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More photos from Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge visit yesterday:
Did you notice the quote on the entrance sign to this refuge? It is . . .
“The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.”
― Charles Darwin
¡Pura Vida!
Early this morning I used my favorite driver, Walter, to take me on an hour and a half drive up the mountains near Poas Volcano (which will reopen by December if no more eruptions). I have been hearing about a little Soda (small family restaurant) for a long time that everyone says I must visit for the wide variety of birds at their feeders and one of the most beautiful waterfall vistas.
I was not disappointed! Here is a slideshow of some of what seen and you can go to my TRIPS Photo Gallery for a gallery of today’s trip, Soda y Mirador Cinchona that will give you larger and more photos to see of one more great place to visit in Costa Rica! Birds are presented in the order found in the book The Birds of Costa Rica, A Field Guide.
I watched these two at breakfast this morning as they perched together on that cable for the power lines. Maybe this dove and pigeon are role models that some North Americans need today. 🙂 Very different but happy together.
(Sorry, but I could not get a photo of them together with both in focus at my distance. They were like 6 to 10 inches apart but down the hill and across the street from me.)
White-winged Dove and Red-billed Pigeon are both common and plentiful here. Their name links are to online articles about each bird on the excellent Cornell Lab of Ornithology Neotropical Birds site. Also see these two and other tropical birds in my BIRDS Photo Gallery.
¡Pura Vida!
Some tribes of birds will relieve and rear up the young and helpless, of their own and other tribes, when abandoned.
~William Bartram
The National Bird of Costa Rica is known for singing in the rainy season in April and May, thus his honored position in Costa Rica, yet a simple bird. Seen here in my back garden, hiding behind a limb he thinks.
Change the world by being yourself. – Amy Poehler
Here is a slide show of 15 birds I photographed here. You can also see my Xandari Birds Gallery in the Xandari Trip Gallery I am now building separately online.
¡Pura Vida!
One of the regular blogs I read is Christopher Howard’s Live in Costa Rica (he also does the best relocation tour) and his latest blog post quoted International Living Magazine on Costa Rica being one of the best places in the world to retire on less than $30,000 a year. Read his post or go to the online version of International Living and maybe find it there. And bear in mind that it is still true even with Costa Rica having the highest cost of living in Central America, but right now I don’t think you want to retire in any of the other Central American countries! (Panama being a sometimes exception.) I chose to retire in luxury in Costa Rica over sliding into retirement poverty in the U.S.
Description of 5 Locations in Costa Rica that Retirees Love in an International Living article.
Today’s photo is of a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, the most common in my garden and possibly all over Costa Rica or at least in many of the places I have visited. They are aggressive and chase other species of Hummingbirds away from feeders and even “their” garden sometimes. Thus I have mixed feelings about them! 🙂 ¡Pura Vida!
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| This is the only island in the Boca del Toro Archipelago to have the Snowy Cotinga. We searched for over an hour before we finally found one of these semi-rare birds. Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama |
For the birders among my readers, this is only my second time to see and photograph a Snowy Cotinga. The other time was Christmas before last at Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí.
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| And everyone likes to see a toucan! This is now called the Yellow-throated Toucan Popa is close enough to the mainland for toucans to fly to them. Our island, Barsimanto, is not, thus no toucans! Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama |
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| Brown Pelican Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama |
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| Brown Pelican Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama |
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| Being in the Atlantic Ocean with lots of islands and mainland nearby is pretty! Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama |
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| I love the trees! Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama |
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| I love the trees! Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama |
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| I love the trees! Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama |
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| And the houses and tourist cabins are interesting too! Popa Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama |
See my “Trip Gallery”:
2018 Tranquilo Bay, Bocas del Toro, Panama
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| Blue Dacnis Female Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Passerini’s Tanager Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Palm Tanager Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Kiskadee Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Green-breasted Mango Hummingbird Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Tropical Kingbird Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Plain-colored Tanager Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
See my “Trip Gallery”:
2018 Tranquilo Bay, Bocas del Toro, Panama
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| Red-lored Parrot Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Red-lored Parrot Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Lineated Woodpecker Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Black-cheeked Woodpecker Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Boat-billed Flycatcher Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
There is a slight difference between this flycatcher and the Kiskadee which I will show one of tomorrow. They are easy to confuse!
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| White-lined Tanager Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
The “white line” is on his shoulder and only seen when in flight.
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| Blue-gray Tanager Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
Living slow in the jungles on an island in the Western Atlantic or Western Caribbean Sea. It is very hot and humid and you tire easily but it is a great place with lots of wildness, This afternoon we go to another island for a particular bird found only there, the Snowy Cotinga. Tomorrow we do the first of three trips to the mainland for birds. The two families running the lodge are very accomodating of us and our needs/desires. Cabins are very nice and the food is very good. We are experiencing a Panama version of pura vida!
See my “Trip Gallery”:
2018 Tranquilo Bay, Bocas del Toro, Panama
My favorite birding group here now is a Tico Facebook group called: Asociacion Ornitologica de Costa Rica
The one photo I posted there from my Arenal trip was this Keel-billed Toucan that I also used on the cover of the book about Arenal Observatory.
Several comments were made but the most interesting was from Diego who said,
Las flores han de ser hermanas de las aves..!!
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
The flowers have to be sisters of the birds..!!
It is possibly and old saying or even a quote from some writer (though my Google search did not find an author), but I thought it so interesting and true especially with some of the many colorful birds here in Costa Rica and I appreciate Diego’s comment!
Toucans are difficult to photograph even with the tower at Arenal putting me up on their level! But they certainly are a lot like flying flowers! 🙂