A slow day in Monteverde Costa Rica...

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

On the way to the Reserve: father, daugther & dog carrying fresh milk to the famous Monteverde Cheese Factory.

When the elevation is above 1,000 meters (3,200 feet) rainforest become cloud forest as most of the rainfall is in the form of mist, fog or drizzle.

Well maintained trails, no need for special shoes or boots.

Young Ornate Hawk-Eagles. Giovani Bello, a Monteverde naturalist guide, told me that they were rare in Costa Rica but fairly common in Monteverde.

I saw these Ornate Hawk-Eagles on the road to the reserve, about 300 meters before the entrance, flying high & swiftly. Beautiful.

View of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 300 meters (1,000 feet) before the entrance.

Can you see the Keel-billed Toucan?

Monteverde trees are loaded with moisture-gathering aerial plants like these bromeliads.

Swallow-tailed Kite, called tijerilla by Costa Ricans (from tijeras; scissors).

Costa Rica is home to over 900 different species of trees, and more are being described each year!

Masked Tityra

A moth flat like a sheet of paper found under a leave. The head is bottom right.

Naturalist guided tour

Orange-bellied Trogon, same family as the Resplendant Quetzal.

These type of epiphytes have evolved tightly wrapped leaves that act as small reservoirs, collecting water, leaf detritus and insects. From the resulting stew, bromeliads ingest the nutrients necessary for life without parasiting or harming the host tree.

Member of the hawk family, this most aerial of raptors is almost always on the wing, flying gracefully and buoyantly, gliding and banking with little flapping, then swooping swiftly with a few strong wingbeats to capture prey. - from A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica

The tree much taller than his neighbors is a Higueron or Strangler Fig Tree.

With a passionate & competent guide and his powerful telescope, there is not better way to discover the amazing diversity of the Cloud Forest.

>>> Photo Gallery Part #2 (including Reserve's Suspended Bridge)