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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Hummingbirds at Monteverde

Green-crowned Brilliant
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
Curi-Cancha Reserve, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
Curi-Cancha Reserve, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Green Violetear Hummingbird
Curi Cancha Reserve, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Violet Sabrewing Hummingbird
Selvatura Adventure Park, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Purple-Throated Mountain-Gem Female
Selvatura Adventure Park, Monteverde, Costa Rica
Purple-Throated Mountain-Gem Male
Selvatura Adventure Park, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Hummingbirds are difficult to photograph and for me sometimes more difficult to identify (why they are the last birds I’m sharing), so I’m proud of these photos and three represent new species for my photo collection. Of course we saw many more species, especially on the trail in the wild, but too difficult to photograph.

For more bird photos see my Costa Rica Birds Photo Gallery, 169 species & 26 are hummingbirds!


 “Time passes too fast. Like a hummingbird flying by, it’s just a blur to my eyes.”
~Amanda Leigh

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A few of the BUTTERFLIES at Monteverde

Isabella Tiger

Monteverde Butterfly Garden, Monteverde, Costa Rica
Owl Butterfly

Monteverde Butterfly Garden, Monteverde, Costa Rica
Malachite Butterfly

Monteverde Butterfly Garden, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Bluewing or Blue-Banded Purplewing

Monteverde Butterfly Garden, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Colubura Dirce

Monteverde Butterfly Garden, Monteverde, Costa Rica
Thoas Swallowtail

Monteverde Butterfly Garden, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Postman

Monteverde Butterfly Garden, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Heliconius Sara

Monteverde Butterfly Garden, Monteverde, Costa Rica
Blue Morpho Butterfly on Charlie Doggett

Selvatura Park, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Heliconius Hecale Zuleika

Selvatura Park, Monteverde, Costa Rica

The Selvatura Adventure Park Butterfly House was bigger and fancier and maybe landscaped better or prettier but did not have as many species as the smaller, family-run Monteverde Butterfly Garden which also had a more lively insect exhibit, again not as big, but with more live insects shown up close by one of the owners. If you can go to only one of the butterfly gardens, I would recommend Monteverde. Plus if you go hiking in the Cloud Forest Reserve or Curi-Cancha you will see lots of butterflies in the wild.

Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.
-Henry David Thoreau
My Costa Rica Butterflies PHOTO GALLERY

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Some Small Birds from Monteverde Trip

Slaty-Backed Nightingale-Thrush Juvenile 
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
Cute?

Slaty-Backed Nightingale-Thrush Adult 
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
Both under a picnic table at park entrance. Could be Mom of above.

Yellowish Flycatcher

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
Sooty Thrush

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

Rufous-collared Sparrow

Curi-Cancha Reserve, Monteverde, Costa Rica
Slate-throated Redstart

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
My earlier posts had the more exciting birds like the  3-wattled Bellbird,  Emerald Toucanet,  Brown Jay with two Elegant Euphonias,  and Black Guan. And after the insects, I may do a post on the Night Hike which included several sleeping birds, just not real good photos, so we will see. And eventually I’ll post the new Hummingbirds gotten on this trip which are always slower for me to label.
And don’t forget that I have a large Costa Rica Birds PHOTO GALLERY with 165 species now. Making photos of the birds here is my main hobby and passion. 
You think birds watch people?

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Rare Pygmy Squirrel found in Only 4 Countries

Alfaro’s or Central American Pygmy Squirrel
Curi-Cancha Reserva, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Microsciurus alfari, Alfaro’s Pygmy Squirrel or Central American Pygmy Squirrel is rare and lives only in mountain pine forests of Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. In Costa Rica they are at Monteverde where these photos were made and they are in the Talamanca Mountains. I did not see one on my earlier trips to the Talamanca mountains. 


Alfaro’s or Central American Pygmy Squirrel
Curi-Cancha Reserva, Monteverde, Costa Rica


A squirrel is just a rat with a cuter outfit!   ~Sarah Jessica Parker


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San Luis Waterfall

San Luis Waterfall, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

San Luis Waterfall, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
The “Long View”

This was a “by-product” of our Saturday morning birding hike in the cloud forest reserve. Not big, but beautiful as all waterfalls are to me. It was simply on one of our trails with birds around it.

For your own safety, no swimming allowed!
Besides, this is a rainforest preserve for the wildlife. It is their water!  🙂

I have a lot more wildlife photos to share, just still going through them all and selecting a few. 

Today was Spanish class and maid day, so been busy in addition to the photos!  🙂
 “As long as I live, I’ll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing.”    ~John Muir


And someday I’ll do a photo gallery of Tennessee Waterfalls I’ve photographed. Some grand ones there!

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Brown Jay & Elegant Euphonia

Brown Jay
Curi-Cancha Reserva, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Elegant Euphonia Male
Curi-Cancha Reserva, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Elegant Euphonia Female
Curi-Cancha Reserva, Monteverde, Costa Rica

Got home this afternoon and been busy! So only these 3 birds tonight. But I will be adding more over the next week as I find time to go through the hundreds of photos. It was a great trip even with me missing the Sunday morning hike because I did not want to get home late. It is a hard 4.5 hour drive with about 40 km of gravel road that’s a killer for me! And Sunday afternoon traffic into Central Valley is extremely heavy with people returning from the beaches. Next time I go to Monteverde, I will go by bus even if it does take longer. And I will save money! 

Pura Vida!