Costa Rica is a leading world nation in conservation, protecting roughly 25% of it's natural environment in the country's 26 national parks. This is for good reason;Â tropical rainforests are often referred to as "jewels of the earth" - they are home to two-thirds of all living animal and plant species on the planet.
Bordered by both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, with Panama to the south and Nicaragua to the north, the country is just over twice the size of Wales. It is a peaceful country having abolished the need for an army since 1948.
An example to the rest of the world, Costa Rica is on track to become the first carbon-neutral country by 2020, with 99% of the country's energy needs met through a combination of geothermal, hydroelectric and wind power.
The first area I visited during my trip to this amazing country in July/August 2017 was the Caribbean lowland rainforest near the border with Nicaragua.
I was staying in an area known locally as Boca Tapada; located nearby the mouth of the San Carlos River. It is off-the-beaten-track from most tourist itineraries and because of this the wildlife viewing opportunities are second to none.
I stayed at an eco-lodge called Laguna del Lagarto. It is a haven for many bird species but in particular Toucans, Vultures and Macaws. By attracting key species - for example ecologists consider toucans among the most important seed dispersers in the rainforest - this in turn provides a platform for smaller species, such as Red-Legged Honeycreepers, to thrive.
From my flight into the capital, San Jose, the journey to Laguna del Largarto took us over the central mountain range and up to the hot, humid rainforest near the Nicaraguan border. The last hour/hour and a half was on a bumpy dirt track travelling deep into the rainforest.
On arrival it was almost as if the birds were waiting for us as, no sooner had we settled into the lodge and were about to have lunch, Collared Aracaris and Brown-Hooded Parrots were visiting the nearby feeders...
In the afternoon we had more Aracaris, Keel-Billed Toucans, Chestnut-Mandibled Toucans, Montezuma Orependolas, Green Ibis and even a Coatimundi visiting the area all in the space of a couple of hours - heaven!
The Lodge also provides a great opportunity to watch and photograph a bird that most will consider ugly, but do have amazing colours - the King Vulture.
A well-known name in the photography world, Bence Mate, set up a hide to watch this species only a short walk from the Lodge grounds. I took up the opportunity watch these animals on my first full day in the area on a swelteringly hot and humid morning. Despite sweating what felt like my body-weight, it was well worth it to see them!
Anyone who knows me will know I have a keen interest in reptiles and amphibians and, not surprisingly, Costa Rica is one of the best countries to see such a wide variety of them.
The lowland rainforests are the best place to look for them due to the heat, rainfall and humidity, and Laguna was no exception. There were many species in the grounds including the cute (!) Blue Jeans Dart Frog and an amazingly camouflaged Eyelash Viper...
As mentioned above the area has become a magnet for smaller bird species thanks to seed dispersers like Toucans. Each morning, while waiting for breakfast, we were greeted with a vast array of amazingly colourful species.
I must admit, while it's always nice to see birds such as Blue Tits and Greenfinches in my garden at home, these little birds take colourful to another level! Even heavy rainfall didn't seem to put them off, albeit looking a bit bedraggled!
Each day in this area would follow a similar pattern - as the sun warmed up what already felt like a steam room the heavy rainfall from the previous night would begin to evaporate causing heavy mist and cloud moving through the forest.
The toucans were usually the first to be seen and would come to the feeders around the Lodge, followed by many other species of birds. First thing in the morning is my favourite time of day as there is a 'stillness' about the air and everything is quiet. Being here surrounded by such a contrast in landscape to the farmland of home was no exception and I had an air of excitement in what opportunities would present themselves each day.
With a monotone background of white-grey cloud it gave opportunities for high-key photos, where you overexpose the image, as well as capturing the atmosphere of the area through the mist...
The photography here didn't stop when the sun went down. There are many amazing nocturnal rainforest species and, again, the lowland rainforests are one of the best places to see them.
I first visited Costa Rica in 2013 and was very unlucky in not seeing the Red Eyed Tree Frog. An icon of the rainforest and probably one of the most well-known animals in the world. You can imagine my excitement on the realisation that we were in prime habitat for them and their cacophony at night meant there were loads around.
So at the beginning of this trip I had managed to fulfill a life-goal of seeing a Red Eyed Tree Frog in the wild, and managed to get some creative images of them in the process. I was giddy from this experience but the photography didn't stop there...
After having dinner and a few beers, we ventured out into the rainforest again to a known spot where Pallas's Long-Tonged Bats come to feeders. Originally the feeders were put up for hummingbirds, but when the Lodge staff noticed the feeders being emptied overnight, they set up trail cameras to watch what was going on. The culprit was these bats and so another opportunity emerged. Using numerous off-camera flashes to light the scene in a natural way and a motion sensor to trigger the camera when the bats appeared some amazing photos were to be had...