Nest Abandonment?

For the last week or so the winds have been really strong here whipping those palm fronds around like giant fans! Note that we have high winds in the Central Valley of Costa Rica every January-February, so not unusual. It’s how our summer begins.

I’m sorry that the White-winged Dove had her egg-laying time come now and chose to make her nest in a palm frond, less secure from wind than any other tree limb would have been. The third photo below (and feature photo) is her on the nest the morning of the 29th after sitting there nearly a week and I have yet to see an egg. But by the afternoon of the 29th she was gone from the nest and not seen there since and I checked all day the 30th. If she lost eggs it must have been to predators (here Iguanas or a large bird or snake) because I’ve seen no egg on the ground under the nest which would be broken if it fell. The second empty nest photo was made from my step ladder (higher up) but still not showing any egg(s). So I don’t know what has happened. If she lost eggs, it will be the second time a dove has lost eggs from my palm fronds. Sad.

Dove Nest Appears Abandoned.
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Another Summer Tanager Female

I know that it was only a couple of weeks ago when I shared another one of these (maybe the same one?), but this one hung around after breakfast the other morning longer than any other bird and I had fun trying to capture her in the shadows of the Cecropia Tree. Here’s 3 of my efforts . . .

Summer Tanager Female, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
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Park Remodeling Inches Along

I know they are slow, very slow! But they now have a little wall, a stack of concrete that I’m guessing will hold the 3-D letters for ATENAS (that everyone will be photographed by) and in the 4th month on this corner, they now have a multi-colored sidewalk around the above. I sure hope they are putting plants or gardens behind that wall! 🙂 See more below and my continuing Photo Gallery Remodeling Central Park Atenas. And I’m not complaining about the slowness because I like what they do! 🙂 Now here’s today’s shots (on the 26th):

Northwest Corner of Central Park Atenas
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Chainsaw Massacre Across the Street

Last February I wrote a blog post titled “Tree by the Pasture” featuring one of my favorite trees, plus it is (was) across the street from my house in a vacant lot beside the houses on the edge of the cow pasture. Well I was quite troubled the other day when I heard a chain saw continuing most of the day Monday and continuing on Tuesday and went over to see what was happening, fearing they would take down that beautiful tree to build another ugly house, which is what they seem to be doing.

Well, below are my photos of the following 2 days of their chainsaw massacre. Will they leave the ugly stub or eventually level it?

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Just living is not enough . . .

“Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

~Hans Christian Andersen
Bougainvillea, Atenas, Costa Rica

From a walk in my garden with a cellphone! 🙂

I’m reading a book of all of Hans Christian Andersen’s stories now and liked this statement of his! Bougainvillea is not necessarily my favorite flower but they are at their peak of blooming right now and do add a lot of bright spots in our environment here! Everywhere! These are mine in a big pot outside on my terrace by the driveway between my Desert Rose and a potted Bamboo Palm. This is living! 🙂

Potted Bougainvillea, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.

¡Pura Vida!

See also My Gallery: Flora & Forest of CR

Waterfalls Day-Trip Gallery

The TRIP GALLERY for last week’s Waterfalls Day Trip is completed and I’m now focused on my middle of February trip for a 3rd stay in one of the Treehouses of Maquenque Eco-Lodge & Reserve in Boca Tapada. Click the gallery image below or go to: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2022-January-19-Waterfalls-Day-Trip

5 Small Sub-Galleries

¡Pura Vida!

A Really Big Tree!

Though not included on the web page of Monumental Trees of Costa Rica, it is a very wide tree that Walter knew about and we stopped for it along Highway 1 near San Ramon Canton. You can best understand how wide it is in the photo of me standing by it. It is obviously not anywhere close to the tallest with what appears to have been it’s crown broken off, maybe in a storm. But it’s still a nice big Ceiba Tree to stop for! And too wide to put your arms around! 🙂

A very wide Ceiba Tree – see comparison to a person in 3rd photo.

It was probably very tall before the crown broke off, maybe in a storm?
All Ceiba Trees are wide, but you can tell that this one is really wide!

“If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees.”

― Hal Borland

¡Pura Vida!

And of course I have a Trees Gallery! 🙂

Squirrel and Vine Snake

At the same breakfast stop for the Macaws shown yesterday, I got a photo of this very common Variegated Squirrel. Then, while on the trail at Tenorio Volcano National Park, a shot of an immature or juvenile Brown Vine Snake. We could have seen more wildlife in that park had it been our target instead of waterfalls. 🙂 But I stayed focused on my target of the day! 🙂

Variegated Squirrel, Canas, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
Immature Brown Vine Snake, Tenorio Volcano National Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
And if you have trouble finding it , it runs from upper left corner to lower right corner.
Yellowish Brown.

¡Pura Vida!

This Trip arranged with Walter’s Taxi & Tours.

My Variegated Squirrel Gallery

My Brown Vine Snake Gallery (only 2)