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.