Golfo Dulce and Rincon Costa Rica
The sunrise came and we found ourselves in Costa Rica for another exciting day exploring the “Wonders of Costa Rica.” Indeed, today we arrived in Costa Rica and we immediately encounter the wonders in this country blessed with such a rich biodiversity. And for the first activity of the day? Well, how about a visit to a beautiful botanical garden that is only accessible by water, Casa Orquideas. Here in the company of our naturalist guides we walked around, learning about bromeliads, orchids and gingers and many other species of plants. Just as we were looking at them we heard and saw a group of scarlet macaws flying over us. At the same time, we had the company of a magnificent pair of king vultures directly overhead. The morning culminated with a refreshing swim from shore and off the ship. What a way to start the day!
On our way to our afternoon’s anchorage off the Osa Peninsula, we encountered a group of pantropical spotted dolphins. We spent the remainder of the afternoon birdwatching, either by feet or by Zodiac. Meanwhile, others opted for kayaks. The birdwatchers were rewarded by the sight of fiery-billed aracaris, turquoise cotinga, white-necked puffbird, Baird’s trogon and a slaty-tailed trogon (today’s photo). Even the female trogons sing melodious calls of rapidly modulated notes. Also they are fruit eaters with weak legs that don’t allow them to execute an about-face on a branch without the help of their wings. Because of these features, they find themselves forced to obtain their food (fruit) in flight, and are also one of the few birds that are adept at hovering and even stalling in mid-air momentarily to obtain fruit.
We also were rewarded with a learning experience in the third richest of the ecosystems, the mangrove ecosystem. Between Panama and Costa Rica there are about 525,000 hectares of mangroves. These coastal areas are important nesting sites for many birds and a nursery for a wide array of species in their first stages of life. In fact, there are about 125 species of fish associated with the mangrove ecosystem.
And to top off the day, we were treated to a lavish Costa Rican buffet as the ship rested at anchor.
The sunrise came and we found ourselves in Costa Rica for another exciting day exploring the “Wonders of Costa Rica.” Indeed, today we arrived in Costa Rica and we immediately encounter the wonders in this country blessed with such a rich biodiversity. And for the first activity of the day? Well, how about a visit to a beautiful botanical garden that is only accessible by water, Casa Orquideas. Here in the company of our naturalist guides we walked around, learning about bromeliads, orchids and gingers and many other species of plants. Just as we were looking at them we heard and saw a group of scarlet macaws flying over us. At the same time, we had the company of a magnificent pair of king vultures directly overhead. The morning culminated with a refreshing swim from shore and off the ship. What a way to start the day!
On our way to our afternoon’s anchorage off the Osa Peninsula, we encountered a group of pantropical spotted dolphins. We spent the remainder of the afternoon birdwatching, either by feet or by Zodiac. Meanwhile, others opted for kayaks. The birdwatchers were rewarded by the sight of fiery-billed aracaris, turquoise cotinga, white-necked puffbird, Baird’s trogon and a slaty-tailed trogon (today’s photo). Even the female trogons sing melodious calls of rapidly modulated notes. Also they are fruit eaters with weak legs that don’t allow them to execute an about-face on a branch without the help of their wings. Because of these features, they find themselves forced to obtain their food (fruit) in flight, and are also one of the few birds that are adept at hovering and even stalling in mid-air momentarily to obtain fruit.
We also were rewarded with a learning experience in the third richest of the ecosystems, the mangrove ecosystem. Between Panama and Costa Rica there are about 525,000 hectares of mangroves. These coastal areas are important nesting sites for many birds and a nursery for a wide array of species in their first stages of life. In fact, there are about 125 species of fish associated with the mangrove ecosystem.
And to top off the day, we were treated to a lavish Costa Rican buffet as the ship rested at anchor.
