Birds of Paradise

You could say October is autumn or fall in most parts of the world, but in Costa Rica, it is more like the beginning of Spring. The rainy season is coming to an end and the winds are beginning to pick up. It is a mixed bag of strong winds, cloudy skies and patches of fog throughout the day with a few showers in between allowing rainbows to pierce the horizon.

Some of the trees have lost their leaves, but only a few since most are still thick and lush in every shade of green imaginable due to the consistent rains for almost 6 months straight. The ginger plants are beginning to die off and the birds of paradise are blooming like crazy.

Tropical birds are also going crazy around the farm. We enjoy daily visits from toucans, oropendolas, green lories and parakeets. Each morning the flocks of white, cattle egrets fly from the Río Grande basin up across to the ranch fields to escort the grazing horses and cows. Each afternoon, they fly back to the river basin to nest. 

The mornings are crisp and cool complimented by the soothing sound of the elusive owl that lives in the gigantic Guanacaste trees towering overhead. He evades my lens, but not my ears. 

The martins & swallows are busy this time of year as well since most afternoons are a bit hazy with patches of fog and high humidity. The bugs are out in higher numbers creating a flurry of hungry birds swooping the sky just before the bats take flight at dusk cleaning the heavy night air. 

All this spectacular change of climate lends to plenty of possibility to capture some amazing moments with my camera & video recorder. All the sounds, photos and videos were taken from Valle Verde Quintas during the month of October.