The BPE Excursion Part II – Tropical Rain Forest at Pitilla

Tuesday January 4^th - We left Santa Rosa after breakfast and headed north on the InterAmericna highway, then east to the town of Santa Cecilia, where we found the muddy volcanic dirt road to the field station called Pitilla. Eladio driving ahead surfed the road up with professional skill and more than a little flair, providing a good line of sight for Dan in the following car. 

 We arrived at the station in time for moving in, looking around a bit and lunch. Mike almost immediately found a small coral snake around some bushes near the kitchen reminding us that we visit here on Nature’s sufferance and must be constantly aware of our surroundings. Fortunately coral snakes are very shy, and this little guy slipped quickly into dense vegetation to avoid us.
After lunch, we hiked up a short trail for our first photographing in the high humidity conditions of a tropical forest. The mix of rain and clouds and much cooler temperatures than Santa Rosa made our efforts challenging but rewarding. 

Arriving back at the station, we found a Chauna marina in the advanced stages of infection with the notorious chytrid fungus that is killing high altitude tropical frogs. 

 It was a horrific sight, and we all felt the powerlessness of not being able to do anything except watch. That sad sight was offset a bit by the appearance of an agouti on the trailhead behind the kitchen. Fat and sassy, this little guy has clearly learned how to trade cuteness for food. This was the first dinner we’d had as a group on our own, so it was a good chance to review our day and also get to know each other better.
About 9pm, Ash and Mike went out collecting, and brought back two healthy frogs, what seems to be a species of Eleutherodactylus

and a Incilius coniferus, a climbing toad (we found one individual sitting in a bromeliad in a tree, as well as

 a winged walking stick (no North American species fly), an adult female katydid attempting to resemble mossy, rotting debris and a very cool wheel bug.

Wednesday January 5^th - Up about 6:30am after a night of alternating drizzle and downpour, with wind. Many had trouble sleeping due to the noise but Dan – who has been here many times before and loves it – was soothed to sleep. As a result, he was one of the first up and out to photograph the area bathed in fog. Perhaps he was congratulating himself too much but he slipped on a step and went down. Fortunately, no damage to person or camera gear. The noise woke everyone up and we had a “photography in the fog” session before breakfast, which our cook had kindly put off breakfast until 8am.

After breakfast, Ash did a macro-photography demonstration and instructional session focused on obtaining proper depth of field. You can see from left to left to right the progression from a wide open aperture (f2.8) all the way to a pinhole sized aperture (f32). Not since Warhol’s Campbell soup can have over-the-counter objects been portrayed with such skill and flair.

 Lunch was followed by a hike into the old forest. This was our most challenging light of the trip, the rich dark greens and browns of the forest combined with the intense (though diffuse) light from above cutting down through every opening in the canopy. We all managed to get at least a few good shots for our efforts, though, and the hike through this piece of old forest was a wonderful experience. 

After dinner, Ash and Coop led a macrophotography session for some, including a local arboreal anole and a beautiful green katydid

while others downloaded their photos of the day and shared comments, compliments and critiques. Halfway through the excursion, we can see that everyone is taking better photos and a wider range of photos than when they arrived. And that is gratifying for us all.

The BPE Excursion Part I – Dry Tropical Forest

Sunday January 2^nd Everyone arrived safe and sound around midday. We loaded the vehicles and headed for a site that Coop, Ash and I had photographed on an earlier trip. Upon arriving, we broke out the picnic lunch and everyone got acquainted. Then we fanned out for the first serious photographing. Rock-lined riverbed, petroglyphs, flowering plants, flowing water, and Costa Rican families enjoying the cool water.

About 90 minutes later, our need to photograph temporarily satisfied, we headed on north to the Area de Conservacion Guanacaste (ACG), specifically the Santa Rosa Station, headquarters of this amazing World Heritage Site. Everyone quickly moved in, had a chance to walk around a little and begin to see the local flora and fauna, exotic looking but harmless insects and beautiful vines in flower. Here we met up with Pablo Vazques, an employee of the Education Program of the ACG, who will be accompanying us, giving us invaluable information about the natural history and getting some good additional training for his photography efforts on behalf of the ACG. The group is formed, and ready for a week of exploration and photography. First impressions were of interesting insects and flowers, including a giant grasshopper.

Then it was time for dinner in the mess hall. About 7 we convened in the conference room where Coop led a quick briefing. Finally, we moved to the porch of the dorm block for a little socializing (for those who were not overly jetlagged), and an early night.

Monday January 3^rd First thing in the morning, Coop's emailing was serenaded by a beautiful woodpecker - Drycopus lineatus or the lineated woodpecker - pounding away 3 meters behind him.

After breakfast, we walked from the administrative area to the national monument called La Casona – a beautifully- maintained and restored Spanish Colonial Hacienda. Along the way, we were frustrated by a solitary male howler monkey who stayed tantalizingly close but with his back to the sun. We stopped around an enormous strangler fig tree that was a perfect backdrop for a session on using your tripod and maximizing depth of field.

Reaching the Casona late in the morning, the light was excellent for close-range and interior shots.

 Just before lunch, Dan led Mike, Sarah and Alan down the Sendero Natural and along a currently-dry streambed to a set of petroglyphs. After lunch, we all piled into two vehicles and headed to Sendero Los Patos, another rocky streambed which is one of the few places that retains water throughout the dry season. Everyone had a chance to smell jaguar urine at a pozo marked by a resident male jaguar.

Having seen a number of large male and female ctenosaurs (the dry forest iguana), we were delighted to encounter a colorful baby just off the trail.

The afternoon ended with views of the late afternoon and sunset from lookout places. The light and the sky were not particularly good for photography but it was fun to see. After dinner, everyone downloaded a day and a half’s worth of images and we had a share and critique session. Some very good shots by a hardworking group!

Tuesday January 4^th As we submit this entry, we're packing to go to Pitilla, a field station adjacent to one of the cloud forest sites. No electricity and no internet at Pitilla, so next entry will be Thursday night.

Coop and Dan Arrive in the ACG

Steve and I arrived as the ”advance team” Thursday afternoon (January 30^th), and found all arrangements done and everything set to go for the trip. For Dan, who has done research here for more than 15 years, it is a joy to be back and meet friends and colleagues again. This is Steve’s second visit, and he’s having fun recognizing so much from two years ago.
Suddenly, we had the afternoon of the 31st to photograph on our own. The site was a set of rapids called the Chorreras, on the grounds of the Hacienda Guachipelin, where we will spend the last night of the excursion. A good hike in and we were lucky enough to have almost the entire afternoon with no one else there except a friendly guard and his dog.

Beginning at the little waterfall,

Steve went up one split in the stream

and Dan the other.

After a couple of glorious hours we trucked back up the hill, caught the late afternoon light on Rincon de la Vieja, and headed out.

Back at Santa Rosa for dinner, we met Pablo Vasquez, a young guy who works with the educational program here in the Area de Conservacion Guanacaste (ACG). Pablo will accompany us during the excursion, providing invaluable knowledge the local flora and fauna, as well as information about the educational system in the ACG. He’ll also be taking advantage of the informal and formal photography sessions to enhance his own interests in that area.
We were a bit tired from the trip, so we didn’t venture far, but within 50 meters of the dorm, we managed to find 4 species of frogs – the little and ubiquitous Eleutherodactylus fitzingeri, a young Chauna marina (some of you know this as Bufo marinus, or the cane toad), the big tree frog Physalaemus pustulosus and, a great treat, a dry forest leopard frog, Rana cf. forreri. Having captured many frogs in the past for the inventory of their parasites, it was very satisfying for Dan to look at them and let them go on their way.
The dry season is just beginning, so there’s still a lot of leaves on the trees and bushes, and a number of species are in bloom. We're mapping out some interesting things for the group to photograph when they arrive Sunday.
After dinner, we found a column of army ants moving away from the dorms into the grass to bivouac for the night, just one of a multitude of ant species, including the little black ones that bit like crazy and managed to inflict...about 15 minutes of mild itching.  In and on the edges of the porch light were some large and luminous green katydids, the occasional bat, amazing spiders and one skunk just meandering around the bathroom/shower area of the other dorm block.
On our way to bed, we were saluted by the barking of the imported Japanese gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus, that hangs around human habitations - the same species figured as Gordon the gecko in Jostein Gaarder's novel Maya. Between the lizards and the frogs, we figured we were safe from marauding ants.
This morning by 5:30 (Friday, New Year’s Eve, so Happy New year to all readers), we awoke to the sounds of crested guans and parrots, then to the gently rising tide of birdcalls throughout the forest. No trogons or jays, though – we think the white-faced monkeys have wiped out the jays locally. They are communal nesters, and easy prey to clever little primates.
By 6:30, the little birds were chasing each other around noisily, the parrots are squawking, the sun has risen above the mountains to the east and the day begins. As Coop says, it’s wonderful to be in a place that is teeming with life.
We post this at about 9:15, having just met with Roger Blanco, Director of Research for the ACG and a long-time friend of Dan's. We now have information about where to find some trees in blossom, but we'll save that information for the excursionistas and tell the tale in a few days.

Prepping for Costa Rica 2011

In about 2.5 weeks BioPhoto Experience will be launching its first expedition and I'm psyched. Its going to be a great time for all and it will be nice to get away from work and winter back home. Even started packing my bags tonight in preparation for the trip. I know, kind of jumping the gun here, but I will be travelling for a couple weeks before the trip so I need to have everything ready to go soon. This also provides plenty of time to check out all the gear and make sure nothing needs replacement. I laid out all my gear for the trip and now I'm just trying to figure out how to get it all into my carry-on.

      The solar panel and battery backup should come in handy during those nights at Patilla and Nancite research stations where there is no electricity. Also, that little blue bag by the laptop holds a special treat - bat nets! I'm going to try and capture some bats for an up close and personal bat photography session. What other photo tour would provide that experience? We'll try our best to provide some other surprises as well.
      Well, better get it all packed up so I can get some shuteye, still lots of work to be done before I'm allowed to skip town. You can follow our Costa Rica  expedition through this blog January 2-9, 2011. We will update the blog all chances we have with photos and stories of events taking place on the trip. Enjoy the adventure and come join us on the next BioPhoto Experience. - Ashley