Site Report: Santa Elena - Hidden Valley, Costa Rica

Costa Rica Red-legged Tarantula (Megaphobema mesomelas)

Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine (Coendou mexicanus)

Cabanis's Wren (Cantorchilus 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.

Map of Site Report: Santa Elena - Hidden Valley, Costa Rica

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
- Lesson'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 Sparrows
- White-eared Ground-Sparrow (Melozone leucotis)
- Family: New World Warblers
- Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)
- Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera)
- Family: Old World Buntings
- Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis)
- Yellow-faced Grassquit (Tiaris olivaceus)
- Family: Swallows
- Blue-and-white Swallow (Pygochelidon cyanoleuca)
- Family: Thrushes and Allies
- Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi)
- Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)
- Family: Tyrant Flycatchers
- Boat-billed Flycatcher (Megarynchus pitangua)
- Family: Wrens
- Cabanis's 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)