March 21 – A boat ride through the canals of Tortuguero

The tour today started at 5:40am so we were up really early.  After a check-in with the national park service the tour crossed the river and headed into some side channels.  

We found howler monkeys almost immediately (or, actually, another boat found them and we pulled up to watch as well.  We actually got some good shots of a mother with a baby monkey clinging to her.

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Video of Howler Monkey howling
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Nearby was a Tamandua Anteater in a tree.

We also saw:

A tree with a lot of Montezuma Oropendola nests as well as the oropendola

Bare Throated Tiger Herons

Anhinga (male – much more colorful than the females)

Little Blue Heron...we were in a small channel and he let us get quite close for photos.  A natural model.

A large family of White Faced Capuchin romping in a resort

An Agouti

Green Kingfisher

Jesus Christ Basilisk

Long Nosed Bats

Green Iguana high in a tree beside the main river

A Malabar Chestnut tree with huge nuts and pretty flowers

Keel Billed Toucan

Osprey

Black Vulture

Great Egret

Back at the lodge Mary saw these lovely flowers.  They look quite a bit like orchid.

In the afternoon Paul went out on a second boat tour.  He saw:

Northern Jacana

Laughing Falcon (so named because of its call)

Spider Monkeys

Crested Guan 

American Crocodile

Baby Caiman (sort of cute)

And he got a lovely photo in the canals of the park.