And I also picked up an old dead branch along the road, lightly sprayed with gold paint, and put it in a vase of rocks for my árbolito de navidad (little Christmas Tree) this year and will decorate it with hand-crafted artisan birds. Here’s 4 of the first ones added. There will be more Fantastic Beasts! 🙂
Seeing Behind the Leaves
Tropical Kingbird (pretty sure, can’t see breast) From my terrace, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Maraca or Shampoo Ginger In jungle of my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Heliconia behind Heliconia plants My garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Red Ginger amongst the ginger leave My garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Red Ginger amongst many plants My garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Layers of Leaves My garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Heliconia Overshadowed in my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Between the leaves in my garden Atenas, Costa Rica |
Female Hoffman’s Woodpecker
Female Hoffman’s Woodpecker My Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Female Hoffman’s Woodpecker My Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
See my BIRDS PHOTO GALLERY
The Missed Birds!
Many Pass Through this Dead Tree at end of my terrace. Yesterday I had no camera when two Keel-billed Toucans stopped momentarily & then up the hill! and a few days ago A Blue-crowned Motmot landed in this same tree, briefly! Links are to one of my photos of that same bird made elsewhere. |
I think the toucans were looking at my Cecropia Tree (Arbole Guarumo o Yagrumo) which is suppose to attract toucans. So far that is as close to the Cecropia as I have seen them yet. Eventually! Pura Vida!
The Cecropia or Guarumo o Yagrumo Tree beside my terrace (a deck in the states). And remember that I put Spanish words/names in red (when I remember). 🙂 Toucans love this tree, but mine is still young, so eventually it will get toucans. |
Dinner Guest
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Inside on my kitchen window screen, Roca Verde Atenas, Costa Rica |
I had Anthony over for dinner (with “to go” dinners from Chef Dan I’ll tell you about later). As we were about to sit down for dinner and TV News this little guy flew in and landed on the kitchen window. I partially opened the screen expecting him to fly out but that kind of trapped him between glass and screen. So after dinner I helped him get loose and he flew out the sliding class doors that are always open and where he flew in.
Masked Tityra Approaches My House!
Masked Tityra My Home Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Masked Tityra My Home Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Maybe he is wearing a mask early for Halloween. No? This is the first I’ve seen in my garden, but I did see one at the Rio Chirripó Retreat near Chirripó National Park.
And my BIRDS PHOTO GALLERY include many more!
Birding on the Kekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve
Cecropia or Guarumo Tree Kekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica I have a tree like this in my yard. Toucans like these trees! 🙂 |
Except for securing Abel Busamanti as a birding guide in Manzanillo, I had no other pre-plans though expecting to visit the Ara Project featured yesterday. Well, on the north side of Puerto Viejo which is just 20 km or so north of Manzanillo is the Cahuita National Park that I kind of expected to visit (but never made it). I didn’t want to risk one of the guides lined up at the park entrance, so with my Kindle (no laptop) I googled and found a guide service in Puerto Viejo called TERRAVENTURAS which I called and said I was interested in a birding guide for the park or other better area near there. (There are a lot of companies like them here! Many are geared more to white water rafting and zip-lining!f Adventures for the young!)
She told me the birding would be better in Kekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve and they had a platform tower on top of a hill to view raptors migrating. (I had heard about the tower and so liked that choice.) I told her to book me for tomorrow and she said she needed me to send money in advance for a reservation which I did not know how to do on my Kindle. So I just drove to their office in Puerto Viejo and paid cash.
View of Ocean from Bird-spotting TowerKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
The next morning Alex, a Bribri guide and uncle to the guide I had at Ara Project picked me up at my hotel. The time with him was as enjoyable as the birds we found and I got to photograph. As was walking by some of the simple homes in the reserve which I did not feel comfortable photographing. So really no Bribri photos this time, just the few birds and other animals I photographed. But I highly recommend the trip! And Alex! And Terraventuras!
And the Mountains in Other DirectionKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica We saw raptors coming from both directions, but mostly along the coast. |
Kites, Hawks and Vultures would Fly Together in the DraftsKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Mississippi Kite Was one of my new bird shots for Costa Rica Kekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
The Ever Present Turkey VultureKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Shining HoneycreeperKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Roadside HawkKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Keel-billed ToucanKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Hoffman’s Two-toed SlothKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica It was neat how close to our trail he was. My closest yet in the wild! |
Black & Green Poison Dart FrogKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Strawberry Poison Dart FrogKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Green Page MothKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Common Mytip ButterflyKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Isabella’s Tiger, a Longwing or Heliconia ButterflyKekoldi Bribri Indigenous Reserve, near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Sometimes going to an out of way place where most tourists don’t go is the best place for wildlife and adventure. It is my second Bribri reserve to visit and both were unique! Special! Go to my August 25-27, 2015 posts for photos of the Yorkin Bribri Reserve:
Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo
Nice Little Cafe and Gift Shop at the entrance, but not as big or as developed as Zoo Ave in La Garita! And you can only visit on a schedule with a tour guide, so get times ahead! On website: Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
NOTE: I am not repeating the photos of a Northern Tamandua Anteater and a Red-eyed Tree Frog that were shot here but shown in earlier posts. Click links to see again.
Brown Pelican with a broken wing Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Baby Possums whose mother was killed. They will raise and try to introduce back into the wild. Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Groove-billed Ani Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Keel-billed Toucan Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Hoffman’s Two-toed Sloth Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Red-lored Parrot Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
Spectacled Caiman Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
To learn more about Jaguar Rescue Center, click link for their website where you can read the history, find out when there are tours and how you can volunteer. It is operated mostly by volunteers!
Or more specifically my BIRDS PHOTO GALLERY or
My OTHER WILDLIFE PHOTO GALLERY
The Birds of Palo Verde Park
Groove-billed Ani
Tempisque River, Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica
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Crane Hawk
Tempisque River, Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica
This is my first sighting of this bird.
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Black-crowned Night Heron
Tempisque River, Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica
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Bare-throated Tiger Heron
Tempisque River, Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica
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Crested Caracara Juvenile (or young adult)
Tempisque River, Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica
This was a “first sighting” of this guy. It’s usually Yellow-headed Caracara.
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Spotted Sandpiper
Tempisque River, Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica
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Little Blue Heron
Tempisque River, Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica
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Boat-billed Heron
Tempisque River, Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica
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Mangrove Swallow
Tempisque River, Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica
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My computer is working properly again! And I haven’t even taken it to the shop yet! Maybe it is the weather here it likes better! 🙂 So I was able to upload these photos! Of course I have many more and we did not see as many birds as might have been possible because it was windy the whole time we were on the river. (Birds don’t fly much when it is windy! They hide in the bushes!) We also saw some other animals which I will show tomorrow. Below is a photo of the kind of boat we floated on, though only the two of us plus our guide and boat captain.
There are several tour boat companies here like at Rio Tarcoles & Rio Frio. Tomorrow I will show the above boat passengers acting like tourists. 🙂 |
Had it not been windy, we would have seen more smaller birds including hummingbirds, but weather is just part of life! Pura Vida!
See my photo gallery of BIRDS OF COSTA RICA
Or all my BIRDS OF CENTRAL AMERICA for even more!
Tempisque River Today
Little Blue Heron Tempisque River, The Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica |
I’m having trouble with my computer shutting off every few minutes, so only one photo for now and more later from our boat trip on Rio Tempisque and a drive through Playa Hermosa and Playa Coco. I of course made lots of photos! 🙂 It was windy and thus not as many birds as we would normally have and I only got maybe one new or first time bird. But a good trip and I learned about some more Guanacaste beaches. Hope to get photos up soon!