Costa Rica 2011 Part 8: Palo Verde Research Station

May the 4th be with you!

The Pacific side of Costa Rica is hot and dry. It is usually sunny here. On the drive down from the mountains the change is very obvious. There are more cacti and much less green. The leaves on plants are smaller so they lose less water.  One the drive I :
 turquoise mot mots
Inca doves
Intar meadowlark
great egrets
green herons
cattle egrets
yellow cortez tree
northern harrier
Double stripe thick knee
green speckled lizards
White tailed deer are about half the size

Getting dryer

Yellow cortez tree

Double striped thick knee- Alcaibn

 We stop for lunch at a restaurant on the Corobici River. There are a lot of herons along the river. 

Corobici River

We arrive in Guanacaste and Palo Verde Research Station. Here there are a new species of vine snake, iguanas, quatamonde, turquoise browed mot mots.

Quatimonde

 Palo Verde Park is 20 thousand hectares and is a RAMSAR site. There are seasonal wetlands that at the moment are very dry. The dry forest surrounding the wetland has streaked back orioles, mimosa, Hofman's woodpecker, Sardinllo, Quatimondes, grey headed kites and catasetum maculatum (orange orchid).

Walking the barren wetlands

Large tree in the dry forest

View of the dry wetlands from a hill

The research station mess hall

 Some cool insects were seen around the research station.

Tarra has a friend.

On our second walk that day we found crocs, wood stocks, Jacina, tiger herons, great egrets, crested caracara, black river turtle, howler monkeys, quati, white faced monkeys, black headed trogon and great curassow.

Crested Caracara stalking a turtle crossing the road

I felt bad for depriving the caracara of his lunch but I really just wanted to see the turtle.

Black river turtle and I

Walking up a hill through dry forest I saw many orange orchids.

The weather here has been gorgeous. The research station is a lot of fun and fresh mangos taste delicious!