Los Inocentes and Bahia Santa Elena, Costa Rica
Our second day in Costa Rica began with a wonderful sunrise and the view of the small dock at Cuajiniquil, a small fishing village very close to the border with Nicaragua. This morning we left our small vessel and took a short ride towards the Los Inocentes Lodge/Conservation Center. The ranch is named after the first owners, a father and son, both named Inocente. Originally a cattle ranch, a diary farm, and a horse-breeding ranch, the area is now mostly used for ecotourism. Located within the tropical moist forest life zone, and though sharing many species of animals and plants with the tropical dry forest, they are not the same. Life zones are defined by temperature, rainfall, and evapo-transpiration, and not by the species of plants present in the area.
We arrived at the ranch, and there were our beautiful horses waiting for those who wanted to ride, and the tractor pull, for those of us wanting wheeled rather than four-legged transportation. Whichever mode of transportation we went on, all of us had the chance of seeing a large array of mammals and birds. White throated capuchin monkeys, mantled howler monkeys, Central American spider monkeys, a two toed sloth, variegated squirrels, keel billed toucan, white throated magpie jays, and even a couple of scarlet macaws have all found their home at the house. But no bird thrilled the naturalists more (and not knowingly our guests too) than the sighting of a long-tailed manakin male!
The manakins are a Neotropical group of about 60 species of small, compact, stocky birds with short bills and tails. They have two gripping features: brightly colored plumage (in males) and perhaps one of the most elaborate courtship displays among birds. During the breading season and depending on the species, singly or in couples, the males choose a site on trees, bushes, or on cleared patches of the forest floor, to give lively vocal and visual displays trying to attract females. These animals are a lekking species, as are some grouse, cotingas, hummingbirds, and even some species of insects. At a lek, males dance. In this dance, long tailed manakins in a pair or even a trio, leapfrog alternatively over each other at the same time giving the call which gives them their common name in Spanish “Toledo.”
Back to the ship we went after a delicious lunch. The afternoon had a phenomenal rain (shower) in store for us, the kind many had not seen for a long time. Though it did not keep us from attempting some snorkeling, a Zodiac cruise or kayaking. Cocktail hour up on the sun deck, an incredible tropical sunset, and the sighting of Pantropical spotted dolphins kissed our second day on board good-bye.
Our second day in Costa Rica began with a wonderful sunrise and the view of the small dock at Cuajiniquil, a small fishing village very close to the border with Nicaragua. This morning we left our small vessel and took a short ride towards the Los Inocentes Lodge/Conservation Center. The ranch is named after the first owners, a father and son, both named Inocente. Originally a cattle ranch, a diary farm, and a horse-breeding ranch, the area is now mostly used for ecotourism. Located within the tropical moist forest life zone, and though sharing many species of animals and plants with the tropical dry forest, they are not the same. Life zones are defined by temperature, rainfall, and evapo-transpiration, and not by the species of plants present in the area.
We arrived at the ranch, and there were our beautiful horses waiting for those who wanted to ride, and the tractor pull, for those of us wanting wheeled rather than four-legged transportation. Whichever mode of transportation we went on, all of us had the chance of seeing a large array of mammals and birds. White throated capuchin monkeys, mantled howler monkeys, Central American spider monkeys, a two toed sloth, variegated squirrels, keel billed toucan, white throated magpie jays, and even a couple of scarlet macaws have all found their home at the house. But no bird thrilled the naturalists more (and not knowingly our guests too) than the sighting of a long-tailed manakin male!
The manakins are a Neotropical group of about 60 species of small, compact, stocky birds with short bills and tails. They have two gripping features: brightly colored plumage (in males) and perhaps one of the most elaborate courtship displays among birds. During the breading season and depending on the species, singly or in couples, the males choose a site on trees, bushes, or on cleared patches of the forest floor, to give lively vocal and visual displays trying to attract females. These animals are a lekking species, as are some grouse, cotingas, hummingbirds, and even some species of insects. At a lek, males dance. In this dance, long tailed manakins in a pair or even a trio, leapfrog alternatively over each other at the same time giving the call which gives them their common name in Spanish “Toledo.”
Back to the ship we went after a delicious lunch. The afternoon had a phenomenal rain (shower) in store for us, the kind many had not seen for a long time. Though it did not keep us from attempting some snorkeling, a Zodiac cruise or kayaking. Cocktail hour up on the sun deck, an incredible tropical sunset, and the sighting of Pantropical spotted dolphins kissed our second day on board good-bye.
