Never A Dull Moment...

Mono Cara Blanca

Always and adventure in CR!

 Just thought I'd share about my experiences with the amazing amount of bugs and wildlife here since it really is a HUGE part of my life here in Costa Rica!  In and around our house, Don and I are often trying to get one another's attention to come check out a bird, bug, frog, or animal, and a couple times a snake!  

Harmless Green Parrot Snake

Low Tide in Bejuco

Let's see, where do I begin....?

     For those of you who don't already know, the tides here in Costa Rica are extreme.  Low tide leaves an expansive sandy beach great for bike rides, walks and runs.  The sand is hard packed and perfect for a ride on my beach cruiser.

     On one of my first bike adventures after returning from California in March, I headed north past an area called Punta Mala.  I was going to turn around at the Tulane River.

Esterillos Oeste

    
     I was getting closer to my destination, but saw a 7' crocodile laying right at the surfline.  I instantly decided that this was the perfect place to turn around!
     The boost of adrenaline I received caused me to pedal muy rapido.  My trip home was made in record time as I passed many logs on the beach and floating in the ocean all shaped like crocs!

     BTW, when you visit here there is an awesome croc tour available on a different river called the Tarcoles.  On the way to my house from the airport, you drive over this bridge and you can stop and look at all the crocs laying in the river and on its bank.

                                               Costa Rica has over 850 birds!!!
      The Egret below loves the marshes created by all the rain water.  There are also many Cattle Egret hanging out on the backs of cows in the area.

Snowy Egret

Orange-fronted Parakeet

This bird was hanging out
 near the beach one day... 

         Pelicanos skimming over 
      8-10 waves in
      Playa Hermosa.

    Lots of Blue Parricos.  They love to take baths in the puddles left from the rains, out in our road.

Frigate Soaring High...

 (left) The very loud Yellow Crowned Night Heron.  It kind of sounds like a howler monkey!

     There are many macaws (lapas) in Esterillos Oeste where I live and they are an important part of my day!  We get to enjoy the brilliant colors of the gorgeous Scarlet Macaws as they fly over our house daily.  They head to the beach in the morning to eat and play in the almond trees.

         In the late afternoon, they fly back over and head for the hills, squawking all the way as they fly in their pairs.  An interesting fact about Macaws is they choose one mate for life--'til death do us part.  Maybe that's why they are squawking??!!

internet photo!

  Other loud birds in the area are Wild Turkeys, Laughing Falcons, and Oropendula's.  You won't believe some of the crazy bird sounds we get to hear!!!  
    Check out this laughing falcon (left), we just saw one like this in our tree and hear them all the time...

http://www.youtube.com/watchv=X44NSbr7Wi4&feature=related

internet photo!

And check out this utube for the sound this oropendula (right) makes.  One was in our backyard a couple days ago.  They also make these hanging nest!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MznA3yp7uOg&feature=related

  

Mot Mot
Another one of my favorite birds that visits our yard fairly regularly is the Mot Mot.  This is a beautiful, quiet bird that occasional makes a low "woot woot" sound.

    

"Samson"  

   This morning there were four Toucans in the tree next to our house!  




















   We also have an iguana we've named "Samson", that lives on our roof.  It has taken me many months to get used to the fact that Samson is going to startle me when I walk up the stairs to our deck/terraza.
      Occasionally, I still get startled when he suddenly runs through the canoas (rain gutters) with his sharp claws, or when he jumps off the roof to ground!

Aaahhh!  Our terraza!  I really enjoy this part of our property.  Almost every morning, anywhere from 5:30am to whenever, you can find me starting my day on our observation deck that sits atop our carport. It's my little hide away where I can watch the sunrise, macaws heading to the beach, and space out at the hills on one side, and jungle on the other.
     It's a great place to read, work on my Bible study and just listen....  As quiet and mysterious as God can seem, I think many times He is speaking loud and clear in and through His creation--the supernatural in the natural!

   "For what can be known about God is plain to us all, because God has shown it to us.
  Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power 
  and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made." 
           Romans 1:19-20

     Rainy season (el invierno) has begun, so it's been raining most nights which helps bring the tempature down and makes sleeping more comfortable.  Of course all this rain sustains the bugs, reptiles, birds and plantlife.
     There has been amazing lightening and thunder shows.  I put some video I took on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQaSzRsIyGk  
     Every now and then there will be a huge bright blinding bolt of lightening followed immediately by riproaring thunder that sounds like it's shredding the night sky into pieces and BAM! ends with a bomb sound.

     Each day we see a variety of bugs, butterflies, wasps, termites, bees... Some are so unique and creative in their colors and shapes, many of them harmless!!  I can see where Sci-Fi movies and Disney cartoons got their ideas from!

Praying Mantis

    Lots of Creepy 
           Crawly Bugs!

 But also lots of beautiful butterflies and moths...especially the Blue Morpho above!!!

Swallow-tail Butterfly

      But there are some harmful spiders and long wormlike things that can give you a fever.  And, of course, there are mosquitoes that can carry Dengue!
     My least favorites are scorpions.   I am sure to shake my shoes out first before putting my toes in!
     Don and I were making the bed together a few weeks ago and noticed a "pile of threads" (my first thought) on the spread.  We quickly realized it was a scorpion about 2" long coiled up.  I couldn't smash it into our bedspread so I grabbed the BBQ tongs and picked it up.  While I carried it outside, it's tail was ramming the tongs and making a "tink, tink" sound on the metal tongs.  Yuck!  No me gusta lo!!! 

                     All for now 'til the next blog....

Sunset at Jaco Beach