Site Report: Santa Elena - Hidden Valley

Costa Rica Red-legged Tarantula (Megaphobema mesomelas)

Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine (Coendou mexicanus)

Plain Wren (Thryothorus modestus)

Pygmy Rain Frog (Pristimantis ridens)

This is a private cloud forest reserve just outside of Santa Elena. In addition to day hikes, there are organized night walks in the forest.

2009-02-20: After a couple of days in the brutal heat of Guanacaste, we headed up into the Monteverde cloud forest where we found cool rainy weather. Our first stop in the Monteverde area was the Hidden Valley near Santa Elena. In the Hidden Valley, we were able to do a day hike and a guided night walk in the cloud forest. One of the coolest things that we saw on the trip were the glowing click beetles that we found in the forest here.

Kingdom: Animals (24 records)

Phylum: Arthropods (1 record)

Class: Arachnids (1 record)

Order: Spiders (1 record)
- Family: Tarantulas
- Costa Rica Red-legged Tarantula (Megaphobema mesomelas)

Phylum: Chordates (23 records)

Class: Amphibians (1 record)

Order: Toads and Frogs (1 record)
- Family: Fleshbelly Frogs
- Pygmy Rain Frog (Pristimantis ridens)

Class: Birds (19 records)

Order: Hummingbirds and Swifts (2 records)
- Family: Hummingbirds
- Stripe-tailed Hummingbird (Eupherusa eximia)
- White-throated Mountain-gem (Lampornis castaneoventris)

Order: Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, Motmots (1 record)
- Family: Motmots
- Lessen's Motmot (Momotus lessonii)

Order: Perching Birds (13 records)
- Family: American Blackbirds and Orioles
- Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)
- Family: Jays and Crows
- Brown Jay (Cyanocorax morio)
- Family: New World Warblers
- Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera)
- Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)
- Family: Old World Buntings
- Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis)
- White-eared Ground-Sparrow (Melozone leucotis)
- Yellow-faced Grassquit (Tiaris olivaceus)
- Family: Swallows
- Blue-and-white Swallow (Pygochelidon cyanoleuca)
- Family: Thrushes and Allies
- Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)
- Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi)
- Family: Tyrant Flycatchers
- Boat-billed Flycatcher (Megarynchus pitangua)
- Family: Wrens
- Plain Wren (Cantorchilus modestus)
- Southern House Wren (Troglodytes musculus)

Order: Trogons (1 record)
- Family: Trogons
- Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris)

Order: Vultures (1 record)
- Family: New World Vultures
- Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

Order: Woodpeckers, Barbets, Toucans, and Honeyguides (1 record)
- Family: Toucans
- Northern Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus)

Class: Mammals (3 records)

Order: Carnivorans (1 record)
- Family: Procyonidae
- White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica)

Order: Rodents (2 records)
- Family: Agoutis
- Brown Agouti (Dasyprocta variegata)
- Family: Old World Porcupines
- Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine (Coendou mexicanus)