Nicoya Peninsula
Wet season in the dry forest… After waking up at anchor in the calm waters of Curu Bay, our morning excursion took us ashore at this privately owned and managed wildlife refuge on the Nicoya Peninsula of northwestern Costa Rica. For many of us this was a new and unexpected ecosystem: the tropical dry forest. Further south along the Pacific coast of this small nation there are wetter areas which truly deserve the name rainforest, but the Nicoya Peninsula and the surrounding Guanacoste region is one of the driest parts of the country and consequently the flora and fauna are significantly different here.
Behind the mangroves lining the back of the beach and the small river, there were few very large trees and a correspondingly large amount of shrubby undergrowth, flourishing in the well-lit spaces between the taller trees. The day was beautiful, but this is the rainy season, so the trees and shrubs were all heavily leafed out, giving the forest a very lush appearance. Amidst all this low greenery a profusion of wild creatures were busy with their own morning activities. Brightly colored crabs, orange, red and blue, scuttled across the beach and raced for the safety of holes under the mangroves while prehistoric-looking iguanas lounged in trees and on fence posts. The birders in our group were delighted with the variety of species calling and flitting about, and with the quality of sightings available in the relatively open forest gallery. Rufous-naped wrens made themselves particularly noticeable, belting out their variable songs from the treetops and then working down the trunks, into good view, while gleaning for insects. Troops of capuchin monkeys stirred up quite a commotion in the branches over the trail, while unseen howlers roared in the distance. The recent rains had brought out many interesting fungi on decaying stumps and the moist earth, while spiral ginger and heliconia flowers provided brilliant blazes of color along the side of the road where we walked.
After lunch aboard the Sea Voyager, we got underway and traveled all of half a mile or so before our next encounter – mother and baby Humpback whale. The large adult was only surfacing occasionally, but her calf was hardly diving at all, preferring to roll about in the gentle swell, slapping her flukes, waving her tremendous fore-flippers in the air and lounging around belly up. This went on for some time until mom finally came to collect her rambunctious youngster and the two moved on out of the bay. For the rest of the afternoon we continued north along the coast, keeping our eyes out for passing boobies and pelicans. A presentation on the history and culture of Costa Rica, a recap on the thorny nature of the tropical dry forest and some hints on what to look for on our first snorkeling excursion tomorrow, cocktails at sunset and an excellent dinner all rounded out the day nicely. We’d better get some sleep – tomorrow’s another busy day!
Wet season in the dry forest… After waking up at anchor in the calm waters of Curu Bay, our morning excursion took us ashore at this privately owned and managed wildlife refuge on the Nicoya Peninsula of northwestern Costa Rica. For many of us this was a new and unexpected ecosystem: the tropical dry forest. Further south along the Pacific coast of this small nation there are wetter areas which truly deserve the name rainforest, but the Nicoya Peninsula and the surrounding Guanacoste region is one of the driest parts of the country and consequently the flora and fauna are significantly different here.
Behind the mangroves lining the back of the beach and the small river, there were few very large trees and a correspondingly large amount of shrubby undergrowth, flourishing in the well-lit spaces between the taller trees. The day was beautiful, but this is the rainy season, so the trees and shrubs were all heavily leafed out, giving the forest a very lush appearance. Amidst all this low greenery a profusion of wild creatures were busy with their own morning activities. Brightly colored crabs, orange, red and blue, scuttled across the beach and raced for the safety of holes under the mangroves while prehistoric-looking iguanas lounged in trees and on fence posts. The birders in our group were delighted with the variety of species calling and flitting about, and with the quality of sightings available in the relatively open forest gallery. Rufous-naped wrens made themselves particularly noticeable, belting out their variable songs from the treetops and then working down the trunks, into good view, while gleaning for insects. Troops of capuchin monkeys stirred up quite a commotion in the branches over the trail, while unseen howlers roared in the distance. The recent rains had brought out many interesting fungi on decaying stumps and the moist earth, while spiral ginger and heliconia flowers provided brilliant blazes of color along the side of the road where we walked.
After lunch aboard the Sea Voyager, we got underway and traveled all of half a mile or so before our next encounter – mother and baby Humpback whale. The large adult was only surfacing occasionally, but her calf was hardly diving at all, preferring to roll about in the gentle swell, slapping her flukes, waving her tremendous fore-flippers in the air and lounging around belly up. This went on for some time until mom finally came to collect her rambunctious youngster and the two moved on out of the bay. For the rest of the afternoon we continued north along the coast, keeping our eyes out for passing boobies and pelicans. A presentation on the history and culture of Costa Rica, a recap on the thorny nature of the tropical dry forest and some hints on what to look for on our first snorkeling excursion tomorrow, cocktails at sunset and an excellent dinner all rounded out the day nicely. We’d better get some sleep – tomorrow’s another busy day!
