Costa Rica Tues 16 Nov 2010

Costa Rica Tues 16 Nov 2010
Today I am walking the Nature Reserve forest trail, I guess about 15 kilometres of it. The trail runs parallel to the coastline, sometimes straying onto the narrow beach, sometimes veering deep into the forest. I am on my own and it is quite eerie at times. But the forest is stunningly beautiful, a mix of jungly type trees and tall palms soaring above the canopy.
I see a large, fork-tailed bird with a pillar box red breast in a tree. Strikingly marked lizards dart from under my feet and hermit crabs with red feet scurry away in front of me. Then a rapidly flapping butterfly has me taking a dozen photos of nothing before I finally capture it in a picture. Red Admiral size, it has a big orange blob on each wing and a single white stripe joining the blobs. Very unusual I thought.
Next I see the biggest butterfly ever, bright blue wings and with a much more serene flight than the orange blobby. Still too quick for me though, so more photos of empty forest before I finally capture this one also. Interestingly, when settled on a branch with folded wings, its mottly brown wing undersides camouflage it perfectly against the bark.
As I walk along, there are gaps in the trees providing stunning views of the Caribbean Sea through the branches. I am very pleased with some of my photos today.
I see more monkeys in the trees and leaf-cutter ants marching accross the trail. This is a wonderful place.
Then there is a loud roaring noise from the forest. I think it is from some distance away, but still very disconcerting. It could be some very large monkeys engaged in a mating ritual, or maybe some noisy tory MPs on a trade mission taking a walk in the forest (swopping bananas for Harriers maybe?)
The rest of my walk is without incident, it has been a very pleasant stroll through the trees.
Now I am back in town, waiting for the group to meet up for dinner.
All the Best,
John