March 16th to 27th

I finally had a brief encounter with a bird I have been searching for since I arrived here in Costa Rica. Until last evening I had only seen this bird as a distant figure silhouetted against a setting sun. While rounding a river bend down in the estuary it flew low over the water towards me, my camera settings were all out of whack, set for photographing small birds in the dim light of the forest undergrowth and I had only seconds to “shoot from the hip”. This is my long awaited “Espatula Rosada” or Roseate Spoonbill. The scientific name is Ajaja ajaja, pronounced “Ahaha ahaha”, proving that taxonomists do have a sense of humor. They must have been laughing at the beak...jerks.

Roseate Spoonbill, Ajaja ajaja

This species feeds in shallow fresh or coastal waters by swinging that spoon-shaped bill from side to side as it steadily walks through the water. It feeds on crustaceans, aquatic beetles and bugs, frogs and newts and very small fish. I am yet to find the spot where they feed, I am pretty sure that it’s far off the beaten path.

One of the most memorable moments of the last few weeks occurred during an evening tour up the Panica river. I was maneuvering my kayak underneath a tight passage through the branches of a sunken tree when something drew my eye. Not a foot from my kayak was the unmistakable scale pattern of a Boa constrictor, partially submerged under the water. Even more exciting, I could see that it was tightly coiled around a Basilisk lizard (known by some as the Jesus Christ lizard for it’s ability to run across the water). The Boa had grabbed the lizard, which was almost as big as it was, and was now attempting to asphyxiate it. The result of the initial struggle had left the two reptiles in an awkward position; the boa’s head was latched onto the lizard but submerged underwater, while the lizard was tightly coiled by the boa with it’s head out of the water and staring directly at me. It was almost like the lizard was asking for help, but I am not one to get between a boa constrictor and it’s dinner.

Boa constrictor constricting a basilisk lizard

It was an interesting situation...with the boa unable to breath, it would have to let go of the lizard to get it’s head above the surface. The Basilisk could breath, well, if it weren’t for the boa trying to squeeze the life out of it. Both reptiles found themselves in a similar situation; who could take the next breath? After a few minutes I could see the life starting to drain from the Basilisk, and suddenly it’s claws broke free from the log and it fell back into the water, unconscious. The coils of the snake relaxed, and the sleek, scaled head of the boa broke through the surface, it was over. It is rare to see a Boa constrictor in the wild, let alone to see one in such an epic struggle; a dramatic example of life at it’s most wild.

I hope everyone got to see the super moon last week. It sure lit up the bay here in Tambor. I went down to the beach and watched it rise through the clouds at the entrance of the bay.

Super moon, better than all the other moons. Making all the other moons jealous.

While exploring the Curu wildlife refuge I found a great spot to photograph Trogons. Trogons are quintessential neo-tropical birds that are fairly inactive, perching for long periods of time before taking flight to pluck fruit from trees. It is odd too watch them as they carefully select the ripest fruits. I set-up next to a dried up mangrove lagoon and hid underneath a palm tree. Once I was concealed, a group of trogons moved in. They remained perched on a nearby tree, swiveling their heads around 180 degrees, zeroing in on the particular fruit they desired before plucking it while hovering in mid-air. They would repeat this many times, even if the particular tree had hundreds of fruits on it. I didn’t understand why they didn’t just land on the fruit tree and begin eating to their hearts content. It must be a way of remaining concealed from potential predators. Here are a couple photos of a beautiful species; the Violaceous Trogon...

Violaceous trogon (female)

Violaceous trogon (male)

Trogons possess a combination of physical traits that have provided scientists with a particular dilemma in terms of determining their relationships with other birds. Many different bird groups have been suggested as their closest relatives including toucans, parrots and even owls. They have a particular toe arrangement is found in no other bird species, and may suggest that that they represent are very ancient group of birds and have no close relatives. Anyway, enough with this ornithological babble, although I do find it very interesting and maybe some of you do as well. I have seen 4 species of trogons so far; black-head trogon, violaceous trogon, elegant trogon and lastly, the unforgettable resplendent quetzal from the cloud forests of Monteverde.

A couple more from that day at Curu wildlife refuge...

Cattle egret

Black vulture

I found a group of birds feeding on a sandbar while walking down the river a few days ago... To get a better angle I tried climbing a tree but once halfway up I discovered that a hive of killer bees had already claimed this tree. They began to swarm and I made a controlled descent down the tree, although a witness (had their been one) would probably have claimed that I fell out of the tree. I ran as far as I could with the sound of the angry insect mob behind me. I could feel them in my hair and on my clothes... Luckily, I escaped without a single sting, although I removed a fair number of stingers that were embedded in my clothes and shoes. There was even a stinger stuck in the wristband of my watch, and you could see a small drop of venom at its base.

Killer bee stinger embedded in the wristband of my watch, note small drop of venom

Aside from that encounter things have been pretty laid-back during the last couple weeks. I have been wading through the murky water when the tide is low, mentally reassuring myself that I do not constitute the preferred diet of crocodilians.  I settle in under a rock edge with some resident iguanas that have become accustomed to my presence. I watch as the incoming tide brings in a fresh feed of fish that attracts some of the locals and makes for a great show.

Snowy egret

Yellow-headed carara

Green kingfisher (male)

Mangrove swallow

Tricolor heron

Great egret

There is a green heron that fishes amongst the rocks. Spend any amount of time with these birds and their intelligence and cunning becomes apparent immediately...

Green heron

Green heron

Green herons have been observed engaging in all kind of unique behaviour and even been seen doing something once thought unique to humans; using bait to catch fish...check it out by clicking on this link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNTw7GH325U

Awesome video, someone needs to get that narrator his own nature show ASAP.

Please excuse the obnoxious ending.

Green heron

Here's a bird that you may recognize...ospreys come down to Costa Rica during the northern winter and like me, some will soon be making their way back to Canada. This one is carrying away a good-sized fish. They hold the fish head first so that they are more aerodynamic in flight.

You may have noticed a small signature in the lower corners of my images. Due to the increased traffic on the blog (from some unusual countries) I have had to add a small watermark to protect my images. I hope it doesn't draw from the aesthetic value too much and if anyone would like a watermark free image for their own use just let me know and I would be more than happy to send you one. Best wishes to everyone back home! Thanks for reading…going to end with this picture of a cloud forest hummingbird. Note the spiderweb on the bill, they use spider silk to construct their nests; super cool.

Green-crowned brilliant