WILD. Life

Inspired by the conscious effort of Diana at Elephant's Eye to "garden for wildlife," I decided to take note of which wild creatures share our little chunk of Earth here in Nicaragua. Living in the paradise that is an organic coffee farm, one would expect to encounter loads of local wildlife. In the past few years, there have been reports of puma sightings in our area, which I find scary but also really exciting. As far as mammals go, all I've got so far is the ugly run-in with the possum; and frequently in the evenings we catch the notorious odor of skunk, whose existence was further confirmed when our kitten came home one night drenched in the very same tell-tail (ha?) essence.

We are blessed with an abundance of little critters, such as the gorgeous butterflies that visit the farm during the day and the exotic but elusive moths who arrive at dusk.

I caught these 2 lovers in the middle of my garden!

If we step outside in the evenings, it is not uncommon to interrupt a web spinner unwinding herself in front of a doorway, where the sensor lights are sure to attract plenty of tasty night time fare.

She is bigger than she appears...

Without a doubt, it is the birds whose constant chirpy and colorful presence best characterize our wild kingdom. Who knows how many different species nest and feed and swoop and sing amongst our lemon trees! A cacophonous dawn chorus is a pleasant alarm clock, and happy birdsong infuses the air until nightfall. Ornithologist I am not, my humble observations include woodpecker, mourning dove, whippoorwill, the white-throated magpie jay (hard to miss) and a winged beauty like no other,

Nicaragua's national bird, Guardabarranco

We have at least one pair of Guardabarranco, or turquoise-browed motmot, who you are sure to see if you stroll the lemon orchard around sunset. With good reason, most visitors are taken with Guardabarranco's exquisite colors and long elegant tail. In honor of our national (and local) bird, talented friend and artist Heather beautified our drying patio with its image:Thank you Heather J! My job now is to add woodsy surroundings and other local fauna. As my artistic skills are just about on par with my bird-watching abilities, you understand my fervent procrastination of this task. perhaps as we move into the bowels of the dry season...