Coffee fields shaded by poró trees begin at the village of Río Claro, on the road down to Turrialba and just above Santa Rosa where the beneficio, as coffee processing plants are called, is located.

The Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans), a  bird of prey that specialises in hunting snakes, was perched in a bare tree fairly close to the main road as I drove down on a routine trip this week. I took no photo, but the one below, by kind courtesy of Richard Garrigues, shows a strikingly beautiful individual with its typical black mask. Its Spanish name, guaco, refers (as does the English) to its loud, repetitious call note, which can be heard at a great distance.

The snake-hunting Laughing Falcon