Category: Charlie Doggett

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Turquoise-browed Motmot

This is one of the lesser seen species of the 6 Motmot species in Costa Rica, found here only on the northwest coast, north of Manuel Antonio. I have photographed most in my neighborhood with two in Puntarenas Province at Jaco & Tambor Bay, plus one in Guanacaste at Hacienda Guachipelin, Rincon de la Vieja. See my other photos in the Turquoise-browed Motmot Gallery. Or read about them on eBird. Found from Southern Mexico to Northwestern Costa Rica only.

Turquoise-browed Motmot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Turquoise-browed Motmot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Health Update . . .

Doing well, just a little low energy and sleeping 8-10 hours at night. 🙂 But the continued oral antibiotics are working, I’m sure, and soon I will be back to a “normal” old man! 🙂 Catching a few photos in garden now and have a backlog from July, so the blog will continue! 🙂

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Westwood’s Yellow

I’ve been seeing a lot of yellow butterflies recently and this Westwood’s Yellow, Eurema westwoodii (my gallery link) seems to be one of the “regulars” this year for the first time. See more in my gallery link above.

Westwood’s Yellow, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Westwood’s Yellow, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Yellow-faced Grassquit

This little bird feeds in the grasses usually, though I caught him yesterday afternoon in my neighbor’s dead tree. He is the Yellow-faced Grassquit, Tiaris olivaceus (eBird link) which I have seen multiple times in my neighborhood along with a sighting at Curi-Cancha Reserve in Monteverde and at Rio Celeste Lodge near Tenorio NP. My other photos are in my gallery titled: Yellow-faced Grassquit.

Yellow-faced Grassquit, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Yellow-faced Grassquit, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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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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Blue-black Grassquit

One of the tiny “seedeater-type” birds in the cow pasture across from my house, the Blue-black Grassquit, Volatinia jacarina (my gallery link) which is one of the first birds I photographed on my first trip to Costa Rica in 2009. 🙂

Blue-black Grassquit, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Blue-black Grassquit, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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New Moth Species for me . . .

This Medarda’s Virbia or Stoll’s Tiger Moth – Virbia medarda (my gallery link with 4 more photos). It just came up on my terrace and died under my breakfast table one night last week. So I photographed him with both cell phone and camera and began the search for an identification. Not a lot of information about this little guy online or in books. The most photos online are in iNaturalist Costa Rica (35). Here’s just two of my photos, a top view and an underneath view.

Underneath View – Virbia medarda, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Top View – Virbia medarda, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.

¡Pura Vida!

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Healthcare Update

And for those who don’t know, I got a skin infection discovered by a local clinic. It is too strong to be treated by pills, so I was told that I had to go to an emergency room and be treated in a hospital, and I cannot afford a private hospital, so chose the public Hospital Mexico in San Jose where the treatment was started (in a bed within 6 hours), but after 2 days they moved me by ambulance to Hospital San Rafael de Alajuela because I live in Alajuela Province which is as bad as I had heard, 3 nights in a chair in the noisy Emergency Room. (They never have enough beds, which was why I went to other hospital.)

I was not doing good in the Alajuela Hospital Emergencia with noisy nights and trying to sleep in a chair. Walter (My driver, medical assistant & “adopted son”) tried to negotiate with the doctor of the day yesterday, first for a bed (there are none), then an alternative treatment plan. That particular doc also has a private practice, so they worked out an affordable home treatment plan. I was brought home after midnight this morning and rested well the rest of night.

This morning he brought his nurse (who lives in Atenas) 🙂 and they set me up for home IV treatments. One of them comes 3 times a day to administer the intravenous antibiotic and other medications (I caught a cold in hospital) plus saline solution. She’s here twice during the day and he comes at night for 3 or 4 days. Walter & K (my landlord) are taking care of me and neighbors bring food. Much better situation than the hospital! Plus Walter worked out with a local Lab to come once a day to take blood for daily monitoring of my blood count or the infection.

July 22 at home.
July 27 at Hospital Alajuela.

So it is looking better! If the white cell count is down by end of week, they remove this IV stuff from my arm and I take antibiotic pills for another week. Hopefully well and active very soon! The swelling on my leg (where the infection is) has gone down with much less redness. So we are getting there! Thanks for the prayers and concern expressed. Just all part of the adventure. 🙂 And life is an adventure! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Blue-winged Eurybia

I’ve seen this colorful Metalmark Butterfly in only two places: my garden in Atenas and at Xandari Resort in Alajuela. There are some good photos of the top of the wings in my gallery: Blue-winged Eurybia, though I kind of like this front/side view that shows off his brilliant blue eye circled in orange. 🙂 You can’t tell wildlife how to pose for a photo, but take whatever you get in the sometimes very brief time seen.

Blue-winged Eurybia, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica (on an Anthurium flower)

¡Pura Vida!

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Blue-vented Hummingbird

Hoping he continues in my garden! And that maybe the Rufous-tailed has accepted this species, since he has been chasing other species off. I just love the brilliant blue of the tail of the Blue-vented Hummingbird, Saucerottei hoffmanni OR Saucerrotia amazilia (linked to my gallery).

Blue-vented Hummingbird, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Titan Sphinx Moth . . .

. . . is sometimes called a “Hummingbird Moth,” though I think it looks more like a “flying shrimp;” 🙂 but whatever, it is an interesting visitor to my garden and this year in June (2025) makes only the 3rd time I’ve seen it. Here’s two photos from this sighting and see my earlier photos in the GALLERY: Titan Sphinx Moth.

Titan Sphinx Moth, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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