Cano Palma- Day 19

The dock is starting to flood over a little because we have bee having so much rain lately. Bird banding was canceled due to rain so I helped make some bird bags that the station desperately needs. In the house there were a few Yellow-headed Geckos in the cookhouse. They were various sizes and males and female were identified by the bright yellow heads on males and dull brownish colour of females.

Yellow-headed Gecko

A kayak ride down the river was very rainy but well worth the beauty. More epiphytic orchids (including Trigonidium egertonianum and Brassavola nodosa) were along the trees hanging over the canal. Many birds were out despite the bad weather:

Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Kingfisher
Prothonotary Warbler

The garden was alive right before dinner. We found Cane toads, Common Rain Frogs, Strawberry Dart Frogs and... A Green Climbing Toad in a tree! This lifer species stuck out among the brown leaf litter clinging between branches.

Green Climbing Toad (Bufo coniferus)

Strawberry Dart Frog (Dendrobates pumilio)

Strawberry Dart Frog (Dendrobates pumilio)

We did our first night walk across the canal from Vista into San Fransisco. Cane toads were mating the the flooding soccer field. An Olive Tree Frog calling from vegetation nearby drew our attention and we noticed the Wolly Opossum climbing overhead. Long-nosed bats and Short-tailed Fruit Bats were seen roosting

Olive Tree Frog (Scinax elaeochroa)

Olive Tree Frog (Scinax elaeochroa) showing green leg bones

Litter frogs and Rain frogs were out as usual. House geckos were crawling on the pool house. As we were finding the calling frogs in the bushes, Mark saw something high up in a tree. A thin brown snake was crawling high up the the tree right above my head. This Blunt-headed Snake almost went unnoticed but luckily having many keen eyes paid off. 

Blunt- headed Snake

Green Iguana and Brown Basilisk proved to be much slower moving at night when we saw plenty out in the bushes and got some very nice looks at them as they slept. The large number of these arboreal lizards was a great sign since it meant there was a good chance of seeing arboreal snakes that feed on them.The highlight of the night was definitely a juvenile Boa Constrictor found near town in the bushes searching for these arboreal lizards. Brilliant colouration and shiny iridescent scales showed that it was a freshly shed snake. Although it was a juvenile it was about 4 ft long.  Although we don't like to interfere we relocated this snake to the field station where it will hopefully not get killed for eating someones chickens.

Juv. Boa constrictor

Juv. Boa constrictor