|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Return to Day 2 - to Tortuguero
Up at 06:00 after been woken by a torrential downpour - it is the wet season after all.
Water cascading off the bungalow's roof...
We took two boat trips during the day amongst the canals looking for wildlife.
Crab in the roots of a tree near the boat dock...
Fancy tree buttressing...
Anhinga...
Kingfisher with its catch...
Young Iguana...
Morning reflections...
A Spectacled Caiman in Cano Harold...
Another smaller Caiman further up the channel...
Little Blue Heron...
A juvenile Tiger Heron gives us a flash...
A monkey interlude...Geoffroy's Spider Monkey...
An enigmatic looking Boat Billed Heron - they look cute, but they eat baby turtles, which they crush with that powerful beak - nature... beautiful & seemingly cruel...
A fine male Basilisk Lizard, the young ones run across the water, hence their other name 'Jesus Christ' Lizard. This grand fellah would sink with all his finery...
In between the boat rides we took a small hike into the lowland rainforest.
Junglist massive...
Flower or bracht?...
Everywhere we went we saw industrious leafcutter ants, this 4 inch wide path was kept absolutely clear by the ants as they carried their leafy booty back to their fungal gardens...
Another Orb-Web Spider, this time munching on a not insubstantial Cicada...
Damselfly...
An impressive flower near our bungalow...
Back on the water, a Great Egret...
Toucan time, these Keel Bill Toucans were very high up and in the mood for flying not posing for photo's...
 |
 |
 |
 |
Mangrove Swallows taking a breather from daring skimming duties...
Back at the lodge, a Chestnut-Mandibled Toucan also stays high...
That evening we revisited the beach to watch a Green Turtle lay her eggs. It was a great experience, which despite being run by the hotel, rather than the National Park was a far better operation than a previous experience at a more formal setting. Bizzarely the National Park don't run tours, they just licence the lodges to do them.
Thankfully there was a strictly enforced no torches & no camera policy on the beach - anyone breaks it and the whole group has to leave.
The turtle had already dug her hole when we arrived, we watched the egg-laying (done in a trance apparently) and some of the covering up then gave her a breather, before watching her exhausting haul back to the sea...
Next Stop - Day 4 - to La Fortuna
