Mombacho Volcano and Las Isletas, Nicaragua
This morning we disembarked once again in the port of San Juan del Sur, and headed towards the Mombacho Volcano. We were blessed with dramatic views out over Lake Nicaragua and the archipelago of small islands located in the western section of this large lake. To see this heavily forested volcano we used “military-like” trucks for the ride up to the Biological Station. We travel from lowland dry forest into cloud forest in a half-hour. It is an extraordinary opportunity to see a cloud forest. Cloud forest is characterized by the prevalence of moisture bearing clouds throughout the year. The incredible abundance and diversity of both vascular and bryophytic epiphytes – some growing on top of each other amid dense carpets of soft mosses even 10 cm. thick – imparts a characteristic aeriel-draped forest where it is sometimes impossible to locate the leaves of the host tree. After our walks, we took the trucks back down to our next destination: Lake Nicaragua.
Here we boarded motor launches for a cruise around the outside of the Isletas Peninsula and through the archipelago of small islands located there. The islands, most of them privately owned, are home to many species of shore birds including great egrets, snowy egrets, green herons, white-throated magpie jays, and many others. But no bird attracts our attention as much as a northern jacana does. Wherever one finds floating aquatic vegetation, marshes, lakes, reservoirs and along streams, this polyandric species – one female with more than one male – can be easily found. One of the most interesting features of their biology is that jacanas present reversal of the typical avian sex role. Males perform all functional nest building, incubation, and direct care of the young, while females may perform some nest-building movements and occasionally “stand guard” to protect the chicks, but in general do no more than that. Female liberation at its greatest!
After the cruise among the islets, we enjoyed lunch ashore on one of the small islands owned by the Estrada family. After a delicious lunch we “reboarded” our launches and head back to the buses.
Back home, we were ready for a good night’s sleep, as we cruised towards our last destination in Nicaragua, the City of Leon.
This morning we disembarked once again in the port of San Juan del Sur, and headed towards the Mombacho Volcano. We were blessed with dramatic views out over Lake Nicaragua and the archipelago of small islands located in the western section of this large lake. To see this heavily forested volcano we used “military-like” trucks for the ride up to the Biological Station. We travel from lowland dry forest into cloud forest in a half-hour. It is an extraordinary opportunity to see a cloud forest. Cloud forest is characterized by the prevalence of moisture bearing clouds throughout the year. The incredible abundance and diversity of both vascular and bryophytic epiphytes – some growing on top of each other amid dense carpets of soft mosses even 10 cm. thick – imparts a characteristic aeriel-draped forest where it is sometimes impossible to locate the leaves of the host tree. After our walks, we took the trucks back down to our next destination: Lake Nicaragua.
Here we boarded motor launches for a cruise around the outside of the Isletas Peninsula and through the archipelago of small islands located there. The islands, most of them privately owned, are home to many species of shore birds including great egrets, snowy egrets, green herons, white-throated magpie jays, and many others. But no bird attracts our attention as much as a northern jacana does. Wherever one finds floating aquatic vegetation, marshes, lakes, reservoirs and along streams, this polyandric species – one female with more than one male – can be easily found. One of the most interesting features of their biology is that jacanas present reversal of the typical avian sex role. Males perform all functional nest building, incubation, and direct care of the young, while females may perform some nest-building movements and occasionally “stand guard” to protect the chicks, but in general do no more than that. Female liberation at its greatest!
After the cruise among the islets, we enjoyed lunch ashore on one of the small islands owned by the Estrada family. After a delicious lunch we “reboarded” our launches and head back to the buses.
Back home, we were ready for a good night’s sleep, as we cruised towards our last destination in Nicaragua, the City of Leon.
