Costa Rica - Cano Palma Biological Station My Home for a while!

My destination was Cano Palma Biological Station which is situated along the canals leading up to Tortuguera. The station is run by The Canadian Organisation for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation and specialises in monitoring and protecting four species of turtles that breed on the Caribbean Coast. The organisation also run a community outreach project and conduct bird census in the area.

The grounds of the base are lively with a range of bird species including Keel Billed and Chestnut Mandibled Toucans. Montezuma Oropendola are a regular sight moving around in groups in the tree tops.

The only way to get around in the area is by boat and the base has its own boat yard which has a superb crows-nest in which you can observe the passing wildlife. Kingfishers regularly patrol the channels with Amazon, Green and Ringed making the notebook.

The boat yard is heavily guarded by two Cayman who are well fed with leftovers that are beyond their consumption date.  If you are fortunate to get past the Cayman a troop of Spider Monkeys is the bases next line of defence.

The first couple of days have flown by with turtle nest monitoring training and early morning walks along the beaches checking the status of nests. There are also scatterings of shorebirds, Spotted Sandpiper and Whimbrel amongst the early migrants stopping to feed along the coastline. Brown Pelican and the occasional Magnificent Frigatebird grace the skies. A Black Hawk gave good views today. I look forward to catching some of these species on camera during my stay.