Category: Uncategorized

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Variegated Squirrel

This is the species that lives in my garden and is the most common squirrel in Costa Rica (with 7 subspecies) and I see them in most places I visit here, including different colors. In my gallery you can see my photos of 3 other species as well as this most common one, each species in their own gallery 🙂 . . .

  • Alfaro’s or Central American Pygmy Squirrel (just 1 photo from Curi-Cancha Reserve, Monteverde)
  • Deppe’s Squirrel (3 photos, also at Curi-Cancha Reserve, Monteverde, my favorite reserve in Monteverde, where I also get the most species of birds in Monteverde!) 🙂
  • Red-tailed Squirrel (the 2nd most numerous for me with a dozen photos from 7 different locations across Costa Rica on both slopes, though considered “non-native”.)
  • Variegated Squirrel, (49 photos from 12 locations across Costa Rica, including both slopes and more than one subspecies or color-combinations.)
  • The only two of these that are “native” to Costa Rica are Deppe’s and the Variegated. The other 2 are “introduced” or “migrants,” kind of like me! 🙂

Just this one photo here. Go to gallery for more.

Variegated Squirrel, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Green Heron – All Weather Bird + Trump Stops Mail Service from Costa Rica

This water bird is familiar to most people in North America as he is found in all of the contiguous states and in southern Canada south through Central America and the Caribbean Islands and in the northern tier of South American countries, always on or near water. But I do see more of them down here than I did in Nashville! 🙂 You can see my collection of photos made here in Costa Rica at Green Heron Gallery (linked).

Green Heron, Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa Rica.

¡Pura Vida!

Trump Stops Mail from Costa Rica

The Costa Rica Post Office (Correos de Costa Rica) informed me earlier that they could no longer accept mail addressed to anywhere in the USA because of the unpredictable tariffs on all mail, including letters, with no way to charge us. Some other shipping services have also stopped sending to the U.S. like Aeropost & ARCR, though I can still receive packages from the States through Aeropost. The local Correos is now suggesting that you use the more expensive EMS, DHL, UPS or FedEx. Every day brings another reason that I’m glad I live here and not there! 🙂 The United States is being destroyed quicker than I thought they could. Below is copied from an email I received yesterday from ARCR . . .

Mail Service to USA and Canada has been Discontinued
According to a September 2, 2025, article in La Nacion, due to the duties that the Trump administration has imposed on imports from Costa Rica, los Correos has temporarily stopped accepting mail and packages addressed to anywhere in the United States or Canada.
This includes letter mail. It has been reported that Aeropost is following suit. The status of other mail forwarding services is unknown at this time. Check with your mail forwarding service provider.

When are Americans going to wise up and get rid of the worthless Republicans running (ruining) the United States?

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A Tropical Waters Icon

The Anhinga, sometimes called “Snake Bird” because when swimming with his long neck out of the water he/she looks like a snake swimming. This bird is found in all of the tropical Americas on the water where it dives into the water to catch a fish and then afterwards sun-dries itself on a tree as in these two photos, one a male (all black) and one a female (with brown neck). See more of my photos from Costa Rica in the Anhinga Gallery (linked) with most seen on rivers, though also on lakes.

Female Anhinga, Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa Rica
Male Anhinga, Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa Rica

And yes, this makes three days that I have reverted back to my Tortuguero trip for photos. That is because I’ve had some “lean” days in my garden recently (doing posts a week or more ahead now) and I always have more that can be shared from places like Tortuguero! 🙂 Every national park and wildlife reserve here is a rich source of nature photos!

¡Pura Vida!

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Tamandua Anteater

One of the many interesting things seen on my Jaguar Trail hike (Tortuguero) was a Northern Tamandua, a type of anteater. He was high in the many dark shady trees and thus very difficult to photograph, but here are 3 photographs that give you an idea of this larger than monkeys but smaller than an adult man, looking like he is wearing black coveralls or vest or suspenders! 🙂 You can see the few other photos I’ve made in other parts of Costa Rica of this interesting mammal in my gallery: Anteater, Northern Tamandua, Tamandua mexicana. This one lives throughout Central America from Southern Mexico to the northern edges of the Andes, though there is also another, larger, species of anteater in South America called “Giant Anteater.” Here’s 3 photos made on one of my hikes in Tortuguero National Park a week or so ago . . .

Northern Tamandua Anteater, Jaguar Trail, Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa Rica
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August Flowers Gallery

You email readers be sure to CLICK “READ MORE” to see the gallery of 10 flowers (not all) I photographed in August . . .

Milkweed

There were fewer than usual with both less sun and less rain this year.

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Ironclad Beetle

This Zopherus jansoni (iNaturalist link) is one of multiple species of the Ironclad Beetle, this one found only in Central America and just photographed on my terrace. Here’s four shots from different angles . . .

Zopherus jansoni – An Ironclad Beetle, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Giant White

There are many Whites and some are easily confused, but this one seems to be the most common in my garden and you can see other photos of it in my Gallery: Giant White, Ganyra josephina. Here’s 2 photos (when possible, I always try to get a side view & top view) of the one in my garden 3 days ago . . .

Giant White, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Fiery Skipper

This is just one of the many looks of the Fiery Skipper,  Hylephila phyleus (my gallery link) as you can see in that gallery link. Just one shot here from my garden the other day . . .

Fiery Skipper, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Motmot, New CR Video & Neighbor’s Death

The Motmot is sitting on the gutter of my house looking down into my gardens for insects to eat. 🙂 And remember that my house is on the side of a hill, so I can walk up the hill and look down on my roof. 🙂 The motmots are more frequent this year which maybe makes up for the fewer toucans I see now. See more photos in my gallery: Lesson’s Motmot. (From all over Costa Rica.)

Lesson’s Motmot, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

And read on for a link to the newest Costa Rica nature video on YouTube… And the unexpected death of my next door neighbor.

¡Pura Vida!

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Rainforest Caiman & My Birthday Cake

There are two ponds here at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, and both can have Caiman in them, with a total of 3 Caiman living here, a smaller version of the American Alligator. They are a native wild animal in this area, seen in most forests and farms. The 2 shots on land were at the central pond and the water shot at the Caiman Pond along the entrance road. Below these 3 Caiman photos are three of me and my birthday cake last night when the younger staff members sang “Happy Birthday” to me – in English! The first time since I moved to CR 10+ years ago! I had gotten use to “Feliz Cumpleaños.” 😊

See more of my photos of Caiman in my Caiman Gallery.

Caiman at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, Piedras Blancas National Park, Costa Rica
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