Portland Miscellany - Wheatears, Wall Lizards and a Grey Seal

(Northern) Wheatear - Portland Bill, Dorset, UK

 A visit to Portland Bill rarely disappoints, and today's sunny weather was enough to lure the family down for a walk, lunch and some wildlife watching. Reports of good numbers of Wheatears on the Portland Bird Observatory website (link) meant that this neat migrant was top of my wish list. And it didn't take long to spot one, perched on a roadside boulder near the Bill car park. I would have to wait a little bit longer for a decent image, however; the above photo was taken on the coast path heading up the east side of the 'island' (actually not an island, but that's what everyone calls it) just north of the beach huts. It was one of an estimated 10-15 that I saw on the fields and in the nearby quarries. This is good news: the Spring migration is up and running.

One of Portland's great selling points is the diversity of wildlife that can turn up. Whilst enjoying the background chatter of Skylark song and watching Rock Pipits flit along the shoreline we noticed a Grey Seal's muzzle sticking out of the water, close in to the shore (below). A fine set of whiskers were on display.

Grey Seal 'bottling' - Portland Bill, Dorset, UK

This common behaviour is known as 'bottling' - as it apparently resembles a floating bottle - and it allows the seal to rest, and even sleep, with minimal exertion. Its eyes (not visible in this photo) were near to the waterline, and may even have been shut. It may have heard us, as it raised its head up and gave us a rather penetrating stare (below) before diving. 

Grey Seal 'bottling' - Portland Bill, Dorset, UK

I've written before about Portland's Wall Lizards (see a blog about recent sightings here and a more detailed one about identifying British lizards here). These non-native reptiles are a charming and visible addition to the local fauna, and it's always great to have an encounter. The jury remains out as to whether they have a harmful effect on native reptiles, by the way; this certainly can't be ruled out. But, as I've previously commented, they appear to occupy a distinctly different 'niche' to Common (or Viviparous) Lizards their nearest likely competitor, while their colonies on the south coast of England are well-separated from the heathland domain of the threatened Sand Lizard.

Anyway, we went looking for Wall Lizards in one of the quarries next to the coast path on the eastern side of the island, a place with several previous sightings. Although the day was sunny, a cool easterly breeze wasn't ideal for these ectothermic creatures - ectothermic meaning that they rely on external heat sources. On that point: reptiles are commonly called 'cold-blooded' - I've done it myself - but this isn't fully accurate. To be properly active, they need to reach a certain blood temperature, which in Britain is around 25-30 degrees Celsius (Inns, 2009). Obviously, such temperatures cannot be guaranteed in our chilly latitudes, even sometimes during the British summer. Today on Portland it was considerably colder, perhaps 15 degrees at the most. However, reptiles are very good at extracting what heat they can from the surrounding environment, mainly by basking in the sunshine but also by flattening themselves against warm surfaces. This morning, the best place to look for Wall Lizards was therefore in a sunny but crucially sheltered corner of the quarry. And that's where we found a couple:

Common Wall Lizard - Portland, Dorset, UK

Common Wall Lizard - Portland, Dorset, UK

The mottled pattern on the back suggests that both lizards are males, although only the second one was showing the characteristic yellow-green colour that accompanies the breeding season. Wall Lizards, and indeed Common Lizards, are relatively quick off the mark in that regard compared to Sand Lizards which will usually not begin to mate until April at the earliest. (As it happens, I saw my first Sand Lizard of the year while surveying on the Purbeck Heaths this week; it was a male without any evidence of green colouration.)

Before leaving the island we revisited the Wall Lizard colony at Cheyne Weares (further up the island's east side) that was the subject of my previous blog. By now, the sun had moved into the western sky and much of the roadside wall was in shadow. But we still found eight individuals making the most of the sunshine, including these two:

 

Common Wall Lizard - Cheyne Weares, Portland, Dorset, UK

Common Wall Lizard - Cheyne Weares, Portland, Dorset, UK

The obvious stripes on the back of each individual suggest that they are both females - although please let me know if you disagree. Also present in this colony were several much smaller lizards, likely last year's juveniles that have successfully overwintered.

As ever, Portland delivered on the wildlife front - and we had an excellent lunch at the Lobster Pot, too. With Spring now getting into gear, it won't be long before I'm back.

Portland Bill, Dorset, UK

References

Beebee, T. & Griffith, R. (2000) Amphibians and Reptiles (New Naturalist Series) London: HarperCollins.

Inns, H. (2009) Britain's Reptiles and Amphibians Wildguides

Text and images (c) Mike Hetherington

 

By Boat to the Great Bear Rainforest

 

Grizzly Bears (above) and Orcas (aka Killer Whales), the two wildlife stars of Canada's Pacific Northwest, were top of my 'must see' list for a trip to British Columbia this summer. But what was the best way to guarantee sightings of both?  

The Great Bear Rainforest (link here) holds one of the largest populations of Grizzly Bears on Canada's west coast. It is an area of scenic splendour, where the Coast Mountains plunge from high icefields down densely forested slopes to fjord-like inlets that penetrate deep into the mountain massif. There are few settlements and no road access. Getting into this landscape requires either boat or floatplane while accommodation options are limited to a small number of wilderness lodges. None of this comes cheap.

September is the peak season for grizzly sightings when the bears hang around river mouths to feast on the annual salmon run. But the need to stick to UK school holidays meant that we had to travel earlier in the summer. Could we justify the expense of a lodge stay at a time when bears might be harder to find?

A bit of online research provided the answer. Sea Wolf Adventures is a First Nations-led tour company that runs day trips from Port McNeill at the northern end of Vancouver Island over the Johnstone Strait, through the pine and spruce-clad islands of the Broughton Archipelago and right into the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest. As well as offering the chance of a Grizzly Bear encounter, these boat tours seek out the area's marine life highlights, of which Orcas top the bill. The chance to score my two top wildlife goals in a single day was too good an opportunity to miss.

Vancouver Island from the Broughton Archipelago

Port McNeill is a small working port with only a few places to stay or eat. Our base here was the Black Bear Resort Hotel (link), a decent motel just up the hill from the village centre, while the Devil's Bath Brewing Company down by the harbour (link) provided excellent pizzas, a good range of craft ales and a generally nice vibe. Both are recommended.

0630 on a Friday morning saw us down at harbour waiting to get checked in the Sea Wolf Adventures office. The sun was shining and the sea was still: it was a lovely morning. A quick waterfront wander produced the startling sight of two Bald Eagles perched on an electricity pylon. Apparently, this is a normal morning occurrence at Port McNeill. Although these birds are common on Canada's west coast, seeing them so close-up was a special moment. Regal is the word.

Bald Eagle - Port McNeil, Vancouver Island BC

Back at the office we discovered the rest of the party donning life jackets and filling travel mugs with coffee. We met our host (Hannah) and driver (Mike), who led us down to the pontoons and onto the boat, where we shamelessly bagged the two front seats. Mike explained later that the Mayumi, named for his daughter, had been custom-built for the company; two huge outboards gave it some serious thrust when he fully opened the throttle, and it covered the miles with ease.

Mayumi at the dock in Port McNeill

After slowly navigating out of the harbour, Mike set a course for the islands of the Broughton Archipelago on the far side of the Johnstone Strait. The islands form a maze of waterways, along which we cruised slowly looking for bears on the shoreline. There were none to be seen, but a Humpback Whale feeding close inshore near a narrow passage called The Blow Hole came as a surprise; the coastal waters are deep here, even very close to the shore. 

Humpback Whale diving close to the shore - Broughton Archipelago

After passing through the Blow Hole, Mike decided to head up to Knight Inlet and we were soon battling up this arrow-straight fjord at some speed into a stiff wind. Things got a bit bumpy. You might think that these land-enclosed waters would be sheltered, but the mountains here seemed to funnel the wind right towards us.  The skies were overcast and gloomy, a stark contrast to the sun that had been shining over the Johnstone Strait. But these mountains attract the clouds - and the rain. This accounts for the forests' rich understorey vegetation, including berry-bearing bushes like Salal much favoured by bears, as well as the abundant epiphytes that have made their home on tree trunks and branches.

Conifer forests on the shores of Knight Inlet, BC

Mike was on the radio and it’s clear (with hindsight) that he’d been a tipped-off about a bear sighting. After some distance, and about two hours into the boat ride, he aimed the boat at a rocky promontory and slowed down the engines: our first Grizzly Bear was foraging down by the water's edge, an adult female with two cubs (but only one cub visible in the image below). She's also the one pictured in the image at the beginning of this blog post.

Grizzly Bear mother and cub - Knight Inlet BC

From a distance, the adult bear looked just like one of the larger rocks on the shoreline, albeit a rock that was moving. But as we moved closer more detail was revealed. Mike took the boat in slowly and suggested that we might like to get out on deck. I didn't need telling twice, and made a bee-line for the forward hatch. I was soon perched above the bow as the boat came closer towards the rocky shore. 

The Grizzly Bear cub on the left has spotted something ...

The cubs were constantly moving about, also searching for food, although they will be fed on their mother’s milk for up to two years. These ones were probably around 6 months old; cubs are born in the den during the winter months. I loved the way that one cub stood up on its hindlegs, giving a sharp stare to the nearby gulls (above). All three bears seemed unfazed by our presence.

We spent about a quarter or an hour bobbing about getting views of this our first bear family, before another boat appeared which was our signal to head off to avoid overcrowding. The bears didn’t even seem to notice our departure. Mike started to retrace our route westwards down Knight Inlet but stopped after about ten minutes and slowly pulled in towards the shore again. This was bear family number two, another female (below), also with two cubs, occupying a separate territory to the first female. Mike said that this (second) female was the daughter of the first one. And she did look a bit younger and less, well, grizzled than the first adult bear. Grizzlies can live a long time, up to their 30s.

The second Grizzly Bear mother - Knight Inlet, BC

Neither adult bear looked exactly big or chunky, probably because spring and summer have provided them with comparatively short rations. Bears survive remarkably well during hibernation, being able to subsist without food or water for six months by relying on fat reserves and recycling their fluids. During the summer they feed on berries and can scavenge carrion as well as hunting birds and small mammals. But for coastal bears such as these the big feast comes in September with the salmon run, their big chance to stock up before hibernating.

Grizzlies are part of the larger Brown Bear Ursus arctos species which also occurs in Europe and Asia (and originally in parts of North Africa). Brown Bears are classed as being of ‘least concern’ in conservation terms, given their (very) large range and a stable population that may now be increasing in some areas. However, the IUCN’s population estimate (110,000 individuals) is massively less than the 200-250,000 previously estimated in McDonald et al (2002) so it’s not all good news, and some of the more isolated populations of Brown Bears are clearly in trouble. This doesn’t seem to be the case for the Great Bear Rainforest, which (as best I can find out) is home to around 6,000 Grizzly Bears out of some 20,000 in Canada. (Please let me know if more detailed figures are available.)

For completeness, here’s a photo (below) of the second Grizzly mother with her two cubs. We spent ten minutes watching them move slowly over the shoreline rocks before Mike backed the boat away and we resumed our return ride down Knight Inlet.

The second Grizzly Bear mother with both cubs - Knight Inlet, BC

We were pleased with these sightings but one more Grizzly Bear encounter remained in store. Back in the labyrinth of channels through the Broughton Archipelago, Mike navigated us to a sheltered cove next to Bowers Island. Some movement at the forest edge revealed the presence of a lone Grizzly (below), almost certainly a male given its hefty bulk, staring out of the gloom. (I'm blaming the distance and low light levels for the poor quality of the image below).

Male Grizzly Bear seen at a distance!

We sat in the boat waiting to see if he would come out any further. The bear stared straight at us and gave what looked like an exploratory sniff before turning on its tail and stalking slowly back into the forest’s shadows. Oh well - you can't have everything.

It was time to move onto the second phase of the day's explorations, so Mike turned the boat towards the Johnstone Strait heading for Blackfish Sound which, as its name might suggest, is a happy hunting ground for Orcas. That colloquial (and biologically inaccurate) term can equally apply to Humpback Whales, which are also present there. First, however, it was lunchtime, and we stopped for half an hour in another rocky bay, where a Wandering Tattler fly-by (below) was another new entry on the holiday bird list. Wandering Tattlers breed in the far north – Alaska and eastern Russia – but winter down both sides of the Pacific as far south as Chile and Australia. Their ‘wandering’ tag is well justified. (ID note: the thin white stripe above the eye separates Wandering Tattler from the two yellowlegs species, while the absence of a white rump in flight rules out the two dowitchers).

Wandering Tattler - Blackfish Sound, BC

Out on Blackfish Sound the number of seabirds was increasing, and amongst the many gulls (mostly Glaucous-winged and Short-billed) were many good numbers of auks, including the bizarrely-billed Rhinoceros Auklet, another new species for me. The photo below shows the weird horn-like extension sticking out of the top of its bill: technically this is part of the rhamphotheca (a new word for me) which is the keratin sheath that covers the bill's central bone. The horn is only present in breeding adults and is shed each year, like the colourful sheath on a breeding Puffin’s bill.

Rhinoceros Auklet - Blackfish Sound, BC

But our attention was quickly diverted from the auks: our first group of Orcas (below) was up ahead.

Orcas - Blackfish Sound, BC

There were four in the group, keeping very close together. Judging by the dorsal fins, they were two older adults and two younger individuals. The Orcas around Vancouver Island have been the subject of intensive scientific study. This reveals that two main types of Orcas can be found in these coastal waters - Residents and Transients. As might be expected, the Residents stay around here all year round, feeding mainly on fish. In contrast, the Transients - which are a bit larger, with slightly different markings - are more mobile, following and hunting marine mammals. Our Orcas here were Residents, and a study of the most recent photo-catalogue (Towers et al, 2020) meant that Mike and Hannah were able to identify the individuals concerned - namely matriline (the name given to these small female-led groups) number A23.

At this point a second group of Orcas came into view (below). This included an individual with a distinct notch in the back of its dorsal fin. The photo-catalogue, which can be downloaded online, identifies it as female A55, who was born in 1987. Orcas can be very long-lived, with females as old as 90 recorded in the wild.

Two of the second group of Orcas.

Female Orca A55, with notched dorsal fin.

We spent almost an hour watching the two groups of Orcas. At first, I didn’t notice that a massive cruise ship had loomed up behind us, heading south. It seemed a grotesque intrusion into such a peaceful and beautiful scene. Mike moved our boat to one side while the Orcas made off in the other direction. The cruise liner bombed past us at speed and disappeared quickly. I could see very few people on the decks or cabin balconies: were any of them aware of the presence of the Orcas?

It was time for us to move on, but we soon picked up an observer that surfaced close to the boat ...

Steller Sea Lion - Blackfish Sound, BC

One of the largest sea lions, Steller Sea Lion is found on both sides of the northern Pacific. Apart from size, and this was clearly a big beast, the key identification feature for Steller is the pale, almost yellow, colour body which contrasts with the dark limbs - seen below giving us a cheeky wave.

Steller Sea Lion waving a flipper.

Steller Sea Lion

And that was almost the end of the show. After a brief detour past the settlement at Alert Bay, where Mike gave us a bit of the history of the First Nations and their battles with authorities to protect their culture and way of life, we made the short crossing back to Port McNeill. 

Sea Otter - Port McNeill, BC

But there was a final wildlife highlight: a single male Sea Otter (above) was having a snack just outside the breakwater of Port McNeill harbour. Further south on the Pacific coast, these engaging animals are easily (and famously) seen in California's Monterey Bay - see my blog post about them here - where they are present in good numbers.

The fortunes of Vancouver Island's Sea Otters haven't been quite as rosy as their Californian cousins. Originally hunted to extinction for fur, the species was reintroduced to the island in the late 1960s with 89 otters brought down from Alaskan waters. Numbers have since grown significantly, with over 3180 counted in 2005 - the most recent data that I can find (Nichol, 2005). The relocation site was on the Pacific Ocean side of the island (the opposite side to Port McNeill), and that is where the bulk of the Vancouver Island population remains. Mike and Hannah told us that only single males have so far made it around to the Port McNeill area. It's heartening to know that their distribution is still spreading, and hopefully some females will turn up in due course.

And that was that. We went back to the office, handed back out life jackets and travel mugs, and said our farewells. It had been an epic day of wildlife watching. What really stood out, apart from the diversity of species, fantastic scenery and sense of being in a wilderness, was the opportunity to spend a time watching charismatic animals doing their thing in a relaxed and hassle-free way – for both them and us. And that, really, is unbeatable. 

Huge thanks to Mike and Hannah of Sea Wolf Adventures!

References:

McDonald, D. ed. (2006) The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford: OUP.

Nichol, L.M. (2007) Recovery potential assessment for sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in Canada. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science.

Shirihai, H. and Jarrett, B. (2006) Whales Dolphins and Seals: A Field Guide to the Marine Mammals of the World. London: A&C Black.

Sibley, D. (2003) Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America. London: Christopher Helm. (Indispensable!)

Towers, J., Pilkington, J., Gisborne, B., Wright, B., Ellis, G., Ford, J and Doniol-Valcroze, T. (2020) Photo-identification Catalogue and Status of the Northern Resident Killer Whale Population in 2019. Nanaimo: Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

 

Capuchins and Squirrel Monkeys: Primates of Costa Rica (part 2)

 

White-throated Capuchin Monkey

My last blog looked at the largest of Costa Rica's four primate species: the Mantled Howler and Central American Spider Monkey. Now it's the turn of their two smaller relatives.

Capuchin Monkeys are a common sight throughout the Neotropics. Unlike the two species covered in my last blog, which both feed mainly in the forest canopy, Capuchins will forage on the ground as well as in the treetops. Their diet is wide-ranging, both plant-based (fruits, seeds, flowers and buds) and carnivorous (insects, as well as smaller birds and mammals). The name relates to a supposed likeness to brown-robed monks, a likeness that has also (bizarrely) named the cappuccino coffee, although I can't see it myself. 

Their sole appearance on our trip was unexpected. All four of Costa Rica's primates prefer to live in forests, ideally primary rainforest. So we weren't expecting to see any in the lowlands of the south-west, where the forests have been largely cleared and farming is the dominant land use.

Wetlands near Cuidad Neilly - not an obvious monkey habitat

We were exploring the extensive wetlands near Cuidad Neilly, near to Costa Rica's border with Panama. Much of the land had been flooded for rice cultivation and the birding was simply sensational. This is a land of waterfowl, waders and herons.

Bare-faced Tiger-Heron near Cuidad Neilly

We found ourselves walking along a track bordering the Rio Corredor, which has been forced into an arrow-straight corridor through the wetlands. The track was flanked by narrow strips of trees and shrubs, and it was there that the Capuchins announced their presence by the sudden wave of activity, chattering and branch-breaking that accompanies a troop of monkeys on the move.

Riverside trees and shrubs - where we discovered the Capuchins

It was difficult to get a good view, as they were mobile and largely concealed by leaves and branches. Every now and again an inquisitive face would pop up in a gap through the vegetation, and it was a challenge to fire off a few photographs before its owner disappeared again.

Capuchin in pensive mood

Like Costa Rica's other primates Capuchin Monkeys have been under the scrutiny of taxonomists, which means that you will find different species names for them in different publications. I favour the IUCN Red List (website) which now calls them the Panamanian White-throated Capuchin Cebus imitator. Why Panamanian and not Costa Rican I do not know: they are found in both countries, as well as parts of Nicaragua and Honduras, but they appear to be more widely spread across Costa Rica than anywhere else. The species has been split from the (similar) Colombian White-throated Capuchin Monkeys found in eastern Panama and parts of Colombia and Ecuador. Sadly, both species are considered at risk, being classed as "vulnerable" by the IUCN due to concerns of forest loss as well as hunting for bushmeat and the pet trade. Their tendency to raid crops doesn't make them hugely popular with farmers, either. 

Capuchin Monkey peering from the forest gloom.

Unfortunately things are even worse for the fourth and final Costa Rican primate, the beautiful Squirrel Monkey - or, to be exact, the Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey Saimiri oerstedii. (Taxonomists don't appear to give much thought to producing snappy or memorable common species names, do they?) This is the rarest of Costa Rica's monkeys, and many visitors never get to see one. However, we were lucky to have brief views of a small group of at least five individuals moving high through the forest canopy near the Piedras Blancas National Park, a marvellous tract of lowland rainforest in the south-west of the country near the town of Golfito. 

Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey - near Piedras Blancas National Park, Costa Rica

These are really neat little monkeys, with a distinctive black cap and - unusually for Neotropical primates - a non-prehensile tail. Not that this seemed to impede their movement through the canopy; our five were walking confidently along horizontal vines and creepers before we lost sight of them.

These Squirrel Monkeys occupy a very restricted geographical range (see the map here) being limited to the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica and western Panama. They are well-separated from the Squirrel Monkeys of South America, leading to speculation that they were brought to Central America by man - unlike the other three species described in my two blog posts. However, there are clear differences from the South American species, including a more orange-coloured back (which is not shown well in my photograph which was taken after a short and heavy burst of rain), which suggests that they have been established as a distinct population for enough time to evolve into a separate species.

Animals with limited geographical ranges are often at a greater risk of extinction because they are reliant upon a smaller number of protected areas (among other reasons). That is certainly the case with these Central American Squirrel Monkeys, which are classed as 'endangered' by the IUCN. It doesn't help that they are confined to the lowlands, so cannot benefit from the more extensive range of national parks and reserves along Cosat Rica's central mountain chain. You won't see any up at Monteverde, for example. Continued safeguarding of places like Piedras Blancas and Corcorvado National Parks is essential for their survival. As in my previous blog, I am waving the flag to increase awareness of conservation organisations that working to protect such habitats, such as the World Land Trust. If you are able to lend support then please do.

Sources

Emmons, L. H. (1997) Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide (2nd ed) Chicago: Chicago UP

Henderson, C.L. (2010) Mammals, Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Solano-Rojas, D. 2021. Saimiri oerstedii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T19836A17940807. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T19836A17940807.en. Accessed on 17 February 2025.

Williams-Guillén, K., Rosales-Meda, M., Méndez-Carvajal, P.G., Solano-Rojas, D., Urbani, B. & Lynch Alfaro, J.W. 2021. Cebus imitator (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T81265980A191708420. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T81265980A191708420.en. Accessed on 17 February 2025.

Howlers and Spiders: Primates of Costa Rica (part 1)

 

It is just after dawn on a road through the dry forest that flanks the Pacific Ocean. Breakfast has been postponed so that we can catch the morning's first rush of bird activity. A White-throated Magpie Jay flaunts its tasselled crest, while a startling yellow Prothonotary Warbler shimmers through the foliage. Attuned to such small movements, it comes as a surprise when a large black object crashes through the bushes and pauses in a fork of branches to give you a hard stare. This is a Mantled Howler Monkey Alouatta palliata, the most conspicuous of Costa Rica's four primate species. 

Howlers can turn up in forests all over Costa Rica, from the coast to mid-elevation rainforests (around 2,000 metres up). We first heard them at Pocosol Biological Station, a rainforest research facility at the end of a long and bumpy track through the foothills, where their soundtrack of hooting calls echoed over the forest canopy as dawn was breaking. But they didn't show themselves at Pocosol: our first distant sighting was of several black specks in trees across the Rio Frio down on the Nicaraguan border at Los Chiles a couple of days later, where the now-familiar Howler chorus accompanied the evening bustle of comings and goings on the town's busy waterfront.

After that, Howlers seemed to appear in every large forest that we visited. At Tirimbina Rainforest Reserve, in the foothills on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica's central mountain chain, a troop of Howlers passed through the canopy right above us, sending down one individual for a closer look (below). They were interested in us human visitors, without wanting to get too close; this may be a response to what they see as a possible predator, or it might be just exploiting the potential for a food handout. Certainly, Howlers are tolerant of some degree of  human activity and can occupy more disturbed secondary forest habitats: we saw one near to our hotel entrance at Quinta de Sarapiqui for example.

Mantled Howler Monkey - Tirimbina, Costa Rica

Howler Monkeys are found across the tropical forests of Central and South America where their diet comprises mostly young leaves of a variety of rainforest trees. These aren't the most nutritious of foods, but at least there are plenty of them, although the Howlers need to be careful to avoid eating too many from toxic tree species. This leads to an ongoing evolutionary 'arms race' between hungry monkeys and ever-more sophisticated plant defence mechanisms.    

From the six Howler Monkey species listed by Louise Emmons' Neotropical Rainforest Mammals in 1997, we have jumped to 15 species recognised by world conservation body the IUCN. Some of the more newly defined species have very limited ranges, but Mantled Howlers can be found across much of tropical Central America and along the Pacific coast to southern Ecuador. Despite this large range, they are a conservation concern (classed as "vulnerable") as numbers have decreased by at least 30% over 30 years. Threats include hunting and habitat loss. Yet they remain Costa Rica's most charismatic primate species, and are on many wildlife tourists "must see" lists. And they rarely disappoint.

While Mantled Howler Monkeys may be the heaviest of Costa Rica's four primate species, they are not necessarily the biggest. What Central American Spider Monkeys Ateles geoffroyi (below) lack in bulk, they make up for in reach. These lanky, long-limbed canopy dwellers are well-named.

Central American Spider Monkey - Tirimbina, Costa Rica

Tirimbina Rainforest Reserve (website), which should be on the itinerary of every naturalist visiting Costa Rica, provided our only encounter with this elusive species. Unlike the Howlers, they showed no interest in approaching close to us, and we had to be content with glimpses through the thick forest foliage. The photograph above shows the light-coloured facial markings that distinguish them from the mostly-black Howlers, while the poor image below gives a better impression of their spider-like profile. Although most New World monkeys have prehensile tails that can grip round branches, vines and the like, Spider Monkeys seem particularly adept at using it as a fifth limb, making short work of the complex job of navigating through the tangled forest canopy. They moved with an effortless style.

Spider Monkey silhouette - Tirimbina, Costa Rica

Unlike the leaf-eating Howlers, Spider Monkeys seek more nutritious forest foods such as fruits, seeds, flowers and even some small animals. Such resources can be scarce, and Spider Monkeys therefore need to range across large areas of forest. This means that their territories are bigger, sometimes over 100 hectares, than those of the more sedentary Howlers which can find what they need in under 60 hectares. Mind you, Spider Monkeys tend to move around in bigger numbers than Mantled Howlers: groups can number up to 50 individuals, compared with 10-20 Howlers, although the our Spider Monkeys at Tirimbina were far fewer in number.   

Sadly, the conservation picture for Central American Spider Monkeys is even worse than for the Mantled Howlers. The species has a more limited range, being confined solely to Central America, following a taxonomic split that has separated them from a population in Colombia and western Ecuador; this is now called Brown-headed Spider Monkey Ateles fusciceps, and it is also endangered. Central American Spider Monkeys have suffered an even greater population loss than the Howlers: a 50% reduction over 45 years. Habitat destruction is the main culprit, although hunting for bushmeat and the pet trade is also a concern.

While Costa Rica can boast an excellent network of protected forests, this doesn't mean that the future of these two primate species is secure. Conservation organisations working to safeguard such habitats, such as the World Land Trust which I have been supporting for over 20 years (and which operates in Costa Rica among many other locations), need all of the help that they can get. 

Right - two primates down, and two to go. See my next blog here.

Mantled Howler - Quinta de Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Sources

Cortes-Ortíz, L., Rosales-Meda, M., Williams-Guillén, K., Solano-Rojas, D., Méndez-Carvajal, P.G., de la Torre, S., Moscoso, P., Rodríguez, V., Palacios, E., Canales-Espinosa, D., Link, A., Guzman-Caro, D. & Cornejo, F.M. 2021. Alouatta palliata (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T39960A190425583. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T39960A190425583.en. Accessed on 02 February 2025.

Cortes-Ortíz, L., Solano-Rojas, D., Rosales-Meda, M., Williams-Guillén, K., Méndez-Carvajal, P.G., Marsh, L.K., Canales-Espinosa, D. & Mittermeier, R.A. 2021. Ateles geoffroyi (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T2279A191688782. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T2279A191688782.en. Accessed on 02 February 2025.

Emmons, L. H. (1997) Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide (2nd ed) Chicago: Chicago UP

Henderson, C.L. (2010) Mammals, Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Elephant Seals at Aňo Nuevo CA

Monday 3 April 2023

Chilled out Elephant Seal - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

North of Santa Cruz, the Pacific coast becomes surprisingly wild and undeveloped, - unexpected, given how close you are to San Francisco and the cities of the Bay area. Inland, the hills were blanketed by the remains of Redwood forests that had been hit by massive fires the previous year. Luckily, the coastal heathlands had been largely spared, but the charred skeletons of trees on the nearby hills (below), were a sobering reminder of the effects of climate change on these fragile habitats. Most of the state park lies inland from the coast road, but our interest lay in its coastal section – and, especially, the Elephant Seals. I'll get to them shortly.  

Last year's fire damage on the hills behind Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

We checked in at the visitor centre, housed within old barns dating from the area’s use as a dairy farm up until the Second World War, before heading off on the trail to the headland. The northerly wind was  strong and cold. Most birds were keeping their heads down. An Anna’s Hummingbird balanced precariously on a bush and about 20 Surf Scoters bobbed around offshore. The small pond produced Goldeneye, Ruddy Duck, Eared Grebe and Mallard, with a few Tree Swallows zooming and diving over the water and a Northern Harrier flying by. My first Calfornia Thrasher, a brown bird with a downcurved bill, perched on a bush before diving into a sea of scrub with a flash of rufous underwings. Too fast for a photo.

Coast at Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

Views opened up towards the sea. A few Brown Pelicans were perched on a rock, with a Western Gull, and a lone Pigeon Guillemot sat on the water. On the Pacific coast, this marks the northern end of the year-round range of Brown Pelicans, although they travel further north in the breeding season. As if to pre-empt the day’s main mammal event, there was a single Sea Otter floating in the bay doing very little, in true Sea Otter fashion. (See my previous blog post here about California Sea Otters).

A few Mule Deer, called Black-tailed Deer here (a race of Mule Deer found in California's Coastal Ranges), had found a sunny and sheltered spot near the trail. 

Mule (Black-tailed) Deer - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

At this point on the trail, there is a small ranger post with a volunteer warden (or docent - not a word that I'd heard before). We offered to show our permits (obtained from the visitor centre) but he waved us aside saying "If you've made it this far, that's good enough for me". We had a quick look at his impressive collection of seal skulls: fully grown Elephant Seals are massive.

We were now approaching the Elephant Seal beaches ...

Elephant Seal signage at Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

This sign looks suitably dramatic, but we knew that we wouldn’t be seeing any of the big male Elephant Seals here; they arrive on the beaches in December and are usually gone by mid-March at the end of the breeding season. The good news is that there are other Elephant Seals at Aňo Nuevo all year round, so our visit wouldn’t be wasted. Near to South Point the trail climbed a big sand dune; we took a branch off to the left, which ended by a beach that was littered with around 100 recumbent cylinders of blubber - some of which are shown below. 

First sight of the Elephant Seals at Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

Strictly, these are Northern Elephant Seals Mirounga angustirostris, one of the 'true seals'. (There is a short discussion about true seals and eared seals/sea lions in my previous post about California Sea Lions here - opens in new window.) At their largest, the males can reach 5 metres in length, which is big enough but shorter than the other Mirounga species, the Southern Elephant Seal. In conservation terms, Northern Elephant Seals are doing well. Numbers are increasing; from as low as 100 individuals in the 1890s the latest IUCN population estimate is now around 110,000.

Juvenile Elephant Seal - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

Most of the Elephant Seals on this beach were juveniles, or ‘weaners’, as the warden called them. Females give birth in early December; this part of the park is closed for a fortnight then. The pups grow rapidly from their mothers’ milk (one pup per female); weaning starts brutally in February when the females leave the beaches in search of food for themselves (the males have already gone). The pups then learn to swim and feed from the beaches when the adults have departed.  

Elephant Seal coming into the beach - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

Elephant Seal in search of a place to snooze - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

But there were a few older seals on the beaches as well. Jumping slightly ahead, when we got round to Bight Beach, a larger subadult seal swam close in. Signs of moulting fur were clearly visible on its head (below).

Elephant Seal in moult - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

Even better, from Bight Beach we got a distant view of two young males squaring up to each other at North Point (below), practicing for future adult conflicts.

Elephant Seal (practice?) aggression -  Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

Marvellous encounters, despite the absence of the big adult males. And it’s good to know that these seals are still protected (by state law and the Marine Mammal Protection Act 1972), and obviously valued by wardens and visitors alike. 

From South Point to Bight Beach we were walking straight into the biting wind. A Northern Harrier drifted over the dunes (below). I’ve come across a few of these in the USA, and they are certainly a lot more common than Hen Harriers are back in the UK. The two species were only split relatively recently. This image shows the distinctive white rump, as well as the famous V-shaped wing profile, although harriers can display a range of shapes in different types of flight.

Northern Harrier - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

Bight Bay was as memorable for its reptiles as its seals. With hindsight, this was an ideal day to see them, as they were seeking out suitable basking spots to combat the chilly wind. Two enthusiastic wardens (docents) showed us a beautifully marked snake lying next to the boardwalk in the cover of a bush - a Western Terrestrial Garter Snake Thamnopis elegans (below), specifically the Coast Garter Snake T.e.terrestris subspecies.  

Western Terrestrial Garter Snake Thamnopis elegans - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

At the time, the docents said that it was a San Francisco Garter Snake Thamnopis sirtalis tetrataenia, one of 12 identified subspecies of the Common Garter Snake, and I duly noted it down as such. But checking my field guide later on, and looking at the excellent California Herps website (link here - opens in new window) it is clear that this couldn't be the case. San Francisco Garter Snakes have red, not green, heads. The moral of the tale: don't believe everything you're told. But, in fairness, Garter Snakes are very variable.

Thankfully, there was no doubt about the next reptile - a Western Fence Lizard Sceloporus occidentalis (below) sitting on the side of the boardwalk.

Western Fence Lizard Sceloporus occidentalis - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

The lizard was the second of the morning - one had scuttled off the boardwalk as we approached Bight Beach and I had been frustrated not to get a good view. This one was more obliging, although I later found that all of my images were out of focus - poor! The Western Fence Lizard is California's most common lizard; the California Herps website says: "Chances are good if you see a small lizard sitting on a rock or fence or other object and you are anywhere in California (except the very high mountains or in the deserts) this is the lizard you are looking at." I guess that the clue's in the name! Like the garter snakes, Western Fence Lizards have been subdivided into a number of subspecies; there are useful range maps on the California Herps website. This one was a Coast Range Fence Lizard S.o.bocourtii, which is a Californian endemic.  

With that, we retraced our route to the visitor centre. Two Whimbrels (below) had landed on a beach just south of the pond.

Whimbrels (record photo) - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

A bit of botanising revealed this lovely Blue-eyed Grass Sisyrincium bellum in flower (below), one of a number of Sisyrinciums found in California. A member of the Iris family, it is mainly found along the coast, but also in some upland locations. Beautiful.

Blue-eyed Grass Sisyrincium bellum - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

Back at the car park, a Western Scrub-Jay had appeared on a picnic table, a sign that it was getting near to lunch time.

Western Scrub-Jay - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

And a close Turkey Vulture fly-by was the final bird encounter of our visit to Aňo Nuevo. You don't get birds like this at picnic areas in the UK.

Turkey Vulture - Aňo Nuevo State Park CA

Reference

Behler, J.L. and King, F.W. (1979) National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A Knopf.