Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
This trip has offered many phenomenal opportunities. Yesterday the National Geographic Sea Lion stopped in Manuel Antonio where we practiced with our cameras and binoculars to get ready for “the real jungle”…
This morning, the first thing we saw in the distance was land covered with a green carpet that seemed like an endless tropical rainforest, “that‘s got to the be the place” we thought. Sure enough, as soon as we started our morning hikes and walks we realized that our practice yesterday was very useful. We were able to correct the light fixture in our cameras for the right shot and spot that birds hiding in the bushes with our binoculars.
The morning was full of toucans, trogons, falcons and tanagers, but one of the most amazing things was a group of at least ten Scarlet Macaws landing on a tree not far from us. Their bright colors did not seem bright enough to make them obvious in a tree, but we were still able to get pictures. Now have incredible memories of these magnificent birds.
With trails full of excitement, we thought that nothing could top the morning, but of course there was another surprise. As soon as we finished our activities there was a picnic lunch for us right on the beach! What a way to end the morning.
Back on board, the ship repositioned right in front of one of the most pristine and wild national parks in Costa Rica, Corcovado National Park. Known for the giant trees and incredible diversity, it is home to jaguars, tapirs, monkeys, peccaries and many more animals. We started our walks thinking about the abundance of wildlife.
Some of us walked towards a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the forest, where a rewarding dip in the fresh water swimming hole was a favorite among guests. Others chose between a long hike through a jungle of giant trees, or an easier bird walk. The bird walk turned out to be a celebration of birds and monkeys in which trogons, antbirds, antvireos and woodcreepers were traveling in a mixed flock. A mixed flock is when different species of birds travel together in the rainforest for mutual benefits of foraging and protection.
As we returned to the National Geographic Sea Lion all we could say was “What a Day”!
