Category: Nature

My profession is to always find God in nature.

– Henry David Thoreau

Posted on

Eye-candy Leaves

At least for me!
A Cecropia or Guarumo leaf with its exquisite shape, color and lighting in this case. Captivating to me.
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort, San Ramon, Costa Rica

A dying banana or other tropical plant leaf
with its vibrancy of change in color, contrast and life/death
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort, San Ramon, Costa Rica
On the Sidewalk
Atenas, Costa Rica

Recycling older photos that may or may not have been used on this blog. For more see

the photo gallery  FLORA & FOREST  that has more than just leaves!  🙂

¡Pura Vida!
Posted on

2018 – Year of the Bird

National Geographic has joined with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and other organization to help call attention to the importance of birds in the life of the earth with a Year of the Bird  emphasis and an even more fun emphasis in National Geographic Kids. 

Read your National Geographic magazine every month this year for more about birds and . . .

See this very short Thank You Video from The Cornell Lab.  Or go to Cornell Lab Website to see how you can participate in helping birds.

Or just for fun, browse through my collection of Birds photos since moving to Costa Rica . . .

Screen Shot of BIRDS gallery opening page
Birds are indicators of the environment. 
If they are in trouble, we know we’ll soon be in trouble. 
~Roger Tory Peterson

The USA Today article on Costa Rica, the Country Without an Army & the Happiest Country
Thanks to Larry Yarborough for sharing this article! And one quote from the article:
“Blessed is the Costa Rican mother who knows her son at birth will never be a soldier.”

International Living magazine again ranks Costa Rica the #1 Place to Retire!
Posted on

Tambor Tropical Resort

Sunrise Over Tambor Bay 
You don’t expect a sunrise over the Pacific, but it depends on angle of peninsula or bay!
When no clouds on horizon, you see the big orange ball at the end of that point on right. See below.
Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica

My House for a Week! (downstairs)
Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica

My House at Night this Week (the downstairs part)
Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica

My Room, bath on left and kitchen on right 
Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica

My Dining Room this Week 
Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica

Looking towards ocean from dining area
Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica

Our grass and brown sand beach 
Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica

The Hammock I Never had Time to Use
But I did get a massage one day in the Spa!
Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica
Scarlet Macaw 
Several families literally lived on hotel property with 3 nest boxes.
It could easily be called the “Scarlet Macaw Hotel”  🙂
Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica

Scarlet Macaws always in trees around cabins and pool!
Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica

Interesting People Too! 
Last night a family from Nashville checked in with their Tico relatives! Small World!
Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica

And Beautiful Flowers! 

Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica

Sunrises are different each morning if you get up early enough!
Tambor Tropical Resort, Costa Rica

They host several birding tours a year plus the Cornell annual bird count and it is known as a good place for birders with an on-property nature trail and 3 public trails along the river beside the hotel. And now the “Tambor Turtles” volunteer program takes place on the beach by the hotel with opportunities for guests to collect eggs or release babies at the right time of year.

My trip gallery for this trip: 2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay 

This is my blog post about the hotel and I hardily recommend it as a hotel and the area for both birding and relaxation! I just spent 5 nights and can’t imagine staying fewer! You need time to get to know a place and benefit from it! 4 or 5 nights is my minimum stay almost anywhere in Costa Rica!

¡Pura Vida!
Posted on

Curu Wildlife

Curu Wildlife Refuge
Paquera, Costa Rica
Tuesday, 26 December 2017
 
Roadside Hawk Juvenile 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Double-striped Thick-knee 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Green Kingfisher female 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Pale-billed Woodpecker 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Lineated Woodpecker
Yes it is different from the one above!
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Spotted Sandpiper 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

 Brown-crested Flycatcher 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Cattle Egret 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

White-tailed Deer 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Common Basilisk “Jesus Christ Lizard” 
We watched this one “walk” run across the stream.
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Variegated Squirrel 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

One of the Heliconias I’ll Name Later 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Unknown Tiny Lizard 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Crab-eating Raccoon 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

 Baby Raccoons with above mother 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica
And yes, we saw a lot of Coatis and one Agouti, just no photos

 

What a Wildlife Refuge Looks Like Here! 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Guide Ruth & Driver Larry 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

The website of the wildlife refuge (1st one in Costa Rica):   http://www.curuwildliferefuge.com/

 
My trip gallery for this trip: 2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay 
 
Or my birds and wildlife galleries at   Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA
 
 
 
Posted on

Christmas Creatures

From both hotel grounds and the river trail again, on Christmas Day . . .

Streaked Flycatcher
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Black-headed Trogon  
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Black-headed Trogon Juvenile 
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl 
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl 
Side view – He’s looking left
Very difficult to photograph in bamboo cane.
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Squirrel Cuckoo  
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Boat-billed Heron 
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Magnificent Frigatebird 
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Cattle Egrets 
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

American Crocodile 
 Tambor, Costa Rica
Striped Iguana 
On this same rock every day at hotel. 
Tambor, Costa Rica

As always, you can click on any photo to make it larger.

My trip photo gallery:   2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay

And I always have growing galleries of birds and other wildlife as sub-galleries of :
Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA.  Making photos is my passion, hobby and fun.
My guides take me to Curu Wildlife Reserve tomorrow for hopefully some new birds and other wildlife. It is near the water like the hotel, so there will be some overlap!
Posted on

A King Vulture for Christmas Eve!

King Vulture Adult
Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

King Vulture Juvenile
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Social Flycatcher
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Olive Sparrow
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Rufous-capped Warbler
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Barred Antshrike
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Possibly a Greenish Elaenia
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Blue-throated Goldentail Hummingbird
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Painted Buntings 
They would not let me get close enough for a good photo
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

White-nosed Coati 
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

 Helicopter Damselfly
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Black Vulture
These guys circle a dead animal and attract the King Vulture
Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

My trip gallery for this trip: 2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay 

And my photo gallery Costa Rica Birds .

 
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS!  FELIZ NAVIDAD!
 
Posted on

I Release Baby Turtles this Morning

At the Right Place at the Right Time
As I headed for the birding trail before breakfast this morning, the turtle man told me
that 12 new Olive Ridley turtle eggs hatched last night and he was ready to release them.
New Morning Plans! I got to pick up all 12 from their nest and put in box for taking to beach.
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

12 Babies Ready for the Beach! 
Tambor, Costa Rica
One by one we take them from the box and sit each one on the beach.
Instinctively the head for the water, some in a big rush!
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

What a privilege to participate in helping save an endangered species! 
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Once on water’s edge the next wave carries them out to sea. They swim for a full day before stopping to eat.
Because of predators (birds & fish) only one in a thousand make it to adulthood.
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

 Once eggs are laid on the beach, volunteers bring to this sheltered fenced area to protect eggs from predators.
Behind a chain-link fence each clutch of 30-80 eggs is netted, dated and watched by volunteers.
Eggs take about 45 days to hatch, thus they know when most will hatch. Most already have.
They are expecting 100+ hatchlings on Christmas Day.
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

A small building was constructed by local volunteers who watch the eggs around the clock.
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

A Mouse Pad here + T-shirts are sold to raise money.
Tambor, Costa Rica
There are government regulations on turtles, but no money to help.
This volunteer group meets both national & international standards.
Tambor, Costa Rica

They are a new program and do not have a website yet, but will eventually have something similar to nearby MontezumaBeach.com to promote support and volunteerism and they are wanting to affiliate with a university somewhere for research as well as volunteers. They do have a Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Tortugas-Bah%C3%ADa-Tambor-120575518588150/  Though my effort to post photos did not work well with one put as a “Visitor Post” in the right hand column.

They plan to also post more information about the program on the hotel website:  Tambor Tropical Resort. 

And I will eventually have these photos posted on my trip gallery for this particular trip:   2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay.  And maybe in my other animals gallery eventually!  🙂

 

Posted on

First Day Birds

Turquoise-browed Motmot 
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

Black-headed Trogon
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

Lineated Woodpecker
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

Hoffman’s Woodpecker
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

Hoffman’s Woodpecker Feeding a Baby
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

Common Black Hawk
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

Roadside Hawk
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

Cocoa Woodcreeper
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

Little Blue Heron
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

Great-tailed Grackle
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

Brown Pelican
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

My trip gallery for this trip: 2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay 

See also my Costa Rica Birds Photo Gallery.

By tomorrow I will post photos of my room and hotel grounds, and more. Today I got a 30 minute taxi to airport and the 30 minute flight to Tambor. They are not full, so my room was ready this morning and I got settled, ate a second breakfast and finished reading the Washington Post. Then hiked the River Trail for most of these birds and rested in the afternoon and sorted photos. I’ve scheduled birding guides for Sunday and Tuesday and a massage for tomorrow. Great first day! Tambor Tropical Resort.