January 16th – 21st

The days are flying by so fast now, it makes it hard hard to keep track of them all. I am filling them by learning as much as possible about the local biology. I wake up early in the morning to photograph in the warm soft light that comes with the rising sun. In the afternoon Bruce and I usually go for a paddle and work on essential guiding skills.  I have a lot to learn. I walk the grounds in the evening, doing something that I call “chasing the light”; the terrain around Tambor is very fairly mountainous, as the sun sets certain areas are shaded and the light moves. I start at one end of the bay and slowly work my way towards the other end, taking advantage of whatever opportunities are presented. The pictures I have posted have mainly been of birds, so for this post I will try to focus on some different animal groups...

January 16^th

We paddle out into the Bahia Ballena (Whale Bay) to practice some rescues. If a client capsizes in the open ocean you have to be able to get that person back in their kayak, regardless of their physical ability. I also practice self-rescues, which is how you would get back into your kayak if you were alone. This involves an inflatable air sac that you attach to your paddle for leverage. Afterwards, we go out to the point and play around a group of rocks just off the coast. Waves crash through a narrow corridor and collide with waves bending around the other side of the rock formation. This makes for an interesting “washing machine” torrent of crashing and colliding waves.  You can catch these waves with a kayak much the same way a surfer does; it is quite a rush. I notice small Tuna-like fish (I think they are called Rainbow Runners but am not sure on this). They feed at the surface, creating quite a disturbance. I watch as the schools swim underneath me in the crystal clear water. Bruce decides this is a good time to test my rescue skills and turns his kayak over in the middle of the surging waves. Sometimes I think he has too much faith in me, but I do manage to get him back in the kayak. On our way home I become over confident in my skills and drop my guard. A large hits me broadside, picking me up and quickly dumping me into the sea. A haul my swamped kayak onto the beach as the local kids point and laugh.

January 18^th

         Bruce is in San Jose for the day, which gives me time to wander about looking for strange animals. I don’t have to go far, I find a buzzing of activity just outside my door.  Small insects, about the same size as a mosquito, have built a tubular entrance into the rock wall. Closer inspection reveals some sort of miniature bee species. They come and go out of the entrance; some are regurgitating a “cement” of sorts, building the tubes that must lead into the interior of the hive. Some are hovering motionless outside the entrance, like tiny helicopters guarding from intruders. It seems to me that this would be a good time to take a break from bird photography and focus on the world of the small. I am unsure of whether or not these bees sting, but being so small they seem harmless. I lean in really close for a good picture.

            Afterwards, I grab my guidebook on insects and find out that these are stingless bees, which have lost use of their stingers for defensive purposes. However, they still have an active pheromone that signals the hive to attack intruders. It can be triggered by the scent of Citronella, causing the entire hive to swarm. I plan on giving this a try as soon as I can find a citronella-based product. I sit down to have lunch outside. There is a spiny-tailed iguana, also called a Ctenosaur, that comes down from a tree across the street. I throw him pieces of vegetables, which he snaps up with surprising gusto. These lizards are the fastest in the world, holding the Guinness world record at close to 50 kilometers per hour. I have seen this first hand and it is an incredible feat! They add a prehistoric element to the Costa Rican vista.

While we are on the topic on prehistoric looking creatures, I thought i'd share a photo of the crocodile! It's not very good, but it's enough to solidify his presence.  I usually only see the shine of his eyes in my headlight beam as I walk past the pond at night. However, I managed to get close one morning on the way to work...

January 19^th – Paddle up the estuary in Curu

Today we were supposed to bring a family paddling out in Curu. They decided to cancel the trip 30 minutes before departure…by that time we had already prepped the boats with all the gear so we decided to go for a paddle up the estuary. (This is a different estuary from the one at Tambor). We leave the sound of the pounding surf behind us as we glide into the entrance to the river. Brilliant blue needlefish, a foot long, swim just underneath the surface and glimmer in the sunlight as they pass. Snowy egrets are spread throughout the undergrowth. As we push up into the estuary, the river narrows, and the surrounding forest squeezes in from all directions. There is a strange peace that can be found amidst the tangled chaos of a mangrove forest. 

Despite the amount of life around you, there is little more then the scattered sounds of distant birds. Crabs of all kinds scuttle along the banks and up and down the mangrove roots, which shoot into down into the water like giant drinking straws, extracting nutrients from the salty brine. Mangrove hawks weave their way through the canopy overhead, swooping down to grab small lizards. I catch a glimpse at a Coati, which is medium size mammal similar to a badger or raccoon, but with a long tail. It scurries down from the tree tops and disappears into the tangle of exposed roots.  

On our way back we round the corner to meet the roar of the ocean, the change between the two habitats is very abrupt, and to make this transition is very interesting. I paddle into the breaking waves and make my way into the open bay. I see some strange fins sticking out of the water and pursue them to investigate...At first I think it's a shark, but then they slowly glide underneath me and reveal their true form...

They are some kind of ray. Bruce calls them "Diamondbacks" but I will have to do some research to find out what the species name is. Their is a pair of them and they fly underneath me like giant birds...gliding and twisting in some sort of courtship.
When we get back to the main beach at Curu a troop of white faced capuchin monkeys has taken over the establishment. They leap, run, and climb over everything. There are many disputes among members; these are settled by piercing screams that can be quite unsettling. I try to ease the tension with a peace offering...

January 20^th – Preparation for 3 day trip

Today we prep for our three day trip in the Curu wildlife refuge. There is a lot of preparation that goes into these trips to insure the comfort of the clients. We go to the a small town to buy the groceries which consist mainly of vegetables and fresh fruit. When we get back I begin to pack some of the kayaking gear. We keep the kayaks on a wooden rack behind the resort. I crawl through the rack, retrieving items from the hatches of the kayaks. Spider webs are strung along the rungs of the rack, and I push them away. This is something that doesn’t bother me, while walking through the woods in Canada it is quite normal. However, in Costa Rica it is very easy to forget the environment your in. The placid weather and soothing breeze over-shadow some of the dangers…After navigating my way through a particularly sturdy web I look up to see a Giant Orb weaving spider, one of the largest species in central America.  Their venom is not lethal, but they can deliver a nasty bite.  The female is large…very large (palm sized in large specimens) but the male is tiny and is eaten by the female after mating. This, to me, would curtail ones libido. I have always wanted to see an orb weaver, but perhaps not so close up on my first introduction. After looking closely at the stunning patterns along the cephalothorax, I knew I had to photograph it. However, this was going to very difficult. Orb weavers spin a tangle of webs in no particular arrangement, creating a large interwoven “orb” of silk. In order to get close enough I would have to cut my way into the center, and lie on my back directly underneath the spider…Then get my lens within 6 inches for the shot I wanted. This proved very frustrating, hot, and a bit intimidating. When looking through the viewfinder, it was like staring into the eyes of an extra-terrestrial. I could feel it’s strong, sturdy silk lines all around me and had to be careful not to cut the wrong lines, lest the entire sticky orb fall on top of me, spider and all.

I also discover some smaller spiders that hide amongst the woodwork...I will leave the interpretation of their body plan up to you...as I am still trying to figure it out.

After 20 minutes or so I got frustrated with the situation and left. Making my way slowly out of the tangle of silk, which was the strongest spider webbing I have ever felt. It actually took a bit of effort to break the strands.  To get an idea of the strength, consider this…Giant orb weaving spiders have been known to catch and eat birds. Don’t believe me? Check out the link below...
http://www.trendite.net/2008/10/23/mammoth-golden-orb-weaver-spider-eating-chestnut-breeded-mannikin-bird-pictures/

January 21st

Another prep day. We go over all the gear to make sure everything is in order. Our guests arrive at Tambor tropical and we have dinner with them. I find it odd to eat dinner and drink wine in in such a fancy place...they are dressed in nice clothes and engage in sophisticated conversation, while I try to tame my hair and dig the dirt from under my nails as discretely as possible. I still have cobwebs in my hair from my encounter with the orb weaver. Can't wait to bring these people into the real world!

Love you all, and take care...