With an annual rainfall of 160-200 inches or more, Costa Rica's rainforest trails would be impossible to hike without rubber boots. (In comparison, the annual rainfall in SC last year was 34 inches!) In fact, according to The National Meteorological Institute (IMN) Costa Rica’s 2008 rainfall is set to make history, accumulating more annual rainfall than it has seen in more than 60 years. This makes for a LOT of mud. In late August, considered one of the least rainy months in the Tortuguero area, I was walking along a trail, hopping from one solid looking spot to another, when I literally sank up to the top of my boots in the mud. I pulled and pulled, but I was stuck in there but good! Finally, I had no choice but to pull my feet out of the boots and leap out in my stocking feet into the brush off the trail. Hilarious when I think about it now...looking back at those boot tops just barely sticking out of the ground with no occupant inside them! The problem was the boots were too big and I couldn't get them unstuck without my feet slipping out. So, take your time and try on a few pair before you choose one to hike in.
The wet ground makes for viewing animal tracks easy though. Here's a very large Baird's tapir print. I must have just missed him! Looking at the size of the print it must have been close to 100 pounds or more. Just a youngster...most newborn tapirs weigh from 15-25 pounds. An adult Baird's tapir can tip the scales, weighing in at 700 pounds or more!Trekking into the wetter, marshier areas also provides some great bird watching. I watched the bird in the picture below for a long time as it preened in the trees over a small flooded area. I was really quiet so as to not disturb, but he looks really ticked off! I believe it is a boat billed heron, but the bill and head are too blue. Can anyone help me identify it? Whatever the name, it was a magnificent bird!
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