Inspection through binoculars in daylight revealed only a small, gray-brown blob that appeared to be fastening a few bits of moss or lichens together, suspended in what seemed to be a spider web. The steady light reminded us of glow-worms and other insects that produce their own light. Perhaps a visit next year will solve this mystery. After a few days on El Baru, the group moved to another cloud forest on a nearby mountain, where plant and animal species were different because of a difference in altitude. A thousand feet in altitude can make a good deal of difference in daytime and nighttime temperatures, which influence the growth of vegetation and thus the animals that live in these different habitats.
Nights are quite chilly, but sunny days can be quite hot.
Most of those birds were insect eaters, drawn by the abundance of moths which had been attracted to the fluorescent lights which were routinely turned on at dusk. A red-tailed squirrel had just finished checking out this same tree only moments earlier. And up the trail a hundred meters or so, a two-toed sloth had met an unhappy fate a few days earlier. All that remained of him was a few bones, an untidy pile of fur, and several of his long, curved claws lying on the ground.