Friday, April 20, 2012

Wild kingdom, El Salvador style


                       Well, we're knee deep in the wilds of Central America now.



 We were relaxing in the outdoor bar/restaurant at the hotel when this gigantic flying creature entered the patio area. He bobbed and weaved through us as we gringos leapt up, awestruck, at this amazing sight:



           The beautiful and gigantic Owl Butterfly is named for the large eye on his wing, which
         resembles an Owl's eye.  He rested on Mick's hand for several minutes while a few of us
                          approached in silent wonder. His wingspan was several inches across.



                                                     Welcome to Central America!




                       Zach the toad whisperer corralled this little (or not so little -- he was about the size of a Double Whopper with cheese...) guy from under a bush and carried him around for awhile as his adopted pet. It is unknown whether Zach licked him or not. Only Zach (and the toad) knows for sure...





      These Soclal Flycatchers are as ubiquitous here in El Salvador as sparrows are in the states.
   We love them because, as their name entails, they help keep the bug numbers down. Bless them!




                        This super-cool and stealthy fleet of Bat Rays sailed in near perfect precision
                          under and around our boats in the Chiapas marina for several days














          Lastly, during our last passage we tripped upon a large school of Pantropical Spotted Dolphins.
      As their name implies, these polka-dotted Flippers only hang out down here in the tropics.
                             So it was a special treat swimming amongst them!


That's it for now on the nature front. But I'm standing by, binoculars and camera at the ready, and will be reporting back as we discover new and exciting wildlife here in Central America!




2 comments:

  1. Love your blog - especially the fantastic pictures. Makes us wish we would have continued on down the coast. Maybe next year. Hope to see you again along the way!

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  2. The cattle egret has to b my favorite, especially with that "hairdo".

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