What Are All Those Tourists Staring At?

Today I decided to call it The Tree of Life. It's in the center of Monteverde and doesn't look that special but it seems to always draw a crowd. It's at the entrance to El Bosque Hotel and there's a good spot there to park, get out and take a look. BigJohn and I were walking to lunch at Stella's Bakery and stopped to check it out today. And that's when I saw my first raccoon in Monteverde! And then another! And another! Counted 4 but there could have been more. There was also a troop of Howler Monkeys there busy eating leaves. Some Variegated Squirrels were scrambling through the branches. I saw at least a dozen different species of bird. It's awesome. I love that tree. Trees like that make me want to live in the forest forever.

I Hear Toucans!

I can hear them right now! It goes on almost all day long. They make the strangest sound. Kind of like the sound you get when you run this stick along the frog's back.

Click on this short video to hear them.

 

These were the first big toucans we saw. It was at La Fortuna up by Lake Arenal. These are Chestnut-mandibled Toucans that stand about 22 inches and are the largest Toucans in Costa Rica. We don't get these at Monteverde.

Francisco got this photo by holding the camera up to his spotting scope.

This little guy below is the Emerald Toucanet - one of my favorites! They perch in the trees outside our house on a regular basis in small groups of about 4 to 5. We didn't notice them at first because they are so quiet but now that we know to look for them, we see them all the time. They are about half the size of the other Toucans. I have seen them on the bird feeder at Stella's Bakery but haven't been able to get any of them to come down to our feeder. Yet!

These pictures were taken at LaPaz Waterfall Gardens. I was surprised what a soft touch the Toucans have when they sit on your shoulder. They were friendly and curious. Look at this one check out BigJohn's sunglasses. This place also had Emerald Toucanets but you could tell they were not happy being caged. They stayed up on the top branches and didn't want anything to do with people.

 

 This is what we see and hear around Monteverde. It's the Keel-billed Toucan and has that beautiful rainbow-colored bill. Today they've landed in the trees by our house a number of times. It's always a pleasure to see them. They're either in pairs or with a small group. They're about 4 inches smaller than the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan.

 The first time we saw the Emerald Toucanet I reached for my bird book so I could identify it. And there it was! Right on the front cover.

BigJohn's Lizard Sanctuary

It must be a seasonal thing because one day we just started seeing lizards. So BigJohn dedicated an area to be undisturbed for a safe place for them. Love the little guys! This one has a small white sac that inflates under his chin and looks like he's blowing bubbles.  I think he's an anole but I'm no expert on lizards so could be something else. My books says they usually travel in pairs and the female produces a single egg every 7 to 11 days.

Take a look at this one getting ready to jump on an unsuspecting Hector's back! He walked up to BigJohn on the deck and stuck his pointy tongue out. I think he was tasting the air. I see one running around missing the tip of his tail and bet he lost it to a bird.

 This guy below is a Green Spiny Lizard. I haven't seen him for over a week and I was wondering if a Mot-Mot got him. But yesterday I saw him across the field. He has moved to a tree. Maybe it's quieter there. He wasn't camera shy at all.  One cool thing about the Green Spiny is that it can change its color for camouflage from green to brown to almost a complete black. He has changed from green to brown now that he lives on the tree. They all love to bask on the cement wall in front of the house. Not only do they let me get close for pictures, but I can reach out and touch them before they scurry away. How long will it take me to tame them?

 Can't wait until I get some grandkids down here to chase lizards around the yard! Items below are on sale -

Finding the Secret Waterfall

Take the path through the forest and then turn left, left, left and you are right there! Be careful what trees you hold onto as you climb down the trail. There could be snakes.

 Heading down the trail.

 Hannah at the falls.

 Malak falls in the river.

 Where did that trail go?

 I'm not getting in there. Looks chilly.

 Somebody has been building a fort down by the river.

Heading home.

Scorpion Sting = Cost Rican Rite of Passage?

That's what people tell me. But my first sting was so slight I'm not sure it will count. I was reaching up to brush a little itch near my shoulder and saw a black leaf fall to the ground. Imagine my surprise when it uncurled into a black scorpion and scuttled away! It had stung my finger a bit and I could feel it tingling for the next couple of hours. And how did I get to the place where I am walking around wearing a scorpion? I think it was in the sundress I had put on about 10 minutes previously and must have crawled up to my shoulder. Creepy. I usually check every towel, garment, etc. but was in a rush and didn't check the sundress. And this is what the scorpion looked like. Except it was blacker. And it's tail was up and waving around. I think I scared it.

Our Official Scorpion Count is at 19. At first we were doing catch and release but BigJohn insisted we discontinue that program after a couple of rumors he heard about scorpions heading right back into your house if you set them loose. I've talked to some locals and most of them just let them loose outside. One guy told me you have to let them loose across a river so they don't come back. Another local told me she has three spots in her house where she puts them - under the frig, under the cupboards, and by the pet food container. They take care of the cockroaches. When I told her we don't have cockroaches she nodded her head and explained to me the reason we don't have cockroaches is because we have the scorpions in the house.
I'd really like to mark a couple and let them loose so we can find out if they come back into the house but BigJohn isn't going for it. He's developed this total loathing for scorpions. Not sure why. Could be because I found another big black one on a towel he'd just finished drying his face with. (Can't believe he doesn't check his towels before using them.) It was around scorpion #15 when I caught BigJohn trying to drown his latest catch at the kitchen sink. Reminded of the waterboarding our government does to prisoners. I talked him into a kinder euthanization in the freezer. I know if it was me I'd rather go out by freezing than by drowning.

Going into the freezer container.

So the next morning BigJohn tossed the frozen scorpion out into the field. Then I was left to wonder if a scorpion can survive an overnight freezing. So the next one we let thaw out just to make sure it was really dead. It was. And my next bright idea was to put them out on the birdfeeder. The birds love them! It's their first choice when they come to the feeder.

BigJohn strategically placing the scorpion on the feeder. It's all about the presentation.

So I spend a lot of time walking around the house looking up at the ceiling - probably because of that incident where the scorpion dropped into the sink while I was doing dishes. But now I have to think about if I'm looking up when it drops, it might land on my face. Wouldn't it be better to not look up and let it land on the top of my head instead? Because what if it stings me in the eye?
There have been a couple of scorpions drop from the rafters at yoga. I'm starting to think it's intentional. They want a quick trip down to the floor and are looking for something soft to land on which is the people on the mats below. So now I have a problem keeping my eyes closed during Savasana which is a supposed to be a pose of total relaxation. Seriously? I'm supposed to be totally relaxed knowing there are scorpions up there waiting to jump on me?
So take a look at the scorpion info on this Dangerous Creatures of Costa Rica website I found. They don't sound that bad at all. And maybe one day BigJohn will get over his irrational fear.
FYI - I started writing this blog post yesterday but didn't get it finished until today. Scorpion count is now up to 21. BigJohn found two in the living room last night. One was getting all cuddled up in a pair of socks I'd left by my shoes.
I've heard that scorpions glow under a blacklight. That might be fun to go scorpion hunting at night but in the house we just turn on the lights and they show up.

Getting Back Into The Blog

Took a little bit of a sabbatical folks. Was glad to be in Anchorage for the birth of our first grandchild. Welcome to the world Sara Fure Thorvilson!

A Two Machete Birthday

BigJohn's birthday was Monday, on President's Day. Lucky guy now has two machetes! I had wanted to get him his own machete for Christmas but had trouble finding just the right one. I was able to pick one up while in Alaska last month and then Francisco and Hannah came through with another! Happy day for BigJohn!

To celebrate with BigJohn we went to Hotel Belmar to watch the sunset from their awesome deck.

 Hannah and Francisco joined us for the celebration.

 Dinner was muy rico! Hotel Belmar has their own gardens and raises their own beef. Great chefs and staff there. They surprised BigJohn with cake and a candle. Fun!

 So back to the machetes. I left for Hannah's bridal shower while he was out on the deck doing some sharpening. Hours later upon my return, he was still out on the deck doing some sharpening.

 And then he got Francisco into the action. How sharp do these things need to be? Is he going to shave with them?

Here's Hannah upon our return from the bridal shower. Still wearing her crown of flowers.

 And here is BigJohn practicing his moves in the yard. Machete moves are muy importante.

 One of the machetes was made in El Salvador and came highly recommended.

 One machete was made in the US and came highly recommended. Can you guess which is which?

 Wicked looking aren't they!

 And here's one for the kids -