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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Caribe Sur Photo Gallery Ready

I’m still planning on some more posts from this first week of October trip, but you can see all of my acceptable photos in the trip gallery by clicking this linked title or the image of first page below. 2024 October 1-6, Hotel Banana Azul, Caribe Sur

First page of my 2024 Caribe Sur Photo Gallery, CLICK image to go to the gallery.

¡Pura Vida!

And to learn more about Hotel Banana Azul, click that name link! Note that the header photo on their web page was made from “my room,” the one I get on each visit, called “The Howler Suite.” 🙂

There are no big chain hotels or resorts on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica (like the Pacific side). All are small, locally-owned, very friendly and helpful people (muy amable), with simplicity and tranquility. The Caribbean side is not for everyone, but I like it; both the laid back Jamaican atmosphere of the south or the Amazon Jungle atmosphere of the north Caribbean at Tortuguero National Park. The south has Cahuita National Park and Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, making the south also a great place for nature photographers in a different way than Tortuguero where you are mostly on the water. I encourage my fellow expats living in Costa Rica to give this side a try as something different from the Pacific Coast or the mountains. I love every area of Costa Rica because each is different! That is just the way I am! 🙂

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A Yankee Doodle Endorses Kamala Harris for President

The White House, I photographed on my 2013 visit to Washington, D.C. (year before CR move)

If ever a patriotic American should take a strong stand in an election, it is this year and with this presidential election, thus my once every 4 years political blog post.

It is beyond my understanding how this election could possibly be close, because I still believe that the majority of Americans are honest, patriotic, defend the constitution and what has been the strongest democracy in the world. Yet here we are! How could it be a close election?

The differences in the two candidates are like daylight and dark! I invite my Republican friends to follow the many other Republicans and denounce the convicted criminal, liar, rapist, racist, fascist, mean old rich man and vote, at least this once, for the democratic candidates, Harris-Walz!

I no longer identify with my lifelong church and work, Southern Baptists, or any of the related Evangelicals for what I consider “unChristian” support of Donald Trump and his Republican minions. But friends, I know that many of you want to follow Christ, so I ask you to simply ask yourself that old “WWJD” question from our youth – What Would Jesus Do? There is no doubt in my mind! Thus I vote Harris!

In 2013 when I visited D.C. I also wrote this poem for my July 4 birthday with photos from a 2005 Everglades National Park visit. 🙂

God bless you and God bless the United States of America!

Charlie Doggett, Retired in Costa Rica Blog, charliedoggett.net

¡Pura Vida!

Issues – Kamala Harris for President: Official Campaign Website

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Blue-gray Tanager

Throughout Central America and the northern half of South America you can find this beautiful tropical bird: Blue-gray Tanager, Thraupis episcopus (linked to my gallery) where there are 84 of my photos from 18 different locations in Costa Rica. You can also read about on eBird. This was a favorite shot at Banana Azul this year . . .

Blue-gray Tanager, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica

I now have the Banana Azul BIRDS 2024 Gallery completed with 19 species this year without going to any of the parks or reserves! 🙂 Just click that linked title above to see them all!

¡Pura Vida!

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Fiery Skipper

This is probably one you have seen, found in most of the Eastern and Southern U.S. all the way south to Argentina, the Fiery Skipper,  Hylephila phyleus (my gallery link). Like many butterflies, the top and folded wings views are different and distinct. Here’s a shot from the Caribe of both views, and of course the one with a bee in it made me smile! 🙂

Fiery Skipper, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica
Fiery Skipper, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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5 Coastal Water Birds

These were not a particular goal for me and of course there were many others, had I spent more time at water’s edge of the beach or on any nearby stream, but here are 5 very common ones I did see, with the Cormorant being the most frequently seen this time, though not always the case. And note that all of these can be seen inland on fresh water except the pelican, though all are more frequent near the ocean or nearby mangroves and estuaries . . .

Whimbrel, Playa Negra, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica
Continue reading “5 Coastal Water Birds”
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Caribe’s Polydamas Swallowtail

This swallowtail is the species of swallowtails that I see most often in my garden – and I still like it! 🙂 You can see the many that I’ve photographed in my Polydamas Swallowtail Gallery (linked). The scientific name is Battus polydamas and even though most of the other swallowtails are more colorful, he/she is striking! (Male & female are basically identical). Here’s a front view and a side view and you can see several top views in the above-linked gallery which is all black with a yellow dot row. This is my first one to photograph outside my garden. He is found from South Texas and Florida south to Argentina.

Polydamas Swallowtail, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limó, Costa Rica
Polydamas Swallowtail, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limó, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Black-cheeked Woodpecker

This Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Melanerpes pucherani (my gallery link) is possibly the woodpecker I’ve seen the most of in my 10 years in Costa Rica, out of 13 species found here, and in the above-linked gallery I have photos of this one from 9 different locations (all on the Caribbean Slope). And none from my garden, where the Hoffmann’s Woodpecker is the most common. That may be because they are more common on the Caribbean Slope and I live on the Pacific Slope. 🙂 But they are found on both slopes from Southern Mexico to Ecuador.

In my CR Birds big gallery you will find galleries for 9 of those 13 species (I’m missing 4!) and one Olivaceous Piculet, which is really a tiny woodpecker without the name! 🙂

Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica

If interested in more info, see the Black-cheeked Woodpecker eBird Page.

¡Pura Vida!

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Africanized Honeybee

The Africanized Honeybee, Apis mellifera (Wikipedia article link), was introduced from East Africa into Brazil and it migrated north throughout Central American and into Texas. I’m pretty sure of this ID and that is what Google Lens called it. Photographed on a wildflower along the beach road, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica.

Africanized Honey Bee, Apis mellifera, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica

All of the bees I’ve photographed in Costa Rica are in a general Bees Gallery, with several species and most unidentified so far. 🙂 They were photographed before Google Lens! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Julia Heliconian in Caribe

Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica
Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica

This is one of my favorite butterfly species and I keep finding them almost everywhere I go in Costa Rica. See more of my photos of this beauty in my gallery: Julia Heliconian, Dryas julia.

¡Pura Vida!

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Driftwood: Nature’s “Trash Art”

All natural beaches around the world have driftwood, which usually changes during every tropical storm or other reason for big surf! 🙂 The exception is a rare few beaches near big rich corporate hotels that have driftwood removed to maintain their “pristine” beaches. 🙂

This particular piece of driftwood was on Playa Negra (“Black Beach,” named for the dark volcanic sand there) directly behind Hotel Banana Azul in Puerto Viejo and is more like a simple log, partially buried, but it had a nice glow in the early morning sunrise last Saturday along with the color and texture. Of course there are more interesting shapes of driftwood, usually older and often sun-bleached to a light gray, nearly white.

In some coastal towns people display large, unusually shaped pieces of driftwood as works of art in their homes, restaurants and other businesses, both here and in every other coastal area I’ve visited around the world. See the driftwood links below these 2 photos . . .

Driftwood at Sunrise, Playa Negra, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica
Driftwood at Sunrise, Playa Negra, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica

Here’s some driftwood-related websites I found online:

¡Pura Vida!