Hola From Costa Rica: A Story In Photos

Of all the wonderful attributes of our trip to Costa Rica — the private beach, the right-outside-our-bedroom pool, the lazy days — we were most excited about the animals. Yes, I had some anxiety about insects (which turned out to be unfounded so far), but I heard tales of monkeys and iguanas in our garden, and I wanted to see them for myself. Dave, showing off with his ability to capture animals and food in equally beautiful detail, made some images of our new neighbors. Enjoy!

We tried to do a little igauna wrangling yesterday morning, but those guys are fast! They bolted when we got within a few feet. I never expected dudes with 3-inch legs to be able to haul ass like that.

This White-Throated Magpie-Jay came to visit after breakfast yesterday. We suspect he was playing with the seashells I’d collected in a glass because a few of them were scattered across the outdoor tabletop. He also helped himself to a few sips of my rooibus tea after he noshed on a few corn tortilla chips and a handful of cereal. He also had plenty to say, but my Magpie-Jay is even worse than my Spanish.

Right around the time the sun is dropping into the sea, the sand on the beach starts vibrating with activity: it’s feeding time! Sand crabs, ranging from the size of a quarter to 3- to 4-inches across scramble sideways across the sand, then plop! drop into their hidey-holes. Hermit crabs, like our friend here, are also on the prowl.

These shells, in various colors, cover the beach like confetti. Thanks to the all-knowing oracle, I learned they’re from tower snails, a.k.a., Turritellidae. They are filter feeders, which means they get food by filtering water through a special filtering structure. It’s good for them and good for the water. This is all I know about Turritellidae.

No monkeys yet, but I remain optimistic. Tomorrow morning, we getting up early to take a boat ride along the estuary. I’ve been promised crocs, more birds, and monkeys!