From our seaside suite in Jaco (hock-o) we backtracked 25 miles to Parque Nacional Carara. We may have missed out on seeing the resplendent quetzal in Monteverde but we scored big here in Carara. The biggest prize is the scarlet macaw. Poaching for the pet trade had reduced their numbers to fewer than one hundred. With increased conservation efforts and protection the population is now around four hundred macaws. We ran into a group of kids from the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay who were doing volunteer work in the park. The toxic smell of paint brought back mixed memories of our volunteer gig in Uganda. It is good to see young people committed to the future.
In addition to the scarlet macaws we saw toucans, antbirds, trogons, and the very large crested guan. The forest is filled with birdsong but actually seeing the birds is difficult. Several groups had birding guides and we couldn’t help overhearing their sightings. OK, we eavesdropped. But we found columns of leaf-cutter ants all on our own. Likewise the basking crocodiles on the nearby Rio Tarcoles (Crocodile River.) We usually think of crocodiles in Africa and alligators in America but these guys are definitely crocs – but possibly a different species?? (Crocodiles have a pointed snout like an ‘A’ while ‘gators have rounded C-shaped snouts like in ‘crocodile.’
