January 21st

We part for a three day trip out to the Tortuga islands today, with two clients; a couple from Ottawa. I get up at 5AM and walk to the resort to help Bruce pack up the gear. I have talked about some of the hazards of this short 15 minute walk…crocodiles, howler monkeys, snakes…etc…However, This morning held yet another surprise, as most mornings do. Still half asleep, I round a corner and see two bulls in full charge running towards me along the narrow road….I really didn’t know what to do. After staring at my impending doom for a good 4 seconds, I jump into the bushes, taking my chances with whatever strange creatures I may disturb. The bulls stampede by, with three dog in hot pursuit. I continue my walk…but now the two bulls, having been chased off their paddock, decide to walk back, behind me, for the entire walk. I managed to snap a couple pictures. 

Once safely at Tambor, we pack the gear and head off to Curu to get ready for our clients.  After we meet with Barb and Steve (really nice people) we set off on the hour long paddle to make base camp on Quesera beach. I tried to put it's beauty into words in previous posts, but this time I will let it speak for itself... 

We set up a base camp on Quesera and prepare for the two nights we will be staying. I set-up my small two-man tent under a beach almond tree (to shield from falling coconuts).

 Rather then try to break down the trip chronologically, I am just going to write about some highlights of the trip. For many reasons, I could only bring my small backup DSLR camera with me, and one lens…so I don’t have pictures of any critters I ran into. Hopefully I’ll get to bring my gear out to Quesera beach sometime soon and spend some time capturing all the exciting life forms that fly, swim, climb and crawl around.

Snorkeling at the Tortugas

This was the first time I got to snorkel around the Tortugas, although the coral on the reef is not much too look at (see coral bleaching), the abundance and variety of fish was amazing. King angelfish, over a foot long patrolled the coral heads…butterflyfish pick at your feet and large schools of colorful reef fish sparkle all around you. I spot an octopus crawling across the bottom and dive down to get a closer look. In an instant the octopus changes color and and texture to match perfectly with a small rock next to him. Doesn’t fool me…I poke at his muscular body with my finger…he begins to flash through different color shades.  He extends one tentacle and grabs my arm…I remove it with a bit of difficulty, the suction pads on the tentacles are incredibly strong and make a sharp popping sound when they detach. I make a mental note that I should probably cease all physical contact with sea creatures. I also manage to find a moray eel, a distant look is enough to satisfy my curiosity.

Nightime on Quesera

Spending a night in a thriving tropical wildlife refuge was a great experience. At night, all the creatures of the cool club come out; scorpions, spiders, moths, crabs, snakes, owls etc…I am wearing my headlamp, which functions to attract a swarm of insects much the same way your patio lights do on a warm summer night. While cleaning up after dinner, a huge praying mantis flies in and lands on my shoulder. I turn my head and look into the eye of a truly alien creature…I really hope to get a picture of one of these guys soon (it flew off quickly) and will post it, but keep this story in mind when I do. A giant katydid also flew in and attached to my chest. These guys are like grasshoppers on steroids and have a body camouflaged as a large green leaf. Swatting and flailing is not efficient when the insects are poisonous and as large as mice…the best thing to do is to stand still until they land on whatever appendage they see fit, then deal with it calmly. While sitting on the kitchen table, I watch a small bark scorpion crawl between my legs. You get used to this. I go to climb into bed…I scare a snake from the leaf litter surrounding my tent, I am 95% sure it’s not venomous. A giant cockroach is climbing up the tree next to me, I try to pick him up, he hisses at me like a cat. I crawl into my sleeping bag and look up through the thin mesh of bug netting that separates “me” from “them”. Pushing those thoughts aside, I gaze at the silhouetted mosaic of palm fronds against the starry night sky and let the pounding surf put me to sleep.

Paddling among the Tortuga Islands

Each day we took our clients along new route around the Tortuga islands and surrounding areas. The weather was perfect, highs of 32 and lows of 22 with a light sea breeze to keep you cool. It was so clear that you could see the distant mountains of the central pacific coast of Costa Rica…

I got to see my first pacific ocean sea turtle! He/she popped up in front of my kayak to grab a quick breath before slipping into the deep blue water. Not sure what species…I’ll try to have my camera on the ready next time. 

On the evening of the first day we went to Playa Organos to practice surfing the waves there. I ended up in the water just as much as our two clients. Here’s a pic of Steve riding a small wave in…and a congrats from Bruce.

On the final day we pack up the gear and head back to the center of Curu. I snap a quick picture of Barb and Steve for a photo package I’m putting together for multi-day seascape clients…

Lastly, my posts would not be complete without some bird shots...I've had very little time to do any bird photography. Today (January 29th) is my first day off since last Friday and next week is looking quite busy as well. Today i'm going to work on constructing a hide out of palm fronds next to the mangrove estuary in Tambor. In front of this hide I plan on making a small freshwater bath to attract birds. My theory is that since we are in the grip of the dry season the fresh running water will bring thirsty birds to me rather than having to hunt for them. We will see how this goes and I will keep you posted. Anyway, here are some recent additions to my bird portfolio!

Willet

Bare Throated Tiger Heron

Inca Dove

Thanks for reading and take care! Miss you all very much.