Category: Weather

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Lesson’s Motmot

One of my favorite Costa Rica Birds, the Lessson’s Motmot (my gallery link), previously called “Blue-crowned Motmot,” is usually one of the first birds I see at Xandari and that was the case this morning on my circle walk through the gardens just after seeing two toucans fly over (no photo). I saw several other small birds in the shrubs without good photos, including a White-eared Ground-Sparrow and the National Bird, Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush. The pre-breakfast walk is always the best time for birds, but with overcast skies and the threat of rain, there were not as many today. And that is usually too early for butterflies that seek the sun, but I did get one which I will share in a separate post later today.

Here’s photos of the two Motmots, male & female, with couples like this usually seen together . . .

Lesson’s Motmot, (I think the female), Xandari Nature Resort, Alajuela, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Lesson’s Motmot, (I think the male), Xandari Nature Resort, Alajuela, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Lesson’s Motmot, (I think the male), front view, Xandari Nature Resort, Alajuela, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Lunch Art Show in the Rain

As I sat in Xandari dining balcony overlooking the grounds and a fogged out Central Alajuela, waiting for my Nachos & Lemonade, I experienced a Wet Art Show of my own category of “Leaves & Nature Things.” After the introductory photo for the emailed blog post there are 2 short galleries of horizontals and verticals of the beautiful Nature Art I enjoyed before my nachos! 🙂 Enjoy!

Nature as Art, Xandari Costa Rica
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RAIN WET!

A wet, young, Tropical Kingbird (gallery link) and lots of wet leaves (gallery link) from my terrace Wednesday afternoon. I still haven’t been able to catch the rain falling unless a real hard downpour, but wet birds and leaves seem to show it okay. 🙂

Young Tropical Kingbird, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Yigüirro Work Satisfaction

The rainy season here is believed by many to have been “sung in” by the Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush. Rain usually starts around the middle of May, while this year it started in early May. And sure enough, the Clay-colored Thrush sang almost constantly throughout April and the rains started the first week of May! I think this image of a Yigüirro in one of my Nance Trees has that look of a “job well done!” 🙂 And it continues to rain almost every afternoon.

Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

See more photos of this National Bird of Costa Rica in my gallery: Clay-colored Thrush.

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Full Moon on March 3

Yeah, I’m that far ahead on scheduling blog posts right now, but it won’t last. 🙂 That is one of my drivers, Alex, who picked me up at 4:30 am and decided to snap the full moon on his cell phone in front of my house, so I captured the scene on mine! 🙂 There was the possibility of a “Blood Moon” at about 2 am that date, but I was not motivated to get up any earlier than I already had to for this trip to the public geriatric hospital in San Jose for a fasting blood laboratory workup to prepare for my geriatric doctor visit on the 17th. Costa Rica’s free public healthcare system takes good care of me now!

Alex photographing the full moon at 4:30 am in front of my house in Atenas, Costa Rica, March 3, 2026.

I could have gotten a better photo of the moon with my Canon Camera and Tamron Zoom Lens, but was just not motivated that morning. And it was just a regular full moon that I’ve photographed before, not a “blood moon” at that time.

¡Pura Vida!

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Tidepool Exploration

One of my plans for this second visit to Punta Leona was to photograph lots of interesting sea creatures in the Tidepools of Playa Mantas at low tide. Well, the low tide time I could go out for was cloudy and misty rain, but that is okay if there are sea creatures! 🙂 But I was disappointed with no starfish, seahorses, blowfish, crabs, etc! Only a couple of minnow-like fish, lots of broken up coral and shells and some fossils and lichen. But below this introductory photo are photos of what I did find and it was interesting, even if not what I was expecting. I will try tidepools again in September when I’m on the Caribbean Coast and see if my luck is any better there. 🙂

Playa Mantas at Punta Leona, Costa Rica at Low Tide, with
Rocky Tidepools circled in RED where most photos were made.

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Infinite Beauty

¡Pura Vida!

Photo made by Charlie Doggett on a Samsung J8 Cellphone during dinner in the restaurant of Tortuga Lodge & Gardens, Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa Rica, September 8, 2025.

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Clay-colored Thrush – Yigüirro

The national bird of Costa Rica, believed to “sing in the rain” in April and May, beginning the Rainy Season. An ever present bird you can find in most of Costa Rica is one that I never tire of photographing. Just one shot from my garden a week or so ago.

Clay-colored Thrush or Yigüirro, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

See my gallery of Clay-colored Thrush for many more photos! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Less Sun = Fewer Flowers

We have continued to have strange or different weather this year with July usually bright sun until mid-afternoon when the showers start. Well, the showers have been mostly the same with somewhat more this year, going all night occasionally, and even a few times into the morning. Which is OK, but, the mornings and early afternoons have had much less sunshine which is simply required for many of the flowers. It has been cloudy most of each day until the rain starts every day for over a month now!

My Porter Weeds are blooming less, the Lantanas have quit blooming as has the Golden Shrimp and the new Golden Dewdrop and Tropical Milkweed, all of which attract butterflies. The Zinnias that K planted next to my yard are blooming, but smaller or dwarfed by less sun. The only two things that seem to thrive in the dominant shade are my Maraca Plants (Shampoo Ginger) and the Anthuriums which I added some more of just to have some color.

The Desert Rose did poorly for awhile, which I blamed on repotting, but it is coming back strong now with blooms on each stem! (But it’s not a butterfly flower!) 🙂 It does need sun though, and I have it on the east side for morning sun, which is when we get what little we may get now.

Here are 6 shots of the ones that are blooming in July & August with another new one that I might not keep, the Ginger Lily. A shot of the “Garden Man” for the emailed version and then 5 more below that with explanations . . .

He used to have Golden Shrimp around him, but none blooming now, just the Anthuriums.
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Muted Colors Julia & Health Update

The Julia Heliconian Butterfly always has beige or muted colors on the bottom of the wings, but this one photographed in my garden in July seemed “muted” all over, most likely because of the sky or sunlight that particular day. It gave this particular butterfly a feeling of calm, sophistication, and nostalgia, I think. Evoking a sense of subtlety.

Muted Colors Julia Heliconian, Atenas, Costa Rica

See how bright an orange the top wings can be in my gallery: Julia Heliconian. And 2 more shots of this one . . .

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