My last photo this week of the baby Yigüirros and Mom. I’ll check again tomorrow when I return, but they should be growing fast since all the mother does is bring them food all day! 🙂 I’m enjoying this opportunity to watch a nest which doesn’t happen real often.
Mother & Baby Yigüirros, Best Western Hotel, San Jose, Costa Rica
I knew when I saw that huge tree outside my room that I would have a good chance of seeing birds even though it was windy much of this first week, but finding a nest of baby birds is always an extra treat. First I saw this Yigüirro (local Spanish name) or Clay-colored Thrush (English name) flying into the joint of a sawed-off limb on the tree. After further examination through my telephoto camera lens, and several shots of only the mother sitting on the nest, I managed to get a few shots of the babies’ open mouths and then watch the mother regularly return with food for them. Fun. I’ve asked the hotel to keep me in a room by the tree next week and beyond so I can continue to watch this little family grow. 🙂
With the offical morning bird walk and personal walks around the lodge grounds today, I saw several birds not seen yesterday. The two special ones were the babies. The featured photo above is a baby Collared Aracari peeking his head out of the tree hole nest. Also in the slide show below is a baby Great Kiskadee. Both were first-time baby sightings here. It is that time of year, the beginning of the rainy season. Tomorrow I may share the birds we saw on our “Boat Bird Safari” Saturday, then sometime the other wildlife. It is so great to be out in a rainforest like this! Pura vida!
New Birds at Lodge Today
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
“Pan, who and what art thou?” he cried huskily. “I’m youth, I’m joy,” Peter answered at a venture, “I’m a little bird that has broken out of the egg.”
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
At the Right Place at the Right Time As I headed for the birding trail before breakfast this morning, the turtle man told me
that 12 new Olive Ridley turtle eggs hatched last night and he was ready to release them.
New Morning Plans! I got to pick up all 12 from their nest and put in box for taking to beach.
Tambor, Costa Rica
12 Babies Ready for the Beach!
Tambor, Costa Rica
One by one we take them from the box and sit each one on the beach.
Instinctively the head for the water, some in a big rush!
Tambor, Costa Rica
What a privilege to participate in helping save an endangered species!
Tambor, Costa Rica
Once on water’s edge the next wave carries them out to sea. They swim for a full day before stopping to eat.
Because of predators (birds & fish) only one in a thousand make it to adulthood.
Tambor, Costa Rica
Once eggs are laid on the beach, volunteers bring to this sheltered fenced area to protect eggs from predators.
Behind a chain-link fence each clutch of 30-80 eggs is netted, dated and watched by volunteers.
Eggs take about 45 days to hatch, thus they know when most will hatch. Most already have.
They are expecting 100+ hatchlings on Christmas Day.
Tambor, Costa Rica
A small building was constructed by local volunteers who watch the eggs around the clock.
Tambor, Costa Rica
Tambor, Costa Rica
A Mouse Pad here + T-shirts are sold to raise money.
Tambor, Costa Rica
There are government regulations on turtles, but no money to help.
This volunteer group meets both national & international standards.
Tambor, Costa Rica
They are a new program and do not have a website yet, but will eventually have something similar to nearby MontezumaBeach.com to promote support and volunteerism and they are wanting to affiliate with a university somewhere for research as well as volunteers. They do have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Tortugas-Bah%C3%ADa-Tambor-120575518588150/ Though my effort to post photos did not work well with one put as a “Visitor Post” in the right hand column.
They plan to also post more information about the program on the hotel website: Tambor Tropical Resort.
Now I truly begin my report on the two day visit to Nicaragua in two nature reserves. In Juan Venado Refuge my boat tip included visiting what we called a “Rookery” in South Florida, a collection of tree islands where hundreds if not thousands of birds build nests, lay eggs, and raise their young until they can fly. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh! He looks just like daddy! 🙂
Little Blue Heron chick Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Leon, Nicaragua
Little Blue Heron Momma near the above nest Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Leon, Nicaragua
Great Egret Nests on one of the mangrove islands Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Leon, Nicaragua The majority of the nests were Great Egrets, but other birds mixed with them.
Great Egret Nests are very close together! Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Leon, Nicaragua
Great Egret mother andchicks Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Leon, Nicaragua
Great Egret Chicks (the closeup you wanted to see) Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Leon, Nicaragua
Boat-billed Heron & Chick Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Leon, Nicaragua
Boat-billed Heron Juvenile Learning to Fly Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Leon, Nicaragua
Tiger Heron Chick Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Leon, Nicaragua
Anhinga Chick (we saw Momma nearby, the only Anhingas seen) Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Leon, Nicaragua
Wow! I’m having fun! There are so many neat places like this for short and brief trips and this is just the beginning of bird photos from these two days. There will be many more the next few days and some other animals and interesting sights too! So much to see!
And don’t miss my Nicaragua Birds photo gallery for 98 different species!
