Costa Rica was where a lot of Michael Crichton's "Jurassic Park" saga events took place. And even though the secluded rainforest on the Nicaraguan border was just asking for a prehistoric beast to live in its shadowy depths, there was no shortage of modern day wierd, poisonous or dangerous animals. This did not hold me back one bit. During the siesta I had a chance to roam freely around the lodge, so instead of lounging about I thought that I better use this opportunity to the fullest and scope out the banks of the pools at the foot of the hill. I wanted to photograph the basilisks and was more worried about the couple of rugged looking guys with machetes that clearely came from the Nicaraguan side of the border through the forest than I ever was about any animal. Before this I did run into poachers during another shoot and it wasn't something I wanted to do again.

I started off by walking on the ridge rising above the pool, looking down at shore rocks and driftwood, because that's where the basilisks would sunbathe. No luck at all. Maybe it was too hot, the midday sun was baking everything that wasn't covered by shade from the greenery. I was a bit disappointed because I really wanted to get a shot of the basilisk, preferably a male. Suddenly, I noticed I was being followed. Even though I was quite far from water up on the slope, a large caiman decided to tail me. It was around two meters in length and quite massive. I changed direction to see if it would follow and the animal turned, slow as molasses, full of lazy ease and confidence that it could take me. It was sticking to me like glue, though being very casual about it. As I mentioned, the slope was steep and if I were to come closer to water and slip or miss a step, it would be very difficult to escape the caiman's jaws. I looked around and decided to go to low ground. The safest spot was that little patch of land where the dirt road ran to the lodge. I strolled over there, the caiman following me very closely with increasing interest. The beast moved into the shallow waters by the sandy shore, trying to hide between water lillies. The closer it got to me, the slower it moved, sending no ripples through the water. Finally it stopped.

It lay perfectly still, as if basking in the sun. But it had just stalked me and I was not fooled. This animal was ready to pounce. I stood still as it kept its attention on me. I had my agenda, the caiman had its own. I needed to find a good spot to shoot it safely while I was getting a lower angle. I tried a few steps here and there and the caiman, ever so slowly, moved in even closer. Here it looked smaller than when I wal looking at it from above. It didn't seem too scary, so I had to remind myself of how it looked before. Plus, this guy followed me with such confidence, I could only assume he was quite certain he could take me on. I was not ready to argue his judgement.

The crocodilians' strike distance is the length of their body. Keeping that in mind I circled the caiman and, checking if there were no more walking death traps behind me in the second pool, I knelt down and took my shot. That clear water and the green leaves still look so inviting to me and then I see that very attentive eye. This was the largest caiman I encountered there, the others barely reached the length of my arm and got nervous when they noticed my attention.

Unfortunately, the pools didn't offer much more opportunities for me after that. I hunted for night herons, basilisks and kingfishers, but all I got was a Great grey heron fishing.

One day we got a tip from the locals that in the swamp nearby a pair of boatbill herons made a nest and had some chicks. Naturally, we went to investigate. The walk over there was not a long one, but, boy, was it hard! The wet, stinky swamp ground was sucking in my feet as soon as I put them down. The twisted roots snagged my boots and I had to use my tripod to keep my balance and not nose-dive into the rich soggy dirt. The humidity and the heat in the forest around the swamp immediately soaked my clothes to my underwear, it was a sauna in there. When we arrived at the nest, we lined ourselves in front of it. As we stood there waiting for the parents, I could feel myself sinking into the swamp rapidly. Moving my feet, dragging them out of the mud and finding a new spot to stand only made the situation worse - the broken up mud turned into a slushy paste even more. The nest was good for the birds, but not at all suitably for photography - twigs and leaves were getting in the way of the focus, light wasn't getting through, the chicks didn't move and the parents were not in a hurry to appear. This was a good spot for watching the birds, but not the best one to shoot them at. After a while we cut our losses and went back along the same nightmare trail. Actually, I loved getting dirty and pushing myself through mud and dense jungle growth, it was an adventure after all. I prefer my photography with a challenge to shooting fish in a barrel, so I didn't mind. I only wish I had better photos to show for it all, but you win some, you lose some. This is a lesson a wildlife photographer learns quickly.

We needed something to lift our spirits, so we went into the forest behind the lodge. There, in thick moss covering a fallen and almost decayed tree trunk we found a bunch of Strawberry poison-dart frogs. They were tiny, easily fitting on my thumb nail, but they were very fast and very dangerous. Michael was the one handling them for us and he touched one with his bare hand and then, when he touched his face forgetfully, the poison must have gotten into his blood through the microscopic shaving cuts. Very soon Michael's face went numb in the place where the poison contaminated it. Thankfully, the amount of poison he got was very minimal, so the effect wore off quickly. But I still think it was no fun for him.

The poison of these amazing little frogs is a complex compund of alkaloid toxins. It is now thought that the frogs get these alkaloids from the insects they eat and some studies suggest that when rearing tadpoles some frogs lay unfertilized eggs laced with this poison for the young to feed on and work it into their system in a harm-free way from day one. Captive-bred animals who are not fed accordingly, do not have a significant level of poison, but accumulate it as soon as their diet is switched to a natural one. Now scientists are working with these toxins to create powerful painkillers, muscle relaxants and heart stimulants. nature never ceases to amaze. All of that danger, all of that potential good comming not from a huge complex lab but a tiny creature that just wants to live and be left alone.

Next time he handled poisonos frogs, Michael was much more careful. By the reservoir where the rainwater was gathered, in the huge and stiff-leaved bromelias we found the green and black poison dart frogs (whoever was naming these didn't work up a sweat doing so, did he?). In the bromelia plants water is collected at the base of the leaves or in the center and small frogs like to hide there in their personal swimming pools. This species was much larger than the strawberries we shot before. They were a bit calmer, too, just climbing on the leaves instead of hopping around every which way. Their green pattern had an inexplicable metallic sheen to it, very beautiful. I could photograph poison dart frogs all day, their shimmer is that captivating.

Another animal was brought in very cautiously from the forest in a burlap sack and, man, was it angry! It was hissing and puffing up, leaving no doubt about its opinion of us. This was a large and very active eyelash viper. It was nowhere near as chill as the one I shot almost a week ago. This one even lashed out at us as we moved around it, might have even bitten somebody's boot. I was much more cautious around this snake, but still couldn't resist the temptation of getting a close-up when it was in its strike pose.

As we lived in the midst of prestine tropical nature we shared our temporary home with some animals. One day I caught a lizard on the terrace where I slept. Even though I was softly asked not to do that again, because it might be dangerous and the hospital was far away, we all photographed it and then let it go. I do not encourage anyone to grab any wild thing they see. Once again, I know my way around reptiles as I've been keeping them ever since I was a kid (I kept terrariums with a very wide variety of scaly creatures, including some very ill-tempered biters). I know what I'm doing and I know how to handle the animal without harming it. I also know what to do if a lizard chomps on my hand and how to avoid it. Unless you have similar experience, please, let someone else do it for you.

One little guy I was thrilled to meet. He was a baby boa the locals named Barry. Barry the Boa was very mellow around humans and he was treated very gently when we were photographing him. He was a very pretty and very pleasant little snake. The browns that formed the base of his camouflage were gorgeous in their saturation and the pattern was quite striking. But his scales had an almost magic quality about them - irridescent rainbows danced along the snake's body when light hit it at a certain angle. Being a jouvenile Barry was a lot more colorful than the adults. I still wish him good luck growing up a big heavy snake (boas can reach 3-4 meters in length and up to 25 kilos in bulk). Barry was a sweetheart.

As you can see, I am very open about the ups and downs of wildlife photography and am not afraid to show the misses along with the hits. It is all a part of the process and in the end it all makes very vivid, very precious memories. Of course, when I work in a limited time frame, the pressure to get the shot is insane, because I might never get another chance to do it, but even if I don't get it the adventure itself is something to be appreciated. So I fight away childish disappointment and anxiety and shrug it off when something doesn't work out the way I wanted it to. And in my mind I always, always say thank you to Mother Nature when something works out. It helps me keep a balanced approach to working with wildlife and never take nature for granted. In the end I come out with memories I keep fondly for years and that's always a win.

TO BE CONTINUED....