Tag Archives: Costa Rica

Great Egret

The Tárcoles River must be a birder’s paradise, from what we saw.  There were many species of falcon, some of which I’ve been unable to identify, other birds of prey, and many types of waterfowl.

Falcon

But, as I’ve noted before, birds are not the sole inhabitants here.  Animal life ranges from reptilian predators to farm animals grazing along the banks of the Tárcoles River.

American Crocodile

Brahman

However it’s the abundant and diverse bird life that really gets your attention here.  This is a northern crested caracara, a member of the falcon family:

Northern Crested Caracara

Here are a few more bird shots from that day:

Great Egret

Great Egrets

Unknown Species

Great Egret

Lurking Eyes

Our group of intrepid explorers loaded up into several boats and headed into the wilds of the Tárcoles River amidst the Costa Rican jungle.  It didn’t take long to find a rather intimidating predator, as you can see by the lurking eyes gliding just above the water in the photo above.  This is the potentially dangerous but not very aggressive American crocodile.  But, while it may not have an aggressive reputation, it’s still something I’d prefer to avoid while in the water.

Big Fella

Some of these crocodiles have been known to reach 13 feet/9 meters in length and weigh up to 840 pounds/380 kilograms.  While none of the tourists in our group were willing to get too close, the same cannot be said of our guides.

Hand Feeding

American crocodiles weren’t the only animal life we saw this trip.  Indeed, not all the animals were even wild.  Apparently the Tárcoles River is home to several cattle operations, as well, and Brahman cattle seemed to be particularly popular.

Grazing Cattle

Here are some more shots of our expedition and the wildlife we encountered:

Cruising the Tárcoles

Cute Sunbather

Falcon

Tárcoles River

Blue Heron