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Wow! Not easy and not quick! I always have a lot of photos to process from Maquenque Lodge and here are the ones that I chose to keep in the appropriate sub-galleries. Click the image of gallery below to go there or use this address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2026-07-2-7-Maquenque-Lodge-Boca-Tapada
¡Pura Vida!
Maquenque ranks up there with Tortuguero on seeing and photographing the Green Ibis, though this time I was not able to get a close as before plus the cloudy/rainy weather made them look darker or nearly black, but they are always dark as you can see in my gallery: Green Ibis (linked). Just 2 shots here with more in the gallery. And though they all have a green tint, it is difficult to get that green to show up in a photo.
¡Pura Vida!
Another bird nearly as big as the Crested Guan and Curassow at Maquenque is the Gray-headed Chachalaca (my gallery link) and this chattering big bird is also common at my house while the other two are not. These three shots are representative of the many different looks that Chachalacas seem to have. I particularly like the second photo below of a very wet Chachalaca in a rain. 🙂 And note that both male and female have the red dewlap on their neck during mating season (unlike Crested Guans which is only the males.) In fact, male & female Chachalacas are almost identical, though males tend to be a little larger.
This Tropical Checkered Skipper (my gallery link) and that linked gallery will show you that I have seen a lot of these in Atenas with this one at Maquenque the only one so far anywhere else. 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
This is another one of the fine birds that I photographed from my back porch at Maquenque in two different sightings. I’ve seen this bird in only 2 other lodges but these were my best shots ever while just sitting on the back porch. 🙂 See more photos from these sightings plus those from the other two lodges in my gallery: Cocoa Woodcreeper (linked).
¡Pura Vida!
Just one of many photos with more available in the gallery: Yellow-throated Euphonia (linked).
¡Pura Vida!
This large bird is one good sign that you are in a truly wild forest. I always see them at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge and also at Arenal Observatory Lodge, two of my other favorite places! See my photo collection in the gallery: Crested Guan. (linked) Just the one shot for the blog post today . . .
Pura Vida
This small toucan, Collared Aracari (my gallery link) is found mostly on the Caribbean Slope of Costa Rica but it is possible to see one on the Pacific Slope occasionally where his close “cousin” the Fiery-billed Aracari (my gallery link) lives only on the Pacific Slope.
¡Pura Vida!
With several tourists here from around the world, it seems that one of the first things they want to see is a toucan, and the boldest one here is this Yellow-throated Toucan (my gallery link). Here’s two slightly different views with neither showing his patch of red, but still a handsome bird! We are on the Caribbean Slope here, where this Yellow-throated is more common than the Keel-billed which is more common on the Pacific Slope. Tomorrow I will share another variety of toucans which also has a different “cousin” on the Pacific Slope.
¡Pura Vida!
When you fly anywhere in a small plane you can easily see how trees grow thickly along almost all streams, even in urban or developed areas and that is certainly so for the little stream across the cow pasture from me. I zoomed in on it with the camera from my terrace and I like the thick forest look, even in a highly populated town or small city. 🙂
“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.”
~Khalil Gibran
¡Pura Vida!
And check out my Trees Gallery!