Category: Places

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Chachalacas at My Breakfast Table

Immature Gray-headed Chachalaca
Flying out of a Yellow-bell Tree in my gardens, Atenas, Costa Rica
Two Immature Gray-headed Chachalacas
Sitting in a Yellow-bell Tree in my gardens, Atenas, Costa Rica

Identification Explanations for the Birders Who Read This

When I first saw them I thought “Black Guan” which can be in this part of the country, but on closer examination, they do not have the red eyes and legs that all black guans have, nor the blue facial skin. I knew we had Chachalacas in Roca Verde, so I resigned myself to darker than usual Chachalacas and thought maybe Plain rather than Gray-headed, BUT, the book says Plain don’t live in this part of the country, only in Guanacaste. And my earlier photo of one in my garden (note how much lighter) fit the Gray-headed description and they live in the Central Valley. Plus some online investigation shows some juvenile Gray-headed Chachalacas to be very dark or black. Also the white tips on the tail feathers are only seen in the Gray-headed Chachalaca. Here’s another one at Rancho Naturalista  which is darker but not black. 
Whew! Identification can be a challenge sometimes and every species seem to have some exceptions!
See my photo gallery of BIRDS

Read about Gray-headed Chachalacas on NeotropicalBirds by Cornell University
Or a different kind of article on Wikipedia

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Jungle Flowers at Sarapiquí

See also my photo gallery Flora & Forests   or   go straight to My Garden
Flowers, birds and butterflies! What beautiful expressions of God’s colors I get to enjoy!
And today my gardener planted a new kind of butterfly bush that will bring many more butterflies he promises!
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A Nation of Immigrants, an interesting article on how Costa Rica accepts the fact that it is made up totally of immigrants (much like the States) with fewer indigenous people (Indians) than the states. Read how Costa Rica still welcomes immigrants and thrives because of them. And we are regularly listed as one of the top happiest countries in the world! Interesting!
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My New Web Page: Lodge/Hotel Reviews

Trogon Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica
2024 NOTE: This was started in 2017 as a photo gallery that never was completed and so I re-connected that old link to my new web page.
See also my Photo Gallery

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If you are not aware, most Cubans trying to get to the states have now chosen to fly to Columbia and travel by land up through Central America to the Texas border, meaning we have crowds of Cubans coming through Costa Rica daily.
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A Biologically Diverse Place

Costa Rica is home to more than 500,000 plant & animal species,
nearly 4% of the total species estimated worldwide, making Costa Rica
one of the 20 countries with the highest biodiversity in the world.
Of these 500,000 species, a little more than 300,000 are insects.
And oh yes, the above flower I shot at Rancho Naturalista Lodge is
commonly known as anthurium, tailflower, flamingo flower, and laceleaf.
And all of my photo galleries show off this biological diversity:
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A Visitor to My Terrace

Spiny-tailed Iguana
On My Terrace, Roca Verde Home, Atenas Costa Rica

This variety seems to be less common than the Green Iguana in most of Costa Rica, but I have seen this guy or his family members around the house, in neighbor’s tree, and going to and from the stream on the other side of our cow pasture. He was first heading in my backdoor, but turned and ran to the terrace when he saw me. They are basically harmless and never hurt people. Our little miniature dinosaurs!  See also my photo gallery with this and other Reptiles. 

And for travelers here the next 2 months:
  Bridge between Airport & San Jose Closed 6 Weeks for repairs and Widening says this article in Tico Times. That means if you fly here it will take you longer to get into San Jose during February+ but should not affect coming west toward Atenas very much beyond the usual airport traffic congestion. The closure begins 21 January.

And FYI:
Costa Rica Ranks 4th in English Proficiency in Latin America says article in the Costa Rica Star.

That is convenient for lazy Americans who are mono-lingual, but note that it would not hold true in little farm towns like Atenas or other non-tourist, non-city locations. So my advice to those considering retiring or living here is to learn Spanish! After all, don’t you expect immigrants to the U.S. to learn English?  🙂    Que necesitas para aprender español.

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Summer Flowers

My Breakfast View this Morning
It is summer here, school is out for summer break & more flowers are blooming.
Jan-Feb are also the windy months, but at least the volcano has slowed issuing ash.

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What Our Costa Rica President Says about Immigration, an article in Tico Times today.

You guys in the U.S. feel free to share this article with your new president-elect. The quick summary is “If you want to get through a border, you’ll be able to sooner or later.”    🙂    And read about how CR deals with the flow of Cubans en-route to the U.S. through Costa Rica and the Nicaraguans and Colombians who come here to stay. Personal Disclosure: My maid is a Nica and my haircuts are at a Colombino peluquería and nobody seems to have a problem with that here. Everyone is welcome in Costa Rica, even arrogant Americans. Though there’s already enough in Atenas, so I’m not issuing an invitation!  🙂

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Other Animals at Sarapiquí

Mantled Howler Monkey male
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

White-nosed Coati
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Variegated Squirrel
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Black River Turtle
Puerto Viejo River, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

Spectacled Caiman
Puerto Viejo River, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica

See also all my non-bird wildlife photo galleries at OTHER WILDLIFE

And this will be my last post on what I saw in Sarapiquí at Selva Verde Lodge. I highly recommend this lodge and spending at least 3 or 4 nights when you go! 

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Insects at Sarapiquí

One of the Sulphur Butterflies
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Banded Peacock Butterfly
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

One of the Tigerwings or Isabella’s Heliconian
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

One of the 11,000 Grasshoppers
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

One of the Leaf Insects, like Walking Leaf Katydid
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Cicada Shell
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Termite Nest
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

See also my photo galleries of BUTTERFLIES  or  OTHER INSECTS

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Iguanas & Lizards at Sarapiquí

Green Iguana (male in mating orange)
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Emerald Basilisk (“Jesus Christ Lizard”)
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Gray Lichen Anole
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

Unknown – Possibly a type of Skink or Ameiva (there are many)
Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica

See also my photo gallery of Reptiles      And I still have insects and other animals to share! 🙂

What Global Warming is Doing to Costa Rica This Year is an interesting article about the radical weather we have been having. We had our first hurricane in 300 years, more eruptions of one volcano, and heavier winds and rains than normal. You guys in the states need to convince your new idiot president-elect that global warming is real! It affects everyone!