Tag: Pacific

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Tidepool Exploration

One of my plans for this second visit to Punta Leona was to photograph lots of interesting sea creatures in the Tidepools of Playa Mantas at low tide. Well, the low tide time I could go out for was cloudy and misty rain, but that is okay if there are sea creatures! 🙂 But I was disappointed with no starfish, seahorses, blowfish, crabs, etc! Only a couple of minnow-like fish, lots of broken up coral and shells and some fossils and lichen. But below this introductory photo are photos of what I did find and it was interesting, even if not what I was expecting. I will try tidepools again in September when I’m on the Caribbean Coast and see if my luck is any better there. 🙂

Playa Mantas at Punta Leona, Costa Rica at Low Tide, with
Rocky Tidepools circled in RED where most photos were made.

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Scenery Shots from Juan Venado Refuge

The Island of Venado is a strip of land running close to the mainland near Leon.
Much of the island and the channel of water between it and mainland is
Mangrove Forests which is good for birds, other nature, crabs, fishing, etc.
We got our boat in this little bay.

When you pay for a private float trip you get to sit in the front of the boat!
🙂   Here near end of trip we approach the rookery or nursery in earlier post.

Even when working, young people have fun on the water!

This is one of the government nature reserves.
I think there may be more private reserves than public right now.

It is currently legal for locals to collect firewood in the reserve as long as
it is already dead wood. In Nicaragua most people still cook on wood fires.

Non-commercial Fishing is allowed in the reserve.

and “Nature Tourism” is growing here!

My guide Freddy had new hiking shoes he did not
want to get wet, so boatman carries him across stream.
I got my old shoes wet – no big deal anymore!  🙂
And why didn’t he take them off and go barefoot?
Good question! The boatman is barefoot!

Where we got our boat was a little “Comedor” which is the same as a
“Soda” in Costa Rica, a small Mom & Pop restaurant for cheap local food.
We did not eat here but got sandwiches at a little local bakery.  

And don’t miss my Nicaragua Birds photo gallery for 98 different species!

And remember that both my trips to Nicaragua were provided by Tours Nicaragua!  Check out what they offer! I’m happy with them!


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Chestnut-Mandibled Toucan

A good first day of the tour and over 500 photos coming out of San Jose, a bicycle race, soccer match, Talamanca Mountains, several towns and beaches along the South end of Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, plus the beautiful grounds of the Villas Rio Mar. But on my late afternoon walk along the Baru River I saw several flocks of Great White Herons flying back to roost, then best of all a huge flock of Chestnut-Mandibled Toucans stopping for snacks in some hotel trees on their way to their roosts. They call it the Toucan Flyover which happens here every evening. They are in the tops of very high trees, but I got one or two usable photos and this is one. Maybe tomorrow I will post a beach photo,