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! 🙂

December 22, 2017

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.

December 18, 2017

Bright Flowers & Happy People

A half block uphill from the Roca Verde main gate is one of the smallest and poorest houses in Boqueron Barrio.
But in front of the little house is this beautiful array of bougainvillea that blooms the most in dry season.
And behind it is the happy chatter and laughter of little children, some on summer vacation from school.
Atenas, Costa Rica

See my photo gallery Flora & Forest for more flower photos.

Or my photo gallery People & Fiestas for more happy people.

And I just became aware of the new website for our Su Espacio Spanish Atenas Classes. Nice!

-o-

Ship That Ran Aground in Manzanillo, near where I spent a week a year ago September. It could have been weather or a sloppy boat captain (doesn’t say), but it looks like some heavy work will be needed to get it back out to sea. Click the photo in article to see it enlarged.

Paddling Across the Gulf of Nicoya is an interesting article about a group of all ages of Ticos who used paddle boards to paddle across the 17 mile wide Gulf of Nicoya near where I will be vacationing during Christmas. Here paddle boarding has become a popular substitute for surfing, especially for novices or as surfers get older, though this trip was in the relatively calm waters of a bay in the morning, 5-11 am as opposed to the open Pacific Ocean where some people use them.

-o-

ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT MOVING ABROAD?

Five Things People Will Say When You Tell Them You’re Moving Abroad (Other than “You’re crazy.”)

As a non-member of “InterNations” it will take you to a join page where you just click “Maybe Later” and then it takes you to the article. Some of the 5 things you face in this article are more true for younger persons still employed and planning to work overseas, but generally what lots of Americans will ask/say to everyone moving. Somebody asked me every one of these questions before my move. 🙂
And somewhere nearer the beginning of this blog, 2014-2015, I tried to answer every one of them.

December 6, 2017

Banded Skipper

Banded Skipper Butterfly
In my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

Photo Gallery of Butterflies & Moths

Selfie of Old Man on Daily Walk
Atenas, Costa Rica
Strangler Fig Tree in Background

And a gallery of Other Photos of Me for those who say I only have bird photos

November 25, 2017

Early Bloomers

Our “winter” or el invierno (rainy season) generally goes through November with “summer” or el verano (dry season) starting in December, with some flowers like the yellow & orange below not blooming until January. Even though we still have some rain (less now) the flowers indicate summer. It has been a very wet rainy season, so I guess a very dry season coming! 🙂

Bougainvillea
Atenas, Costa Rica

Yellow Bells
Atenas, Costa Rica

Triquitraque
Atenas, Costa Rica

Once de Abril
Atenas, Costa Rica

Flowers are restful to look at.

They have neither emotions nor conflicts.

~Sigmund Freud

All of the above flowers snapped on my cellphone in my personal garden yesterday. Love it!

And for more flowers, see my Flora & Forest photo galleries! Beauty year around here!

¡Pura Vida!

November 23, 2017July 22, 2018

Neighbor’s View of Atenas

Atenas as seen from higher up the hill from me in the morning fog.
This nice photo was made by Tom & Jessica, here for a couple of months on their trip around the world.
See their blog http://www.worldwidewaftage.com/ Like most places you pay more for better view!
Of course they zoomed in on the church with camera – they aren’t this close!
Atenas, Costa Rica

Maybe call my view toward town “more natural” with more trees than even houses & no church.
I am barely on the side of a little hill while the other view is from twice as high & zoomed more!
Atenas, Costa Rica

BLOG STATS

I have now written more than 1,000 posts that have received more than 100.000 pageviews online from more than 20 countries. I guess there is a lot of random viewing of blogs by some people. 🙂

November 22, 2017

Chachalacas in Guarumo Tree

Two Gray-headed Chachalacas in the Guarumo Tree at my Terrace
My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica
Note that the orange blooming tree is more than 100 yards away on a hill.

Closer view of one Gray-headed Chachalaca
My Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica

I realized that If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes.

~Charles Lindbergh

And since it is Thanksgiving in the states, my American friends can pretend these are my backyard turkeys! 🙂 Though Thursday is just another normal day here! Unfortunately a few businesses are doing “Black Friday” here. Anything to make a buck! And a lot of these rich American expats here still can’t turn loose of the states and feel obligated to buy a $40+ imported American turkey and try to recreate an American Thanksgiving here. Not me. Just a regular day thursday! So, happy Thanksgiving or happy regular day to all my readers! 🙂

And for the fellow birders, I just learned today that the Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab of Ornithology just released a Costa Rica Pack, so now you can use it to identify birds in Costa Rica and I’m hoping it will be better than the local app for identifying birds, but either way I will have two choices now! You have to download the Costa Rica Pack separately to the app. Just got it today, so no time to test it yet except for one bird from the terrace. Merlin ID is free from your app store and then within it you download the free Costa Rica Pack that includes info and photos of 750 Costa Rica Birds! Cool!

November 17, 2017

Added Bird from El Salvador to My Tree

“Peace Dove” by an artist in El Salvador
Now hanging on my year around Christmas Tree

In my living room last Christmas I added a tree on which I hung crafted birds from all over Central America. Some I bought locally and others came from UNICEF. Every purchase from them helps care for children all around the world! I encourage you to consider buying a new tree ornament or other hand-crafted Christmas gift from:

https://www.market.unicefusa.org/unique-gifts/

November 15, 2017

Chapel at Villa Blanca


Mariana Chapel Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica

Chapel
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve
San Ramon, Costa Rica

Flowers in front of Chapel
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve
San Ramon, Costa Rica

Oxcart in front of Chapel
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve
San Ramon, Costa Rica

Villa Blanca’s Mariana Wedding Chapel was the 50th anniversary-wedding gift from former President Rodrigo Carazo Odio to First Lady Estrella Carazo Zeledon. Its unique hand painted ceramic ceiling depicts the history of the Virgin Mary when first introduced into Latin America by Christian missionaries. It is located on a grassy knoll overlooking the farm village and hacienda of Villa Blanca. The Chapel’s backdrop is the 840 Ha (2000 acre) Los Angeles Cloud Forest, with over 300 listed bird species included within a variety of flora and fauna in this protected habitat and serene mountain setting. The chapel, a replica of a 17th century chapel in Rome, features a high beam ceiling composed of 840 individual ceramic plates, all of them hand drawn and painted with high temperature enamel paints. Each side of the ceiling has 15 panels of 28 plates divided in two vertical rows of 14 plates. Each one of the columns formed by the 14 plates conveys a theme allusive to a Latin-American virgin and her country of origin.

My trip gallery: 2017 Villa Blanca

My reviews of other Costa Rica Lodges & Hotels if exploring this fun country. Note that at Drake Bay I stayed at the sister hotel of Villa Blanca, Aguila de Osa – both are Greentique Hotels.