The two blue ones are almost certainly in the Dancer Family / Argia Family, while the beigey one with a hint of turquoise is one that I will not be certain about a family, though I think he also could be a dancer or possibly in the Clubtail Family / Gomphidae Family. Dragon & Damselflies usually stay near water and that is a matter of perspective for my garden which is 200-300 yards from the nearest stream. But that is where I found them. I will post on iNaturalist and hopefully the Dragonfly book author will identify them, though sometimes he only gives a family. Here’s the 3 photos . . .
. . . as the birds seem to be making their return (though still windy some). And the National Bird, the Yigüirro, is singing his heart out as if it were April and the rains about to start. Some say that means the rainy season will begin earlier in April or maybe in March? Not normal, but then nothing about the weather has been normal this year. This shot was of a solo Gray-headed Chachalaca, Ortalis cinereiceps (my gallery link) in my Cecropia Tree. They are often in flocks, but none yet in my garden.
Gray-headed Chachalaca, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
For my birthday in July, I’m going back to Esquinas Rainforest Lodge to celebrate my 85th birthday at the same place I celebrated my 83rd! But I did not do a photo book for that trip, so this is a delayed report as a gift to the lodge this July. It is paperback and only 22 pages, but shows the variety of nature you can experience there. For a free preview of all pages, go to this book in my bookstore at https://www.blurb.com/b/12361792-a-walk-in-the-rainforest
CLICK cover image to see a free preview.
¡Pura Vida!
Note that in my bookstore there is a separate edition of this book listed with a different cover. That is because I like to offer both the softcover and the hardcover image wrap editions, but now the crazy programmers at Blurb are requiring each edition to be created and uploaded separately. I don’t like technology that makes things more complicated like this! 🙂
I think! 🙂 It has the wrong markings for a juvenile Spiny-tailed Iguana which I see a lot in my garden and with my books and an online search I was not able to nail down a species right now, but I think he is in the large Anole family. I posted the pix on iNaturalist, so hoping someone there will identify this active little lizard on my Cecropia Tree. Here 3 shots from 3 different angles . . .
The Common Spurwing, Antigonus erosus (my gallery link) is like several species with the top and bottom sides of the wings being totally different which you can see in this set of just 3 photos . . .
This Clay-colored Thrush, Turdus grayi (my gallery link) is the National Bird of Costa Rica and widely believed since pre-Columbian days to be the bird who sings in the rains in April & May. One neighbor says they are already singing in his yard, though I haven’t heard them in mine yet. Yesterday morning it was the White-winged Dove out-singing all of the other birds in my garden. 🙂 And I have no idea what that means! 🙂
And interestingly, at night I’ve had both the Common Pauraque and the Tropical Screech Owl singing me to sleep! (Merlin sound ID) 🙂 But no photos of either in my trees at night. The linked photo of a Pauraque was at Maquenque Ecolodge where I’ve seen more species than any other place, and it was a daytime shot! 🙂 Here’s four shots of the Yigüirro in my garden the other day . . .
I’m beginning to see some of the old “regulars” back in my garden when the wind is not too strong, but overall, butterflies are still scarce and I don’t expect a lot before May. But I’ve had at least two of these Polydamas Swallowtail, Battus polydamas (my gallery link). Here’s 3 shots of one individual in my garden recently . . .
Nature photography is a good hobby, but it was never a money-maker, not in Tennessee when I tried for a few years there (I always spent more on it than I ever made!) – nor the brief time I tried here. But the joy of creating has never been lost. And though I don’t sell greeting cards anymore, some are still at Hotel Colinas del Sol as a contribution to a sometimes struggling local business there. Go help them out! 🙂
But anyway, a photo of a new butterfly the other day had me going back and looking at that solid green background more than once, wanting to make a greeting card with it. And the butterfly with his red antennae seems to be laser focused on something. So here it is! Created just for you dear blog reader! And who knows, I may do it again! 🙂 It’s fun!
An Orion Butterfly seems to be focused on life in Atenas, Costa Rica.
This Dark Calephelis, Calephelis velutina (linked to my gallery) seems to be fairly rare, with this being my third sighting and not very many have been submitted to iNaturalist CR or butterfliesandmoths.org. This one was in my garden while the last one was in the neighborhood on Calle Nueva. And my first sighting was in Cartago Province at Guayabo National Monument. Here’s two different views of this Metalmark Family butterfly species from Monday in my garden . . .
Dark Calephelis, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa RicaDark Calephelis, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Red-tailed Hawk? Maybe, even though this 1 by 2 1/2 inch feather on my terrace was a little small, big birds do have some small feathers. And it appears to maybe be too big for a Rufous-backed Wren (common in my garden) and not dark enough for the Oropendola’s rust color and there are no Wood Rails near me! So I’m thinking it is most likely a small feather from a Red-tailed Hawk that blew in from a nesting place nearby or blew off when flying over. 🙂 Make your own guess! 🙂
Feather on my terrace from a partly rufous-colored bird, possibly a Red-tailed Hawk and less likely a Rufous-backed Wren. Less likely because of size.
And my only photo of a Red-tailed Hawk here is of one in captivity, but this feather does look like it’s possible to have come from him. 🙂 And the more I look at the Rufous-backed Wrens, the less likely it seems to be his, but check out my many photos of him to see what you think.
¡Pura Vida!
TOMORROW: Latest Cancer Surgery & Treatments and how I Mix the Public & Private Healthcare Systems Here
Thursday I went for an appointment to a new private Dermatologist for me, one recommended by my public ENT Oncologist, expecting to just talk and set up treatments later. But WOW! And in just 2 hours I had surgery on a large facial growth and “Plasma Treatment” (explained tomorrow) on a field of little pre-cancer growths across my forehead. In at 9 and out by 11! I was amazed! Read about it tomorrow. 🙂
