Caves Branch Night Walk

 Night walks looking for wildlife can be a mixed bag. Sometimes you have incredible encounters with all sorts of creatures of the night and other times you walk for hours, lose out on sleep, and see a handful of bugs or sleeping birds bums overhead.

Caves Branch was a mixed bag with a few highlights below but not as rich an outing as we'd hoped for. Still this helmeted iguana is undeniably a neat little character, and the only one of his species on this particular trip. He was also content to stay still and cling to his branch, so we had a good opportunity for pictures.

Cuban tree frogs were quite common in Belize - Steven routinely catches them on his condo grounds - but this one looks a little more naturally posed on the side of a tree than it does in a bathroom sink.

We also had a valuable lesson in learning how large a spider has to get before we do request housekeeping to extract it (they had a good net and this was clearly not their first time with the ask). While the macro perspective does undeniably make this Tiger Bromeliad Spider look a little larger and more dangerous than you'd want to share a room with, it was still a comfortable hand span across and a little more than we wanted to have crawling about overhead as we napped.

Crawlies of Belize

Of course Belize wasn't all pyramids, rain forest and birds, there are lots of little creatures living out their lives underfoot whenever and wherever you go. Mexican red-rump tarantulas are quite common in the area and we got nice pictures of this one as it was crossing a gravel road out in the countryside. Unbeknownst to tourists, they make readily identifiable burrows in short grass and guides throughout the area can quickly winkle them out just by disturbing their lair with a piece of grass for a few seconds.

Many of you may get the heebie-jeebies from spiders, so you'll be glad to know that there are insects down there that give the heebe-jeebies TO spiders. Take for example this Milde's Tarantula-Hawk Wasp, which looks colourful to us but is a nightmare to tarantulas. The reproductive cycle of the wasp requires that the female sting a live tarantula, which paralyses it, and then drag it to its den. There the spider serves as a living meal for the young implanted in that that gradually eat their way out. But don't worry, these wasps are necatarivorous, living entirely off flowers and only supplementing a small part of their diet from your nightmares.

Hermit crabs were quite common on the grounds of Steven's condo complex and we went out several evenings to watch them scurry around at night while mosquitoes (not pictured) would feast on us. Hermit crabs are very neat since they don't produce their own shells but rather scavenge discarded shells of other animals and trade-up as they grow and require a larger home. This can result in a "vacancy chain" as they hand shells down the line from largest to smallest with everyone getting an upgrade to the preceding crabs old digs. Spending more time on land than you might expect, the shells also help keep their gills humid so they can breathe out of the water.

Sea Turtle Release

 We were unexpectedly delighted to learn that the resort we had chosen, Sandos Finisterra, was an active participant in sea turtle population rehabilitation. Sea turtles have less than a 1% survival rate to maturity on a good day and human impact on their environment has not helped, so efforts to improve their chances were a welcome sight.

Efforts by the resort are pretty substantial and not just feel-good as well. They have a staff biologist who gathers up buried eggs along the beach and places them in a protected enclosure where they are monitored and able to hatch in safety.

 The signs at the beach said they were Golfina turtles, which I believe are commonly known as Olive Ridley turtles in English. Every few days enough dug themselves up to the surface to be ready for a batch release into the sea and a crowd would always gather to watch the turtles head for the sea. The added bonus here is that a large crowd tends to keep away many of the birds that predate on these hatchlings and helped give them that little extra edge.

 Of course I was still not prepared for what a rough start they had to their lives. The beaches in Cabo are not swimmable due to strong rip currents and unpredictable waves so for us the area was walking-only. No such luck for these little guys as they struggled down the beach and into the surf. Most of the time a wave would come up and people would cheer, only for it to roll back having pushed half a dozen turtles 15 feet back onto the land and flipped them on their backs. Even when they did back it to the water, every large wave had dozens of little black bodies tumbling around in the chop. Not a easy lot in life.

Any turtles which were too tired or cold to make it into the water on the day were gathered up by the biologist and either warmed and released into the surf, or kept for another try on the following day depending on their state.

Spectacled Caimans

 Caimans were the second and smaller crocodilian we saw in Costa Rica, with the males being up to 6ft long and the females being somewhat smaller. Their diet consists of invertebrates and fish with a few pigs thrown in for the larger adults. Like many of their Family, they have mastered the art of patiently floating along and trying to look as much like a log as they can to any short-sighted prey.

 We saw a few baby animals as well as the larger adults. The babies tend to stay closer to the edge of the water and tuck in among the grasses. The young are interesting in that the temperature of their nest will determine their gender upon hatching, with warmer temperatures producing females and lower temperatures producing males. While we (falsely) think of reptiles as laying their eggs and then abandoning them, caiman mothers will not only raise their own young, but are known to cooperatively babysit for one another.

 While not as outright terrifyingly huge as the American crocodiles were, Caimans are still pretty impressive reptiles and pack more than a little dinosaur quality to their appearance. We were never in any danger from these creatures, but there was one night walk where the lodge kept caimans on the grounds and we could hear one consistently moving towards us from the darkness.

Basilisks

 Basilisks are common lizards in Costa Rica and we were able to see all three of the regional subspecies, starting with the Green Basilisk. Mythology-fans and D+D players will be disappointed to hear that these basilisks are unable to turn people to stone with their gaze, but do retain a unique defensive ability all the same. Frequently called "the Jesus Christ lizard" by the locals, their feet have evolved in such a way that they can run on their hind legs across open water for significant distances. Being good ecotourists, we did not disturb the animals, so we haven't seen this reaction firsthand.

 The Striped Basilisk is a smaller animal and quite good at blending into its surrounds on the Caribbean side of the country. The picture below spoils this ability somewhat by being so zoomed, but on that spot at the end of our hike it took a moment to pick it out from a pile of driftwood even at a short distance.

 As we have stated many times over by now, Costa Rica LOVES variations of wildlife, and the Brown Basilisk (below) is a Pacific-only variation of the Striped Basilisk. We found this animal when we were out looking for squirrel monkeys and it was perhaps too cold and lazy to want to move, so we were able to get quite a nice portrait of it.

Iguana Identities

 We've had quite a few trips to the tropics (Mexico and Galapagos both) which had a few endemic species of iguanas, and Costa Rica was no slouch in this department either. As explained previously, Costa Rica has very diverse coasts which have been separated by mountains for quite some time, allowing for very different animals in different parts of the country. To begin, green iguanas like the one below, were a common sight in treetops on the Caribbean coast along many of the streams and rivers we visited. Fun facts: at 2m, they are the largest lizards in the country, the adults only go to ground to lay their eggs, and they are vegetarian AND would be unable to digest plants without symbiotic flora in their guts.

 At the smaller end of the spectrum, this helmeted iguana (the only one we saw) would cap out at 36cm in length and could theoretically be found on either coast. Fun fact: they apparently can be so stationary in their wait to ambush prey that small plants are known to grow on their heads as they wait. THAT is dedication to your means of hunting.

 Rounding out the set, spiny-tailed iguanas are found only on the pacific coast and have an in-betweeny length of around 130cm. They are the most sexually dimorphic of the three, with the females being almost entirely black and without the long crests of the male shown below. Fun fact: the males court females with a bizarre head-bobbing routine which we saw briefly from this individual and will hopefully be able to highlight in our video.

No Lifeguard on Duty: Swim at Your Own Risk

 On our way down the Pacific side of the country we stopped for lunch and a walk in a little town on the Rio Tarcoles. Unlike many bridges we crossed, this particular one was a popular viewing spot for a sizeable number of American crocodiles. Kathryn counted several dozen in the area, basking in the sun and generally drawing a crowd - the area is very popular for crocodile boat tours as well.

 Our guide told us that several years ago a fellow had gotten drunk in the bar near where we had lunch and decided to swim across the river in the middle of the night. Needless to say that plan did not work out well for him at all and he never saw the other side. I recommend the bridge, because these things are terrifying even at a distance.

 The majority of them looked quite fat and healthy, but there were a few interesting outliers with unfortunate defects. One was missing the front half of his top jaw, but didn't appear to be suffering for its absence, while this individual did NOT appear to be in a good way. His whole spine was very desiccated and you can see how shrunken all the tissues around his head have gotten, to the point that you could probably drink out of the divots in his skull.

Snakes Everywhere (except in sight)

Costa Rica is home to 137 species of snake, but before most of you get nervous, the good news is that only 20 of them are deadly poisonous. For those of you that are still nervous, the Fer de Lance is a meter long and drab brown while being staggeringly deadly and of course constrictor snakes don't need venom because they're designed to choke the life out of you.

Nearly every walk would start with Mario reminding us "Don't walk ahead of me, don't go off the path, look wherever you put your feet, and try not to touch anything" and then we'd hike in the bush for 3-6 hours. To illustrate the point, the photo below is a typical patch of path side rain forest which (may or may not but quite likely does) contain several dozen snakes.

 After all those warnings, we only saw 2 wild snakes in our entire visit and when you see the photo of this one, you may wonder how we ever missed it, but its only as thick as your finger and a foot or so long. And horrifically poisonous. This eyelash pitviper was a few dozen feet up the side of a tree at Cahuita and is one of the most dangerous snakes in Costa Rica.

 

 By comparison, this Cloudy Snaileater is a non-venomous snake, which is just as well since we encountered it at night when one of our group nearly walked into it hanging at face height. It was similarly a little over a foot long and as thick as your finger, so finding these buggers is more than a bit difficult.

Officially escaped visual effects!

 Having recently had my 3 month review at Bardel and not been fired for gross incompetance, I think its fair to say that my accounting career is on track with my labour-camp days in film behind me. Crossing that threshold, I thought I would share a few photos of the office and its features. Below is a picture of our office, which is really an unremarkable collection of cubicles, but there are 2 things I would like to highlight here:

1. This is the biggest desk I have ever had. It's not grand my any stretch, but its nice.
2. Sure, the view is of an overpass, but this is the first time I have worked in a room with windows in my professional career, including every job I have had since 1998 (except three months in a video store I guess).

 The office is a stones throw from Granville Island, which gives me a nice bicycle commute that I can share with Kathryn when our starting hours overlap. Its even a pleasant 40 minute walk on days where I have somewhere else to go after work and don't want to lug a bike around with me.

 Bardel has had turtles (though not these particular turtles) for several decades and their new tank is right outside the accounting office. They have it pretty good with room to swim about and a spot to haul out under a timed heat lamp, but there's something particulary hilarious about this pose to me. Maybe its saying something about visual effects, or business in general, or the human condition as a whole, but one turtle being resignedly pushed to the bottom of the tank while the other stands on his back and strains as far as he can to just get his head above water was too good a photo for me to pass up.

Ecuadorian Rainforest

This post has come unforgivably late.  Over a year ago Geordie and I took a plane to Coca, a motorboat down the Napo River, a half hour hike through the jungle and then a dug out canoe through waterways unknown to our wood and thatch hut at La Selva in the Amazon Rainforest. 

Beyond the BC interior it is one of the most exotic and remote places we have ever been.  There was no electricity at night. Everything was built from native materials.  And the wildlife..... nighthawks, hoatzin, frogs and Orapendula birds nesting all around us along with anacondas and howler monkeys, bats, capucins, while owls, tarantulas, agoutis and whip scorpions came out in some of the blackest nights that we have ever experienced. 

Red-eared Sliders

They sound like they should be a spicey burger type but Red-eared Sliders are in fact these little turtles. They are invasive to Stanley Park from released pets. It is a really really bad thing to release any pet invasive or not into the wild so just be responsible and don't do it. At any rate Lost Lagoon is now home to lots of these guys. They disappear in the winter and come out in the spring and are very fun to see sunning themselves.  The trio below were charmingly lined up on a bit of exposed rock. All looking in the same direction they reminded me of famous trios such as The Three Tenors, The Three Muskateers and the Three Stooges.

The same rock but a pair. The one on the right is demonstrating Terrapin Tai Chi which is practiced only on sunny logs and rocks and combines Tai Chi with foot splaying stretches. This one is a long practisioner and he is demonstrating 'Green Turtle Cools Foot', an advanced pose which is held until the observer loses interest and wanders away.

Several weeks ago Geordie and I came across a balancing act. A turtle had crawled up and had precariously perched himself on this upjutting root of a fallen tree. Before the only contact the turtle had was his shell (perhaps another Terrapin Tai Chi pose). No camera on us though. Fortunately yesterday we had a camera (after we walked back and fetched one). This guy must be less advanced as he as that one foot on the tree.  Still he is has a very smug pleased expression and seem very happy as he performed a balancing act. This spot is hidden by the Nature house so keep an eye for it and you might be rewarded with this acrobat. How we got up there is a mystery as it seems high.

Galapagos Highlight Reel

 Our trip to Ecuador highlight reels will comprise of two videos. The second will feature the Amazon Rain forest. The first is completed and posted here (and on Vimeo) and is all about the Galapagos Islands. It shows some of the unique and rare flora and fauna that is native to the archipelago. Most of the species and landscapes shown have already been featured in other posts. So if there is something that catches your eye check there for more information.

Music: The Porcupine Tree "The Colour of Air"

Land Iguanas

 Large slow moving lizards pretty much sums up the land iguana. Some were almost 5 feet long. Some were quite brilliantly yellow with their mating colours such as this baleful fellow below. Being cold-blooded they casually bask on rocks often letting other animals peck about them and even on top of them. At night they conserve body heat in burrows. The spiky crest that starts at the neck runs to the tail tip.

 The land iguana is endemic to many islands of the Galapagos. The land iguanas have been known to interbreed with marine iguanas creating probably sterile hybrids, particularily on South Plaza island where the species overlap territory. After mating the females travel to sandy areas to make a burrow to lay eggs. Eggs hatch 90-125 days later.

 The land iguanas mostly snacks on plants and cacti like this one having a lunch of carpetweed. They have been known to be opportunistic carnivores, eating insects or carrion. They are a common site on the airport runway at Baltra and often seen crossing roads.

Big Honking Snake

I never ever thought that Geordie and I would run into this huge Anaconda while we were in the Amazon Rainforest.  I figured we had more chance of seeing the Windigo or the Loch Ness monster. Nevertheless we did. This one was mostly coiled up on a hummock jutting into the lagoon within view of our lodge.

We were in a canoe which enabled us to sneak up quite close. Closer than I ever thought we could get to a huge snake as we were about 2.5- 2 metres away. We were all whispering which was kind of silly as they are deaf....but you know..... big snake.  Like all snakes they sense vibrations but as we were in the water we produced none.

This one is a baby, which is the first time I heard something 5 metres long called a 'baby'. It's colouring is that of a juvenile. The fetching yellow spots about the size of dollar coin on the underside fade into adulthood. This one didn't even blink even as flies crawled over its face. Its eyes were a beautiful rich leafy colour but primeval in their expression. The entire time we watched him he didn't move. The next day we went back, he was gone.

Wild Tortoises

We saw tortoises in a few places in our adventures on the island of Santa Cruz. Both in the Darwin Research Centre (which we'll cover another time) and roaming wild in the highlands of the island. Since 90% of the island is still designated as a park and not to be cultivated or interfered with, this gives the tortoises a good degree of freedom, and while you'd think that being a slow moving creature the size of a boulder would make you obvious as well, they do tend to blend in a bit at the roadside as you can see below.

Our group had a scheduled visit to a ranchers field which is particularly popular with these wild tortoises, to the extend that in an area of perhaps a few football fields we were fortunate enough to see at least 40 of these peaceful creatures going about their lives. There were a number of pools and wallows which they seemed to enjoy quite a bit as you can see below.

 

But they were also thick on the ground out in the open where they were placidly grazing and you could get right up to them. If they felt threatened they would emit a sighing hiss and slowly retract into their shells like the one pictured below is in the process of doing.

Tortoises were right at the top of my list of amazing things to see in the Galapagos and I was not in any way disappointed with our encounter. These gentle giants are breathtaking to see in the flesh and I feel incredibly fortunate that they are flourishing as well as they are for future generations to enjoy. They were heavily hunted by pirates and sailors back in the day, but careful conservation and a top-notch breeding program and helping to make them a modern success story.

Marine Iguanas

 Marine iguanas were right at the top of my list of things to see in the Galapagos, and I did not come away disappointed. They were one of the most common animals we saw there and are present on nearly every island. Being cold blooded, they are only as active as they have to be, and since the bulk of their diet comes from underwater plants which chills their bodies to get, they are pretty docile when it comes to people and having their photos taken.

 There is quite a bit of variation in their appearance as well, though they are consistently dark in colour, the males will get large red and rusty patches all over themselves as they get closer to their prime breeding age. Swimming for their food builds up a high level of salt in their bodies which they eject by sneezing out little jets of concentrated salt water every few minutes.

 Since their food is concentrated along the seashore, so too are the animal themselves very dense on the ground near the water. Relaxing in large groups on the volcanic rocks that line the shores of every island they are a charming sight. During the morning when they want to warm up they turn their sides to the sun, maximizing the heat they absorb, and as the day goes on, they turn to face the sun and reduce any chance of overheating and dehydration.

Samburu

Samburu was wonderfully unlike many of the other places we went as it was nearly all desert with a thin river running through in. There were a great deal of unique animals here such as painted dogs, beisa oryx, gerenuk, grevy's zebras and many more. We also had an unforgettable encounter with a family of elephants crossing the river; although there are crocodiles in the water, they have nothing to fear from them.

Music: "Discworld Theme" by Keith Hopwood & Phil Bush

The lodgings at Samburu were very nice little cabins. You can see me resting on the front porch of ours below and during the day young vervet monkeys would delight in climbing the spindly tree on the rigth and then either dropping down to the ground or running around on our roof.

This panorama (click it to enlarge) is the front view off of our patio. It both contrasts the dryness of the mountains beyond with the greenery flourishing along its banks. These picture should also help illustrate the incredible flooding that can happen in this area; a few weeks after we had left the river flooded so badly that people were having to take shelter on the roofs of the cabins to avoid the rising water and crocodiles. The lodge itself apparently sustained quite a bit of damage which is certainly a shame as it was a lovely place and everyone working there was so friendly.

Maasai Mara - Highlight Reel

We were in the Maasai Mara for about 6 days as an optional extension at the end of our safari. About half the group opted not to do it but we were certainly glad to. For anyone in our group that missed it, this can at least fill in some of the gaps for you, and for anyone considering an extension there, we heartily recommend it.

Music: "He Lives in You" by Lebo M.

The lodges in the Mara were often tricky to get nice pictures of as the building themselves are usually tucked well into the brush at the tops of hills and under dense foliage. This is done more to conceal the buildings and make the landscapes seem uninterrupted then to hide ugly architecture. The Mara Serena lodge (shown below) is particularly charming, situated at the top of a hill its buildings all seem to lack 90 degree angles thanks to smooth concrete and stucco.The view from the top was wonderful as well and the sunrise timelapse and one of the pans in the video above were both shot there.We stayed in two tented camps in the Maasai Mara as well, and just to show that a tent in a safari lodge is different from a tent when you go to the lake on the long weekend, here's a picture of one tents interior. Notice the twin beds and attached bathroom with lighting, just like your typical tent. Roughing it every step of the way ;)

Kenya/Tanzania 2010 - Best Of

We shot a lot of great footage between the two of us, and trimming it down to something we felt we could make other people sit through was no small feat. The clip below includes many of the highlights from our trip.

Music: "Theme from Jurassic Park" by John Williams.

99% of the footage we shot was done handheld in a crowded little mini-bus with a pop-up roof. With 5-6 people moving around at all times trying to get the best shots and working around the metal posts that propped the roof up it was a bit of a challenge, but one that we thoroughly enjoyed.
With each new video upload I will also try and highlight the lodges we stayed in to help dispel any notions that they were tiny tents or Maasai huts. The lodge below was the first one we stayed in just outside of Arusha in Tanzania and while we were too jet-lagged and eager to get moving to fully enjoy it, it was very pleasant all the same

Cold Blood in the Hot Sun

Besides the crocodiles mentioned earlier we actually saw quite a few other reptiles and lizards in our adventures. Geckos were very common in most of the lodges either in the dining room or bedrooms, catching flies and whatnot. This little fellow lost his grip on the ceiling above and landed on my pant leg at breakfast one morning, very nearly landing in my coffee. We were both a bit stunned but he was no worse for wear and quickly took off. They are quite resilient little creatures, we had one with only three legs in our bathroom in one lodge and it was still able to run up the walls and skitter about after mosquitoes quite well.
Agamas are quite common on rocks in the hot sun, either out in the field or beside the pool. The males are quite brilliantly coloured with orange heads and purple tails while the females are smaller and brown. They are quite often very tame as well and we were able to get nice and close pictures of them several times. Often reaching up to more than a foot in length (with tail) they are quite harmless and lovely in their own way.
This monitor lizard is a little less safe though. We only saw them at breakfast one morning but this one was a good 3-4 feet long and had pretty fierce claws. They are slow moving and docile though and are typically fed at breakfast time at that particular lodge. At the same lodge we also saw a cobra early one morning but failed to get a picture of it and were as spooked by it as it was by us.