This one might be as common in parts of North America as here, the Giant White – Ganyra josephina (my gallery link). One of the many new species showing up in June when the wind was not blowing. 🙂
Giant White
Variable Cracker
First Cracker I’ve seen in Atenas outside my garden, this one on a telephone pole between my house and the RV front gate. That metal strap on the power line pole takes away from the naturalness of the butterfly, but it is otherwise a good, clear photo by my cheap android telephone. 🙂 See more of this species in my gallery Variable Cracker. All of the others are on my Cecropia Tree.
¡Pura Vida!
Dark Apricot Sulphur
One of my frequently seen Sulphur is this Dark Apricot Sulphur, Phoebis argante (my gallery link). Note that the top of wings are a solid bright yellow while the bottom of wings (or side view) is a darker yellow with lots of brown spots.
Maquenque Trip Gallery Done!
Wow! Not easy and not quick! I always have a lot of photos to process from Maquenque Lodge and here are the ones that I chose to keep in the appropriate sub-galleries. Click the image of gallery below to go there or use this address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2026-07-2-7-Maquenque-Lodge-Boca-Tapada
¡Pura Vida!
Hermes Satyr
Maybe the Satyr species I see most here, the Hermes Satyr (my gallery link) was of course seen at Maquenque . . .
¡Pura Vida!
Roadside Hawk
This time at Maquenque I saw only one hawk and it is one of the more common in Costa Rica, the Roadside Hawk (my gallery link).
¡Pura Vida!
Jesus Bird?
Yes, that is what a few people call the Northern Jacana (my gallery link) because it supposedly “walks on water” though actually on lily pads and floating grass. They share one thing in common with the Basilisk here called “Jesus Christ Lizard,” again for walking on water. Both have extra large feet for their body sizes and unbelievably long toes! But while the Basilisks do walk (run) on water, the Jacana always walks on lily pads, floating grasses and other float debris. And Maquenque Lodge is a good place to see them as is nearby Caño Negro and pretty much any wetlands in Costa Rica, especially Tortuguero NP and Palo Verde NP from my experience. They are found only from Mexico to Panama.
Another interesting thing about Northern Jacanas is the male/female role reversals. It is the female that holds a territory and defends it and she has concubines of males! Plus, after she lays eggs, it is the male that sits on them and raises the chicks to adulthood. 🙂 Nature is just full of surprises! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
Nicaraguan Slider
These are my first turtles to be labeled Nicaraguan, but that is what iNaturalist’s AI said for every one of these photos (less the nose shot) and we’ll see if the experts agree after I post them there. It is very similar to the Central American Slider and thus could be either. But Maquenque is almost on the Nicaragua border, plus this species is supposedly all over Costa Rica.
Purple Gallinule
Another favorite of those always seen at Maquenque is this Purple Gallinule (my gallery link) with the feature image above being a totally “new look” for me. 🙂 This one features his bright yellow legs and colorful top of head not often seen from this angle. And sometimes you cannot avoid having a limb or plant-part crossing over your image when in a truly wild rainforest like Maquenque. 🙂 This water bird is found from much of the Eastern U.S. south through all of Central America, the Caribbean and most of South America.
Yellow Tyrannulet
This pretty little bird was photographed from the back porch of my cabin and when I put three shots from this sighting in my gallery Yellow Tyrannulet (linked), I found that the only two shots already in that gallery were made in the same tree two years earlier from the back porch of that same cabin of a more mature bird. 🙂 So Maquenque is the only place I’ve ever seen it.
¡Pura Vida!
I finally processed all the bird photos from my 2026 Maquenque Trip linked at: BIRDS (43 species alphabetically) with one “Lifer” (1st time seen), the Yellow-olive Flatbill.