charliedoggett.net
Yes, the above water plants are floating on a lake in Chachagua and living on the nutrients they gain from the water as do the plants below call “air plants” that live on the nutrients from both the tree (or vine in this case) and the water in the very humid air of a rainforest. A gentle reminder for us to drink our 8 glasses of water a day! 🙂
The Great Egret and the Cattle Egret (both links to eBird) are very common all over Costa Rica around water and these two were seen at CATIE, the Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center in Turrialba with both egrets nesting on an island in CATIE’s lake. And of course I have lots of photos of both in my CR Birds galleries:
¡Pura Vida!
More of this adventure in my “Trip Gallery” 2022 Guayabo Lodge.
In case you did not see the links in the last few posts, I have my trip gallery up and ready to visit in my big photo gallery. In some ways my “Trip Galleries” are my main photo galleries with them feeding specific theme galleries like Birds, etc. Plus if you are considering a visit to one of the places included, the photos will give you a good idea of what to expect. Click the print screen image of the gallery below or use this address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2022-February-14-19-Maquenque-Ecolodge-Reserve-Boca-Tapada
“We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone”
– Katie Thurmes
¡Pura Vida!
SALE ON MY PHOTO BOOKS – 25% OFF March 4-6 only with discount code: BOOKFAN in Bookstore
Though I have mostly recovered from my cancer radiation treatments, I can tell from the quality of photos from this trip compared to the two other trips to Maquenque that I have not fully recovered in energy or creativity, but maybe these five shots will provide at least a glimpse of being in the rainforest here in Costa Rica.
They have been calling this turtle “Red-eared Slider” but it is actually a little different from the North American Red-eared Slider, so now they call it Mesoamerican Slider (Wikipedia) or the sub-species for Costa Rica & Nicaragua of Trachemys venusta uhrigi for you scientists. 🙂 I’m just sharing one photo of it from the lagoon or lake at Maquenque Ecolodge:
¡Pura Vida!
See more in my Mesoamerican Slider Gallery.
And/or see the Maquenque 2022 Trip Gallery!
I did not include the “Green” in the title, though according to the books this area of Costa Rica has only Green Iguanas and none of the the Black or Spiny-tailed Iguanas, but all four of these photographed below are so different from each other, making me doubtful, even though I know that Green Iguanas come in all colors, have spiny tails, and frequently look like the other Iguana found on the Pacific Slope of Costa Rica. Here’s 4 different ones with all of them photographed on the Farm Hike at Maquenque Ecolodge, 17 February 2022. Note that the lodge is located on the Caribbean (Atlantic) Slope of Costa Rica which has only Green Iguanas according to the books.
Maquenque Ecolodge is such a great place to get close to birds that the portraits approach seemed logical to me! 🙂 Here’s 5 more and I will try to hold it down to just one more “Portraits Post.” 🙂
I can’t say enough good things about Maquenque Ecolodge & Reserve (link to their website). in many ways it is my favorite in Costa Rica and they made several improvements over my last visit – using their “Covid down time” to make many physical improvements plus they hired a new super chef with a menu that now competes with any lodge in Costa Rica! AND I still get to stay in a treehouse! 🙂
Here’s 5 more bird portraits that I liked . . .
“Wildness . . . has also been defined as a quality produced in nature, as that which emerges from a forest, and as a level of achievement in nature.”
~definitions.net
I leave tomorrow morning for my third visit to a favorite rainforest lodge, Maquenque Ecolodge & Reserve in Boca Tapada, which is in my province of Alajuela but in the far north near the Nicaragua border, a 3 hour drive for my driver Walter. 🙂 Read on for why this is a favorite lodge and check out the links to my two other visits there . . .
In some ways the Little Blue Heron (eBird description) is more photogenic than the Great Blue Heron, maybe because most are a solid color. See my other shots in my Little Blue Heron Gallery from 9 different locations in Costa Rica. I like bird photos with simple, solid backgrounds like this one, plus he’s flying with great aerodynamics! 🙂 But I also like traditional portraits like the one I’m including below as an extra. Both photos were made at or near Rancho Humo which you can read more about in The Backstory below.
Vultures are not all ugly as this magnificent creature attests. The King Vulture (eBird description) is hard to find and even harder to photograph without help, but possible as seen in my King Vulture Gallery from 3 locations in Costa Rica. Read the Backstory for how I got the closeups and follow the links to the three trip galleries where I found this big bird!