Costa Rica - The Land Is Pulsing with Life

It’s early morning in Costa Rica. Tiny bats nestle in a tree after a night on the wing. A Great Kiskadee calls. Gray-capped Flycatchers sally forth from willow-like shrubs to catch insects in mid-air. White Ibis forage at the water's edge. Deep in a thicket, Black-hooded Antshrikes call. By noon, Chestnut-mandibled Toucans will shift lazily from one tree to another. In the evening, the sounds of cicadas give way to the sounds of crickets. And a chorus like no other begins to pour forth – the calls of bufo marinus, Marine Toads. The land is pulsing with life!

BirdNote^®

Costa Rica - The Land Is Pulsing With Life

Written by Chris Peterson

This is BirdNote!

[Early morning near tributary to e.g. Tarcoles River]

It’s early morning in Costa Rica. We’re in a mixed tropical and temperate forest, where a stream runs to the Pacific. Tiny bats nestle in a tree after a night on the wing. A Great Kiskadee [KISS-ka-dee] calls [Great Kiskadee call]. And Gray-capped Flycatchers sally forth from willow-like shrubs, to catch insects in mid-air.

[Bring up the river – day sound]

Now a dozen White Ibis [EYE-biss], large graceful birds with curved pink bills, fly by in silent formation, low to the water. Deep in a thicket, two Black-hooded Antshrikes call.

[Two Black-hooded Antshrikes calling]

It’s only 8:00 AM, yet the heat and humidity are rising.

By noon, a few Black Vultures will be eating the remains of an iguana. Chestnut-mandibled Toucans will shift lazily from one tree to another.

[One call of a Chestnut-mandibled Toucan aka Black-mandibled Toucan]

We’ll lie low until the sounds of cicadas give way to the sounds of crickets. In the tropics, darkness falls quickly.

[Bring up crickets]

Tonight, however, the moon is full. And a chorus like no other begins to pour forth – the calls of bufo marinus, Marine Toads. The land is pulsing with life.

[Marine Toads calling from the river]

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Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Call of Great Kiskadee [105553] recorded by G.A. Keller; Call of the Black-hooded Antshrike [55191] by D. L. Ross; Black-mandibled Toucan [184525] by D.L. Ross. Crickets from the Black-mandibled Toucan track.

Stream Nature SFX Essentials #18 recorded by Gordon Hempton of QuietPlanet.com

Morning ambient recorded by C. Peterson on site. See Costa Rica disk Groups 10, 4, 5.

Marine Toad chorus recordist unknown http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/pestsweeds/canetoad.mp3

BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.

Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Chris Peterson

ID# costarica-01-2013-12-17 costarica-01Costa Rica disk Groups

BOO-foh MAHR-i-nuss. The "i" is the same as "it" and "Mar" as in "Mars".

https://birdnote.org/blog/2013/03/plan-your-next-birding-trip