By Pond

(171 views)
by Bryan Costales

One of the brown heuchera plants in our back yard was growing next to the pond.

Near The Bottom

(168 views)
by Bryan Costales

Those same mushrooms were growing near the base of our leaf compost bin.

Ruddy Ground Dove (Columbina talpacoti)

(138 views)
by Terry Costales

Even the doves on the grounds of the hotel seemed exotic.

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

(137 views)
by Terry Costales

Everyone's favorite rodent, the Capybara! I have wanted to see one in the wild since I was 10 years old and first read about them in a library book. I saw a large family group of about 5 adults and many young ones. Looking like guinea pigs on steroids they still managed to be adorable.

Macaws

(136 views)
by Terry Costales

Here are two Blue-and-yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna) and a scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) perched on top of their outdoor aviary on the hotel grounds. They were free to come and go as they pleased and a couple of them were high overhead in the trees.

Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus)

(136 views)
by Terry Costales

I forgot to ask why the Red River Hog was not on display. It was in a pen in the staff-only area. Fortunately, we passed that pen as we came back from our morning hike and I grabbed this shot over a rather high fence.

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

(135 views)
by Terry Costales

Another capybara from the same family group as yesterday's posting. The staff from the Camp put out piles of leaves near the shore of a lake on their property. This tempted the capybaras to come close enough to be seen from the little boats we were in.

African Spurred Tortoise (Geochelone sulcata)

(135 views)
by Terry Costales

This tortoise was only about a foot long but may grow to be three feet long and a couple of hundred pounds. He seemed alert and happy and was savagely attacking his lawn.

3-Toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)

(135 views)
by Terry Costales

I know this is a male 3-toed sloth because I also got some photos of his back which had the distinctive male marking. We were very lucky on this day and saw several sloths fairly close up and most were actually moving. By contrast, in Costa Rica we saw a few sloths but each one looked like a large ball of moss.

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

(134 views)
by Terry Costales

As the boat approached the little cove where we going to snorkle, a brown pelican in juvenile plumage greeted us with wary boredom.

3-Toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)

(134 views)
by Terry Costales

We were in our skiff and someone spotted this soaking wet sloth climbing a tree. In the wet season the water goes much farther inland and the sloths must swim from tree to tree instead of walk.

Great Egret

(134 views)
by Terry Costales

A bird in flight against an overcast sky framed by jungle trees. A memorable moment. Angela Beske, Tuesday 5 January 2010 I just wanted you to know that I chose this most wonderful photo as the background of my work desk top: I looked at a lot of your photos in the past half hour.. it was not an easy choice!! This one worked best because I can see my short cuts on the dark back ground on the bottom-. Thank YOU!!!!!

Long-nosed bat (Rhynchonycteris naso)

(134 views)
by Terry Costales

We saw a few of these little bats in Tortuguero at the beginning of our trip. After that we journeyed to the Arenal region and signed up for another boat tour in Cáno Negro during which we saw many more of them. The guide on the second trip told us these little bats lined up to resemble a poisonous snake. They remain motionless until threatened, then wiggle their bodies and that motion re-inforces their masquerade act. As our boat drifted close to observe them that was exactly what the . . .

3-Toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)

(133 views)
by Terry Costales

This photo shows the distinctive markings on the backs of all male 3-toed sloths.

Monkey

(133 views)
by Terry Costales

The name of the game is find the monkey. I didn't even know I had this shot until I was home a week later. It pays to look at those blurred photos before you delete.

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

(133 views)
by Terry Costales

I was told by the tour guide that this was a cattle egret in breeding plumage. However, the colored plumes on a cattle egret are buff whereas this individual had smoky grey plumes. So either it is not a cattle egret or perhaps a subspecies.

Greater Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes melambrotus)

(133 views)
by Terry Costales

I saw many of these impressive birds during my week in the Amazon and this is the closest I got to one. I was in a skiff with a dozen other people and we motored slowly along the shoreline spotting wildlife. We saw at least 20 different species of birds and animals in one outing and we went on at least two outings a day so we saw a riches of wildlife in that short week. And it was hot, oh so very hot.

White-bellied Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis)

(133 views)
by Terry Costales

The bustard was the friendliest bird in the aviary. He would walk up to anyone at all and pose nicely.

Zebra (Equus quagga)

(133 views)
by Terry Costales

The only Zebra we saw was this one, who hadn't been raised with other zebras so instead hung out with a group of Roan antelope. The rest of the Safari West zebras had found a "private" place on the property that was not visible from tour cars. As a consequence those other Zebra were rarely seen.

African Spoonbill (Platalea alba)

(133 views)
by Terry Costales

The angle of this photo reveals the unusually shaped bill in detail. Unlike the pink Roseate Spoonbills we saw in Costa Rica, these African Spoonbills are white.

Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer)

(133 views)
by Terry Costales

Cape Buffalo have a reputation for violent aggression so many game preserves won't stock them. According to our guide, buffalo are only aggressive during breeding season or when they have small calves. During those times Safari West keeps their touring cars a respectful distance away which successfully avoids the problem.

White-tailed Trogon

(133 views)
by Terry Costales

This Trogon is a gorgeous bird and I'm pretty certain it's a White-tailed Trogon. Unfortunately the front of the bird has most of the identifying marks and I only saw it from the back.

White Rhinocerous (Ceratotherium simum)

(133 views)
by Terry Costales

A pair of white rhinos eating together.

Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)

(133 views)
by Terry Costales

This handsome bird is a ruddy shelduck. I didn't observe any unusual behavior, they just looked nice.

Mute Swan

(133 views)
by Terry Costales

The swan may look graceful and elegant, but his raised wings actually tell onlookers that this is his territory and don't even think about coming any closer.