Howler monkeys

Even tho' we've lived here for six years full-time, I'm still blown away by the sights and sounds of the bush.  We hear the howler monkeys to the SW of us as they move from Xunantunich, down the river and into the hills.  There are also a couple of troops to the east of us, but they've always been in the distance.  About a week ago we were startled to hear the roar really close.  It came from the tall trees just behind our guest house.  During the day they were quiet and I assumed they had moved on, but then, just before dawn, the roaring resumed.  When Rene came to work I followed him as he cut thru the bush, allowing me to get a very restricted view of our visitors.  They reside in the tops of the very tallest trees and ours are so close together, it was nearly impossible to get a clear view.  I was able to get a couple of photos, but in the camera they just looked like a small, black blob in the trees.  When I was able to zoom in, I could see this was a family.  A male, female and below her, hugging her tail was a baby.  Wow!  A couple of days later I heard them again and tried to get a video of them.  I tracked them again and was able to record their sounds, but couldn't actually see them.  So frustrating to not be able to get the sights and sounds together.  At least tho', I have the memories to remind myself of this astounding place. 


I've been trying to upload my photos of the Howler's, but not having any luck.  They've now been here for several weeks, moving between our place and the neighbors.  What a gift to have had this experience.  Our place is a blessing and a comfort every day.