Corredor Porch One of my great pleasures is to sit on the porch, facing the rain forest, and enjoy the wildlife. The best time is between 4:00 pm and sunset. There is probably an equally interesting time after sunrise, but I am not an early riser. I like to sit in a comfortable chair and read. Then the enjoyment of the wildlife is quite leisurely, no pressure to be entertained.
I was surprised to see a rabbit go by. I think of them as too gentle to survive in a jungle. Then the guatusa comes along, a rodent the size of a dog, eating the fruit fallen from a tree. Then along come a dozen chachalacas, birds that look like skinny turkeys, or dinosaurs.
The howler monkeys tend to stay near the house, and howl when it starts to rain, or when the sun comes up or goes down.
One day a tayra came by with a half of a green banana in its mouth. It hid the banana in the stump of a fallen tree, for it to ripen, and to eat later. The tayra, like all the other animals that come by, could clearly see me, and probably smell me. I was only about 10 m away. But it just ignored me like all the other animals do.
Without fail there are parrots and toucans, and their raucous sounds. And most days I hear if not see the macaws passing by. Humming birds abound, pollinating the Heliconia along the edge of the clearing. As well as all manner of additional species of birds beyond my knowledge; and insects, reptiles and amphibians galore.
A pleasant way to read.
On the way into the forest one day, I looked in the tree stump near the edge of the clearing, to see if the banana left by the tayra was still there. It was there, covered by fruit flies. But also, the most beautiful (or at least the most flashy) butterfly in the rainforest was also feeding on the banana, the Morpho.
Just inside the forest, I saw what appeared to be large deer tracks. White tail deer have been seen on the trails just beyond the clearing of the house. I am told they are shy of humans, no doubt with good reason.