The nature of Tortuguero

Chestnut-mandibled Toucan 

We started our day with a 5:45 AM cruise through the jungle. For some reason the wildlife was fairly scarce; but we managed to see a caiman, a cormorant drying its feathers after the rain, chestnut-mandibled toucan,  spiny tailed iguana, green ibis and northern jacana. We also saw a number of orchids and the flower of the Pachira tree.
After breakfast, a few of us donned boots to hike the nearby trail. Boots were needed as we oozed through mud on the trail. We started off with a bang as a two toed sloth moved about 20 feet while we watched. Soon after we encountered a juvenile spider monkey - the first time we were able to see more than just branches moving. He gave us an acrobatic display as he leaped from branch to branch. Leo, our guide opened a bit of a termite nest and we watched the termites swarm to protect their nest. Termites are high in protein and he demonstrated that they were quite edible by eating a few himself. Next we came upon a strangler fig - these kill the tree by 3 methods: strangling the root system, laying its own root system to deprive the tree of nutrients, and shooting it leaves into the sky to deprive the tree of sunlight. As we walked we saw many red tree frogs about the size of nickel. We also observed how the trees root system handled the swampy soil, the roots were shallow but as wide as the tree was tall to support the tree. He showed us how to take the pod of a royal palm and turn it into a hat (something he had done as a kid).

In the late afternoon we again took a little cruise. Three spider monkeys were overhead showing us how quickly they could move as they followed us down the canal. We went to Jorge's favorite spot in the park, a canal with the trees forming a cathedral ceiling. On the way we got up close to a bare-throated tiger heron and while there we watched a neotropical otter move along the edge of the water. As dark came, we listened to the sounds of the jungle - birds, frogs, insects all making a symphony of natural music, a fitting end to our day in Tortuguero National Park.

 Bare-throated Tiger Heron