Category: Atenas

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Mama Dove Abandons Nest in Strong Winds

I don’t know for sure if the mother Inca Dove abandoned the nest or something happened to her, but by this morning she was gone and two eggs had rolled out of nest down the spine of the palm frond, with at least one egg cracked. An animal that would eat her would probably also eat the eggs and an iguana may eat the eggs yet.  61 mph winds could have done it!

Inca Dove on Nest
She sat on this for about 3 days in terribly fierce winds, palm fronds like sails!

Empty Nest this Morning
Was the wind too much? Did something happen to her? I never saw a mate
and wondered where Daddy bird was!

Eggs Rolled down Palm Frond & Cracked
I’m so sorry to miss the birth of two Inca Doves & Sorry for the Mom!
I have no way to save them and doubt they could be.

Poor Choice of Nest Tree
The nest is in this small palm surrounded by red/yellow crotons below my deck.
Nest in lower of two fronds on the left, tiny gray spot halfway up.

Check out our Weather and note that right now the wind is at 42 mph with gusts to 61 mph. The poor bird never had a chance! January-February is the usual windy time, but last year was never with as strong a wind as we’ve had this year. and it is still blowing strong into March, but hopefully dying down soon! Then a couple of months of windless, hot, dry days before the rain starts, May-Oct.

Read more about Inca Doves at Cornell’s All About Birds

My Birds Photo Gallery

POSTSCRIPT: Before dark I checked the palm again and both eggs were gone, maybe by wind or maybe by an animal.

PS again: Today I finished my Income Tax with only one call to the TurboTax help desk!  🙂  The problem was not with the form but getting past their security into my file online. It seems that I had two accounts with them with two different user names and passwords and I was mixing them up. Crazy! But done now!

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An African Bird in My CR Neighborhood?

Well, the web says that though native to sub-Saharan Africa, they have been introduced around the world, including the Americas. Quick cell phone photo:

Helmeted Guineafowl
Just one block out of the Roca Verde Gate, Atenas, Costa Rica

Helmeted Guineafowl
Zooming in for a closer look
Atenas, Costa Rica

These don’t have much of a “helmet,” but they are possibly juveniles and I am certain they are the same bird I saw wild in The Gambia, West Africa. Here they were near a stream, but actually in the ditch of a residential street.

For more information, see Helmeted Guineafowl, Wikipedia


Should I add them to my Birds photo gallery? I’m debating. They may be an invasive species?

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Christmas in March?

On one of my two walks to town today, I snapped these with my phone.
You do know that the red of Poinsettias is actually leaves & not flowers?

Yes. Poinsettias grow in yards here and in different months.
I’ve seen them in February & March now.

See my Photo Gallery called Flora & Forests

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Nesting on a Palm Frond

Nesting Inca Dove
On palm frond of small palm in my yard, Atenas, Costa Rica

Honestly I don’t see how it can last very long with all the heavy winds we have been having, but birds can be tenacious! We will see. I have much more stable trees you could have used!

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Amazing Mother-in-laws!

Flowering “Mother-in-law Tongue” plant
In my neighbor’s yard
Atenas, Costa Rica
Flowering “Mother-in-law Tongue” plant
In my neighbor’s yard
Atenas, Costa Rica

My plant like this is in a pot in my bathroom, so I guess it is not as likely to bloom as these that are outside getting sunshine and rain. Interesting! My first time to ever see this plant bloom. I did not know that they had flowers!

See also my photo gallery called Flora & Forests.


And enjoy this very brief National Geographic Video on the greenest & happiest country in the world:  https://www.facebook.com/natgeotvUS/videos/10154745276431005/

The Greenest & Happiest Country!

The Greenest and Happiest Country in the World

This is the greenest/happiest country in the world, according to the Happy Planet Index, which measures the happiness and longevity of a population and divides it by their ecological footprint.

If all countries followed the Costa Rica example, it would be a wonderful world! Go for it!
But first the States have to “Dump Trump!”
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Lineated Woodpecker

Lineated Woodpecker
In my garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica
I was thrilled that he was just 2 meters off my deck!
AND in the open! (for less than a minute!)
I have several shots of this species, but this is best!
One at Rancho Naturalista was previous best.
And I had a Fair Shot in Panama

Lineated Woodpecker
In tree in my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica
This “Peek-a-boo” sighting behind leaves is often all I get.
Still makes me happy! 

See my photo gallery of Birds photos made since I moved to Costa Rica. This gallery shows you my number one motivation for moving to and retiring in Costa Rica. I love the birds here!

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“Walking Grass” AND Super Bowl Champion

I called it “Walking Grass,” but really it’s a green Walking Stick insect
My Terrace, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica

I’ve seen several of these all over Costa Rica but so far all have been brown more like a stick. But this one is green and all the websites indicate it is the same bug!  🙂   Cool!

SUPER BOWL CHAMPION IN COSTA RICA
Did you know that Tom Brady has a house in Costa Rica?
http://www.liveincostarica.com/blog/2017/02/costa-rica-has-a-super-bowl-champion.htmlhttp://www.liveincostarica.com/blog/2017/02/costa-rica-has-a-super-bowl-champion.html

Tom and Giselle are in the small Pacific coast town of Santa Teresa.
Neighbors have included Leonardo DeCaprio, Robert Plant,
Matthew McConaughey and Liam Hemsworth, to name a few.

They are not the kind of expats I run into in the Atenas supermercados, but you might if you lived in Santa Teresa.  🙂

Tomorrow I’m headed to downtown San Jose for two days to make photos in the “Concrete Jungle” of Costa Rica and hoping for a lot of nice photos (of something other than birds!). . It will be totally different from my other trips!  🙂

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Back Door

Walking out my back door is always refreshing!
Atenas, Costa Rica

If you are tired of my garden shots, day after tomorrow (Thursday) I go to San Jose for a series of city shots that will be different!  🙂

Photo Gallery of My Home Garden

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More Flame Vine Pix

Close-up of an open bloom, Flamevine or TriquiTraque in Costa Rica
In my garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica
My favorite shot so far.

At first the blooms are “capsules” or little tubes before opening up.
My TriquiTraque in Atenas, Costa Rica

TriquiTraque looks best when massed on a wall like I have in my garden.
Atenas, Costa Rica

There is not much online about this flower in the way of information. As “Flamevine” the best I could find was at the University of Florida website. When I Google triquitraque it is my blog that comes up in addition to a lot of photos by different people. So I can’t tell you much about them. I did find this page article in a botanical gardens book which is kind of scientific. And I think I have already noted that in Spanish dictionaries triquitraque means “clattering noise” or a “string of firecrackers.”

🙂
See also my Costa Rica photo gallery called Flora & Forests
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Children’s Soccer Game

Walking home from town I passed this children’s soccer game in the Recreation Park.
I was surprised that they had artificial turf! Just for “official” games in the dry season, I guess.
Not there other days.