charliedoggett.net
“The Caribbean Land Hermit Crab (Coenobita clypeatus), also known as the soldier crab, West Atlantic crab, tree crab, or purple pincher (due to the distinctive purple claw), is a species of land hermit crab…” ~iNaturalist,
And on iNaturalist Cost Rica they have been reported only from the South Caribbean area of Limón Province where I visited recently.
For several different species of crabs, see my gallery: CRUSTACEANS CR (linked).
¡Pura Vida!
This is a “lifer” or first time seen damselfly for me! It was alongside one of the trails in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, Manzanillo, Limón, Cost Rica week-before-last. It is more striking or noticeable in a thick forest like that than a lot of the dragon & damselflies. Again, you never know when nor where you will see what, but I thank God for each new nature experience wherever I am! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
I have a total of 4 shots in my new gallery: Blue-wing Helicopter and if you like damsel and dragonflies, check out my others in: DRAGONFLIES & DAMSELFLIES CR (52+)
It has been a while since I’ve photographed a sloth and this one was at Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, Manzanillo, Limón, Costa Rica on this year’s South Caribe trip, at eye-level on a very leafy tree as we were exiting the park. You never know when or where you will see the next wildlife photo op! 🙂 To see more of my sloth photos, go to the galleries: Sloth, Hoffman’s Two-toed and Sloth, Brown-throated Three-toed (linked). And note that I embarrassed myself, not only with the wrong ID in the first edition of this post, but on iNat where two people told me it was 2-toed and I said back, “count them in the photos.” Wellllll . . . I just learned that the 2-toed is thus on front but has 3-toes on the back, which now I see is obvious in this particular photo. I’m red-faced!
¡Pura Vida!
This year’s visit to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica included a week at Hotel Banana Azul with a day hike in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge and my collection of photos are ready to see at https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2026-09-14-18-Banana-Azul-Gandoca-Manzanillo or you can click on the first page image below to get there. Two disclaimers as to why there are not as many photos this year: The bizarre weather with a Super-El-Niño, wind and rain every day (normally the driest month there), a muddy beach road with no butterflies at all (my main thing there now) and the global-warming and ocean rising has caused enormous erosion of the beaches there now, with almost no beach left. But it is still a beautiful nature place and I have a lot of photos from this year’s trip.
¡Pura Vida!
I’ve done blog posts of Caribe photos ahead through the end of September, but wanted to announce my trip gallery now. The first of October I will continue sharing nature photos from my garden and on walks in my hometown of Atenas. If I just look, there is some nature to experience every day! 🙂
. . . used to be one of the birds I photographed at Banana Azul every year, but not this year. (I did see one fly off one day.) But I got several shots of this one in Gandoca-Manzanillo Refuge and we saw him in 3 or 4 places searching for crabs (his favorite food) or other small animals to eat. Just two shots here, but you can see more in my gallery: Common Black Hawk (linked). It is found from the Southwestern U.S. south through Mexico and all of Central America to the northern shores of South America. We have them on both slopes of Costa Rica.
¡Pura Vida!
This small toucan is found from Mexico south to Columbia and Venezuela. In Costa Rica it is found mostly on the Caribbean Slope with the only ones on the Pacific side being in the Northwest or the Nicoya Peninsula. While his first cousin, the Fiery-billed Aracari is found along the Central and Southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. That includes Atenas where I’ve had Fiery-billed in my garden. It looks like this one except for the red bill. See my other photos of this one in my gallery: Collared Aracari (linked).
¡Pura Vida!
Most years in September I make a week relaxation adventure in the “Caribe South” which refers to the southern half of the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica around Puerto Viejo de Talamanca and the smaller town of Manzanillo where I explore two national parks/refuges (Cahuita & Gandoca-Manzanillo) for birds, butterflies, monkeys, sloths and other nature, visit some of the Bribri indigenous villages, botanical gardens, and maybe this year a new butterfly garden (if my tour people say it is okay). 🙂
And not to ignore the northern Caribbean side of Costa Rica or Limón Province; that’s where the provincial capital and port city of Limón is located and then above that a favorite national park, Tortuguero, which I hope to return to in 2023! It’s “The Amazon of Costa Rica” or a river and beach based jungle rainforest full of incredible wildlife and other nature! I can’t wait to get back there! 🙂 So much to see and do here!
But this trip is mostly relaxing in the beachside Hotel Banana Azul, walking a forested beachside road (for sloths, birds, butterflies) and walks or just relaxation on the beach (I don’t swim or surf in the ocean anymore) and this is the only place I’ve found that gives a “Relaxation Massage” that is actually relaxing. 🙂 So it is my only get-a-way that is not totally inside a dense rain or cloud forest (though Cahuita & Gandoca-Manzanillo are dense rainforests), yet still nature-centered and very relaxing. I missed it in 2020 due to Covid and no flights there, but here’s a couple of photos from last year’s post-cancer retreat in the “Howler Suite” or Room #1. 🙂
And just one more of the many things I look forward to each year that I’m “Retired in Costa Rica,” from rainforest and cloud forest photo trips to cultural activities and enjoying my little flower garden in Atenas! I have achieved my idea of pure life in paradise! And this December I will celebrate 8 years of living here! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
And that linked title takes you to this week’s Tico Times article about a community-wide band and dance team from Zarcero which will represent Costa Rica a second time in the Rose Parade, Pasadena, California.
Zarcero is a town (called pueblo here) that is a little smaller than Atenas and north of us. It is known for topiaries in their Central Park, cheese-making and this large and professional community band of all ages. If you are one of those Americans who always watch the Rose Parade on TV, be sure to watch for the Costa Rica band! 🙂
More photo views of “My Costa Rica” in
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| Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth Kekoldi Bribri Reserve near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica Cool! He was at eye-level right along-side the hiking path. Closest I have ever been to one in the wild like this. |
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| Central American Spider Monkey Manzanillo, Costa Rica |
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| Mantled Howler Monkey Manzanillo, Costa Rica |
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| Central American Agouti Manzanillo, Costa Rica |
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| Northern Tamandua Anteater Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica In field outside entrance to Jaguar Rescue Center |
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| Sand Crab Manzanillo, Costa Rica These guys were all along the board walk between my tent & the beach. |
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| Black-mandibled Toucan Manzanillo, Costa Rica Flying over the Ara Project grounds Forgot him on the birds day! 🙂 |
See my galleries of birds, insects and other animals + people/places in my new galleries:
TOMORROW I will show you my unique safari tent hotel in Manzanillo and the following day photos of the beautiful beach right outside my tent. And finally, three days of reports on the three institutions I visited while in the South Caribbean: The Ara Project (Green Macaws), Jaguar Rescue Center, and the Kekoldi Bribri Indigenous People Reserve.
I expect to explore the Caribbean every September which is the month this rainforest area of Costa Rica has the least amount of rain and thus less hiking in mud! (Interestingly September is the month the rest of Costa Rica has the most rain.) My favorite spot in the Caribe so far is in the north Caribbean coast, Tortuguero National Park. It is a favorite place to take guests from the states, so I will go there any time of the year and hope to make it there sometime when the turtles are laying their eggs, March-May for Leatherbacks and July-October for Green Turtles. So I will never run out of something to do in the Caribbean of any other part of Costa Rica with so many parks and places I am yet to visit! The adventures continue! What a retirement!