WildHeart Radio with Sarah Lutke Wild

Episode 21 - The Green Heron and the Perfect Breakfast Strike in Costa Rica

Standing at the edge of my favorite “bird sanctuary” spot in Costa Rica where the ocean meets the muck after a fresh rain… This morning I watched something so perfectly wild and patient that I almost forgot to breathe. The rain had filled the shoreline with shallow pools, turning the black sand into a mirror that reflected the soft morning light. I was walking slowly, camera ready as always, when I spotted him. A beautiful green heron, creeping along the water’s edge with that deliberate, almost comical slowness herons are famous for. Every step was careful, every pause calculated. He knew exactly what he was doing. I tiptoed closer, trying to stay quiet, but he wasn’t bothered by me at all. He just kept moving, eyes locked on the shallow water, completely focused on his breakfast hunt. I crouched low, Nikon 180-600mm zoom lens adjusted all the way out, heart beating a little faster because these moments feel like such a privilege. Being “allowed” to watch a wild creature do what it was born to do, without it seeing me as a threat. Then it happened. In one lightning fast flash, the heron struck. His neck shot forward like a spear and he came up with a tiny silver fish impaled perfectly on his beak! He waited for a moment to appreciate his catch and then tossed his head back, swallowed it whole, and looked almost… satisfied. Like he’d just enjoyed the best meal of his life. As a photographer this was natural magic and pure challenge at the same time. The light was shifting fast after the sunrise, the heron moved in unpredictable bursts and I was squatting on wet sand both trying to fight off the bugs to frame him without scaring him off. But when the strike happened… that perfect moment of focus and speed. I managed to capture it. The heron mid motion, the silver flash of the fish, the quiet triumph of a hunter who knows exactly what he’s doing. Green herons are incredible. They’re patient, clever and use tools (sometimes dropping insects or feathers into the water to lure fish). Watching this one reminded me how much we can learn from their quiet focus. In a world that’s always rushing, he moved slowly, waited for the right moment, and struck with precision when it mattered. One Frame, One Strike: Sometimes the best things in life come not from chasing, but from waiting with patience and striking when the moment is exactly right. Episode Wild Photograph: https://www.instagram.com/p/DYiSzxrRmuS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Follow the wild on Instagram, X + TikTok: @sarahlutkewild Prints & more: sarahlutkewild.com #WildlifePhotography #CostaRica #PuraVida

Episode 20 - The Aracaris and Toucans Who Bookend My Days in Costa Rica

Waking up on my mountain deck in Costa Rica to the same joyful racket every single morning is the best kind of way to start the day. The aracaris and toucans have quietly become the soundtrack of my days here. They start the show at sunrise with their loud, raspy calls, like they’re personally responsible for waking the whole valley. Throughout the day they swing by… collared aracaris landing on the tall trees right off the deck, cracking open whatever fruit is in season and tossing pieces around like kids at a picnic, or a yellow throated toucan perched higher up, that rainbow beak glowing in the light while they give everything that signature judgy head sway from left to right, as if sizing up the world before deciding it’s worth their time. And just before the sun dips behind the trees, they fly to the jungle line behind the house, settle in for the night and give one last round of goodnight chatter. It’s become this beautiful, reliable rhythm I look forward to. Morning alarm, midday visitors, evening lullaby. As a photographer I’ve spent so many hours trying to capture them. They’re fast and social and never sit still for long, so I’m constantly adjusting my zoom, waiting for the light to hit their feathers just right or trying to catch that comical head sway before they fly off again. But when the moment lines up… the bright beak against green leaves, the way they move together as a little family or as a solo traveler, it feels like the jungle is putting on a private show just for me. These birds aren’t just colorful entertainment. They’re vital to the rainforest, spreading seeds as they travel in small family groups and reminding anyone who listens that the wild has its own perfect schedule. Watching them bookend my days has quietly shifted something in me. They show up, do their thing with joy and zero apology and move on when it’s time. No drama, no overthinking. One Frame, One Truth: In a world that often feels chaotic, the aracaris and toucans remind me that the simplest rhythms… Showing up, sharing what you have and saying goodnight when the day is done, can bring the most steady kind of joy. Episode Wild Photograph: https://www.instagram.com/p/DYdLt--xTj6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Follow the wild on Instagram, X + TikTok: @sarahlutkewild Prints & more: sarahlutkewild.com #WildlifePhotography #CostaRica #PuraVida

Episode 19 - The Headlight Beetle That Lit Up the Costa Rican Night

Tonight’s story is about the tiniest glow I’ve ever seen… and the little creature behind it that turned a simple night walk into pure wonder. I was on the path near the house, flashlight in hand, moving slowly because the jungle at night is full of surprises. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I caught the faintest artificial looking glow coming from the woods beside the trail. It was on a long fallen log… Two tiny lights, moving in perfect sync, about the size of a matchbox car. I thought my eyes were playing tricks. It looked exactly like Yanouches glowing eyes in the hallway from Ghostbusters. I shut off my flashlight to see better… and the glow kept moving slowly along the log. When I turned the light back on, there it was! A small beetle with two bright “headlights” on its thorax, shining like tiny lanterns. As a photographer, this was pure magic and pure frustration at the same time. Night macro in the jungle is already tricky. Dew on the lens, unsteady hands, the beetle could disappear in a second. But this time, I didn’t capture the moment.Instead I watched those glowing spots cutting through the dark like the jungle had turned on its own little streetlights just for me. Headlight beetles are one of Costa Rica’s most enchanting night creatures. They use bioluminescence to attract mates and their lights can stay on for hours. Seeing one up close feels like the jungle is winking at you. A tiny reminder that even in the darkest moments, there’s light if you slow down and look. One Frame, One Truth: Sometimes the brightest things in life are the ones you almost walk right past. The jungle keeps teaching me to pause, breathe and let the small wonders reveal themselves. Follow the wild on Instagram, X + TikTok: @sarahlutkewild Prints & more: sarahlutkewild.com #WildlifePhotography #CostaRica #PuraVida

Episode 18 - The Little Costa Rican Anteater and the Breakfast Bark Scratch

Just out on one of my favorite early morning hikes through the raw Costa Rican rainforest, where the light is still soft and everything feels like it’s just waking up. I was walking along a narrow trail, camera in hand, when a flash of white caught my eye just ahead. I stopped mid step. There, already halfway up a tree, was a beautiful little anteater, busy scratching at the bark with fierce focus, completely absorbed in its search for breakfast hidden inside. I stood completely still, barely breathing and just watched. The anteater didn’t notice me at all… or if it did, it didn’t care. It kept digging and licking with single minded determination, its long snout working the crevices like it had done this a thousand times before. The morning light filtered through the canopy in soft golden beams, catching the texture of its fur and his little snout. For those few quiet minutes, the whole forest seemed to hold its breath with me. As a photographer this was one of those perfect, fleeting gifts. I slowly raised my camera, Nikon zoom lens, trying to capture the way the light hit its fur, the focused tilt of its head, the way its body moved with such purpose against the rough bark. Anteaters are shy and fast, so I held my breath and hoped the light would hold just long enough for the shot. It felt like the jungle had handed me a private moment… One that most people never get to see. These little anteaters (tamanduas) are incredible survivors here in Costa Rica. They spend their days searching tree trunks and branches for ants and termites, using their long snouts and sticky tongues to reach deep into the bark. Watching this one reminded me how much we can learn from their quiet focus. They don’t rush, they don’t second guess, they just show up and do the work that feeds them. That flash of white on the trail and the way the anteater kept going without a care, left me thinking about my own life. How often do I get distracted by the noise around me instead of staying focused on what’s right in front of me? The anteater didn’t need an audience or perfect conditions. It just needed the bark, the ants and the morning light. One Frame, One Truth: Sometimes the most beautiful things happen when we slow down enough to notice the small, determined creatures doing exactly what they were made to do. And it invites us to do the same. Episode Wild Photograph: https://www.instagram.com/p/DXIGbHlkaLS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Follow the wild on Instagram, X + TikTok: @sarahlutkewild Prints & more: sarahlutkewild.com #WildlifePhotography #CostaRica #PuraVida

Episode 17 - The Kinkajou That Crashed Dinner in Costa Rica

Tonight’s story is about my very first kinkajou! A creature I had only ever read about until it decided to drop by for a late night snack in complete darkness. I heard the rustling first, then a branch snapping and suddenly there it was… a long tailed, brown furred kinkajou perched in the palm tree just beyond the railing, happily munching on nuts and fruit. At first it looked like a cat lounging in the branches, but the moment it started moving, tail curling like a fifth limb, body gliding from branch to branch with effortless grace, I realized I was watching something truly wild and wonderful. Photographing it was a whole new kind of epic challenge. No flash, almost no light, just the faint glow from the house. I stood there holding my breath, macro lens pushed to its limit, trying to capture the little silhouette against the dark canopy while the kinkajou continued its midnight feast completely unbothere. Kinkajous are nocturnal fruit lovers, incredibly agile and rarely seen by humans. That night it felt like the jungle had handed me a private invitation to witness something most people never do. One Frame, One Truth: Sometimes the most memorable visitors arrive when you least expect them… In the dark, with no warning, reminding us that the wild has its own perfect timing. Follow the wild on Instagram, X + TikTok: @sarahlutkewild Prints & more: sarahlutkewild.com #WildlifePhotography #CostaRica #PuraVida