February 21st-22nd

I have just returned from the trip to San Vito, it was an amazing experience and it will take me awhile to sort through the photos and put the experience into words. I didn’t get a chance to write about the days following up to my departure, which were also very exciting. No pictures, decided to leave the camera home and take a break and just enjoy the moment. To be more honest, I forgot my camera. Had I brought a camera along these events would never have occurred, or at least that's what I tell myself.

On February 21^st we set off to circumnavigate the larger of the Tortuga Islands. This is the most dangerous paddle that we do, as it leaves you completely exposed to the huge ocean swells that have travelled across the pacific. You can only do this paddle with experienced kayakers and perfect weather conditions. It was a calm morning with barely a wave when we set off from the beach at Curu. I looked down into the water as I slowly glided over the sandy bottom of the bay. Bright green fish shaped like mackerel but with bold black stripes charged underneath my kayak, creating the first waves of the day. A group of stingrays glimmered in the early morning light, and banked away from my incoming kayak like stealth fighters flying in formation. We approached the first jagged point of the big Tortuga Island…off in the distance Bruce and I see a big splash. The first thing that came to mind was a whale…but it’s rare to see in this part of Costa Rica and we would be extremely lucky encounter one. We kept paddling with keen eyes locked on the horizon. About five minutes after seeing the splash I watched as fins began to emerge from the calm waters ahead. A few fins multiplied into many and soon we were on a collision course with a pod of spotted dolphins, 20 or more. The pod consisted of family members of all ages. There were young dolphins not yet covered in the mottled spots that adorned the adults. Elders bore the markings and scars of seasoned ocean goers and the young stayed close by their sides. Our kayaks connected with the pod and they glided effortlessly underneath us is the shallow turquoise water; a brief but extraordinary connection between worlds. They continued on towards the inner part of the bay, driven by a collective intelligence so misunderstood by humanity. We continued outwards towards the point. I began to think that the large splash I saw was from one of the dolphins jumping out of the water but this assumption was shattered when a massive form emerged from the water ahead of me. A pacific humpback whale! After surfacing a few times it arched it’s back and out came it’s huge tail, which quickly slid below the surface. Humpbacks come to shallow tropical seas in the pacific ocean to mate and have their young then they travel thousands of kilometers back to feeding grounds in cold temperate ocens. This humpback is likely to arrive off the coast of Canada around the same time I return in April. I think to myself, I am starting to like this “migration” idea. We watched it surface a number of times just off our port side as we kayaked around the island. It was a special day getting to paddle with both dolphins and whales (although dolphins ARE whales, we won’t get into the nitty gritty of cetacean cladistics). We made it around the island and tucked into the beach to let the experience sink in, along with a few cold beers.4

On the evening of the 22nd we went up the estuary with three clients and had a particularly interesting experience. We traveled up the river, seeing the usual varied array of wildlife that never ceases to amaze. On our way back down I saw an animal attempting to swim across river. Judging by the way it was clumsily dreading water it was obvious that it was not an aquatic specialist. I approached to see that it was a young howler monkey struggling to stay afloat, so Bruce and I pulled up along side it to help. Bruce extended a hand and aided the monkey as it pulled itself on top the front of his kayak. Once aboard it was obvious that this monkey was not well. It’s hair was matted, blood was dripping from it’s mouth and it’s eyes held a wild stare. This could mean only one thing; it was a zombie monkey or “Zombey”, as they are referred to in Central American folklore. Bruce carefully transported the zombey to the riverbank, where it departed to feast on the brains of the unsuspecting. I discretely checked Bruce for bite marks and carefully monitored his behavior over the next 24 hours. Luckily, he escaped transferal into the realm of the living dead. Just goes to show how easy it can be to start a zombie apocalypse.

All jokes aside, were not quite sure what was wrong with the monkey. It is possible that it had mange; a disease caused by parasites. I felt bad for the young howler, nonetheless, it made for an interesting experience.

Like I said…It will take me awhile to go through all the photos from San Vito and organize them into a post. It was an incredible experience to visit a place where no (or very few) tourists ever go. A special thanks goes out to Carlos, Jaimee and their beautiful family who took me in for 4 days and put up with my incessant curiosity and obsessive photographic habits. For everyone back home, love you and take care.

-Nick

February 11th - 20th

February 11th - 15th 

 The five day trip went really well, with lots of new experiences and good times with good people. I got to explore further into the Gulf of Nicoya and saw plenty of wildlife, including a dozen or so sea turtles (green and hawksbill). We paddled around some of the more isolated islands of the peninsula. A group of islands had the ominous name of The Negritos, or "The Dark Islands". It was particularly calm and we were able to get quite close to huge rock formations that normally were too dangerous to approach. Giant rock spires jutted up from the turquoise waters that shimmered with colorful reef fish. Large ocean swells crashed into the many caves and passages of the rockwork, creating thunderous roars that seemed to resonate form the center of the earth. Water would explode out of the caverns in a pressurized salty mist, a soothing breeze to beat the heat. 

Pelicans flocked together on the small islets, it seemed odd to see them taking a break from indulging their insatiable appetites...

Caesera provided the usual, surprise visits from strange animals. I didn’t sleep at all the first night because I drank coffee before going to bed, I don’t know why I guess it was simply a vessel to enjoy a bit of Café Rica, a coffee liquer that we had brought along. My mind was racing when I laid down to sleep, so I left the comfort of my sleeping bag to explore the beach. I managed to find a giant cockroach that would provide the necessary company in my tent… 

I felt a strange connection with the large insect, it seemed to display a curiosity rarely seen in the insect world. It crawled around, exploring the crevices within the pile of my sand covered clothing. It would pause every now and then to clean itself, much the same way a cat does…It actually made for some good company and entertainment, who’d of thought. I let it go after an hour or so… such a small tent is no place for a giant cockroach.

I laid down and attempted to go to sleep, but sleep never came, only those fleeting moments when you thought you may have been asleep but were now awake and it didn't matter. This leads to frustration and more awakeness, a vicious cycle. I gazed up through the bug netting of my tent,  the bright half-moon lit it's way through the palm fronds above me...

 Every now and then a coconut would fall against the ground with a loud thud that could be felt through the hard packed sand. A bit too close for comfort...I thought to myself...of all the ways to go out, I hope it isn't from a falling coconut. These thoughts didn't help me sleep. 

 After the sleepless night I awoke to activity in the palm trees overhead. Howler monkeys…I thought, but something about it warranted a second look. I dug out my binoculars and used the rubberized eyepieces to pry open my bloodshot eyes. I observed a medium sized mammal, reddish–brown in color, with a long tail and huge eyes. It’s arboreal skills were enough to rival that of the most skilled monkey. I new what I was looking at, I had seen them on TV when I was young, but the name eluded me. I had to grab a guide-book and look it up…a Kinkajou! Early explorers first thought it was a primate, fooled by it’s long prehensile tail and grasping limbs. It is actually more closely related to raccoons, however, it looked nothing like a raccoon to me, or anything else for that matter….Although it’s classified as a carnivore, it eats mainly fruit and nectar, gaining it the moniker “honey bear”. I watched as it skillfully maneuvered through the tree tops.  It returned one last penetrating stare before disappearing into the tangled forest, ending it’s nocturnal forage just as the sun rose above the horizon. Unfortunately no photo could be taken but here is a link to the Wikipedia page if your interested in reading more about these fascinating animals…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinkajou

On the evening of the last night I had an interesting encounter when I went to visit the outhouse, which is set against a think slope of tropical forest. One of our clients was just exiting the outhouse as I went in. I flashed my headlamp around and used my walking stick to check for anything that you wouldn't want to disrobe in front of. I noticed a sizeable scorpion clinging to the wall next to the toilet. It must have been within a few inches from the head of the last occupant…I figured that I had better remove it from the outhouse. I had no experience wrangling scorpions but thought it as yet another addition to the CV, so I picked up a small stick (too small) and tried to get it to walk onto the tip. Turns out scorpions are a lot faster then I thought…It scrambled onto the stick and shot directly up towards my hand. Luckily I managed to grab the other end of the stick before any harm could be done. I then proceeded towards the campsite to show our client who she shared the outhouse with…

The next morning we departed to return to Curu.  We paddled under an ominous, but calm sky and visited some of the more rugged coastline of the Tortuga Islands…

Our group! Left from right - Bruce, Leanne, Martha and Brian

February 16th - 18th

After the five day trip we went to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. It is your typical city full of unhappy people and ugly buildings. I bought a classical guitar and a book by my favourite biologist, E. O. Wilson. 

February 19th

This evening I went up the estuary in my kayak during an extremely high tide. The ocean was spilling into the river mouth, it's large waves crashing against the banks and overflowing into the forest. This made it very hazardous to launch a kayak. I slipped my boat down over a rock embankment and stirred the water with my paddle, checking for crocodiles before entering. The water was high into the mangroves making it possible to paddle into areas I had never been before. Fish were feeding all around me, some were over two feet long and could be seen moving in schools just under the surface, creating large v shaped waves. A crocodile or caimen (something large, toothy and ancient) exploded through the surface about 20 feet from my kayak, trying to grab one of the fish. Birds were all around but the light was not cooperating, so I spent most of my time enjoying the serenity and richness of the river rather then photographing. I did manage to get a shot of a bird that has eluded me for quite some time. The light was not very good but the uniqueness of the White Ibis makes this photograph worth sharing…Note the mud caked onto the bill, these guys prod deep into the ground in search of insects and other small animals.

I got a shifty photo of a endangered neotropical river otter as it slid down the riverbank into the water…I really hope I get to see one again and have a chance at a better shot, but they are quite rare in most areas.

In case you havn't seen enough all ready, here's another picture of a white bird with a long bill!  This one is called a cattle egret due to their habit of following cows around and snapping up the insects that try to escape the heavy hooves...

And lastly, I finally got close to a green kingfisher, these guys are among my favourite residents of the estuary...

I have received an exciting invitation from Carlos, the owner of the cabina i’m staying at. He and his wife Jaimee are leaving to visit family in San Vito, a town situated in the extreme south of Costa Rica and has asked if I would like to accompany them. We will drive down the pacific coast for 6 hours and then go up into the rainforest shrouded mountains of south central Costa Rica. This will be a chance to see true rainforest and many new species. We leave next Friday and will be returning on Sunday. As for this week, we are doing an overnight paddle into the interior part of the Nicoya Peninsula with a friend from Newfoundland, then on Wednesday and Thursday we are doing tours with an adventure travel company called Tauck.
           

I hope everyone in Canada is managing well with the harsh winter. The worst should be over now right? Thanks for reading

Cheers!
            -Nick 

February 8th

Yesterday I spent the evening paddling up the estuary in Tambor.  I launched my kayak into the surf at the beach, hoping that the drybags holding my camera equipment would stay true to their name. The tide was flooding into the estuary and once I positioned my boat, I surfed a wave into the mouth and was sucked into the calm eden of the river. It feels just like paddling up the amazon; birds sounds radiate from the vegetation and monkeys swing from branch to branch…beautiful…magnificent…blah blah blah, you’ve heard it from me before, so lets just get to the photos. It was a great evening in the soft light of a setting sun and beautiful subjects were not hard to find.

This is a great egret...

Mangrove swallow...

This is a great egret with a blowfish he caught. You can see the fish fully inflated, which made it difficult for the heron to swallow the fish. However, the heron had a plan, he walked up the beach and placed the blowfish on the hot sand. After a few minutes of flopping around, the fish expired and deflated. The heron then grabbed the fish and went back down to the water. Before eating the fish, the egret carefully washed all the sand off it.

A young Kiskadee that seemed very perplexed about what was floating by...

Great egret again...

Tri-colored heron displaying their strange fishing technique...

Great egret in flight...

I was having a few drinks at the bar, my usual post photographic hang-out. This is where I have a few wobbly-pops and edit my photos or write blog entries (come on, you didn’t think all this writing came from a sober mind did you?). Anyway, while I was working away, a large tree frog hopped into the bar and caused a commotion with the workers.  I have started to gain a bit of a reputation as the guy who loves all creatures great and small, and they usher me over for a look. I pick the frog up to remove it from the alien environment. To my delight, I find it most different from the frogs I am familiar with. The skin is soft and moist, but this small amphibian is more a kin to a tiny monkey in the way it gripped my fingers and maneuvered through my hands. The hands and feet are equipped with padded tips that help grab onto anything in reach. This guy jumped over 6 feet to grab onto a small vine, where I photographed him.

I am leaving on a five-day trip on Friday with three clients. I hope to come back with some interesting stories to write about and will try and bring some photo equipment along to record anything I see. Until then, all the best to everyone back home!

February 4th

I have almost been here for a month! Time flies…I guess that what happens when you spend so much time with feathered folk. We have been very busy doing tours; the job is a lot more strenuous than I could have imagined. It involves hauling a lot of gear and boats in 35 degree heat, and a lot of patience when dealing with difficult tourists. However, the vast majority of people are a pleasure to bring onto the water. Yesterday I had to rescue a 250 pound man and get him back into his kayak…which took every ounce of my strength. Looking back on it I could have done alot of things differently to make his experience easier and less stressful. I guess every experience is a learning one. I take any free time I have to explore the habitats around me. I have covered very little ground, and I am constantly finding new places that hold unique experiences. I havn’t posted in awhile because of the busy work week. I hope to be posting on a more regular basis in the future. This next week isn’t looking as busy, so I should be able to get some photographic fodder to make a good post. I plan on taking my gear and spending a few days in the Curu wildlife refuge where many unique and strange animals roam.

Some experiences in the last couple weeks…

I finally got to see a Motmot! I had a day off and after contemplating whether or not to do my evening walk, I hiked down to the river, I’m glad I did. Even though I had never seen a Motmot, I new exactly what I was looking at when I spotted it from about 200 yards away. I have a terrible memory and have a hard time remembering things I have done and things I need to do, however, birds are different. I have spent countless hours looking through the pages of exotic bird books since I was a young child, hoping for the day when I finally got to see them. The Motmot was everything I could have hoped for, as they are truly beautiful birds. The one I got to photograph was quite tame given such an exotic bird…it would hop from branch to branch, it’s brilliant plumage shimmering shades of blue, green and red. I waited until it hopped into a pocket of sunlight to rattle off a few bursts with the motor drive of my camera. This single bird led me to its partner down by the river and I followed the exuberant pair through the think tangle of vines and mangroves. They were partaking in some odd form of communication, twirling their long spade tipped tails in a mesmerizing dance and calling back and forth with frog-like croaks. They jumped through the low branches around me, croaking and nodding their heads. The pendulous movement of their long turquoise tails had a hypnotic effect. I felt like I was down the rabbit hole; these guys belonged in Alice’s wonderland. It is very foolish to move through the jungle while looking up towards the canopy, and after a few minutes of excited pursuit I had to back off, knowing that sooner or later I would get tagged by a snake and/or serve a meal to a hungry crocodile.  I plan on returning to the area in the next few days to try and get a better shot and really capture how truly amazing these birds are, which is amazing enough to be chosen as the national bird of Nicaragua…

They have a grasshopper here that is big enough to trip over. I first saw it on one of my evening walks when I climbed to the top of a hill to get above a group of howler monkeys. It was attached to the side of a run down house, enjoying one of the most spectacular ocean views I had ever seen.  When I first spotted it I thought it was a child’s toy or a decoration, and as I approached for a closer look the massive size further reinforced this thought. That is, until it burst into flight with brilliant red wings that resembled that of a decent sized bird. I wish I had gotten a picture because apparently they are quite rare to encounter and many Costa Ricans havn’t even seen one, although, the average Costa Rican doesn’t go into the jungle searching for these types of things. I theorized that the reason I saw this rare grasshopper was because the steep and abrupt hill jutted above the canopy, which is most likely it’s primary habitat, rarely venturing to the ground. Scientists have only recently begun to explore the canopy of the tropical forests of Costa Rica and have since discovered hundreds of new species of insects.

I took advantage of holding the high ground over the howler monkeys, and watched as they moved through the canopy that was now beneath me. A newborn was clinging to it's mother’s back and seemed to take a keen interest in this loco blanco…

I spent some more time with the pelicans, down in the Bahia Ballena (whale bay).  These birds make great subjects with their unique behavior, insatiable appetites and synchronized plunges. The only issue is wading out into the surf with a 400mm telephoto lens while bracing against the large waves that routinely pound the beach. The larger waves come in sets, so you will settle in and begin shooting, looking through the viewfinder at the birds up high, not paying attention to the incoming surf. Every now and then you will get caught off guard by the roar of a large incoming wave and look up to see it bearing down on you. At this point I throw a towel over my camera and lean my back into the wave to break through. This experience could bring a swift end to the “photo” aspect of my photoblog. The first time I tried this I got hit with a very large wave that completely submerged me, with only my arms raising my camera above the crashing water. Despite my best efforts saltwater splashed up and soaked my camera, which thankfully is weather sealed. However, my extra battery pack and grip isn’t and it malfunctioned. I fixed it by locking it in a sealed case filled with silica packages that I brought in case this sort of thing happened. A bowl of rice works just as well and this is a great trick to keep in mind if you ever soak your electronics. Whatever the risk, the reward can make it worthwhile…

Safely back on the beach, I managed to capture my first shot of a Crested Caracara; a really wicked looking bird that is a large member of the falcon family. This particular Caracara is a young one and does not yet have some of the striking plumage seen in the adults…

I also captured an image of Tropical Kingbird as it coughed up a small seed…

I have started to infiltrate the local bar scene; a small but eclectic group of locals.  I bring my bird books with me and get tips on the whereabouts of the harder to find birds on my list.  Most of the locals know very little about the biological nirvana they live in and most see me as loco blanco (crazy white guy), some even refer to me as this. However, every now and then you meet someone with a keen interest in the natural world, and their knowledge of the area can be invaluable. The owner of the cabina I am living in is awesome… he fingers through my bird guides enthusiastically and then points in a direction, telling me how far to go to find rarer birds like fiery-billed Aracaris (a type of Toucan) and Roseate Spoonbills. There is a girl who works at the bar here named Rosie who kindly and patiently teaches me Spanish. She also tells me the Spanish names for the birds that I encounter and photograph. We communicate through a contorted dialect of Spanglish…

I hope everyone back home is doing well and enjoying all the snow! I know you may not be able to fathom this, but you really do miss a bit of snow when it’s 35 degrees out everyday.…Also, keep in mind that it hasn’t rained since I’ve been here.  I guess it just goes to show that no matter where you are you can still complain about the weather!

Gram and Gramp James; keep those e-mails coming, they bring love and support at the end of a long day.

Gram and Gramp Hawkins; hope the dog hotel is keeping you busy and miss you lots.

Chris Bubar; thanks for all the help with the boat hunt, maybe I’ll introduce this crazy idea on my next post.

Jess; I know your not into birds, but I do know your the only one who can appreciate this... Today I went to a get my haircut...the haircutter didn't speak english so she handed me a book of hollywood celebrities who's styles I was to choose from...I chose the James Franco signature...and the song that played on the radio while she cut away...which is one of the first english songs i've heard...Pretty Fly for a White Guy.

For everyone else; thanks a lot for the kind messages and encouragement. Coming to a place like this really makes you appreciate all of the amazing people that live in the place I call home.

Cheers
-Nick