American Crocodile

Continuing the trip to Costa Rica. My intention was to split the trip into two day segments and blog with this in mind. However, because the amount of material that I want to present. I am going to have to do the trip in smaller segments. This way I can show you more photographs.

Our third morning in Costa Rica, we traveled down to the Tarcoles River where we had a private three-hour trip on one of the crocodile boats. Because there was only eight of us, plus the driver each of us had a row of seats to ourselves, which made it easy to photograph either to the right and left. José, the boat captain, is not only a birder but knows how to position the boat, so we have the best chance at photographs. The Tarcoles River is not only known for crocodiles, and many species of birds and other reptiles but has the distinction of being the most polluted river in Costa Rica.

The trip not only encompass the river, but we traveled down to the river's mouth where it empties into the Gulf of Nicoya, which is part of the Pacific Ocean and also explored the mangrove swamp area.

Besides seeing crocodiles, there was a variety of heron and egrets, yellow-headed caracaras, roseate spoonbills, scarlet macaws and more. Iguanas and other lizards were spotted scampering about the sides of the river.