We arrived at our hotel and as we walked from the van to the desk, no more than 15 seconds out of the van, we spotted our first Costa Rican wildlife… a little gecko on the wall of the hotel. Manuel, who I think is the son of the hotel’s owners, spoke to Aidan and Dylan and told them there was something to see… a few steps away he turned on his flashlight to reveal a very, VERY long line of leaf-cutter ants. All carrying their signature leaf parts. We asked Manuel if we would see them in the morning and he replied no because they are nocturnal. He then offered to take us around in the dark to look for bats and an owl.
Nearby was a coconut tree, and as Manuel shone his flashlight into it, we saw 3 fruit bats. On occasion, one would fly away and then return again… compared the little brown bats that we are used to seeing in our part of the world, these were very large… their wingspan was perhaps 18” or more. We watched the bats for a while, and then Manuel took us on a short walk where his flashlight revealed a Screech Owl in a nearby tree.
The immediate wildlife viewing was an unexpected and very welcome surprise! We returned to our room, and retired for the evening… a great ending to our long travel day.