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Rainmaker Biological Reserve Photos

The Rainmaker Reserve is a fantastic alternative to some of the more popular attractions along the Central Pacific.  Enjoy amazing birds and wildlife in rain forest habitats similar to Manuel Antonio National Park without waiting in line two hours at the entrance.  Trade the crowded beaches for a swim under a tropical waterfall, the high priced umbrella drinks for a beer at the microbrewery on the entrance road and skip the resort buffet in favor of a home cooked Costa Rican meal.

Puente Colgante
The hanging bridges at Rainmaker are the only ones on the central Pacific
green and black poison dart frog
Dendrobates auratus, also known as the green and black poison dart frog
Rainforest hanging bridges
We spent nearly an hour on the top three bridges just peering through binoculars and snapping photos.
Tropical waterfall swimming hole
Rainmaker’s reputation is all about conservation, ecology and wildlife but it’s also a great place to relax take a swim under a tropical waterfall
Stacked rocks
Stacked rocks in front of the waterfall
Freshwater shrimp shell
Freshwater shrimp shell. They grow to about 10″ long and nibble your toes.
Hummingbird on thimble sized nest
Hummingbird on it’s tiny thimble sized nest in Rainmaker Reserve. I watched for about half an hour as he or she (or maybe it was both) disappeared for five minutes at a time then returned with another strand of moss or grass to weave in.
butterfly closed
butterfly open
Rainmaker Reserve map
Rainmaker Reserve Map of trails and bridges
Sue and Ray get mushy
Sue and Ray caught kissing in front of one of the five waterfalls along the trails of the Rainmaker reserve.
perfect angle
Stretching and bending to get the perfect angle. I was trying to get a photo of the hummingbird building a nest in the treetops about fifteen feet in front of the hanging bridge.
Groove-billed ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris)
Groove-billed ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris) pair. Surprising members of the Cuckoo family.
Beware of snakes
Beware of snakes – the most commonly seen residents of the rainmaker reserve are the birds, then amphibians, followed by lizards, then mammals and in a distant last place, snakes.
Frog shadow
tropical waterfall
phtographing a Brown Common Anole
Sue sneaking up on a Brown Common Anole (Norops polylepis). He’s oblivious to her close approach because there is a potential mate about 5 feet in front of him
Brown Common Anole (Norops polylepis)
Brown Common Anole (Norops polylepis)
Male and female anole with display
Male and female anole with display
Boa constrictor camouflage
Bark on trunks and branches provides the pattern for Boa constrictor camouflage
Masked Tityra (Tityra semifasciata)
Masked Tityra (Tityra semifasciata)
climbing the waterfall
Climbing the waterfall to jump into the pool
Friends in a rainmaker waterfall
We were the only ones is the Rainmaker swimming hole even though it was the middle of the peak travel season
Terciopelo coiled
Terciopelo coiled in a dugout in an embankment to keep cool during the heat of the day
Granular poison arrow frog
Granular poison arrow frog
Brown Vinesnakes (Bejuquilla café, Oxybelis aeneus)
Brown Vinesnake (Bejuquilla café, Oxybelis aeneus). I might not have gotten so close if I had read up on it first – I was surprised to learn that “their moderately toxic venom is known to cause temporary pain and swelling in humans”
Brown Vinesnakes (Bejuquilla café, Oxybelis aeneus)
Solórzano’s Snakes of Costa Rica says that Brown Vinesnakes (Bejuquilla café, Oxybelis aeneus) have perfected camoflage – extending their body out in a sinuous curve like this one and gently swaying as though being moved by a breeze. They even have the the unusual ability to flick their tongue out and leave it there when they freeze into an imitation of a vine.
Dendrobates auratus
Dendrobates auratus, also known as the green and black poison dart frog feeds on ants and termites and can often be spotted near rotting logs or tree trunks
Eyelash Viper, Bothriechis schlegelii
Eyelash Viper, Bothriechis schlegelii (Spanish-Oropel or Toboba de Pestaña). Wide variations in color help these poisionous snakes blend in with their environment.
Frog with the remnants of a tadpole tail
Frog with the remnants of a tadpole tail
tadpoles
tadpoles
Tadpole sprouting legs
Tadpole sprouting legs
tadpole
grasshopper stalking a rain forest frog
grasshopper stalking a rain forest frog

Ray & Sue

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Wildlife Refuges & Reserves

Wildlife Refuges & Reserves
  • Karen Mogensen Nature Reserve
  • Portalón Estero Rey National Wildlife Refuge
  • Hacienda Barú National Wildlife Refuge Photos
  • Rainmaker Biological Reserve Photos
  • Hills of Portalón Wildlife Refuge
  • Bahía Junquillal National Wildlife Refuge Photos
  • Playa Hermosa-Punta Mala National Wildlife Refuge Photos
  • Transition Dry to Rain Forest
  • Caño Negro Photos
  • Gandoca Manzanillo Photos



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