• Day 098: Saturday April 7th

12:00 ML has informed me that the Nicoya Peninsula is famous for its 'Red Tides,' where they have been extensively studied and that 4 bacteria can be involved… 2 are deadly… and 1 is extremely deadly… lovely!  This is also the largest and longest red tide recorded as DL had also commented when riding over on the Puntarenas ferry that the water was red like blood.  

I then found a much larger Porcupinefish and buried it to try obtain its skull if not jaw bones as there was no point preserving it, the Black Vultures didn't need any more food and why not learn a bit about bone collecting.  There were actually around 30 if not more Black Vultures hanging around leaving nothing but Anchovy heads on the beach.  I created a quick inventory of what was in 'La Bodega' or the food room to order in more supplies, at which point I noticed a Coati with an injured front-left paw.

Huge Wasp Seen While "Fish Hunting" (D.Philpot)

18:00 Later I made a huge fire to get rid of the extensive 'fish-market' type smell that could be smelt anywhere 20-30 metres from the beach… I would rather smell smoke than dead fish.  

Febreeze Fire, Scent Of Fish (D.Philpot)

Up at the lab while properly documenting the Red Tide Event of yesterday I saw the Flycatchers at the window again and upon return I spotted both a Black Vulture, and on a separate occasion, a Ctenosaur sitting on a light temperature logger I had set up collecting surplus environmental data.  I noted my mesh bag for my dive gear had disappeared, and a Skunk was in the area yet again.

Sitting On Science (D.Philpot)

No Fish Smell Upstream (D.Philpot)

Black Vulture Footprints (D.Philpot)