heading to the hills

This is photo of a coatimundi I took just outside our dorm a couple of days ago. They're close relatives of raccoons, but seem to be more social -- you often see them in large groups. I think they're great.

Today was our last day in La Selva. Becky and I spent the morning putting together our powerpoint presentation, and then there were 4 hours of afternoon presentations to get through everyone's independent projects. It was grueling! Now we've packed up all the course equipment and are rounding up our personal belongings.

At lunch today a long-billed hermit (hummingbird) got trapped in the dining room. It was flying around like crazy while the japanese tourists took photos and video. it kept sticking its bill through the screen, and at one point wedged it in the wood up near the ceiling and got stuck. It hung there by its bill for nearly a minute, then someone tried to get it down and it flew off again. By the time one of the tourists actually caught it, it was so exhausted it couldn't even fly. Becky force-fed it sugar water until it perked up and flew off again.

Tomorrow morning at 7:30 we leave for Cuerici, a station near Cerro de la Muerte (the mountain of death!) where unprepared settlers wandering over the mountain pass were known to stall in the clouds and freeze solid. But I've got my woolens, so no worries. I'm looking forward to the cold, the oaks, and the chance to see the resplendent quetzal (a bird worth a Google for sure if you're not familiar with them).

After Cuerici we head out to Corcovado on the Osa Peninsula, a site similar to La Selva but wilder and more isolated. I'll try to keep daily blog entries to upload all at once when we get back to internet in 16 days. I anticipate seeing some amazing things and bonding further with my companions while occasionally hating them all because they're in my personal space. The trip is halfway over.