Thursday, March 8th, 2012
Bats usually use existing cavities such as caves or tree-holes as roosting sites. On very rare cases the do their own homes, and this is one of those peculiar cases where bats built a shelter for the group, that includes adult males, moms and babies. Bats chew the center vain of a palm-leaf hence the leaf drops forming a tent.
In the forest reserve at El Remanso on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica you can see over 50 species of bats, among them several that use leafs as shelter. Have you ever seen them in nature? Tell us and share your pics!
These are pictures taken next to the El Remanso restaurant of the Tent-making bat – Uroderma bilobatum.
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Sunday, February 19th, 2012
It happens that cicadas (from Latin cicada means “tree cricket”) can’t wait until February 14th to celebrate love, but started one month before and they keep going. For a couple of months starting with the dry season here at El Remanso and everywhere on the Osa Peninsula the sounds of the forest are dominated by the love song of these insects.
Same as cicadas in temperate forest, the tropical fellows as nymphs (young insects) live in the ground, they come out of the ground to molt and become the adults we see (and hear!). Temperate forest species of cicadas are known to live underground for 4-7 years but little is known about the “tropical forest brothers” of cicadas in Costa Rica.
How do they make this loud sound? It’s a male thing… they have a membrane on the side of the abdomen in a region called tymbals. The contraction of the muscles produces a loud “click” sound, and to amplify this sound the abdomen of the male is a hallow cavity that works as a resonance chamber.
All cicadas species produce this loud sound to mate, they are among the loudest of the insect-produce sounds. Each species has a distinctive sound, not all of them audible for humans. On the other hand there are about 2,500 species in the world, 26 of them in Costa Rica, can you imagine a chorus made of cicadas?
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Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
Chestnut-mandibled toucans (Ramphastos ambiguus swainsonii)) are one of the 2 members of the Toucan family (Ramphastidae) that you can find in the Osa Peninsula.
It is frequent to spot toucans at El Remanso, specially from the restaurant deck in the early mornings as well as anywhere in the tropical garden of the lodge.
Since yesterday we have our “yearly visitors” back and nesting in a tree cavity next to the main driveway of the lodge. This is the third year in a row where we have been able to observe a couple of toucans using the exact same hole to create their nest.
The curious thing about toucans is that they do not “built” their nests as many other birds. They are cavity-nesters and usually use an existing abandoned nest (such as hollow tree cavities), and are incapable of excavating. This behavior has been observed in both the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan as well as the Fiery-billed Aracari.
Another particularity of the chestnut-mandibled toucans is the fact that male and female usually form long-term pair bonds, and the female will usually defend rather “agressively” her nest once the offspring has arrived!
Below are the pics taken this morning of the nest and the toucan in it!
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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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