Category: Birds

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Yellow Warbler

She was in the early morning shadows at breakfast on my terrace, thus poor photos, but I had to share since it’s the first Yellow Warbler I’ve gotten in a long time, maybe this year, though usually more common. There can be both local residents and migrants from the north, with this one being an adult female, meaning I can’t tell since both local and migrant females are the same, while males are different with the male in CR having a rusty-red head. There is also a CR Mangrove Warbler that is almost identical, but it only lives in the Mangroves along the coast, thus never here in Atenas in the Central Valley, while the Prothonotary Warbler can be in both locations but is a little more distinct or never confused with this one.

Yellow Warbler, Adult Female, Atenas, Costa Rica
Yellow Warbler, Adult Female, Atenas, Costa Rica

See more in my Yellow Warbler GALLERY.

¡Pura Vida!

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Rooftop Iguanas

Though I haven’t noticed them as much recently, I think they are always around, maybe a family, as one of these looks younger than the other.

Black Spiny-tailed Iguana, Atenas, Costa Rica

The featured photo is of the older one on the roof, so email recipients have to go to the website by clicking the post title. 🙂 For more photos of this species, go to their gallery: Black Spiny-tailed Iguana.

¡Pura Vida!

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Yellow-bellied Elaenia

This common, little bushy-headed flycatcher lives all over Costa Rica on both slopes up to 1,800 meters, but generally stays inconspicuous and I rarely get to photograph him, though my Yellow-bellied Elaenia GALLERY has shots from 6 different locations over Costa Rica now, including multiple times in my garden. I was sitting on the porch of my little cabin at Macaw Lodge during and after a shower when these two came to a nearby tree for a few minutes. More patience and more sitting would probably give me more bird photos! 🙂 The Yellow-bellied Elaenia lives from Mexico south through all of Central America and much of South America. Read about him on eBird with the scientific name Elaenia flavogaster. Another refreshing bird find at Macaw Lodge!

Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Macaw Lodge, Carara NP, Costa Rica
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Bare-throated Tiger Herons

The last time I was at Macaw Lodge the water bird I most enjoyed photographing was the Muscovy Duck who was not on their lake this week, maybe late migrating? But we had an almost as interesting small group or family of Bare-throated Tiger Herons (eBird link). Here’s three shots, all different, of this water bird I’ve seen most often on my Tarcoles River boat tours, but also on pretty much all river and mangrove tours. See my other photos in the Bare-throated Tiger Heron GALLERY.

Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Macaw Lodge, Carara NP, Costa Rica
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Southern Rough-winged Swallow

Michael, a resident naturalist at Macaw Lodge, told me that they did not see this bird much there. And I’ve only seen him in 3 other places in Costa Rica as shown in my Southern Rough-winged Swallow GALLERY. You can read more about him on eBird, the Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Stelgidopteryx ruficollis, a seasonal migrant here from South America who is slightly different from the Northern Rough-winged Swallow, who is both a migrant from North America and some a resident in Costa Rica. Several species have individuals who evidently like it here and just decide to stay along with the ones born here.

People living in the northern hemisphere often think that the only migrants are from the north flying south, but as the literal center of the Americas we get just as many migrants flying north from the southern hemisphere (like this bird). It also explains the two names of “Rough-winged Swallows,” the “Northern RWS” migrate here from the north and the “Southern RWS” migrate here from the south. That is why Costa Rica and other parts of Central America are meccas for bird-watching! You can see birds from both hemispheres! 🙂 Here’s 2 individual shots and 2 group shots of this southern migrant . . .

Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Macaw Lodge, Carara National Park, Costa Rica
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Art Fair One Week from Today!

The annual weekend art fair that I have been participating in for 3 years now is next weekend, December 8-10 at a new location, Calle 2 Plaza, in the same plaza as the new Galería Artenas which is now the sponsor of the art fair. That means you can find Charlie Doggett “Nature as Art Photography” next weekend in both places! Side by side! 🙂

I will continue to have 6 wall art photos, all of my greeting cards and floral accent pillows plus 5 photo books in the Galería Artenas through 13 January, my last day as a member of that cooperative, which I will explain later. But I WILL HAVE 7 DIFFERENT ITEMS IN THE ART FAIR! (1) A new CR Butterflies 2024 Calendar, (2) Atenas Tote Bags, (3) T-shirts, (4) Coffee Mugs, (5) Mouse Pads, (6)several different Wall Art Photos, and (7) a few different Photo Books including my brand new Pura Vida Butterflies, Second Edition with more than 240 species! (Linked to a free preview of it!)

Don’t Miss the “Just in Time for the Holidays” Art Fair next weekend, December 8-10 at Calle 2 Plaza next door to Linea Vital Medical Plaza! 3-7 Friday, 10-7 Saturday and 10-2 Sunday.

¡Pura Vida!

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An Elusive Toucan!

Though some flew over and I heard a lot of toucans calling out in the forest, I only got photos of this one, a Yellow-throated Toucan, Ramphastos ambiguus, about 30 feet up in the trees of the forest between my cabin and the dining room. Definitely not my best toucan photos, but glad to at least get one while at Macaw Lodge! 🙂

And though again I heard the squawking of many Scarlet Macaws, the namesake of the lodge, I got no photos. They told me that a flock came to the trees by the dining room in the middle of one afternoon, but of course none of us guests were there at that time! 🙂

Here’s four shots that are okay, though I have some better photos in my Yellow-throated Toucan Gallery. 🙂

Yellow-throated Toucan, Macaw Lodge, Carara National Park, Costa Rica
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The “Perfect” Motmot Portraits

🙂 This Lesson’s Motmot, Momotus lessonii (formerly Blue-crowned) was healthy, with good color, and best of all, the tail was not broken like in most of my photos of Motmots, plus both medallions at the end of his tail were in perfect condition! Then to top that off, he posed on all sides, front and back, facing both left and right! These are my best ever Motmot photos and to think that I almost missed them because my lens was fogging up from the morning rain! 😊 But removing the protective lens solved that problem! And though it rained all night, we had sun all morning and it was a very good morning with lots of both birds and butterflies to photograph! My Thanksgiving Blessing! 🙂 And check out my Lesson’s Motmot GALLERY for more photos of this beautiful bird! And here’s three of many shots from this morning . . .

Lesson’s Motmot, Macaw Lodge, Carara National Park, Costa Rica.
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