Home sweet home

   As we approach the beginning of the rainy season, many birds in the Monteverde area are starting their nesting. Finding good real estate is not easy in Monteverde, even for birds. Cavity dwelling birds need a large tree with a rotten center that they can excavate. We recently saw this Resplendent Quetzal working on this nest hole.

Here's a picture taken a few years ago of a Quetzal emerging from his nest hole.

Both parents of this species work on the nest, incubate the eggs and feed the chicks. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and others provide artificial nest boxes that are sometimes used by Quetzals. The nest boxes are filled with wood chips so the birds can "excavate" them.
   In San Luis we recently saw a female Masked Tityra working on a nest in a dead snag as the male perched nearby.

For the last several years we've seen several species nesting or attempting to nest in the same trunk. The top of this tree broke off this season and its potential as a nest site must be almost over as it continues to rot away.
   Of course most birds don't want their nest location known and the cunning little nests of hummingbirds are particularly hard to find.  Besides being small they look like a little ball of moss, just another of many epiphytes growing on most cloud forest trees and plants. By the way, any hummingbird sitting on a nest is a female as the males don't contribute anything to the nesting effort. This is a female Purple-throated Mountain Gem.

   Other birds also camouflage their nests, such as this Slaty-backed Nightengale Thrush, a cloud forest bird that is difficult to see but whose beautiful song is frequently heard.

Birds generally will sit very tight on their nest without moving in the hopes of not revealing their location.  Too much disturbance by curious people is very stressful for birds and could result in them abandoning a nest. The photos in this post were taken through a telescope so as to not disturb the birds.
  Even the ubiquitous Clay-colored Robin has a beautifully hidden nest.

Finding nests is a challenge—Mr. Rududu is very pleased if he gets a few good nest photos in a year.

Beautiful rot

Being continually moist, a cloud forest has many kinds of fungus. They are important in the breakdown and recycling of material such as fallen trees. Besides doing important work they are very interesting to look at.

I liked the circular design of these shelf fungi.

The fruiting bodies of most fungi are ephemeral, making a continually changing show in the cloud forest.

This one reminded me of an abstract painting.

Someday I want to see some of the fungus that glows in the dark.

Total cloud forest experience

   The lucky visitor sees the cloud forest when it's shrouded in clouds. A heavy mist in the air adds a hint of mystery and is necessary for a healthy cloud forest. This morning we had the total cloud forest experience, which means we got a little damp.

    The Resplendent Quetzals started breeding late this year in the Monteverde Reserve but they are finally nesting. Nesting behavior makes it a whole lot easier to find them because they call quite a bit and they spend a lot of time sitting around waiting for their turn to attend to the nest. This morning, between bouts of mist so heavy you could call it rain, we saw at total of 6 quetzals and heard at least two others. One of the best sightings was from the hanging bridge where we watched a male only about 10 meters (30 feet) from us. Thankfully, all the viewers present were very quiet. Before Mr. Rududu's lens misted over, he got this fine photo, unusual because he wasn't shooting up at a sharp angle.

 This is another male, sitting near a different nest.

Tips for visiting the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
The reserve is much cooler than it is at the beach. Unless you are very cold tolerant, most days you will feel more comfortable in long pants and shoes and socks rather than shorts and sandals. It can be misty or rainy. A very light poncho, or preferably a light wind breaker is a useful layer. I often take a light sweater too, but I'm a wimp about cool temperatures. Biting insects are uncommon; you can forget the bug spray completely in the dry season. The best way to see a quetzal (and lots of other interesting things) is to go with a guide.

My heros: the trail builders

  A nice long hike in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve brings me a deep feeling of peace; for me it's a form of meditation. This morning we caught the 7:30 bus up to the reserve and spent all day on some of the more than 6 miles/10 kilometers of well maintained trails. Among the things I meditate on as I hike is all the work that has gone into creating and maintaining the paths. Today we came upon the trail crew taking a well deserved rest and I asked them to pose for me. Most of the trail guys are not particularly large but they are incredibly tough.

   Over the years, the style of trail building has changed. The first time we hiked in the Monteverde Reserve in 1991, the trails were "cookies" or cross sections of fallen trees, usually covered in wire mesh. Cookies who have lost their mesh are incredibly slippery if wet and they are usually wet because they are in a cloud forest. In between cookies, there were places where we sank in mud almost to the top of our tall rubber boots. These days, that will never happen to you on the trails in the Monteverde Reserve; any good walking shoes are fine.
  Many of the paths are now paved in cement blocks. They are taken by truck to trail heads and carried  as much as a mile/1.6km. on someone's shoulder. Considering the hilly terrain, carrying a couple of cement blocks that far—and I've never seen a trail worker carry just one— is impressive indeed. Bags of fine rock are also carried in to fill the holes in the block. Just thinking about doing that all day makes my knees hurt. In this photo of blocks by a path being improved with cement blocks, you can see some old cookies too.

  In the last few years the preserve has changed to a new style of paths without steps. They install an edge of recycled plastic "wood" and fill the path with rock and fine gravel. This makes the paths a tiny bit more handicapped accessible and lets the trail builders transport some materials part of the way on a sort of wheelbarrow.  However, there is still of lot of human power used in carrying these sacks of fine gravel.

So as I walk along the trails, I'm not only grateful to be in a such a beautiful place, I am immensely grateful to the trail crew. ¡Gracias, amigos!