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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Rancho Naturalista – The Place

One of the friendly staff at
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

My excellent young Birding Guide, Mercedes! 
 Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Main Lodge & Dining Room (office, kitchen, library, etc.)
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

My Cabin for the Week 
 Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica
Tile steps invite me down from my cabin
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Observation Deck above the bird feeders and vistas
I had coffee at 5 AM each day here

One of the Vistas 
 Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

“I never get tired of blue sky.”  -Vincent Van Gogh
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Early Morning Fog adds Mystery to the Forest! 
 Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

And Recognition is Good!
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

And their website: Rancho Naturalista


“The earth has music for those who listen.” 

—George Santayana




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Butterflies at Rancho Naturalista

Mexican Silverspot
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba Costa Rica

 

Common Ur-Satyr
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba Costa Rica

 

Black-bordered Tegosa
La Mina, near Rancho Naturalista,Turrialba Costa Rica

 

Variable Cattleheart
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba Costa Rica

 

Checkered White Butterfly  OR  Cabbage Moth
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba Costa Rica

See my Costa Rica Butterflies & Moths Photo Gallery.

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Frogs at Rancho Naturalista

Blue Jeans Frog
La Mina, near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Blue Jeans Frog
La Mina, near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Probably one of the Forest Toads or Rain Frogs
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Probably one of the Forest Toads or Rain Frogs
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

See my photo gallery of Costa Rica Amphibians

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Unknown Snake at Rancho Naturalista

Unknown Snake
 I zoomed in or cropped one photo for this closer look.
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Unknown Snake
I’m  guessing about 2 meters long. 
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

He was outside in front of the laundry room and as we gave him attention, he disappeared in the leaves and undergrowth of one of the flowers. At first glance he is a dark brown snake, like the one I saw cross a trail here on my arrival day. At closer look he seems to have an orange belly or at least up front and to have other colors than just brown on his back or dorsal side. See first image. He is similar to 3 or 4 in my snake book, but not an exact match, so I am not naming him.

See my Costa Rica Reptiles Photo Gallery for about 24 species

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5 Bird Nests Seen at Rancho Naturalista

Snowcap Hummingbird Nest
Wayne’s house near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Sunbittern Nest (vacant now)
La Mina near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Royal Flycatcher Nest 
 We waited a while but never saw the bird.
La Mina near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Montezuma Oropendola Nest 
 Used by another bird below
Wayne’s house near
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Olive-backed Euphonia Nest 
 Inside the top of Oropendola Nest
Wayne’s house near
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Olive-backed Euphonia Nest 
Inside the top of Oropendola Nest  –  Baby visible here.
Wayne’s house near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

See photo of several Oropendola Nests  in a tree at Selva Verde Lodge.

Other kinds of nests in my Costa Rica Birds Photo Gallery all with birds on them:
Bare-throated Tiger Heron on Her Nest at Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica

Common Black-Hawk on Her Nest in tree along Tarcoles River, Costa Rica

Social Flycatcher on Her Nest in  Cañon Negro Reserva, Rio Frio, Costa Rica
Inca Dove on Her Nest in my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

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14 More Birds from the 5th

Snowcap Hummingbird
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba, Costa Rica

Black-striped Sparrow
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba, Costa Rica

Red-throated Ant-tanager
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba, Costa Rica

Cocoa Woodcreeper
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba, Costa Rica

Northern Barred Woodcreeper
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba, Costa Rica

Immature Female Red-throated Ant-tanager
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba, Costa Rica

 Adult Female Red-throated Ant-tanager
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba, Costa Rica

Black Phoebe
La Mina, near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Torrent Tyrannulet
La Mina, near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Tropical Kingbird
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba, Costa Rica
Blue-crowned Motmot
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Montezuma Oropendola
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Blue-gray Tanager
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica
Plain Antvireo female
Rancho Naturalista, near Turrialba, Costa Rica

Passerini’s Tanager
La Mina, near Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

These were all photographed yesterday, July 5, along with the Sunbittern shown yesterday. Several were made before breakfast at Wayne’s house including the two different Woodcreepers. He too is a retiree from church-related work (Adventist) who loves birds and his house here in the forest near Rancho Naturalista might have more birds than the lodge with even more feeders. A really nice guy.

I also made photos of several bird nests which I will show in another post, plus flowers, scenery, and other animals for future posts. So like most trips it will keep on giving blog posts.  🙂

And the new species will soon be added to my Costa Rica Birds Photo Gallery where there are already photos of 223 species of birds in Costa Rica, and soon to be about 235 or more!

¡Pura Vida!
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Sunbittern!

Sunbittern
La Mina, near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica
Sunbittern
La Mina, near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Sunbittern
La Mina, near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Sunbittern
La Mina, near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Sunbittern
La Mina, near Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

This is a first sighting bird for me and the primary bird I wanted to see on this trip, so I am very happy to have seen it today and add it to my Costa Rica collection. I have added twelve new species  to my Costa Rica list this trip which is really good. I got others today but will show them tomorrow, since I wanted to show several shots of the sunbittern today.

Also I am very sore, having fallen in my room this morning. I made the mistake of spraying myself and my shoes with insect repellant at the front door, leaving an oily residue on the tile floor which I then slipped on and fell. I managed to walk 3 or 4 km today at La Mina and saw the Sunbittern after a pre-breakfast walk 2 km down the road here, just sore in my right leg and hip. I rest tomorrow and they are taking good care of me at the lodge! I may do some birding here tomorrow and work on more blog posts. 
Read about Sunbittern on Wikipedia   a bird found only in neotropical Americas on mountain streams at a certain altitude (and in a few zoos).

And my photo gallery of other Costa Rica Birds  before this trip. These will be added next week.

Retired in Costa Rica!
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Today’s New Birds

Click photo to see larger image . . .

Red-throated Ant Tanager
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Plain Ant Vireo
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Tawny-chested Flycatcher (with a moth)
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Gray-headed Chachalaca
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Plain Brown Woodcreeper
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

White-ruffed Manakin (singing)
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Rufous Motmot
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

White-crowned Manakin
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Orange-billed Sparrow
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Keel-billed Toucan
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

White-breasted Wood Wren
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica

I had a very happy birthday today thanks to all of you who wished me so! And tonight the lodge staff brought me a birthday cake with sparkler after dinner but the sparkler finished before I could get my phone camera on for the pix which I will show tomorrow anyway! 10 new bird species photographed today! What better birthday could I have? And tomorrow I’m going for a sunbittern!

My current Costa Rica bird gallery without any of these new ones if interested.

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Bus to Turrialba & Afternoon of Nature

An hour to San Jose & 2 hours on this to Turrialba, deboarding here
Transtusa Bus Station, Turrialba, Costa Rica

The nicests bus station I’ve been in yet
Turrialba, Costa Rica
My Cabin  #6 at Rancho Naturalista
Near Turrialba, Costa Rica
A pair of Blue-crowned Mot Mots behind the dining room
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica
A juvenile Snow-capped Hummingbird
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

White-necked Jacobin
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica
Rufous-capped Warbler bathing
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

I have a beautiful Tico young lady named Mercedes as my guide this week and we start with my checklist of wanted birds at 5:30 tomorrow morning. I expect to grow my collection of CR bird species photos this week from my current 223.  Two of the above from this afternoon are new for me, the Snowcap Hummingbird and the Rufous-capped Warbler.

A great day again in beautiful Costa Rica! Enjoying retirement!

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Cars Slow Down for Horse and Carriage

It is not every day, but I do see both wagons and carriages in town occasionally.
And even more so, guys/girls riding horses. Safer than motorcycles!  🙂
Atenas, Costa Rica

“Sometimes I think there are only two instructions we need to follow to develop and deepen our spiritual life: slow down and let go.” 

― Oriah Mountain Dreamer, The Dance: Moving To the Rhythms of Your True Self


And check out the “official” video on Atenas, just 2 1/2 min.
Or my little book on Atenas, Costa Rica   – Click pages to turn and fullscreen is best view
Or several of my Photo Galleries feature Atenas – just browse through them to see a quaint little town