Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
Common Pauraque – «cuyeo» – Nyctidromus albicollis
The Pauraque is a nocturnal bird that lives in open areas such as secondary forest or forest edges; hence it is highly probable that they would live in the gardens around the lodge. But this bird rests and nests in the ground blended with the leaf litter, which makes it difficult to spot. Although this species is fairly common and widely distributed, is not common to find a nest.
Here in the Osa Peninsula and of course at El Remanso, you are very likely to spot common pauraques at night on your way to your cabin, you will see the shimmering eyes in the darkness on the ground, moving from one side of the trail to the other!
It’s possible that the camouflage and peculiar habits of the species – isn’t it peculiar that a bird that rests and nests in the ground? – has generated the stories and myths related to them. Popular belief holds that a common pauraque will concede you a wish, and also it can be used for a love spell that will tie him/her to you forever!
The pictures below were taken this afternoon next to the El Remanso restaurant!
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Saturday, January 28th, 2012
Night tours at El Remanso are lead by naturalist guide Rinaldo. The tour starts usually at 5.30, once the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean down here in the Osa Peninsula.
Commonly seen wildlife during this tour includes spiders, frogs, toats, snakes, opposums and sometimes even sleeping mammals.
The tour usually starts with some time next to the El Remanso pool or our new “frog pond” where different types of frogs and toats can be found. The most looked for is certainly the red-eye tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas), the most “photogenic of the frogs in the pond”!
At the beginning of yesterday’s nighthike, Rinaldo spotted a young mussarana snake. Unlike the adult snake, which is all black, the young mussarana has a beautiful red color. Mussaranas (Clelia clelia) are known to be a natural predator of the poisonous Fer-de-lance snake. It can be up to six feet in length. It actually hunts an assortment of snakes, many of them venomous. It seems to be immune to the toxins and is thus an important means of controlling viper populations.
On the return from the creek, another surprise for our guests, a boa (Boa constrictor) curled around a a heliconia leaf next to the lobby, waiting for some prey to come nearby!
So, come and join us in a discovery of the rainforest at night at the El Remanso Lodge!
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Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
Patrick Schmidt and his family returned this afternoon from our river walk and brought the exciting news! They encountered a puma next to the creek and got a good look at it. It was resting on the river bank and did not run away for a good while! How fortunate!!
This happens just 6 days after Adriana saw a female puma chasing a small animal in front…
Pumas (puma concolor) are relatively abundant in Costa Rica and specially in the Osa Peninsula, both in the National Park of Corcovado and the biological corridor surrounding it, but their sightings are always rare and people who seem them can consider themselves pretty lucky!
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Friday, December 23rd, 2011
Yesterday, El Remanso participated in the annual Osa Peninsula Audubon Christmas bird count! Again this year, local organizations, eco-lodges and the community joined for this century-long Audubon Society tradition.
During all tours, from dawn to dusk, guides and guests were invited to keep track of the birds they had seen. These lists will then be compiled by local NGO OSA CONSERVATION and will be part of the Centralamerican-wide activity!
And what better place to do a birdcount then the Osa Peninsula and El Remanso!
Here’s the list of the birds we counted on Dec 21st!
Baird’s trogon
Bare-throated tiger-heron
bhiladelophina vireo
Black Swift
Black Vulture
Black-billed whisthing-duck
Black-hoocled Antshrike
Black-throated trogon
Blue crocunen motmot
Blue crowned manakin
Blue-thoated Goldentail
Broad-Winged Hawk
Bronce Hermit
Brown-hooded Parrot
Buffthoted-woodcreepers
Charming Hummingbird
Chesnut sided-warbler
Chestnut-Backed Antbird
Chestnut-mandibled toucan
Common/ Mangrove Black Hawk
Crested Caracara
Double-Toothed kite
Fiery-billed Aracari
Gray-breasted Martin
Great Blue Heron
Great Crested Flycatcher
Great Egret
Great Kiskadee
Great-Tailled Grackle
House Wren
King Vulture
Little Blue Heron
Long-billed hermit
Magnificient frigatebird
Mangrove swllow
Masked tityra
Mourning warbler
Orange-Chinned Parakeet
Palm Tanager
Plain Tenops
Red-Breasted Blackbird
Red-crowned woodpecker
Red-Lored Parrot
Riverside Wren
Roadside hawk
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Scarlett macaw
Social Flycatcher
Souther Rough-Winged swallow
Spectacled owi
Spotted crowned suphonia
Spotted sandpiper
Streaked Flycatcher
Stripe-throated hermit
Summer Tanager
Swallow Toiled kite
Tennessee warbler
Tiger Heron
Tropical Kingbird
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Turkey Vulture
Turquoice Cotinga
Variable Seedeater
Veraguan Mango
Violaceos Trogon
white crestedcoquette
White Ibis
White-Collared Seedeater
Yellow-billed cuckoo
Yellow-headed cara cara
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Monday, December 19th, 2011
Yesterday evening, at 5 o’clock, Adriana spotted a frequent visitor to the El Remanso grounds: a female puma was chasing it’s prey behind Casa Osa and the lobby towards the top of ridge!
Although frequently photographed with the camera traps, puma sightings are always something special and to see one hunting is exceptional!
Check our older posts on our blog to see the some pictures of pumas caught by our camera traps at El Remanso Lodge. The study conducted by Yaguara monitors the activity of wildcats on the Osa Peninsula and has been supported by the lodge since 2006.
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