The time on Ometepe was busy. Even “vacationing” in Masaya, what with visiting the market and the volcano, was full speed ahead. Things slowed considerably in the rustic resort of Hostel Paradiso on the shore of Laguna de Apoyo.
Hostel Paradiso does indeed resemble a paradise. French cuisine, views, the clear blue lake. Rustic (my room was “bath-down-the-hall,” except it was bath-down-the-trail, a cute little cabaña with toilet and shower), but elegantly so.
There was quite a variety of bird calls and other sounds at dawn at the Laguna de Apoyo.
The Laguna is a volcanic crater lake with deep blue water, purportedly the cleanest water in Nicaragua. If anything, the water in the Laguna felt warmer than in the Lagos de Nicaragua at Ometepe. Still, it was a great way to get rid of excess heat. The days were focused on not doing much: swimming, eating the delicious food, relaxing in the shade, playing ping-pong and pétanque (the owner is French).
Cooling in the warm waters of the Laguna de Apoyo.
Here’s a woodpecker, among other interesting sounds.
A panorama of the Laguna de Apoyo.
I got up each of the two mornings we were at the Hostel to try to record the dawn chorus of birds. Though a few voices were familiar, most were entirely different than what I heard on Ometepe. It is always nice to be up early; it is quiet and cool, and the birds are in full-throated song.
While setting up a tripod for an unattended recording, I encountered some of the local fauna, close up…apparently I had put my left foot on an ant nest. They objected and made my foot and lower leg the target of their wrath. Ouch.
Dawn chorus; there is an amazing variety of bird calls and songs in these clips. Enjoy!
This bird is commonly called a mot-mot. Note the long tail with the paddle-shaped feathers at the end. The mot-mot was constantly twitching the tail feathers, side to side, like a metronome.
One more dawn chorus! If this doesn't bring to mind a tropical forest, I don’t know what does. One is surrounded by unfamiliar bird calls and songs.