colibri (hummingbird ) Café. He would then hoist up the container of sugary delight and guzzle it down until shooed away by café personnel.
The Colibri Café attracts 30 different species of hummingbirds including the largest of Costa Rica known as the Purple Slated Hummingbird. Sitting on a bench in front of the feeders is a bit like sitting in the middle of an aerial strike zone and being dive bombed from all sides.
The cloud forest environment is cool and frequently cloudy as the title implies, but for us it was cool and sunny, making for extra pleasant hiking. We hired a guide for our trek which cost $15.00 on top of the $15.00 entrance fee. Unless one is extra skilled at spotting wildlife in heavy foliage and has a high quality pair of binoculars or a spotting scope, a guide is a must. They are trained in locating all kinds of things that the untrained eye would blaze right past. They are familiar with the sights and sounds of their environment and they also know where all the hot spots of habit are located. They are also a wealth of information for those who are interested in learning more about local flora and fauna. One fascinating factoid we picked up was that on one tree in the cloud forest there can be as many as 200 different plant species growing on it.
We also saw several howler and white-faced monkeys, a kinkajou, and a bold little olinga that had a bad sugar water habit. Several times throughout the day this crafty mammal would work his way across and down a wire that held hummingbird feeders at the Colibri (hummingbird ) Café. He would then hoist up the container of sugary delight and guzzle it down until shooed away by café personnel.
The Colibri Café attracts 30 different species of hummingbirds including the largest of Costa Rica known as the Purple Slated Hummingbird. Sitting on a bench in front of the feeders is a bit like sitting in the middle of an aerial strike zone and being dive bombed from all sides.
The cloud forest environment is cool and frequently cloudy as the title implies, but for us it was cool and sunny, making for extra pleasant hiking. We hired a guide for our trek which cost $15.00 on top of the $15.00 entrance fee. Unless one is extra skilled at spotting wildlife in heavy foliage and has a high quality pair of binoculars or a spotting scope, a guide is a must. They are trained in locating all kinds of things that the untrained eye would blaze right past. They are familiar with the sights and sounds of their environment and they also know where all the hot spots of habit are located. They are also a wealth of information for those who are interested in learning more about local flora and fauna. One fascinating factoid we picked up was that on one tree in the cloud forest there can be as many as 200 different plant species growing on it.
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