We did make it to the Masaya volcano this afternoon, and we did see and smell plenty of sulfurous gas wafting out of a giant caldera, but we did not manage to see any glowing lava. Oh well. There is enough gas these days, however, that they do try to limit tourists’ time at the rim to just five minutes. After that, since we were already there, and they have a whole park surrounding the volcano, we walked around a bit to see who we could see.
The first fun sight I managed to capture on film is of this black spiny-tailed iguana crawling through the underbrush. We just saw one on Caye Caulker last fall, but I read that “coloration varies extremely among individuals,” and this one is much more colorful.
While I was busy with the lizard, Anne spotted this tiny bird flitting about in some branches over the trail. I took a couple dozen pictures, and I was relieved to find that one came out, which enables us to ID this cutie as a white-lored gnatcatcher (Polioptila albiloris). It is only my second gnatcatcher, after the blue-grays we see in Estabrook, but it is the 700th species for which I’ve uploaded pictures to ebird, and the 800th species I’ve posted on ebird, at all. “Thanks, Darlin’!”
The next most interesting sight in the park was this wasp nest hiding in plain sight on the side of a tree trunk. My sources tell me that it is the nest of northern warrior wasps (Synoeca septentrionalis). I read that they are “known for possessing an extremely painful sting,” and upon hearing the name, my sister expressed gratitude for the height at which they built this nest.
We didn’t have a ton of time to spend at the park, and those are the highlights, so let me show you a few more pictures from yesterday. Here’s a groove-billed ani beside the river, which we first saw in Belize, but this poor thing was all alone and had no one to snuggle with, and I sure hope that gets rectified soon.
On the other side of the river, I found another gorgeous black-headed trogon, which we last saw in Guatemala.
Finally, how could I not show you another motmot picture, especially when it let me take a portrait like this.
Tomorrow is graduation day for Anne and Deb, and then we drive down the lake shore to catch a ferry to the island of Ometepe. There is supposed to be great wildlife there, and if I get pictures of any, I’ll be sure to show them to you.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 