Golden-Mantled Howler
When you imagine living out in the countryside of Nicaragua the words natural, peaceful and tranquil come to mind. Friends living in the nearby town (San Juan del Sur) are constantly discussing the noise pollution such as the bangs and clashes of the marching bands, the bombas (firecrackers), partying young tourists, honking taxis … the sounds that are prominent in any small Central American town.
At Big Sky Ranch, the morning soundtrack is distinctly more captivating.
Dawn these days, and with little variation throughout the year being so close to the equator, is 05:15h. The first sign of light is consistently greeted by the troops of Howler Monkeys in the nearby treetops. They are thankfully quiet all night but as day breaks they engage in a rather haunting and mysterious chorus of low guttural sounds that ramps up to a full roar before tapering off again. These resonant howls serve to communicate between neighboring troops of monkeys to advise the other troops that have also been feeding all night of their new break-of-day locale. It’s a territorial thing which is why their howls can be easily heard more than a kilometer away.
And we can’t ignore the back up singers ~ the Birds. Ranging from noises that sound like car alarms or traffic cop whistles interplay with sweet morning song birds. And one can definitely not ignore a passing flock of Chicoyas. What a racket 50+ little green parakeets can make. The geckos giggle too. One of the horses whinnies in discontent. He’s one of the new ones. Is he hungry, or just one of those more vocal beasts?
The cacophony is beautifully intense, but doesn’t last long. It can return to quiet calm within minutes. For your enjoyment, we have recorded a Big Sky morning soundtrack for you. This could be your morning wake up call as well. Enjoy!
