Monkeying around in Costa Rica
No alarm clock was needed to get up this morning. Well, unless you count the sun as an alarm clock. I had my first Costa Rican breakfast this morning - beans and rice (and scrambled eggs). This served as the perfect fuel for the rest of my day.
Palo Verde is made up of the marsh land surrounding the Tempisque river. A boardwalk just a short walk from the research station I am staying at gives a beautiful view of the landscape. Iguanas litter both the boardwalk and the research station, akin to squirrels in the States. Walking out on the marsh was surprising as much of the land is very dry since the rainy season has not yet started here. We chased away some cows that control some of the invasive plants of the marshland by our presence (the land was originally ranch land). A thunderstorm chased us away but the rain never came.
We went on a boat ride on the Tempisque to observe the wildlife of the area. I saw many more iguanas, some crocodiles, a few monkeys, and a lot of birds. My neck was hurting from all of the craning (pun intended) that I did for the duration of the 2-hour tour. The highlight of the tour was definitely the breeze we created by moving at a high speed down the river.
A brief hike after lunch was very fruitful in the sighting of more animals. The birds and dragonflies were very abundant. I was also able to spot some agouti, a coati mundi, and lots of monkeys. You can hear a monkey, or rather a troop of monkeys, before you can see them. I got to see some white-faced capuchins up close. So close, in fact, that one monkey bared its teeth at me (a sign of aggression I quickly took as my cue to walk away). Later, I spotted a troop of mantled howler monkeys, complete with little baby monkeys!
A night hike after dinner (because the sun sets here around 6) wasn’t as fruitful animal-wise. However, I was able to experience a different type of firefly that I was not accustomed to. The fireflies here flash cold, staccato lights that completely surround you on the trails. It almost feels like you are surrounded by strobing fairies. This effect was rather disorienting, and my attempts to catch any firefly was unsuccessful.
