Erick Castro Tour Guide

30/07/2024

Here’s a link to a video that two very special guests put together of our 3 week trip..

Costa Rica is a Central American country bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south-east. It has both Pacific and Caribbean coasts with the c...

21/05/2022

One of our common species of mammals, the Collared Peccary likes to move around their territories in groups of up to 30 individuals rooting for insects or picking up fruit.

They rely on their keen sense of smell to find food and stay alert for predators. This individual was looking for Peach-palm Fruit growing at forest edge in Bosque del Cabo Lodge, Puerto Jimenez.

30/04/2022

Always a pleasure to find a Motmot, such beautiful birds!

Turquoise-browed Motmot
Momoto de Ceja Turquesa
Eumomota superciliosa
Cerro Lodge Road

02/12/2021

Another common yard visitor, enjoying the seeds from an Indian Almond Tree!

Great Green Macaws show that if we give nature a chance it will respond well; some 30 years ago there were only some 30-40 pairs, now their numbers have increased to well over one thousand individuals and in the caribbean lowlands of CR they have become a common sight.

Great Green Macaw
Lapa Verde
Ara ambiguus

29/11/2021

On a recent trip to Observatory Lodge, right at the entrance of the Waterfall Trail, we spotted this beautiful snake. I knew it wasn’t venomous, but that was all I knew at that moment (besides the fact that it was a new species for me!).

Took a couple of photos which allowed me to identify it, later.

Never did I imagine that it would be a species that feeds on Arthropods (insects, spiders and scorpions).

After getting some photos and admiring its beauty, I carefully “invited it” to move out of the trail so no one would step on it.

Southern Scorpion-eater
Alacranera Sureña
Stenorrhina degenhardtii

28/11/2021

Although tropical birds do not have such a restrictive season for breeding, there is, most definitely, a peak in the breeding of most birds. For Costa Rica that happens to be during our dry season which starts in December.

Our birds are already getting their best suits on as levels of testosterone begin to increase.

Here's a sample!

Male and female Red-legged Honeycreeper at courtship display! (Above), compare with non-breeding male (below).
Mielero Patirrojo
Cyanerpes cyaneus

02/09/2020

Catholic Church of Cañas

It is a well-known fact that Latin America is mostly catholic due to the influence of the Catholic Church during the conquest. Many of these churches are, even nowadays, among the largest buildings in their towns.

In Costa Rica, a common saying is that a neighborhood becomes a town once it gets a school, a soccer field, a catholic church and a bar. Well yeah, a little bit of a joke but true, nonetheless.

We have some catholic churches that stand out; either because of their age or because of their architecture.

In the town of Cañas we find a catholic church that stands out, not because it is very old, nor because of its intricate architecture but because it is cover with more than a million pieces of mosaic tiles arranged in designs that evoke biblical stories and nature.

The author of such detailed work is a local artist, Mr Otto Apuy, better known in this town as the Favorite Son of Cañas.

Apuy is a recognized artist, who has participated in more than 150 exhibitions around the world, both individual and collective but in Costa Rica, he is considered a pioneer in the art field. His first experience with art was at age 11, painting posters with text and graphics, that would advertise the new films to be played at his grandfather’s movie theater.

01/09/2020

The Green Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus malachiticus) is a small but colorful lizard that inhabits middle to high elevations in Central America. As a reptile, it tends to come out to the sunlit areas as the sun warms up to regulate body temperature providing great opportunities to observe and photograph them.

The name of Spiny Lizards refers to the texture of their scales which are heavily keeled.

One of the curious facts about this species is that, unlike the rest of the iguanid lizards, it is ovoviviparous; giving birth to an average of 10 young per year.

19/08/2020

My dear friends, here is the link to our new YouTube video.
http://bit.ly/Basic_Equipment_For_Nature_Tours

Far too often, participants do not know what type of equipment is the right one for the nature oriented tour or the photography tour they have sign up for an...

19/08/2020

Times change!

In 1994, when I got into the world of birding, the distribution of bird species used to be very different to what it is now. Take the Red-breasted Meadowlark (formerly, Red-breasted Blackbird), Leistes militaris, for example; it used to be found only in the southwestern lowlands of Costa Rica. It was not until 2002-2003 that the first reports occurred for my home town, Sarapiquí, on the caribbean lowlands.

Today, Red-breasted Meadowlarks are well distributed throughout the country's lowlands, mostly associated with very humid open areas and rice fields.

Deforestation and large scale agriculture has modified the landscape and many species have taken advantage of this change. Such is the case with this Meadowlark and with several other birds. Tropical Mockingbirds and Shiny Cowbirds are among the most recent arrivals for Costa Rica whose distribution has increased greatly in recent years.

07/08/2020

The Casque-headed Iguana, a.k.a Helmeted Iguana or Helmeted Lizard is a reptile in the family Coritophanidae, same family the, so called, Jesus-Christ Lizards (known for their ability to run on water) belong to.

It is found from southern Mexico to northwestern Colombia in lowland rain forests. They spend most of the time on trees or shrubs but also come down to the ground to pick up prey or lay eggs.

They remain motionless for long hours taking advantage of their camouflaged appearance to pounce on unsuspecting prey; insects, worms and other lizards.

With a body size of only 4 to 5 inches (10-13 cm) and their ability to change color to blend in with their surroundings, Casque-headed Lizards are not easy to spot but once you do they are a lot of fun watch and easy to photograph.

05/08/2020

05/08/2020

Hello dear friends, below you will find a link to our first Youtube video with general information of Costa Rica.
https://bit.ly/Youtube_Video_Costa_Rica_General_Information_by_Erick_Castro

This video is about a few general facts about the country of Costa Rica such as where it is located, how large it is, population size, language, topography a...

04/08/2020

Cerro de la Muerte, Costa Rica
At an elevation of 11 000 feet, Cerro de la Muerte (Mountain of Death) is one of the easiest places to access the Paramo in Costa Rica.

Páramo is a tropical ecosystem that is found above timberline and it can be described as a stunted forest dominated, at least in Costa Rica, by Chusquea bamboo. Vegetation tends to be very open with small, brightly colored flowers.

Climatic conditions lean towards high humidity with a heavy cover of clouds moving in and out constantly due to strong winds, part of the reason why trees don't grow tall. Temperatures also vary drastically from daytime to nighttime ranging from 1° to 15° C (34° to 60° F).

This is a perfect habitat for birds such as the Volcano Junco, Volcano Hummingbird, Mountain Thrush, Timberline Wren, Peg-billed Finch, Large-footed Finch, flocks of tanagers and warblers.