Exploring the Talamancan Mountains Part 1
I have always found alpine areas fascinating, and almost nowhere has satisfied that fascination for me more than the Talamancan mountain range of Central Costa Rica. In September I was lucky enough to spend two nights in the Talamancas iNaturalisting from the alpine forests of Paraiso Quetzal Lodge to the gorgeous Páramo habitat at over 11,000 feet of elevation.
The first wildlife I noticed when we arrived at Paraiso Quetzal were hummingbirds, and lots of them. While the entire country of Costa Rica is known for its astonishing hummingbird diversity, the Talamancas are something else entirely. Within 10 minutes of arriving at the hummingbird feeders, I had seen five lifer hummingbird species, all endemic or nearly endemic to this small stretch of mountains in Costa Rica and Panama. While all of these new species were super cool, one stood out above all others. The Fiery-throated Hummingbird looks quite unassuming at first, but when the light hits it just right, you can observe a gorgeous array of reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and blues, all over the hummingbird's body.
Fiery-throated Hummingbird
These weren’t the only new bird species I encountered at Paraiso Quetzal. Pretty soon I was seeing many of the classic Talamancan birds such as the Large-footed Finch, Sooty-capped Chlorospingus, and the elegant Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher. Walking through the native gardens and observing these birds was surreal. These were species I had been dreaming about seeing for years, and here they were, foraging on the ground just feet from where I was standing.
Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher
Despite being a fantastic birding lodge, Paraiso Quetzal had much more in store for me besides birds. After some easy birding around the grounds, and a quick dinner, I put out my moth sheet, grabbed a headlamp, and went on my first night search in the Talamancas. After exploring the dense tropical rainforests of lowland Costa Rica for the last few days, I honestly wasn’t expecting much from the cold, rainy nights of the Talamancas. I was almost immediately proven wrong. Although the wildlife was certainly different up in the mountains, there was no shortage of interesting species for me to find. The mossy trail edges were full of fascinating beetles, earwigs, crickets, plant bugs, stick insects, and more. With a 5:00 am wake up planned the next morning, I decided to head back to my room after only a couple hours of iNatting and get a good night’s rest for what was probably my most anticipated bird of the entire trip.
Praos perditus