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Tengo 78 Años Hoy

That is how we say it in Costa Rica español,  Tengo 78 años hoy, translated “I have 78 years today” on July 4, 2018. No particular celebration today, I will wait until the big 80! 🙂 Then a big party!

Super Hamburguesa & My Kindle! Before the Pecan Pie Alamode dessert!

This morning I bought a pecan pie (possibly my favorite dessert) at my favorite bakery, Crema y Nada, and vanilla ice cream at my favorite supermercado. That will serve as my birthday cake after eating my favorite hamburger to go from Donde Bocha this afternoon. Then I will post this with photos of both treats.

And yes, it has been a great birthday! Thanks for the kind messages of feliz cumpleaños!  (happy birthday!) from people here and in the states! It was a wonderful, relaxed day! I have a friend visiting this weekend and otherwise I keep slowly building the new website as I find time. So much information to add!

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BLOG MOVED TO WORDPRESS TODAY

Today was the day! With help from a professional at Codeable my blog was moved from Blogger to WordPress today as the first page of my new website using WordPress: Retired in Costa Rica, charliedoggett.net  Click link to see it all live. A Blog excerpt is on the Home Page and the whole thing as first menu item named: Blog

SUBSCRIBERS

Because of the move you who have been subscribers should have received an email from WordPress (check your Spam folder if not). It is very important that you CONFIRM YOUR SUBSCRIPTION by clicking a link in the email that takes you to a WordPress subscriptions page where you click again to confirm. Otherwise you will no longer receive the email version of my blog.

REBUILDING WEBSITE

I’m hoping to improve the blog by shortening the posts and using fewer photos to not overwhelm you. It now dovetails into my website with lots of personal static information pages, family history and cemetery data pages, and lots of stories to be added as I rebuild the site that was started in 2000 while in The Gambia, West Africa. I’m just starting the time-consuming job of rebuilding, so please be patient. Once the static pages are rebuilt and new ones added, I will consider moving my photo gallery from SmugMug to the website so that everything is in one place. But one thing at a time!  🙂

LINKS

Links to my old Blogger posts will be forwarded to the same post on WordPress. So any post you have linked to is still a good link.

Sorry to say that links to my old personal website will not! Family history researchers can still find the new pages on charliedoggett.net as before but with a new address. Email me if you need an article’s address and can’t find it. I have the only detailed information pages on the two Hardgrave family cemeteries in Nashville and the only webpage about our family war hero Earl Doggett completed, available now!

Let me know what you would like to see different in the blogs or the website.

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My Cabin & Lodge Facilities

I cannot explain why I never photographed the main building with dining room, etc. But I didn’t!

My “Cabin” or actually 1 of 4 rooms in this building with me alone.
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

My Porch & Hammock   
   Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Inside my Room   
   Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Part of the 200 acres of forest behind my cabin to explore 
 Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

The Trail between my cabin and dining room & dock 
 Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

The Birding Tower – My Favorite Place Maybe 
 Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Dining Room & Lobby
Featuring the Mike Smith family of Nashville, my old hometown! It’s a small world!
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
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More Water Scenes from Bocas

You may remember my first post from this trip, Life on the Water – check it out again and then here are some more water scenes in addition to that post and the Bird Island & Soropta Canal photos! It is all about water at Bocas del Toro, Panama!

Our dock at
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

A Little Island within swimming distance of our dock 
 This was the best area for snorkeling with colorful coral and fish!
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama
15 year old Scott, one of the owner’s sons and an excellent birding guide!
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Sunrises & Sunsets were mostly indirect for my times on the water
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

A common view when we went away from the island
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama
I think this is a lodge or restaurant on one of the islands
Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
And many people lived on the islands and thus on the water as here in Bocas Town
Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
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Isla Pájaros – Bird Island

We stopped by here on our way back from Soropta Canal. Interesting island!

We felt like we were approaching the Jurassic Park Island
Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Flocks of Magnificent Frigatebirds flew overhead with other birds
 Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Magnificent Frigatebird Juvenile
 Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Brown Booby
 Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Brown Booby
  Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Brown Booby Baby
 Many seabirds nest on this island.
Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Red-billed Tropicbird
 Bird Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
From Institute for Tropical Ecology & Conservation
Note a column for “Bird Island”
Also column for “Soropta Canal” we visited the same day. 

Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
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Mainland Birding Near Bocas del Toro

Only a sample of the many birds we saw driving from the coast up the mountain in mainland Panama at closest point to Bocas del Toro Archipelago of islands. For all that I photographed on this trip see my TRIP GALLERY 2018 Tranquilo Bay, the Birds sub-gallery.

Green Ibis
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

Passerini’s Tanager
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

Pale-vented Pigeon
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

 

Cattle Egret Juvenile in Nest
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

Boat-billed Heron Juvenile near nest
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

Swallowtail Kite
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama

 

Silver Throated Tanager
Mainland Panama near Bocas del Toro Islands, Panama
Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

See my “Trip Gallery”:
2018 Tranquilo Bay, Bocas del Toro, Panama

 

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ALSO OF POSSIBLE INTEREST TO YOU:




 

Check out BirdLife International for ways you can be a better conservationist.
Their People & Nature Program!
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And of course the serious birder must join eBird and the
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And for Costa Rica Birders I recommend the Facebook Group
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Soropta Canal Birds

Just a sample of the many kinds of birds we saw and I photographed on the old Snyder Canal for Banana Boats now called Soropta Canal for the nearby beach it parallels near the little town of Changuinola, Panama. A rich diversity of plants and wildlife are there!

Yellow-headed Caracara
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama

Groove-billed Anis
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama

Purple Gallinule
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama

Roadside Hawk Juvenile
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama

Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama

Roseate Spoonbill
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama

Snowy Egret (in the rain)
Soropta Canal, Changuinola, Panama
Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
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Other Wildlife from Panama

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth Mother with Child
Soropta Canal, Changuinola near Bocas del Toro, Panama

Juvenile Green IguanaSoropta Canal, Changuinola near Bocas del Toro, Panama

Unknown Insect
 On our mainland highland hike near Bocas del Toro, Panama

Blue Crab or Mangrove Crab 
 Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Common Basilisk or “Jesus Christ Lizard” 
 Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama
Stumbled on this wonderful researchers website on the Bocas del Toro Ecosystem which is a local station of the Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation. 
There was other wildlife, but this is representative. We heard lots of Howler Monkeys but there are none on the lodge’s island. The family saw some at the chocolate farm visit. The only monkeys on Bastimentos Island are White-faced Capuchin, but we saw none. 
For more Central American wildlife other than birds see my Other Wildlife photo gallery.

Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama