Author: Charlie

Retired American nature-lover, living in Costa Rica, photographing birds and other jewels of nature. This site simply reports on my joys of being RETIRED IN COSTA RICA!
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Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush

This Clay-colored Thrush, Turdus grayi (my gallery link) is the National Bird of Costa Rica and widely believed since pre-Columbian days to be the bird who sings in the rains in April & May. One neighbor says they are already singing in his yard, though I haven’t heard them in mine yet. Yesterday morning it was the White-winged Dove out-singing all of the other birds in my garden. 🙂 And I have no idea what that means! 🙂

And interestingly, at night I’ve had both the Common Pauraque and the Tropical Screech Owl singing me to sleep! (Merlin sound ID) 🙂 But no photos of either in my trees at night. The linked photo of a Pauraque was at Maquenque Ecolodge where I’ve seen more species than any other place, and it was a daytime shot! 🙂 Here’s four shots of the Yigüirro in my garden the other day . . .

Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Polydamas Swallowtail’s back!

I’m beginning to see some of the old “regulars” back in my garden when the wind is not too strong, but overall, butterflies are still scarce and I don’t expect a lot before May. But I’ve had at least two of these Polydamas Swallowtail, Battus polydamas (my gallery link). Here’s 3 shots of one individual in my garden recently . . .

Polydamas Swallowtail, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Soaring above the winds . . .

The high winds this time of year seem to keep away both birds and butterflies from my efforts to photograph, except for one bird! And in my neighborhood he seems to never stop soaring, The Turkey Vulture! Cathartes aura (linked to my gallery). I don’t get to regularly see an Eagle or Hawk soaring, but this vulture I can see almost every day as he makes riding the wind drafts look easy and motivates me to want to soar! 🙂

Turkey Vulture soaring over Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.” ~Helen Keller

And may you soar today in whatever you do! Windy or not! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Nature & Life . . .

Nature photography is a good hobby, but it was never a money-maker, not in Tennessee when I tried for a few years there (I always spent more on it than I ever made!) – nor the brief time I tried here. But the joy of creating has never been lost. And though I don’t sell greeting cards anymore, some are still at Hotel Colinas del Sol as a contribution to a sometimes struggling local business there. Go help them out! 🙂

But anyway, a photo of a new butterfly the other day had me going back and looking at that solid green background more than once, wanting to make a greeting card with it. And the butterfly with his red antennae seems to be laser focused on something. So here it is! Created just for you dear blog reader! And who knows, I may do it again! 🙂 It’s fun!

An Orion Butterfly seems to be focused on life in Atenas, Costa Rica.

“Adopt the pace of nature.

Her secret is patience.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

¡Pura Vida!

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Dark Calephelis Butterfly

This Dark Calephelis, Calephelis velutina (linked to my gallery) seems to be fairly rare, with this being my third sighting and not very many have been submitted to iNaturalist CR or butterfliesandmoths.org. This one was in my garden while the last one was in the neighborhood on Calle Nueva. And my first sighting was in Cartago Province at Guayabo National Monument. Here’s two different views of this Metalmark Family butterfly species from Monday in my garden . . .

Dark Calephelis, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Dark Calephelis, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Living for the Unremarkable Moments

My life has been cram-packed with “remarkable moments” and experiences, both good and bad. One of the many reasons for moving to Costa Rica was to slow down with nature and sort of let my final years of life just “fade away.” A quote in a blog that I read said . . .

“Busyness and fear constrict us in youth; fresh air and nature free us in old age.” ~Anne Lamott

And so I yearn for days with nothing planned or no where I have to go. A leisurely breakfast and coffee with the online newspaper is a perfect morning, followed by a walk in the garden. Even with all the wind right now, meaning few or no birds or butterflies, there are always plants and flowers or buds like I shared yesterday or a gaze at the surrounding hills, a cow across the street, or another amazing palm frond contrasting with the evergreens as it just fades away. And so today I rejoice in the unremarkable! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Beautiful Buds!

And these 6 little buds on the end of one stem of my Desert Rose plant will make 6 beautiful flowers, all clustered together. This plant just keeps blooming, year around. It looks like it probably needs a bigger pot, but I’m afraid to mess with it! 🙂

Desert Rose Flower Buds, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

See my garden gallery.

¡Pura Vida!

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Using Both Health Systems in Costa Rica

The public health system in Costa Rica is one of the best in the world, but as in other good systems there are occasionally delays for many reasons with an overload of patients and one always has the option to go to a private doctor at your own expense. Once Covid was over, when I had to use a private oncologist for my surgery and radiation treatment because our hospitals here were packed with Covid patients, I then moved all my medical treatment to the public system in 2022 and have been happy with everything done “for free” (really for a monthly Social Security fee you must pay whether used or not.) There are no co-pays, no insurance forms and everything is included, even my medications that I pick up monthly at my local “CAJA Costarricense Seguro Social Farmacia.” I’m pleased with the public health system here, even if sometimes slow.

My latest cancer surgery was in November with my Public Provincial Dermatologist removing a cancer from my nose. Excellent surgery with absolutely no scar! But, that dermatologist in Hospital San Rafael de Alajuela gave me my next appointment to be in April 2026 and I had other non-cancer issues I really wanted to take care of earlier. So, I decided to exercise my freedom of going to a private doctor and my Public ENT Oncologist at Hospital Mexico de San Jose, who is monitoring any possible spread of my big cancer, agreed that the other issues would be better if handled earlier and he recommended Dr. Arturo Soto in the private Tabush Dermatologia Center in Escazu (feature photo of building). Here is my report with 3 before & after face photos . . .

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Feather of a . . .

Red-tailed Hawk? Maybe, even though this 1 by 2 1/2 inch feather on my terrace was a little small, big birds do have some small feathers. And it appears to maybe be too big for a Rufous-backed Wren (common in my garden) and not dark enough for the Oropendola’s rust color and there are no Wood Rails near me! So I’m thinking it is most likely a small feather from a Red-tailed Hawk that blew in from a nesting place nearby or blew off when flying over. 🙂 Make your own guess! 🙂

Feather on my terrace from a partly rufous-colored bird, possibly a Red-tailed Hawk and less likely a Rufous-backed Wren. Less likely because of size.

And my only photo of a Red-tailed Hawk here is of one in captivity, but this feather does look like it’s possible to have come from him. 🙂 And the more I look at the Rufous-backed Wrens, the less likely it seems to be his, but check out my many photos of him to see what you think.

¡Pura Vida!

TOMORROW: Latest Cancer Surgery & Treatments and how I Mix the Public & Private Healthcare Systems Here

Thursday I went for an appointment to a new private Dermatologist for me, one recommended by my public ENT Oncologist, expecting to just talk and set up treatments later. But WOW! And in just 2 hours I had surgery on a large facial growth and “Plasma Treatment” (explained tomorrow) on a field of little pre-cancer growths across my forehead. In at 9 and out by 11! I was amazed! Read about it tomorrow. 🙂

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Baby Elephant Ears

The tall plants I had that were blocking the sun, not only stopped some other plants from flowering but seemed to kill my Elephant Ear plant (for a lack of sun) and I loved those! Well when the gardeners were removing the tall plants, one started to remove and dispose of the tubulars (dead trunk of Elephant Ear plant) left from the only Elephant Ear plant I had and another gardener told him “No, new plants will grow from those dead tubular remains.” Well, he was right! And quickly they have started growing from the remains of my old plant. Here’s two shots of the new Elephant Ears growing out of the remains of the old one. 🙂 Nature is amazing!

Baby Elephant Ears growing out of the remains of an old plant.
Baby Elephant Ears growing out of the remains of an old plant.

¡Pura Vida!

You might enjoy looking at My Garden GALLERY!