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Recent Adventures |
Costa Rica Adventure Part III:Savegre and the San Gerardo de Dota Cloud Forest |
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Magnificent Hummingbird, San Gerardo de Dota Cloud Forest, Costa Rica |
Resplendent QuetzalNow it’s on to the Savegre Lodge, in the San Gerardo de Dota Cloud Forest, where if we’re lucky we might catch a glimpse of the Resplendent Quetzal. Paulo scouted this location prior to our trip and located two nesting pairs of Quetzal. If we’re truly fortunate, we might see them leave the nest early in the morning or return in the evening. We arrive in time for a delicious lunch of fresh trout, get settled into our cabins scattered throughout the beautiful gardens, and then Paulo takes us for a hike to show us where the Quetzal nests are located. We all bring along our camera gear, just incase. No activity at the first nest. We hike down to the second nest, a three-inch diameter hole about 30 feet up the trunk of a Mountain Mahogany. |
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Our quiet banter is interrupted when Jose spots a Quetzal. It’s the female; and there’s the male, high in the canopy. He flies in closer and lands on a branch, only yards from the trail. Too close! Steve and I back up in an attempt to fit him in the frame. Too much lens, so I back up again. It’s harder to maneuver with my tripod so low to the ground. Steve, being more experienced and faster thinking than I am, takes off his teleconverter. I shoot off a few more frames before the Quetzal flies away. Focus on the eyes, recompose, fire with the cable release, focus on the eyes, recompose, fire; and again, then he’s gone. Decent shots, but I didn’t manage to get any with the compete tail in the frame. That’s one long tail! According to Paulo, the Quetzal’s body is about 14 inches long, and the male’s tail feathers (more correctly his tail coverts) are over two feet long. Wow, we saw and photographed the Resplendent Quetzal, a dazzlingly beautiful bird that has been endangered ever since the first Spaniards landed on this continent. |
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The reserve at Savegre is one of the few areas remaining in Costa Rica with a healthy population of Quetzal. For many decades, the land surrounding Savegre was embroiled in a controversy between the lumber companies and conservationists. Finally, Señor Don Efrain Chacon bought the surrounding cloud forest and had it designated as a conservation area. The sign at the upper trailhead reflects Señor Don Efrain Chacon’s philosophy. “O CUIDAMOS LA NATURALEZA … O NOS LLEVA PUTA!” The non-literal translation is “we must take care of Nature, or it will take us to hell.” In the next couple of days, we spend time photographing new species of hummingbirds and the beautiful gardens, but always return in the evening for another chance to photograph the Quetzal. We see them each evening, but never as close as on that first afternoon. |
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Gray-tailed Mountain-gem, Savegre Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota Cloud Forest, Costa Rica |
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Resplendent Quetzal San Gerardo de Dota Cloud Forest, Costa Rica |
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We’re not sure if the Quetzal will be bothered by our presence, so we set up our cameras beside the trail, far back from the nest. We’re about 40 yards away from the nest, so Steve and I put on our 500mm lenses with 1.4x teleconverters. Because I’ll be shooting with a 1050mm equivalent lens at less than 1/30 of a second, I set up my tripod low to the ground and with the legs spread wide to maximize stability, attach a cable release, and activate the mirror pre-release function on my D100. At least an hour passes with no activity except trail riders passing on the trail, so we sit and enjoy the beautiful afternoon. |
Costa Rica Adventure |
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Spirit of Photography Keith and Rebecca Snell |