Finally, we’ve come to our last full day in Honduras. We were off on our final big adventure – a snorkeling trip out to Cayos Cochinos, a pair of islands about 19 miles northeast of La Ceiba. Despite the looming dark clouds, the boat ride was fairly smooth as we headed out on the open water.
"La Tortuga" - Turtle Island
Our first stop was within swimming distance of one of the islands. Here, there was great snorkeling. The coral reef surrounding the area (known as the Meso-American Barrier Reef) is the second largest in the world! (The largest is Australia’s Great Barrier Reef). Our guide informed us that Japan previously held the title for second, but that title was gone after use of explosives, likely for fishing. But here, the water was clear and the reefs were healthy and teeming with fish.
Brain Coral
Lettuce Leaf Coral
There's a fish!
Staghorn Coral
More Brain Coral and an urchin
After a lovely bit of snorkeling, we were ready to head over to the next island for lunch and a little bit of birding. As we came closer to the island, we were absolutely mesmerized by the sights above us and on the edge of the island – 35 Magnificent Frigatebirds! These are one of our all time favorite species, and one that we miss dearly from our South Florida days. We had never seen so many, and definitely not in such close range. We were absolutely thrilled!
Oh, just a bunch of Mag Frigs sitting in a nearby tree
Close-up of some Juvenile Mag Frigs
Juv. Magnificent Frigatebird in Flight - Love that tail!
Adult Male Magnificent Frigatebird
We finally were able to momentarily pull ourselves away from the Frigatebirds while the island residents cooked up a fresh catch for lunch. Our guide for the trip then led us around the tiny island in search of Yucatan Vireos and their unique resident, the pink Boa Constrictor.
Freshest of fish lunches with plantains and rice and beans… Mmmmm….
Checkered-Skipper sp.
Fungi
The only pink boa we ended up seeing was the one the local children brought up to our boat upon arrival to have us tourists take pictures of it for tips. We didn’t partake in the activity, and wanted to find one on our own, but alas, it was a no go. However, we were quickly perked up by successfully finding Yucatan Vireos, which have a very limited range within the Caribbean coast and islands of Mexico, Belize and Honduras, as well as Grand Cayman and the Bay Islands.
Yucatan Vireo
Yucatan Vireo with a beetle?
Wild Almonds
After lunch, we once again spent our time adoring the Mag Frigs. One was perched on a pole the whole time we were there, allowing for close, still shots. At one point he was resting that big bill of his on the pole. I guess sometimes one just needs a little rest. Other mag frigs just kept flying by with their powerful, graceful flight.
Up Close and Personal
Just resting
We also saw some familiar faces. Sandwich Terns swooped by, and Brown Pelicans somehow delicately perched on the seemingly fragile palm fronds with their bulky bodies.
Sandwich Tern
A young Brown Pelican pondering life
We headed back to our lodge so completely satisfied with our beautiful day of snorkeling, deliciously fresh food, and amazing views of Mag Frigs.
Adult Male Magnificent Frigatebird skimming the water for food
Juvenile Magnificent Frigatebird
Magnificent Frigatebirds - So many and so close!!!
My favorite bird silhouette
The last outing we had to take advantage of was a night hike around the lodge. We had already seen our fair share of owls, so anything else would have just been icing on the cake. Well, we didn’t pick up any more owls, and no new mammals like we were hoping, unfortunately. But we did get a good listen of and ok looks at the Red-Eyed Tree Frogs as well as a Variegated Treefrog.
Red-Eyed Treefrog
Variegated Treefrog
Spider!
And we unexpectedly found a perching Great Black Hawk! It wasn’t an owl, but still a cool raptor to see from a decent distance! Another beautiful winged creature we somehow found in the darkness was a lovely Clearwing-Satyr of some sort. Its clear wings with just a touch of bright pink and bright blue eye spot was just so pretty.
Great Black Hawk
Blushing Phantom - a type of clearwing-satyr
Hummingbird nest
The next morning, we said goodbye to our beloved Lodge at Pico Bonito, sipping on delicious local coffee and watching the hummers and Olive-backed Euphonias buzz around us one last time. It was a trip we will never forget, and we left with amazing photos, but more importantly, amazing experiences.
After a long day of exhausting birding in the rainforest, wouldn’t you just want to relax with a delicious dinner and a cocktail? Yes, but then you’d also want to go check out the nightlife. And I don’t mean bars or clubs – I mean looking for the nocturnal critters that are now up and about to start their day, or night, I should say.
A large gecko - perhaps a Turniptail Gecko?
A smaller gecko - maybe Lepidodactylus lugubris
When we first arrived at the Lodge at Pico Bonito in the evening, we walked around the grounds with our flashlight and phones scoping out for some really cool bugs and herps that may be hanging about. But on our first full day out, we walked by a mercury vapor lamp with a white sheet set up on a frame of PVC pipe. Once we knew it was there, we would go every night to check it out, and it never disappointed. In fact, it delighted.
The moth sheet
Arctiine Tussock Moths - clockwise from top left: Halysidota atra, Amaxia sp., Phaeomolis lineatus, Idalus dares, Trichromia atta
Every night, we’d cover ourselves up in pants and hooded sweatshirts, not just to brave the much cooler evenings, but to also try as much as possible to see the night-time critters up close but keep them out of our ears and clothes. (Nick was not always so successful on the latter front). It was a Catch 22 at times – we’d want to get closer to see some awesome moths and bugs, but at the same time we didn’t want them flying or buzzing right in (or into) our faces.
Bombycidae family
Come to the soothing green glow...
The “moth sheet” was always full of fun invertebrates – moths and bugs galore! They just couldn’t help themselves from getting close to that bright, greenish glow. There was a range of all sizes, from the tiniest pinky-nail sized beetles to the gargantuan almost hand-sized Sphinx moths.
A Satin Moth (about the size of a half-dollar coin) and a tiny other moth
A Satin Moth can look like a cross between a bat and a bunny.
Adhemarius ypsilon
We acted like kids in a candy store, constantly saying to one another, “Oooooh, look at this one! Oh wait, this one is so awesome! Oh, you gotta come check this one out!” You get the picture. I never thought I’d be so giddy at the sight of moths, but when you see as many as we did and in such an array of colors, shapes, and sizes, you’d be pretty stoked, too!
Bombycidae sp?
Tiger moths (Hypercompe sp.) - Can you find the dog and puppy faces?!?
Some of these moths were just other-worldly with super “furry” legs and/or bodies. Others were just stunningly beautiful, as they had just the most vibrant colors and intricate patterns. We’d spend an hour or more just scanning every inch of that sheet, ooo-ing and awww-ing and snapping pics of some of the most incredible moths we’d ever seen.
Flannel Moths
Lasiocampidae family (bottom right is questionable)
The sphinx moths were my favorite – so stealthy-looking and stoic. Once they landed on the sheet, they stayed in one place the whole time. When we attempted to pick them up, they totally lost their cool and flapped like crazy like a fish out of water. However, Nick was the sphinx moth whisperer, and he was able to coax them back to their zen-like state.
We weren’t the only ones who were enjoying the plethora of moths and insects. A few toads would hang out right underneath the sheet waiting for a frazzled critter to fall towards the ground and become an easy meal. We mostly saw HUGE Cane toads, the size of grapefruits. But every so often, we’d also see what I believe were Gulf Coast Toads.
Cane Toad
Gulf Coast Toad
Now that we’re back home, we are now having a time trying to figure out what we saw and identify as best as possible, at least by family. This is no easy feat as some didn’t look like moths at all. Some looked like wasps or even cockroaches! In the rainforest, everything was wild and new and so exciting, even the most unlikely of critters.
Sematura lunus - We saved this large, lovely moth from certain death by a nearby hungry toad
