The sky was cloudy and the air was nearly still when the sun came up in Granada this morning, and I did not know that either were even possible here, so after three days of clear skies and strong winds, both were a treat.
The next treat was spotting this tiny green kingfisher at the river. Even better, after a couple of false starts, it decided to give us a nice pose. I’ve only ever been able to show you one from Belize, and it wasn’t quite as accommodating.
With the wind not howling for a change, I was even able to get my first butterfly picture of this trip, and here it is, a white-rayed metalmark (Melanis cephise).
Once Anne and Deb were done with their Spanish lessons for the day, we did indeed drive over to the Apoyo Lagoon Natural Reserve, and it is a spectacular crater lake, but I was underwhelmed with the wildlife, at first. After lunch, however, we went for a little hike, and things really started to turn around when Anne spotted this stunning common squirrel-cuckoo (Piaya cayana). Deb had actually seen one at Tikal just last fall, but I failed to get it on film at the time. Thankfully, I had better luck today!
There were also monkeys in the treetops, and these ones turned out to be mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata). We had all just seen (and heard!) howler monkeys at Tikal, but none of us even knew there was more than one type, despite those having the fancy name of Yucatán black howler monkeys. Ha!
The star of the show for today, if only because Deb had heard that it is the national bird of Nicaragua, was this astounding motmot. Actually, the national bird is the turquoise-browed motmot (Eumomota superciliosa), and this is a Lesson’s, or blue-diademed, motmot (Momotus lessonii), instead. But hey, it’s our first motmot, so give us a break!
Finally, we drove down to the water, and the parade of amazing wildlife continued unabated. We saw egrets, herons, grebes, and even frigate birds, but just as we were packing up to go back to our hotel, this gorgeous ringed kingfisher made the nicest portrait.
We made it back to Granada just before dark and returned the rental to the fire station parking once again with no tickets, scratches, or dents. Woo hoo! The plan for tomorrow, after Spanish class, is to drive to the Masaya volcano and try to see some lava. Wish us luck!
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 