WildHeart Radio with Sarah Lutke Wild

As the sun slips behind the mountains and the jungle begins its slow, beautiful handover from day to night… This episode is about that magical window at dusk. When the toucans and aracaris are saying their loud, raspy goodnights and the night creatures are just starting to wake up. A few evenings ago I was sitting on the deck when I heard a sudden commotion in the tallest tree right behind the hou...

Hiking up a mountain river in Costa Rica where the water tumbles over boulders and every bend feels like a secret waiting to be discovered… Today’s story is about the wild orchids. Those delicate, resilient jewels that grow on trees and rocks all over the jungle if you’re willing to slow down and really look. A few mornings ago I decided to skip the main trail and walk the river instead. Most peop...

This episode is about the night I turned off my flashlight and let the dark show me what it wanted me to see. It started with the headlight beetle glowing in complete darkness, two tiny lights moving in sync like miniature headlights on a fallen log. Then came the kinkajou crashing through the palm tree right after dinner, long tail curling through the branches while it ate fruit under the stars....

This episode is about the night bird… that incredible, unique sounding creature that I’ve come to think of as the jungle’s own lullaby singer. You almost always see them at night, hovering low over the ground or resting right on the path, their eyes catching the beam of your headlight like tiny glowing moons. A few nights ago I heard it. A soft, haunting call that cut through the darkness and made...

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...

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 t...

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 lon...

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...

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...

On one of my favorite beach walks in Costa Rica, where the ocean meets the muck and every turn can change the whole day… I was strolling along the shoreline, camera ready as always, when I took a little detour just off the spot I call the bird sanctuary. A slight rustling in the trees above caught my ear. I looked up and there they were! An entire troop of white faced monkeys, babies and all, hang...

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked straight into a spider web and felt that unmistakable sticky silk across my face. It happens almost every time I’m out looking for something special — the light catches the web just right, and suddenly I’m tangled in it. But those moments have taught me to slow down and really look, because there’s almost always a surprise waiting in the middle. A few mo...

Cruising down a bumpy Costa Rican road toward the beach, where every drive feels like a scavenger hunt for feathers and surprises… Today’s story is about my favorite roadside discovery. This one tree sticking out of a mucky pond that’s basically a VIP lounge for birds. No matter the season, it’s always buzzing with guests. Cattle egrets, great egrets, ibis, night herons, blue herons,and the occasi...

This story is about the hummingbirds a a beautiful morning song… 

Those tiny jewels of the jungle that are so plentiful, they turn every bush and flower into a living mosaic of color and constant motion.
 Costa Rica is a hummingbird paradise with over 50 species, darting like living sparks from blossom to blossom, wings beating up to 80 times a second. But the moment I want to share today isn’t o...

Weaving through the understory of the Costa Rican rainforest, where the smallest creatures often tell the biggest stories. Today’s episode is about the vibrant, thumbnail sized poison dart frogs that dot the forest floor like living gems… and one tiny green climber who turned a curled leaf into an epic quest. I spotted him after a rainstorm, no bigger than my thumbnail, hopping along the trail. He...

Today’s story is about vultures. Those often misunderstood sky cleaners that circle the mountains and ocean like silent guardians. And a pair that showed me their surprisingly sweet side on the edge of the shore. Vultures get a bad rap, right? We picture them circling doom or cleaning up messes, but up close they’re fascinating. Massive wingspans for effortless soaring, keen eyesight that spots a...

Today’s story is about one of the most elusive, elegant creatures in the jungle – the ocelot – and how one (or maybe two) has made this hillside part of their path. My little house is perched high on the mountain, backed right up against a reserve, so the backyard isn't just a yard – it's a highway for everything from agoutis to coatis, toucans and so much more. I set up a trail cam to see what wa...

Standing on the edge of a black sand beach in Costa Rica, where the ocean meets the jungle and every morning holds a potential spectacle. It was an early start a couple of weeks ago as I went down to the shore before the sun climbed too high. I arrived as the first light painted the waves gold, the air still cool with salt and promise. Walking quietly along the shoreline, camera ready, I suddenly...

It starts as the first light hits the treetops… A low vibration that builds until the whole Costa Rican canopy is singing. I spotted a cicada clinging to a giant leaf, taking a rest from singing endlessly. Green and blue, almost metallic, wings like stained glass. I got low, held my breath and captured the fleeting moment. From the intricate patterns, to the tiny eyes that see everything. But the...

Hi, I’m Sarah and welcome to this incredible adventure! Twenty two years of photographing everyone’s happiest days in New England. Then one hummingbird in Corcovado looked me right in the eye and everything changed. This is the real story of how I went from 40+ weddings a season to barefoot coffee on a jungle deck inside the rainforest, from perfect timelines to toucan breakfast clubs at 10 a.m.,...

Early 2023. I’m driving through the bumpiest of dirt roads, overthinking every real estate listing and heading to the first of a long list… When I spot a flash of water through the trees. I slam the brakes, scramble down a little slope and there it is… A perfect miniature waterfall singing over mossy rocks into a small pool. No sign. No trail. Just pure, secret jungle magic. I stood there, shoes s...

Meet Larry. He’s the Laughing Falcon who decided my mountain in Costa Rica is his stage and my coffee time is his cue. Some days he’s a distant echo bouncing off the ridge. Other days he lands fifteen feet away, throws his head back and belts out that wild “ha-ha-ha-HAAA-ha” like the jungle hired him for comic relief. I’ve started talking back: “Good morning, Larry.” I swear he answers. A daily re...

An early morning beach walk… I’m creeping toward a quiet group of birds when a heron owns the top branch like a king on his throne. Next second: a Great Egret comes in like a missile and literally body checks him off the perch. The heron flips and flaps, wings flaring in the most graceful, accidental ballet I’ve ever seen. The egret slides in, calm as you like and claims the precious spot. Sometim...

Every morning, right around ten, two collared aracaris drop out of nowhere onto the cecropia tree off my deck. Silent approach. Rainbow beaks glowing. Then the fruit starts falling and the show begins… Two minutes of pure magic, then they’re gone like nothing happened. This is my daily reminder that the best things in life don’t need an invitation. They just show up, eat breakfast, and leave you s...

A few weeks ago, low tide, quiet beach… I find a tiny tide pool just on the other side of the shore, holding nine Black-necked Stilts. All elegant, pink-legged, perfectly matched. Then right in the middle, one tall, pure-white Great Egret stands calm and unbothered, like he was invited all along. They don’t chase him away. He doesn’t try to change his feathers. They just share the same water, the...

Welcome to Episode One direct from the jungle! My first morning ever inside Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. I’m soaked and standing on a trail in the early a.m. when a tiny emerald hummingbird flies up, hovers six inches from my lens and stares straight into my eyes for what felt like a lifetime. In that single, silent moment every excuse I had for staying small just… disappeared. That one...