Category: Wildlife

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Banded Peacock Butterfly

It’s April 1 in Costa Rica and the Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush are “singing in the rain” says tradition, meaning that next month begins our rainy season or our “winter” (invierno) and it is not only the greener and fresher time of year for me, but the time (May-November) that I see more butterflies, at least at my house in the Central Valley. And this Banded Peacock is one of the regulars here. Here’s an early one who looks a little weathered and I would think that is because of all the wind we’ve had since December. But windless rain is coming along with a lot more butterflies when we experience a “winter” that is more like Spring in the north! 🙂

Banded Peacock, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

See more of these in my Banded Peacock Gallery.

¡Pura Vida!

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An “Electric Blue” Thrush

It has been a similar problem with other photographs: MORNING SHADOWS in the trees. This original photo was more of a silhouette and of course the English name describes the bird accurately as “Clay-colored Thrush,” while my effort to remove the shadows left him more “electric blue.” 🙂

This is one bird that I prefer the Spanish name for, Yigüirro! I love just saying it and it’s not long until in April and May when he will be singing in the rains for the beginning of our rainy season! I can’t wait! I prefer the rainy (green) season! 🙂

An “Electric Blue” Thrush after my efforts to pull a Clay-colored one out of the shadows. 🙂

See what they really look like in my Clay-colored Thrush Gallery!

¡Pura Vida!

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Unidentified Insect

I have several insect books but none come close to including all the thousands of species here in Costa Rica and this one seen in my garden the other day is now number 40-something in my Unidentified Insects Gallery! 🙂

As always with any photo labeled “unidentified,” I welcome the help of any reader or visitor to my galleries. Just use the “Contact” button on the menu of this blog website or on my Gallery website also. It is frustrating to me to have photos without the proper identification.

Unidentified Insect, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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The “Everywhere Iguanas”

Without a doubt, the most frequently seen wildlife at Hotel Villa Lapas in Tarcoles was the Black Spiny-tailed Iguana, Ctenosaura similis (Wikipedia link) that lives only on the Pacific Slopes of Costa Rica (for reasons I know not), while the Green Iguana can be seen on both slopes, but more so on the Caribbean slope. Just two photos here, but I already have the Iguana Gallery for Villa Lapas ready where you can see more or even more in my CR Black Spiny-tail Iguana Gallery.

Black Spiny-tailed Iguana, Hotel Villa Lapas, Tarcoles, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
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2 Bat Species in Carara Park

The Northern Ghost Bat, Diclidurus albus (Wikipedia Link) is an obvious identification because the only other white bat in Central America is the Honduran White Bat and it has obvious yellow ears & nose, leaving this as the only other white bat. I’ve seen it twice in my nearly 10 years in Costa Rica and both times in Carara National Park where I got this photo more than a week ago.

Northern Ghost Bat, Carara National Park, Tarcoles, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Read on for the White-lined Bat . . .

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The “Cute” Rodent – Agouti!

This Central American Agouti, Dasyprocta punctata (Wikipedia Link) is indigenous to Central America and found from Southern Mexico through all the countries to the northern borders of South America with another species in the rest of South America, plus Mexico has a Black Agouti. This one was photographed in Carara National Park, Tarcoles. I have photographed several in many places as seen in my C.A. Agouti Gallery.

Central American Agouti, Carara National Park, Tarcoles, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Golden-hooded Tanager

The last bird I will post about from the Villa Lapas & Carara Park trip is not a good photo but a cool bird! The Golden-hooded Tanager, Stilpnia larvata (eBird link) was this time photographed inside Carara Park and is one I’ve seen all over Costa Rica as noted in my Golden-hooded Tanager GALLERY where there are some much better photos than this one in the shadows.

Golden-hooded Tanager, Carara National Park, Tarcoles, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Piratic Flycatcher

A pirate because he steals nests made by other birds, the Piratic Flycatcher, Legatus leucophaiuss (eBird link) is not new to me, but these were difficult to identify at first, even confusing one with the Streaked Flycatcher, but he was not large enough. I had several sightings of this bird during my 2 hours in Carara Park and I’m now reasonably certain of these identifications, even with poor light and shadow problems. I’ve seen this species in three other locations (Arenal, Xandari & Monteverde) as shown in my Piratic Flycatcher Gallery. Here’s three totally different photos of the same species . . .

Piratic Flycatcher, Carara National Park, Tarcoles, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
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Kingbird Catches Insect

In Carara National Park on my last morning in Tarcoles, I barely got photos (in poor light) of this Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus (eBird link) before and after he caught an insect for his breakfast. 🙂

Tropical Kingbird, Carara National Park, Tarcoles, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Tropical Kingbird, Carara National Park, Tarcoles, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

I have some much better photos in my Tropical Kingbird Gallery. 🙂

¡Pura Vida!