After a pre-breakfast bird walk, we spent most of today in further exploration of the Tortuguero canals by open motorboat. Our pilot Gautan was remarkable not only in navigating the narrow canals (including blazing a path through water weeds at one point) but in his ability to spot wildlife while driving the boat and then stopping in a way to let everyone have a good view.
We saw a lot of howler monkeys today in many different locations. We also saw three species of parrot, and at one point watched howlers chase parrots from a particular fruit tree. The parrots were loud in their displeasure as they were being chased. We also saw a few unusual bird species (such as the Great Curassow, pictured), two types of turtles, and blue land crabs (these are seriously scary looking creatures). Male Green Iguanas turn orange during mating season; we saw a great example today.
We also visited the local Green Sea Turtle conservation center. Tortuguero is the prime nesting beach for green sea turtles, and it was sea turtle conservation, starting in the 1950s, that led to the creation of the national park and the conversion of the local economy to eco-tourism. Techniques developed at Tortuguero are used in sea turtle conservation areas around the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment