Category: Birds

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A Bird, A Butterfly & A Flower

For my final morning post from Arenal Observatory Lodge, three photos which are sort of representative of what I photographed most while here this time with the weather eliminating some of my favorite subjects here, though there are still more  things I photographed to be shared in the next few days or weeks including more of these three categories!  🙂

And these are not my favorites in each category, but rather representative ones from my last full day here . . .

A BIRD

Bananaquit Bird seen off the deck of my room at Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica.

 

A BUTTERFLY

A Doris Longwing or Dot-bordered Heliconian Butterfly seen in one of the gardens at Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica.

 

A FLOWER

An unidentified flower seen on the grounds of Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica. If you know the ID, please contact me. The leaves don’t match lavender, lupine or blue ginger. So what is it?

 

¡Pura Vida!

Tomorrow I will give an evaluation of this visit and whether I recommend Arenal Observatory for Christmas Week.

 

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Rainy Morning Determination

This little Rufous-tailed Hummingbird was determined to continue eating nectar from the nearby Porterweed Flowers when he rested for a moment on this Red Ginger Flower. As I’m posting at about 11 am the rain has finally stopped and the sun coming out, so my post-poned morning hiked will be about now! 🙂 – P.S. – Right after posting this I start to go out and the rain starts again – Awww . . . shucks! More rain photography!

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Volcan Arenal National Park, Costa Rica.

Yes – the photo was made in the rain!

See more in my Rufous-tailed Hummingbird GALLERY.

¡Pura Vida!

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Turkey Vulture Soars . . .

. . . over the neighborhood, looking for lunch.

Turkey Vulture, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Not a popular bird, but I think they are beautiful soaring on the wind currents overhead! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

My Turkey Vulture GALLERY

And possibly I will have a post tonight from Arenal Observatory Lodge, the first night of my Christmas week adventure in the forest below a volcano.

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What will I Have at the Art Show?

Wall Art

I’m bringing 21 photos printed on metal with a special mounting piece to give your wall art a contemporary 3-D look or a nice little shadow. In many sizes and subjects!

This Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth is just one choice! There’s birds, butterflies, monkeys, and flowers too!

Plus three other product categories . . .

Continue reading “What will I Have at the Art Show?”
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Baltimore Oriole

A female in one of my trees and the “snowbirds” are coming – both literally and figuratively! 🙂

TODAY is Thanksgiving Day in the States and though not a holiday here, I’m having a traditional Thanksgiving Day Dinner with friends from New Hampshire up the street from my house.

Baltimore Oriole Female, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

¡Pura Vida!

And my Baltimore Oriole Gallery!

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The Final Two Butterflies

Or at least it seems like they are the last two to be active this season, though I know I will have more soon or by January. The most active time for butterflies in my garden has been May to November, roughly the time of our “winter” or Rainy Season, though I do have some year around and see even more at the lodges I visit during our “summer” or Dry Season, December to April. But these two Satyrs, Carolina and White Satyrs, are the only two I’ve been able to photograph on my little hill recently, while thankfully more birds are returning! 🙂 And the rain is slowing down with less of it less often, like we are getting ready for dry season early? I hope not too early! The rain with the sun is what makes it so green and beautiful here!

White Satyr, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Carolina Satyr, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

And, oh yeah, there’s a lot more of these thumbnail-sized Carolina Satyrs than the Whites! 🙂 I have no explanation for why.

¡Pura Vida!

My Carolina Satyr GALLERY

My White Satyr GALLERY

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Boat-billed Flycatcher

This is one of several common brown & yellow birds with Black & White trim and this one most often is confused with the Great Kiskadee as about the same size. Social Flycatcher is colored the same but always smaller (and chubbier) and after awhile you get an eye for size and even the personality of birds which in this Boat-billed is different from the cockier Great Kiskadee. Plus I got a shot from behind and the white ring around this one’s head has all black in the center while the Kiskadee has yellow plus a spot of yellow on the black next to his beak. AND this Boat-billed has a bigger or fatter beak (boat-shaped?). But at first glance all of these look almost the same! I further verified my ID by running 3 of these photos through Merlin, the magical bird-ID app for your phone from eBird. 🙂

Read about Boat-billed Flycatcher on eBird or for more of my earlier photos see my Boat-billed Flycatcher GALLERY.

Boat-billed Flycatcher, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

3 more shots . . .

Continue reading “Boat-billed Flycatcher”
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Summer Tanager Female

I’m starting to see more birds in my garden trees now with yesterday and today including a Keel-billed Toucan, Squirrel Cuckoo, Gray-headed Chachalaca, White-winged Dove, Red-billed Pigeon, Clay-colored Thrush, Great Kiskadee. Rufous-naped Wren, and today a Summer Tanager Female which was the only decent photo I got. Here’s three shots of her at different angles . . .

Summer Tanager Female, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Summer Tanager Female”