Curu Wildlife

Curu Wildlife Refuge
Paquera, Costa Rica
Tuesday, 26 December 2017
 
Roadside Hawk Juvenile 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Double-striped Thick-knee 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Green Kingfisher female 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Pale-billed Woodpecker 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Lineated Woodpecker
Yes it is different from the one above!
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Spotted Sandpiper 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

 Brown-crested Flycatcher 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Cattle Egret 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

White-tailed Deer 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Common Basilisk “Jesus Christ Lizard” 
We watched this one “walk” run across the stream.
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Variegated Squirrel 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

One of the Heliconias I’ll Name Later 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Unknown Tiny Lizard 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Crab-eating Raccoon 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

 Baby Raccoons with above mother 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica
And yes, we saw a lot of Coatis and one Agouti, just no photos

 

What a Wildlife Refuge Looks Like Here! 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

 

Guide Ruth & Driver Larry 
Curu Wildlife Refuge, Paquera, Costa Rica

The website of the wildlife refuge (1st one in Costa Rica):   http://www.curuwildliferefuge.com/

 
My trip gallery for this trip: 2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay 
 
Or my birds and wildlife galleries at   Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA
 
 
 

Christmas Creatures

From both hotel grounds and the river trail again, on Christmas Day . . .

Streaked Flycatcher
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Black-headed Trogon  
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Black-headed Trogon Juvenile 
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl 
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl 
Side view – He’s looking left
Very difficult to photograph in bamboo cane.
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Squirrel Cuckoo  
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Boat-billed Heron 
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Magnificent Frigatebird 
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Cattle Egrets 
 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

American Crocodile 
 Tambor, Costa Rica
Striped Iguana 
On this same rock every day at hotel. 
Tambor, Costa Rica

As always, you can click on any photo to make it larger.

My trip photo gallery:   2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay

And I always have growing galleries of birds and other wildlife as sub-galleries of :
Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA Making photos is my passion, hobby and fun.
My guides take me to Curu Wildlife Reserve tomorrow for hopefully some new birds and other wildlife. It is near the water like the hotel, so there will be some overlap!

Christmas Eve Dinner Around the Pool

Christmas Dinner with New Friends in Tambor 

Tambor, Costa Rica
 

Horderves, wine, soup or salad, baked turkey & dressing or mahi mahi, scalloped potatoes, green vegetable medley, pecan pie alamode. A wonderful meal and great company! The pecan pie was made with Karo Syrup just like my Mama’s by the owner’s wife. Delicious!

The lady at front right is my birding guide Ruth (today & Tuesday) and her husband Larry at front left is our driver. Jimmy is back center and Ruth’s daughter Ellie (Elizabeth) just graduated from high school and is going to the university to study medicine and eventually become a neurologist. There are a lot of ambitious young people like her in Costa Rica, even in small towns like Tambor (much smaller than Atenas!) Great people everywhere I go! Even most of the Americans!  🙂

 

All of my meals here are outside around the pool 
Tambor Tropical Resort
Tambor, Costa Rica
MERRY CHRISTMAS!  ¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!
 

from Tambor Tropical Resort

My trip gallery for this trip: 2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay 

A King Vulture for Christmas Eve!

King Vulture Adult
Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

King Vulture Juvenile
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Social Flycatcher
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Olive Sparrow
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Rufous-capped Warbler
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Barred Antshrike
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Possibly a Greenish Elaenia
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Blue-throated Goldentail Hummingbird
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Painted Buntings 
They would not let me get close enough for a good photo
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

White-nosed Coati 
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

 Helicopter Damselfly
 Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Black Vulture
These guys circle a dead animal and attract the King Vulture
Raptor Ridge, Tambor, Costa Rica

My trip gallery for this trip: 2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay 

And my photo gallery Costa Rica Birds .

 
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS!  FELIZ NAVIDAD!
 

New Birds Second Day

Scarlet Macaw
 
Tambor, Costa Rica 

Collared Aracari  
Tambor, Costa Rica 

Hummingbird to identify later  
Tambor, Costa Rica 

White-winged Dove 
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

Rufous-naped Wren 
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

My trip gallery for this trip: 2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay 

And my photo gallery Costa Rica Birds .



MERRY CHRISTMAS!  FELIZ NAVIDAD!

I Release Baby Turtles this Morning

At the Right Place at the Right Time
As I headed for the birding trail before breakfast this morning, the turtle man told me
that 12 new Olive Ridley turtle eggs hatched last night and he was ready to release them.
New Morning Plans! I got to pick up all 12 from their nest and put in box for taking to beach.
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

12 Babies Ready for the Beach! 
Tambor, Costa Rica
One by one we take them from the box and sit each one on the beach.
Instinctively the head for the water, some in a big rush!
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

What a privilege to participate in helping save an endangered species! 
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Once on water’s edge the next wave carries them out to sea. They swim for a full day before stopping to eat.
Because of predators (birds & fish) only one in a thousand make it to adulthood.
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

 Once eggs are laid on the beach, volunteers bring to this sheltered fenced area to protect eggs from predators.
Behind a chain-link fence each clutch of 30-80 eggs is netted, dated and watched by volunteers.
Eggs take about 45 days to hatch, thus they know when most will hatch. Most already have.
They are expecting 100+ hatchlings on Christmas Day.
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

A small building was constructed by local volunteers who watch the eggs around the clock.
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

A Mouse Pad here + T-shirts are sold to raise money.
Tambor, Costa Rica
There are government regulations on turtles, but no money to help.
This volunteer group meets both national & international standards.
Tambor, Costa Rica

They are a new program and do not have a website yet, but will eventually have something similar to nearby MontezumaBeach.com to promote support and volunteerism and they are wanting to affiliate with a university somewhere for research as well as volunteers. They do have a Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Tortugas-Bah%C3%ADa-Tambor-120575518588150/  Though my effort to post photos did not work well with one put as a “Visitor Post” in the right hand column.

They plan to also post more information about the program on the hotel website:  Tambor Tropical Resort. 

And I will eventually have these photos posted on my trip gallery for this particular trip:   2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay.  And maybe in my other animals gallery eventually!  🙂

 

First Day Birds

Turquoise-browed Motmot 
 Tambor, Costa Rica 

Black-headed Trogon
 
Tambor, Costa Rica 

Lineated Woodpecker
 
Tambor, Costa Rica 

Hoffman’s Woodpecker
 
Tambor, Costa Rica 

Hoffman’s Woodpecker Feeding a Baby
 
Tambor, Costa Rica 

Common Black Hawk
 
Tambor, Costa Rica 

Roadside Hawk
 
Tambor, Costa Rica 

Cocoa Woodcreeper
 
Tambor, Costa Rica 

Little Blue Heron
 
Tambor, Costa Rica 

Great-tailed Grackle
 
Tambor, Costa Rica 

Brown Pelican
 
Tambor, Costa Rica 

My trip gallery for this trip: 2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay 

See also my Costa Rica Birds Photo Gallery.

By tomorrow I will post photos of my room and hotel grounds, and more. Today I got a 30 minute taxi to airport and the 30 minute flight to Tambor. They are not full, so my room was ready this morning and I got settled, ate a second breakfast and finished reading the Washington Post. Then hiked the River Trail for most of these birds and rested in the afternoon and sorted photos. I’ve scheduled birding guides for Sunday and Tuesday and a massage for tomorrow. Great first day! Tambor Tropical Resort. 

Small Town Commercial Christmas Decorations

Nativity in Central Market Courtyard
 Atenas, Costa Rica

City Hall Christmas Tree
 Not one in park this year like in past.
 Atenas, Costa Rica

Small Local Clothing Store  
 Atenas, Costa Rica

Largest Supermarket  
 Atenas, Costa Rica   

In Parking Lot of Largest Supermarket
Atenas, Costa Rica

Many Small Shops have Scooters & Bikes Lined up out front!
 Atenas, Costa Rica

And for this shoe store, a sign was enough for them!
 Atenas, Costa Rica

This Chain Bakery a sign and some inside garland.
 Atenas, Costa Rica

A favorite Gift & Office Supply Store has this tree + garlands
 Atenas, Costa Rica

This Soda settled for ceiling garlands. 
And a Gift Shop with an English sign! Oh no! Gringos?
 Atenas, Costa Rica

For these and other Christmas photos, see my gallery: Christmas in Atenas 2017

And I think the big catholic church waits until Christmas Eve to set up usually 2 nativities, one inside and one outside. Neither are up yet! And baby Jesus doesn’t go in manger until Christmas Day!  🙂  I will miss it this year since I’m gone during Christmas week. More on that tomorrow. 

In case you missed the Alajuela Public Tree posted earlier and

Two of the Alajuela City Mall Christmas Trees also posted earlier.

Or the disgustingly early BEFORE HALLOWEEN Walmart Christmas Decorations also in Alajuela.

CHRISTMAS IS BIG HERE! Many businesses will be closed the week between Christmas and New Years and I will have no maid or gardener that week. Home with families!


Bright Flowers & Happy People

A half block uphill from the Roca Verde main gate is one of the smallest and poorest houses in Boqueron Barrio.
But in front of the little house is this beautiful array of bougainvillea that blooms the most in dry season. 
 And behind it is the happy chatter and laughter of little children, some on summer vacation from school.
Atenas, Costa Rica 

See my photo gallery Flora & Forest for more flower photos.

Or my photo gallery People & Fiestas for more happy people.

And I just became aware of the new website for our Su Espacio Spanish Atenas Classes.  Nice!

-o-

Ship That Ran Aground in Manzanillo, near where I spent a week a year ago September.  It could have been weather or a sloppy boat captain (doesn’t say), but it looks like some heavy work will be needed to get it back out to sea. Click the photo in article to see it enlarged.

Paddling Across the Gulf of Nicoya is an interesting article about a group of all ages of Ticos who used paddle boards to paddle across the 17 mile wide Gulf of Nicoya near where I will be vacationing during Christmas. Here paddle boarding has become a popular substitute for  surfing, especially for novices or as surfers get older, though this trip was in the relatively calm waters of a bay in the morning, 5-11 am as opposed to the open Pacific Ocean where some people use them.

-o-

ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT MOVING ABROAD?

Five Things People Will Say When You Tell Them You’re Moving Abroad   (Other than “You’re crazy.”)

As a non-member of “InterNations” it will take you to a join page where you just click “Maybe Later” and then it takes you to the article. Some of the 5 things you face in this article are more true for younger persons still employed and planning to work overseas, but generally what lots of Americans will ask/say to everyone moving. Somebody asked me every one of these questions before my move.  🙂  
And somewhere nearer the beginning of this blog, 2014-2015, I tried to answer every one of them. 

Festival de La Luz – Christmas Lights Parade

The official theme was “Navidad Azul” or “Blue Christmas.” Most groups didn’t follow the theme like this one. 

For more shots of the fantastic parade and the arts & crafts fair, see my photo gallery:
Christmas in Atenas 2017.