Osa Peninsula and Golfo Dulce
Today we had a great day! We began our adventure with an early (7:30 a.m.) visit to Corcovado National Park. This place protects one of the most pristine forests within the park system of Costa Rica. Created in 1975, it covers a surface area of over 103,000 acres and protects the last portion of Tropical Humid Forest of Central America.
During the hikes we had the opportunity to see Central American agoutis, trogons, tanagers and Central American spider monkeys. Some of us, while looking at a spider monkey group up on the treetops, where ambushed by a group of white-nosed coatis (see picture). These animals are a member of the raccoon family. They are omnivores that feed on such invertebrates as insects and crabs, and such vertebrates as frogs, snakes and nestling birds, as well as fruits and flower nectar. Males are solitary except during breeding season (“Coatimundi” is a South American word for lone male). Females, juveniles and males younger than two years old live in groups of 4 to 65 individuals. They are good climbers and raise their young in arboreal nests.
After Corcovado we visited Casa Orquideas, an open botanical garden in Golfo Dulce. Here we had a chance to learn about some of the native as well of some introduced plants. But not all of us where looking at the plants and trees; some where looking for birds. Thanks to them we had a great look of a white hawk (see picture) which seemed to have some interest in the flora of the botanical garden and its visitors.
Today we had a great day! We began our adventure with an early (7:30 a.m.) visit to Corcovado National Park. This place protects one of the most pristine forests within the park system of Costa Rica. Created in 1975, it covers a surface area of over 103,000 acres and protects the last portion of Tropical Humid Forest of Central America.
During the hikes we had the opportunity to see Central American agoutis, trogons, tanagers and Central American spider monkeys. Some of us, while looking at a spider monkey group up on the treetops, where ambushed by a group of white-nosed coatis (see picture). These animals are a member of the raccoon family. They are omnivores that feed on such invertebrates as insects and crabs, and such vertebrates as frogs, snakes and nestling birds, as well as fruits and flower nectar. Males are solitary except during breeding season (“Coatimundi” is a South American word for lone male). Females, juveniles and males younger than two years old live in groups of 4 to 65 individuals. They are good climbers and raise their young in arboreal nests.
After Corcovado we visited Casa Orquideas, an open botanical garden in Golfo Dulce. Here we had a chance to learn about some of the native as well of some introduced plants. But not all of us where looking at the plants and trees; some where looking for birds. Thanks to them we had a great look of a white hawk (see picture) which seemed to have some interest in the flora of the botanical garden and its visitors.
