Author: Charlie

Retired American nature-lover, living in Costa Rica, photographing birds and other jewels of nature. This site simply reports on my joys of being RETIRED IN COSTA RICA!
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FROGS!

Last night’s Frog Walk was one of the best things done yet here! Ivan was my guide and it was just the two of us. He was one of my 2 guides the last time I was here in 2016 and he claims he remembers me (Ticos are so nice!)

He really knows his frogs and after I get these posted in my gallery I will ask him to identify them which I cannot now. We saw about 16 species, and here is 14 or 15 of those. One I did not get a useable photo of and another I have 2 photos of because they are so different.

Selva Verde Frog Walk

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Ruffled Feathers & Wet to the Skin

It rained the whole 2 hours + I was at La Selva Research Station, thus no good photos, but the ones I got tell a story like the wet ruffled feathers on the Tropical Kingbird and Clay-colored Thrush. The only creature that seemed to love the rain was that Blue Jeans Frog!    🙂

After returning to lodge for breakfast there was no rain, thus some better photos at the lodge, but no time tonight to post them, Later! Tonight is my frog hike.   🙂

La Selva Rain Shots

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Fun, even in the rain!   🙂

¡PURA VIDA!

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Frogs, Flowers & Whitewater

Arrival day at a lodge is often the most exciting and this one was pretty good! Walter drove me here at Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiqui with a stop at Cinchona and though it looked doubtful at first I got one of the two rooms on the river which got me a toucan shot (across river) and the excitement of two different whitewater rafting groups going by my room this afternoon, even though it rained much of the afternoon. I have 5 tours or hikes scheduled so far for the week, so ready to go!   🙂

Lodge Shots

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Whitewater Rafters by My Room

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Flowers

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Tomorrow morning at 5:20 AM I leave for birding at La Selva Research Station and tomorrow evening “Frogging” here at Selva Verde – a good day expected!   🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Returning to Selva Verde Lodge

My 3rd Christmas living in Costa Rica (2016) was spent at Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiqui, a birding “Hot Spot” in Costa Rica. Tomorrow (Thursday) I return and because I liked my room so much last time, I requested the same one. That is not always possible, but we will see. See My 2016 Photos.

I’m staying longer this time, not driving, and expect to relax more as well as photograph a lot of birds. Stay tuned for a lot of photo reports.   🙂   And enroute tomorrow morning my driver and I will stop at Soda & Mirador Cinchona for breakfast where I hope to photograph my first Barbet in the Americas. I photographed a different variety in The Gambia. They hang out at Cinchona some.

¡Pura Vida!

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Living Among Trees

My January week at Maquenque Lodge was special in many way, especially because I lived in a treehouse for a week – well I recently realized that I almost live in a treehouse in Atenas, on the side of a hill with trees and treetops surrounding me! It is beautiful with their myriad of birds singing, movement by the breezes, and my “galleries” for photographing birds! They are the most valuable thing about my little rental cottage:

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.

~Martin Luther

From My Kitchen & Living Room:

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Trees all around! The same from my office, bedroom and even bathroom!   🙂

 

Entering My Favorite Room, the Terrace:

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Where I eat, read and relax, surrounded by trees.

And 2 “Gallery Trees” for Photographing Birds

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Cecropia Tree I planted 4 years ago – the perfect open bird perch!
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Ficus or “Strangler Fig Tree” is the bird’s favorite “Hiding Place.”

¡Pura Vida!

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Crimson-fronted Parakeets

My breakfast treat on my terrace this morning was this pair of Crimson-fronted Parakeets passing through on their way up the hill – most usually fly over rather than stop. They first started pecking into the trunk of my big palm but the Clay-colored Thrushes with a nest in that tree chased them away to my neighbor’s big palm where I made these photos. Here’s just 5 of many shots made:

Crimson-fronted Parakeets

 

I still get more excited by the more colorful birds like these.

“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.”

~Wassily Kandinsky

You might also enjoy the other birds in my BIRDS Photo Gallery

¡Pura vida!

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Saving a Wetland “in the nick of time”

An old English saying “in the nick of time” or Just in Time could be applied to the saving of a wetland near my old home of The Gambia West Africa on the Dakar Senegal Peninsula:  Diplomats visit a key biodiversity site (article on BirdLife.org which I encourage nature-lovers to subscribe to).

If you have ever been to the sprawling metropolis of Dakar you have seen the danger of another city getting too big and another wetland destroyed like New Orleans did in the states. The great Niaye of Pikine, commonly known as the Technopole, is an exceptional urban wetland located in the heart of Dakar. And a big chunk of this one has been saved and hopefully the biodiversity that goes with it. Though getting less news coverage, scientists say that the loss of biodiversity around the world is as big a danger to the future of life on earth as is climate change. Yet modern man continues to destroy the natural worlds of places like this in Africa, in Amazon, etc. I’m thankful to live in a small country trying to do its part in saving the world’s biodiversity!

Read more about Birdlife International and sign up for email alerts.

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”       ~Albert Einstein

 

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Central Park Bandshell Update

It continues to slowly progress even if not fast enough for impatient Americans!  🙂  The center circle (reddish steel) will be the actual stage and the big black circle is the covered part including audience covered seating. They have stopped work again this week so the city can have its annual Climate Fair and Oxcart Parade. They are using all of the space including a temporary round stage in the center. I’m not feeling great this week and opted to miss the festivities, so I will have no photos of the temporary use. Here’s also a photo of the safety signs for the workers on the site. Interesting.   🙂

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Sorry its at an angle but I was shooting through a fence.

 

I had a “bad cold” or actually allergies due to the wind still blowing dust. Got that licked with some good medicine and good advice (close windows when wind blows) from my doctor’s young intern whom I really liked. Then I got up the wrong way from sitting and “popped” my lower back and now dealing with lower back pain. Saw my physical therapist who recommends stretching exercises of course!  🙂  So I kind of dropped the blog for a week or so with lower energy than usual. Next trip is 2 weeks away. Resting now!   🙂

I’m also working on my “Pre-Costa Rica Travel” photo galleries and just completed the gallery for my 2012 Tour of the Grand Canyon and Nearby Canyons. A good photo trip!

¡Pura Vida!

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Monteverde: The Book

IMG_9570-A-WEBI finished it last week but was waiting for Blurb to offer one of their discounts before I ordered my copies since I have to buy at least one copy to offer it for sale. That’s business!  🙂  I usually get about 4 copies, sending one to my host lodge/hotel and one to the birding guide I used and I’m saving a copy for some local library here in Atenas but I haven’t found the right one yet. Long story.

By including some photos from my 2016 visit to Monteverde the book has 123 photos on 78 pages with about 45 species of birds plus other animals and nature. I’m pleased with this photo book available in my bookstore at:

https://www.blurb.com/b/9427058-monteverde

FREE PAGE-BY-PAGE PREVIEW ELECTRONICALLY

Or click this cover image:

Monteverde

“My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of nature.”
~Claude Monet

Thanks to Monet for my subtitle inspiration!

¡Pura Vida!