Almost all cows in Costa Rica are Brahman Mixed Breeds with a European breed that gives better meat than Indian Brahmans and similar to but a little different from the North American Mixed Breed Brahmans. Brahmans are used because they are heat-tolerant and do better in the tropics than any other cow. A lot of American tourists ask “Why are Costa Rica cows skinnier than ours up north?” Simple reason, they are all grass-fed here while most in the States are grain-fed to fatten them up for more more profit when sold. Costa Rica’s are healthier. 🙂
This is one of three in the field across the street from my house and owned by a developer living here who intends to develop that cow pasture into a bunch of houses someday. I may want to move then! 🙂
In today’s “tiny update” on the renovation of Atenas Central Park, I’m revealing something that I suspected earlier but was not in the architect’s drawings. This northwest corner of the park is the first park sighting visitors will have if they come into Central Atenas from Highway 3, Alajuela or anywhere north of Atenas (thanks to one-way streets) and is thus a good spot to welcome visitors to Central Park at 0 Street and 1st Avenue. Those coming from Highway 27, the beach/San Jose expressway will see the park first on the other side by the central Catholic Church on Central Avenue (0 Avenue) at 1st Street.
In my first photo you see that lines lead from the corner to a concrete structure of steps/seats that could seat a whole tour bus load of tourists for a group photo. On top of that, now covered in black plastic wrap, are six large cutout letters spelling A T E N A S. From my peek on the other side they are a bright red that look like plastic or metal from a distance. And if you look closely in the photo you see that along the top of the concrete structure, carved into it and painted white, is the promotional slogan of Atenas, “El Mejor Clima del Mundo.” or in English: “The Best Weather in the World.”
Incidentally, this corner of park is across the street from the city hall! 🙂 One taxi driver told me it was the fault of the current mayor that the park is progressing so slowly. 🙂 I think it is because of a lack of money and thus all work is being done by city employees, usually just 2 or 3 workers at a time. Covid affected every budget and every activity!
Hopefully there will soon be a lot of landscaping in and around this corner feature! It will certainly be the most photographed corner of the park! 🙂
Entrance Plaza on NW Corner of Atenas Central Park.
Read on for two more photos of the above from behind . . .
The hills on the other side of Central Atenas magically light up when the sun rises in the morning. I made this photo a week or two ago on my cellphone. To be honest, I’m not dressed and outside for sunrise very often for the last year or so or since cancer surgery. And I do have better photos from earlier years, but any sunrise is good! 🙂
You may get tired of me talking about my garden and continuing to photograph the flowers, but each experience with them is new and different and I am somehow compelled to share! As one of my favorite writers, Edna St. Vincent Millay, says . . .
“I will be the gladdest thing under the sun! I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one.”
~Edna St. Vincent Millay
Torch Ginger or El bastón de emperador
Continue reading for a slide show of flowers I photographed yesterday afternoon on a walk through my little flower gardens – enjoy! 🙂
Although I’ve seen many “mixed flocks” of small birds feeding in the same tree before, I have only one other time seen a dove and pigeon together (2018 Post: Two Species Share Perching Space) though granted they are in the same family of birds, like, maybe cousins?
Anyway, this morning I snapped through my closed window this fuzzy shot of a White-winged Dove sitting beside a Red-billed Pigeon as if casually chatting. 🙂 And the second photo below (and feature photo online) is a Red-billed Pigeon I photographed yesterday in the dark shadows of my Cecropia tree. Neither photo is good (no good light), but maybe a good object lesson about getting along with others? 🙂
This Yellow Warbler(eBird link) was playing hide-and-seek with me in the afternoon shadows and tree limbs/leaves. For some reason I’m getting fewer birds in this tree than I got in the past which may have to do with it being much taller than the house now and birds go to the top above my line of vision. I know that is where toucans always go, but some of these smaller song birds do stay lower. For much better photos, see my CR Yellow Warbler Gallery. And here’s 4 shadowy shots of the hide-and-seek Yellow Warbler yesterday afternoon . . .
In Sunday’s Tico Times it was announced that Costa Rica’s National Parks located in the less-traveled South Pacific Area will receive the equivalent of $1.7 million USD infrastructure improvements which affects some of my favorite National Parks and Reserves like Marino Ballena, Corcovado, Piedras Blancas, Golfito Wildlife Reserve, and La Amistad International National Parks. I have visited all but La Amistad, the nearly inaccessible wilderness park on both sides of the Costa Rica/Panama border.
This will help tourism in that area and provide basic infrastructure needed with anything from a road or trail to a bathroom. Maybe even make La Amistad accessible to an old man! 🙂 They say this about it: “This protected area is vital for Costa Rica biodiversity and conservation. The rugged terrain and intense jungle make it difficult for tourists to visit. You won’t find convenient amenities there.” I slept 3 nights in the adjacent Bribri Yorkin Indigenous Reserve which is probably as close as I will get to that park.
Below are links to my “Trip Galleries” for parks in this area that are some of my favorites . . .
Many times I’ve shared photos of the cow pasture across the street from my house, but never this one I walk by on every trip to town. I believe that it belongs to the farmer university nearby and I am yet to see a cow on it! 🙂 It’s the dry season until sometime in May so fields like this are very dry and susceptible to fire.
Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!
Starting Today Some Businesses go from 50% to 100% Occupancy with QR Code Proof of Vaccination
Read more about the lifting of some Covid Restrictions in the Tico Times Article.
More than 80% of adults in Costa Rica are vaccinated and this is why we are having fewer cases. Teens are now being vaccinated and children will be soon. Common sense health policies keep Costa Rica healthy! And yes, I finally got my “booster” or third shot!
Some tourism ads and photos/videos from visitors to Costa Rica make you think you will see Monkeys and Sloths everywhere you go, which is not true. Except for the aggressive White-faced Capuchin Monkey, all other monkeys are quite shy and elusive, but if you try, you can find them and photograph them all over the country, especially in the rainforests. Sloths are even more shy and difficult to see and photograph. But if you check my CR Mammals Gallery you will see the many photos I have of both monkeys and sloths or photos a total of 28 different mammals here! But the one wild mammal I see the most often and in the largest number is theWhite-faced Coatimundi or generally just “Coati” or the local Spanish name of “Pizote.”
Though in the Raccoon family, they are quite different and we do have raccoons here also! 🙂 See the “Treehugger” website’s 11 Interesting Coatimundi Facts. They live from Mexico south to the northern fringes of South America, so mostly a Central American animal. You frequently see them in large groups or families sniffing around the ground for grubs and beetles (feature photo at top), which is their favorite food, though they are omnivorous and do eat fruits, frogs, lizards, and other small creatures and plants. Read more on Wikipedia.
The shots below are some I made on my recent trip to Manquenque Lodge . . .
In case you did not see the links in the last few posts, I have my trip gallery up and ready to visit in my big photo gallery. In some ways my “Trip Galleries” are my main photo galleries with them feeding specific theme galleries like Birds, etc. Plus if you are considering a visit to one of the places included, the photos will give you a good idea of what to expect. Click the print screen image of the gallery below or use this address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2022-February-14-19-Maquenque-Ecolodge-Reserve-Boca-Tapada
“We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone”
– Katie Thurmes
¡Pura Vida!
SALE ON MY PHOTO BOOKS – 25% OFF March 4-6 only with discount code: BOOKFAN in Bookstore
