Just headed off for a couple hours to cover a few minor project details but generally looking for wildlife. Saw a ton of things and some I was able to photograph. I started on the Rio Cacao trail, headed up the North Loop trail, then up into the bamboo and past the Mudd Pond, and finally back down the Access Road.
A hike like this covers a lot of elevation, about 1,000 feet from the Rio Cacao to the top of the Bamboo forest, and a lot of habitats. But much of it is rather thick and even when I see something there can be no chance for a quality photograph. Or I see a lizard or poison dart frog and know that chasing it around for a photograph will take a lot of time and likely end up with nothing as they disappear under a log before any decent photo can be taken. But I rather enjoy seeing all these things, and photograph what I can. Here is a set of photos from today's hike.
A hike like this covers a lot of elevation, about 1,000 feet from the Rio Cacao to the top of the Bamboo forest, and a lot of habitats. But much of it is rather thick and even when I see something there can be no chance for a quality photograph. Or I see a lizard or poison dart frog and know that chasing it around for a photograph will take a lot of time and likely end up with nothing as they disappear under a log before any decent photo can be taken. But I rather enjoy seeing all these things, and photograph what I can. Here is a set of photos from today's hike.
Tawney-winged woodcreeper. Cool bird with these sort of spiny tail feathers and funky feet
Female black-hooded ant shrike.
Collared peccary. Seeing lots of these so likely the Pumas are in the area as well
Silver-sided skimmer (Libellula hercules) from up in one of the wet areas between the ponds
97.5% sure this is a rufous-tailed hummingbird. It always faced me, here displaying, so never saw the back of the bird
A small hawk relaxing and preening feathers. Looks everything like a sharp-shinned hawk, which likely shouldn't be here now, but also like a tiny hawk, which have been seen here but don't have gray heads. You decide
Three-toed sloth doing what they do best, sleeping
A large forest-floor millipede that I am putting it in the Genus Nyssodesmus but didn't key out so can't be sure
And finally, some bats. Not handling bats makes it hard to get them to species. I am putting these up as Artibeus phaeotis as that is what they look like, but haven't really done the dirty work to make sure of this ID. I will change or confirm this ID after I come out of the field and have some time to look at the photo closely.
Likely Artibeus phaeotis under a bat-made tent in the vegetation
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