CRIRE 12.19.18

The day of presentations. I was pretty confident in the portion of the presentations I was supposed to give. I knew some of then birds and studied them pretty well. Of course I used my favorite ones here. That would include the yellow throated toucan, the lessons motmot, and hummingbirds. Everyone did so well on their presentations. This is definitely a program I would recommend to anyone interested in traveling and studying new things I attend school for fire management and I learned about birds and bird watching, and what types of strata they live in. The wildlife here in Costa Rica is much different the culture is awesome and it was an awesome program.

CRIRE 12.18.18

Today we all worked on our presentations in the laboratory. Then later in the night we had different groups go on night hikes which was pretty fun. The group I was in went on the jungle trail the larger of the two loops. We didn't see much except for something glowing off in the distance we couldn't identify. It was a really nice hike though we all turned off our flashlight and listened in the dark for awhile. We all crept through the forest as quietly as possible it was pretty fun. If not for all the poisonous snakes that should definitely be something that is repeated often.

CRIRE 12.17.18

Today we all worked on out presentations and gathered the remainder of our data. Outside the window we seen a little group of monkeys. I ran outside and went down the bank to get as close as I could to view them. They actually looked pretty freaky up close but then at the same time they were pretty neat. They were a little scared at first then the one climbed off the tree and walked to another tree with no problem. The other did stay in the tree though. So far I seen a few species of animal I wanted to see while here. Missing one species which is the sloth.

CRIRE 12.16.18

Today the group of CRIRE students but mostly mentors and I hikes with the Ngabe people and learned of the plants and their medicinal uses. We then came back and learned how to make threads from bromeliads leaves which is mainly a woman thing in their culture. Men and boys usually make the hats by weaving the threads. It's beginning to become a lot easier hiking up and down from the river I enjoy powerwalking back up alone. Although I will be a little winded but that passes. We found a huge spider down at the waterfall today another student and I hiked down and I decided to go with I've seen it already but he hasn't. I'm glad I went otherwise I wouldn't have gotten to see the huge spider and take photos of it.

CRIRE 12.15.18

I ate a mangosteen I found today that fell off a tree. It was very tasty. I asked one of the biologists who worked here what it was and he opened it up and told us to try it. It looked like a pomegranate from the outside, white colored orange slices from the inside, but the texture while eating was different and it tasted really good! I'd definitely recommend this fruit and I'd love to try it again. I hiked down to a waterfall with another group today who was studying bromeliads. I didn't see many birds but it was a nice hike. Also I got like four feet from a Lessons Motmot I love that bird.

CRIRE 12.14.18

We walked around with one of the biologists from the station today and learned birds habitats. We also got a few good photos of a yellow throated toucan which I cannot find a way to upload at the moment but in the future after I arrive back at school I may update my blogs with photos. I learned the call of the toucan and now I normally run towards the call so I can watch as it sits in a tree. They seem to prefer palm trees. We found some pretty large spiders in the bromeliads. It's so different than up north because these spiders are huge down here and they're numerous

CRIRE 12.13.18

Today I joined in another groups walk down to a field to observe birds. Their project was looking at tree encroachment and how species of trees take over after so many years. We walked with the Ngabe as well. There's a tree called the cecropia  that we also learned about. The tree provides sustenance and housing for a species of ant and the ant protects the tree from predators. I heard a few birds while on my walk but it was difficult to identify the birds through the canopy. I'm getting a little used to hiking up and down from the river trail now although it is still a little difficult. Costa Rica is beautiful!

CRIRE 12.12.18

Today started off just like any other day in the rainforest. Day four of waking up to the chirping of parakeets in the tree nearby. They like to sleep in the tree here at the biology station. They wake up and they're pretty loud but it's nice to hear them. By the time we make our way to breakfast they usually fly off for the day. I can hear them chirping in my head right now as I type this. So the bird crew I'm on and I decide to walk around and find a new spot to watch birds which we weren't very reluctant. The garden area seems to have the most birds. We also went atop the observation tower and didn't see very many birds. It is winter and the dry season though most birds may be elsewhere. Some of the students and I went walking around the station at night all over looking for bats it was a really unique and enjoyable experience.

CRIRE 12.11.18

Day three of our trip to Costa Rica. We all woke up early like usual around 6am so we make it in time for breakfast at 6:30am. There was quite a commotion in the trees early in the morning. The noises were from a flock of parrots that were also waking up. They seem to wake up and make quite a bit of noise and then fly off together while still being loud. It's different here the birds are everywhere and all sorts of unique colors variations. There are two types of birds that I immediately grew fond of. One being the Blue-Crowned Motmot its a beautiful blue and it has a very unique tail. The other bird being the Cara Cara an eagle like bird of prey. The Biological Station is beautiful upon exploring it more extensively. I'm still waiting to see some monkeys. Another student (Kassandra) who caught the planes with me to Costa Rica with was lucky enough to view some monkeys. It's nearing the end of day four and yet still no monkey sightings for me except a video from a cell phone.

CRIRE 12.10.18

Day two at Costa Rica we rode the bus from the Aero Puerto Hotel to Las Cruces Biological Station. It took us nearly an hour to leave San Jose. We made a stop atop a mountain on our way to the Biological Station. I wasn't used to the elevation and immediately getting off the bus I felt light headed. I then rushed to the trail that leads up the mountain. I was winded but I was excited to see everything so I toughed it all out. It actually felt pretty good. Our bus driver another student and I nicknamed Dom after the character who plays on The Fast and The Furious movies. His driving was pretty unique. We blazed past other vehicles on the winding mountain top roads passing semis and other vehicles with precision.  We stopped at a nice location that had quite a few hummingbirds and had lunch which was pretty awesome. Later in the evening we arrived at the Station and got settled into our bedrooms. By this time the other students and mentors are getting to know each other pretty well. After settling in to our rooms we make out way to the dining hall which was pretty unbelievable it was beautiful. Glass windows are surrounding the dining area and there was even a place to sit on the patio outside where the majority of us sat and made conversation. We then made our way to our rooms and slept.

CRIRE 12.9.18

Traveling to Costa Rica from North Western Montana was a pretty neat experience. I caught a total of three planes to get to Costa Rica and each trip was quite enjoyable. Feeling the airplane take off is exciting like riding a roller coaster and each time you catch a plane it's on more flight closer to Costa Rica so the excitement increases. I left around 3pm in Missoula, Montana and didn't arrive until 7am in San Jose, Costa Rica. I was pretty tired when I arrived, but it was a new place and I stayed awake exploring the hotel. Another student and I caught the same planes from Salt Lake City, Utah. It was quite some time before the other students started arriving. Definitely a memorable experience.