By Charlie Doggett
Click to preview the book online. Best if viewed full screen.
Carara Park & Tarcoles River – A New Book!
TWO YEARS TODAY LIVING IN COSTA RICA
Two years ago today (on Dec.24, 2014) I boarded a plane in Nashville with 5 suitcases and a one-way ticket to Costa Rica. (I’ve since learned the airline was not supposed to sell me a one-way ticket since I wasn’t a legal resident of CR yet. But anyway, I got here late and the taxi driver drove me in the dark up the winding mountain road (Ruta 3) from airport to Atenas and the inefficient Dutch owner/manager of the apartments Hacienda La Jacaranda was not ready for me, thinking I was not coming until January. His girlfriend had to clean an empty apartment for me before I could move in and the adventure began!
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| Today’s Boat Captain/Guide, Luis |
Two years later I’m on my umpteenth birding trip, this time to Sarapiqui and what some have told me is one of the best birding spots in Costa Rica. Well . . . I’ve only been here a day and a half, but it has not yet proven to be one of my best! Most of the birds I’ve been able to photograph have been at the feeder outside the dining room and only a fraction of what I can see in 2 hours on the Tarcoles River or a short time at San Gerado de Dota or Rancho Naturalista.
I was hopeful about the birding river boat trip this afternoon, but some new friends told me they saw only 4 birds on yesterday’s boat trip, so expecting the worse, I went. Well I saw about 12-15 bird species including a yellow-throated toucan, so very good for me and better than today’s morning walk, though not like Rio Tarcoles. But my guide here, Evon, is trying to schedule me an early morning boat trip for Monday when I’m likely to see a lot more birds. Hope it works out!
Tomorrow, Christmas Day, I do morning and afternoon walks and maybe will see a lot more. The lodge on the river is nice and I’m enjoying my stay here; resting, birding and meeting some very interesting people, especially today a couple from Ireland who also lived in The Gambia once like me.
Didn’t use my cell phone camera much today, but above is a shot of by boat captain and guide Luis and below a couple of shots here at the lodge.
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| Violet-headed Fairy Hummingbird In the gardens of Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiqui Maybe the only bird shot on my cell phone. Shooting into the sun is not good on any camera! |
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| Orchid Blooms In the gardens of Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiqui near my room. |
I heard that we will have the option of tamales for dinner tonight which is a big Christmas tradition in Costa Rica. I’ll tell you tomorrow on Christmas Day.
MERRY CHRISTMAS or Feliz Navidad!
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| Charlie Enjoying Retirement in Costa Rica My 2014 Selfie at Trogon Lodge, San Gerado de Dota |
And Still More Birds on the Tree!
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| Well, this one is not on my tree but one of my new napkin rings. |
See also my other posts of tree birds: Animales Fantasticos, Arbolitos de Pajaros and More Birds on My Tree.
A Birds and the Bees Problem
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| A swarm of bees building a nest on neighbor’s carport ceiling. Don’t know the name. |
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| Cropped in closer on hundreds of bees and corner of hive. |
These bees have taken over Anthony’s hummingbird feeders and he is looking for a solution to that problem. Let me know if you have one. Knocking down this nest did not do it.
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| His bees stay on his hummingbird feeders, thus no birds now! |
I have no such problem since my hummingbirds eat from my flowers and there are enough flowers for both the birds and the bees! 🙂 My favorite bee in my garden is the Green Orchid Bee I think I may have shown on the blog before.
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| Green Orchid Bee My Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica The hummingbirds and bees don’t seem to fight over the flowers. |
More Birds on My Tree & Little Theater Experience
See also my other posts of tree birds: Animales Fantasticos, Arbolitos de Pajaros and still one more coming!
LITTLE THEATER EXPERIENCE
For you guys back in the states who think I just live with the birds and have no social outlets, you couldn’t be more wrong! Sometimes I have too much going on to live the slow, simple life I’m here for. One group I belong to is expats that take charter bus trips to San Jose for cultural activities plus some local recreational activities. Last week we went to the San Jose Little Theatre Group for a very interesting little play titled The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. It was about a teen boy with Asperger’s syndrome that was a little emotional to me since that was one of Juli’s problems. But I enjoyed it and our group of 40 filled the theater which we had to ourselves. It was a late afternoon private performance and then we went to an Argentina Steak House for a very good dinner before returning to Atenas. Thanks to Tony Phillips who puts these trips together!
Arbolitos de Pajaros
My “Little Christmas Tree” or Arbolitos de Navidad is actually a “Little Tree of Birds” or Arbolitos de Pajaros. Here is a so-so cell-phone photo of the tree now that I have received the additional bird ornaments I ordered from Guatemala and Peru. I earlier showed you 4 of the ornaments I got here in Costa Rica and called them Animales Fantasticos. Click to see them again. Today I will show some of the ornaments made of gourds from both Guatemala and Peru. More close-ups later.
Animales Fantasticos!
I saw the first Harry Potter prequel today, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Animales Fantasticos) and of course you find them in Costa Rica! 🙂
And I also picked up an old dead branch along the road, lightly sprayed with gold paint, and put it in a vase of rocks for my árbolito de navidad (little Christmas Tree) this year and will decorate it with hand-crafted artisan birds. Here’s 4 of the first ones added. There will be more Fantastic Beasts! 🙂
And yes, Costa Rica is into Christmas decorations and the whole celebration in a big way! Every store is heavily decorated and the malls have three story tall Christmas Trees.
Seeing Behind the Leaves
In the forest or my garden, one must look through tiny windows to see behind the leaves:
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| Blue-crowned Motmot at breakfast this morning In Yellow Bell tree that will soon be blooming, Atenas, Costa Rica As usual, I said “Oh fuey! He’s not in the open for a good shot!” But this is a more common view! |
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| Tropical Kingbird (pretty sure, can’t see breast) From my terrace, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Maraca or Shampoo Ginger In jungle of my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Heliconia behind Heliconia plants My garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Red Ginger amongst the ginger leave My garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Red Ginger amongst many plants My garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Layers of Leaves My garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Heliconia Overshadowed in my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Between the leaves in my garden Atenas, Costa Rica |
Female Hoffman’s Woodpecker
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| Female Hoffman’s Woodpecker My Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Female Hoffman’s Woodpecker My Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
See my BIRDS PHOTO GALLERY
The Missed Birds!
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| Many Pass Through this Dead Tree at end of my terrace. Yesterday I had no camera when two Keel-billed Toucans stopped momentarily & then up the hill! and a few days ago A Blue-crowned Motmot landed in this same tree, briefly! Links are to one of my photos of that same bird made elsewhere. |
I think the toucans were looking at my Cecropia Tree (Arbole Guarumo o Yagrumo) which is suppose to attract toucans. So far that is as close to the Cecropia as I have seen them yet. Eventually! Pura Vida!
The dead tree is soon to be cut down, so maybe that will make the Cecropia more appealing! 🙂
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| The Cecropia or Guarumo o Yagrumo Tree beside my terrace (a deck in the states). And remember that I put Spanish words/names in red (when I remember). 🙂 Toucans love this tree, but mine is still young, so eventually it will get toucans. |
And for the birds I did get photos of, see my BIRDS PHOTO GALLERY
Or maybe you would like more trees in my FLORA & FORESTS GALLERY