Journal Entry

Today was wing day. Birds in the morning at 5:30am and bats at 5:30pm. I love wing day! It makes me want to fly!

Sweet freedom whispered in my ear You're a butterfly And butterflies are free to fly, Fly away, high away, bye bye Thanks Elton John and Bernie Taupin for this great song.

I was out the door by 5:30am to meet Jim Zook. Jim is a great guy who came here 25+/- years ago for an environmental education program with the peace corp. Although he did not admit this, I have heard rumors that is about the best birder around Costa Rica. He can identify all birds by either site or sound! Super impressive. I got to spend the morning with him while he worked. He is in the process of counting/identifying birds in three various sites, pasture/orchard areas compared to slightly inhabited. He counts and identifies every bird he hears and sees for a half an hour, then goes to the next site. I got to see over 50 birds that I had never seen before. I sort of keep a life list of my birds, but not sure how to count something I just saw fly overhead…. I mean is that really a bird sighting? I guess it is. I need to figure out my bird list criteria! But anyway – either way- that’s a lot of birds!

Jim Zook taking recording bird sightingsJim Zook is recording the types of birds and the number of birds he hears and sees. Photo by Elizabeth Eubanks

This evening I went with Daniel L. from Berlin Germany. He is a doctoral student studying bats. Although he just got here a few days ago and isn’t really ready to start his project, he was kind enough to set up some mist nets to catch a few bats, so that I could see how it is done and to see a bat of course.

Daniel from Berlin removing a bat from a mist netDaniel from Berlin removing a bat from a mist net Photo by Elizabeth Eubanks Little Bat FaceLittle bat that Daniel from Berlin, caught in his mist net. photo by Elizabeth Eubanks Batty profile shotBatty profile shot. This little bat just came out of a mist net. photo by Elizabeth Eubanks

Later a large group of us went on the hunt for ocelots, although we didn’t find it, we still have fun looking at all sorts of incredible living organisms. Spiders, crabs, snakes, frogs, and even a bio-luminescent fungus. Yes it glows in the dark!

Bird of the day Chestnut Colored Woodpecker

Chestnut Colored WoodpeckerChestnut Colored Woodpecker photo by Elizabeth Eubanks