As many people know Pavones in Spanish means turkeys hence the name of the small hamlet in southern Costa Rica that is a world renown surf destination. But I bet you didn't know that it got its name because of the annual migration of thousands of jungle turkey's from the surrounding rain forests to the beaches and area immediately adjacent to and in the town of Pavones. This annual migration is spurred on by the mating cycle of the jungle turkey. They gather in the immediate area not unlike the Atlantic penguins do in the various reaches of Argentina. Now unlike the Penguin the jungle turkeys run around in constant bunches of hundreds and in continuous circles on the road, beaches and ground in the immediate area. This goes on for a few months without any rhime or reason then suddenly they pair off on the first full moon of January. I quess that is why they call them turkey's! They are quite the hazard on the roads and many end up under the wheels of unsuspecting tourists who weren't aware of this wildlife spectable. The area during the annual migration has been declared a World Wildlife Heritage site. The annual migration starts around October and runs to January. So if you haven't witnessed this natural spectacle this little unknown gem should be seen.
