Guan Time

As the Autumn days turn colder and I feel even more removed from tropical Florida, I thought I would bring back a little of the humidity with some Guan time.  The Crested Guan above was seen from a couple of feet away on our recent Costa Rican trip this past spring.

The Crested Guan is an arboreal forest bird that is commonly seen at the Arenal Observatory in Costa Rica.  We saw it on our daily walks around the property.  Often whole social flocks were seen in the largest of trees.  They could surprisingly hide in the canopy despite their large size. But their vocalizations would give them away, so with a little looking we found them every time.

Oh Crested Guans, I'm happy to think about you today on a cold afternoon in Colorado.  I hope to see you again one of these days. 

Costa Rican Wildlife

Chestnut-mandibled Toucans

Red-legged Honeycreeper

Great Currassow

Eyelash Viper

White-nosed Coati

Spotted Antbird

The Arenal Volcano area of Costa Rica is full of wonder.  Emily and I saw over 130 species of birds and I racked up almost 30 new species on my life list.  The waterfalls were beautiful, the lush green rain forests brought many new wildlife encounters, and the volcano always loomed in the distance as a reminder of our exotic vacation.  We spent most of our days hiking the trails around Arenal Observatory Lodge looking for birds and taking in the views.  It was a great spring break and I highly recommend Arenal Observatory Lodge if you are interested in Costa Rica at its finest.

Costa Rica bound

Emily and I are heading to Costa Rica for a fun-filled week!  We will be staying at the Arenal Observatory Lodge and hope to do some birding, some waterfall swimming, and some hiking.