Two weeks ago brought an unusual stretch of weather to Town. After several days of heavier rain, the skies have slowly returned to the sunnier, drier rhythm that has marked much of this season due to El Niño. Still, those rainy days left behind a few small surprises, including two temporary visitors at Central Park.
As we have shared in a previous edition of The Daily, Central Park is home to two retention ponds that help manage rainwater flowing down from El Prado. During periods of heavy rain, these ponds collect and hold the water as it gradually drains, allowing sediments to filter out before the water continues its path toward the ocean.
On rainy days, the ponds fill enough to become more than part of Town’s infrastructure. For a little while, they become habitat. That was the case last week, when two Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, known scientifically as Dendrocygna autumnalis, were seen swimming across the pond. In Costa Rica, these ducks are often known as “piches” or “pijijes,” and they have already been spotted in Town during previous rainy seasons.
Their arrival did not exactly surprise us, but it still brought the same quiet sense of wonder. It is remarkable how quickly birds can find and return to a place that offers the conditions they need, even when that habitat appears only temporarily after the rain.
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are easy to recognize by their long necks, long legs, bright bill, and distinctive whistling calls. They are often found near shallow freshwater ponds, wetlands, marshes, and flooded areas, where they feed on grasses, seeds, aquatic plants, grains, and small invertebrates. Unlike many ducks, they are also comfortable perching in trees, which is why they are sometimes grouped with the “tree ducks.”
As the pond slowly dried again, these two visitors likely moved on to nearby wetlands, ponds, or other freshwater areas where they can continue feeding and resting. Still, their presence added another layer to the life of Central Park. What was designed to manage rainwater, protect the land, and help keep runoff cleaner before it reaches the sea can also, during rainier days, become a brief and beautiful home for the wildlife moving through Las Catalinas.