Gracias por toda su ayuda y paciencia. Nos vemos en el final de abril!

A slightly different blog today, in which I write about my last three weeks and show you many iguana photos.

Coatimundi pulling bark off tree for a grub breakfast.

Each day at the OTS station, I'm a bit underfoot -- in the way of hanging laundry, blocking a door with my tripod, causing staff to change seemingly each and every walking pattern around the buildings and their daily duties. Which they did graciously, and found me if they saw something exciting in the iguana department. They helped my work immensely. And if they weren't helping me with all things iguana negro, they were teaching me some Costa Rican Spanish. Otro mas! each time I set the trap for another iguana.

BrRG in office roof hide.

Along the way, OTS hosts both university classes and tourists who often come for the birding. Many meals were shared at table with guests from numerous countries and universities, and all leavened my days. (After all, while I saw iguana, iguana, and another iguana, they saw all sorts of other fascinating and beautiful animals.)

Spotted along the rear lab moat, KBPb heads to hide...

...which is in this block.

OKR at WWW's (Ig/Snake) area.

It seemed by all accounts the OTS station at Palo Verde National Park would be a good place to study iguana social behavior. 

Yearling UM with high-alert curled tailed.

Blocky drinking water with bees at the kitchen pipe.

But I had no idea the iguanas would be so plentiful, with every age class represented, from little yearlings to dominant males.

UM sneaker male hiding on a log near the laudry puddles.

My first iguana capture was Green-Green-Green (GGG) whose hide is a pipe under a step on the front porch of the OTS laboratory. Some days there is little traffic in and out of the lab while during other periods, GGG flees into his refuge dozens of times due to passersby.

GGG on the lab front porch.

GGG can see the entire Lab plaza lawn, the office roof, and the brush to the west of several buildings. In time, he let me sit on the green box in the lower right corner of the above photo. I shared his expansive view and numerous iguana interactions.

OBPb in hide.

Not every iguana is willing to trust nearby humans -- Orange-Blue-Pale Blue is one of the most shy iguanas at the station. Yet this lizard has good weight and is likely successful in what counts the most -- offspirng. Shy isn't necessarily bad news.

The ease of working at OTS, the most helpful and pleasant staff, the numerous iguanas, made for a superb trip. I have many more ideas about how to analyze their social structure and much more work to accomplish.

GGG and UM yearling -- GGG chased off a bit.

I might feel sad but I return to Palo Verde in about four weeks. I have a load of data to analyse and plans to make for Trip #2.

Gracias por toda su ayuda y paciencia. Nos vemos en el final de abril! (Thank you for all your help and pateince. I'll see you at the end of April!)