At 5:30 pm Students gathered at the lookout inside the Children’s Eternal Rain Forest for a night hike guided by a BEN Guide. Students split into two groups, led by Armando, Graven, and proceeded down separate paths, one to monke trail and the other bat trail. Along the way both guides pointed out spiders, insects and avaian species.
Students were able to hold a Click Beetle ( elateridae) and watched fireflies light up the pitch Black Forest. We came across a female orange and black tarantula who was peacefully resting in her burrow.
Guides also pointed out resting birds perched high in the canopy of the trees. Motmots, Wood thrush, Dusty Crowned Fly Catchers were a few of the species observed. One group was also very lucky to observe some Pigmy Rain Frogs curtesy of our resident reptile expert Brittany ( you should check out her iguana capture).
While we did not see any mammals the biodiversity of the BEN is every evident in the amount of life that one can observe. Graven said “ you need to look for the tiniest of things in order to observe the largest, everything is connected in life”. I think that is a perfect take away for our time here in Monteverde! Tomorrow we awake early and leave at 8 am for our trip to Arenal!
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