CLICK this image of first page to go to the gallery.
Yes, Xandari is expensive, but it is worth it for me as I think the photos tell. Enjoy my “Nature as Art” photos that are different each time I visit there.
Yes, on Christmas Eve, in the tree by my terrace at Xandari, I photographed another new species for me! This Philadelphia Vireo, Vireo philadelphicus(linked to eBird) was identified by the Merlin app from eBird and is probably a non-breeding immigrant from Canada who passed through Philadelphia on his/her way to Costa Rica. 🙂
Philadelphia Vireo, Xandari Resort, Tacacori, Alajuela, Costa RicaPhiladelphia Vireo, Xandari Resort, Tacacori, Alajuela, Costa RicaPhiladelphia Vireo, Xandari Resort, Tacacori, Alajuela, Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!
Other Vireos, for you birders reading, that I’ve collected in Costa Rica linked to my photo galleries of each:
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”
– John Muir
An inspiring overlay of leaves in one corner of my garden. Something new each day! And this time with red, green & gold for Christmas! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
Postscript Prayer Request
My little sister, Bonnie (12 years younger than me), has just been diagnosed with Colon Cancer and had surgery yesterday to remove the blockage and receive a colostomy bag. Once that heals, in about 6 weeks, she will begin chemotherapy with hopes that it has not already spread very far. A difficult way for her to begin Christmas! Your prayers for her and the doctors in Independence, Missouri will be appreciated by all!
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” ~Philippians 4:6
The Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Amazilia tzacatl (linked to eBird) is a Central American bird overlapping only into the northern edges of South America and found literally all over Costa Rica as can be seen in my GALLERY, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird. It has long been the dominant hummingbird in my garden, often chasing off other species, though now I am seeing just as many or more of the Blue-vented Hummingbird. Here’s two shots of this species in my garden recently, the first a juvenile or immature adult (smaller) and the second a mature adult . . .
Colorful in both design and colors, this longtail skipper is anything but dull! See more in my GALLERY: Spot-banded Longtail. And here’s three shots from the other day . . .
I remember seeing this bird on my first trip to Costa Rica back in 2009, down on the southern end of Osa Peninsula near Corcovado NP at Lookout Inn, Carata. He’s a handsome bird without the extravagant colors of many tropical birds. And now he’s a regular in my garden! 🙂 See more photos in my gallery for the Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus from literally all over Costa Rica and that first I saw is at the bottom of the gallery. 🙂
Is another one that seems mis-named with no obvious yellow, though one that I found online did have a golden yellowish hue. 🙂 It seems to be a rare or seldom-seen butterfly with only one other reported on iNaturalist CR and me being the only one on butterfliesandmoths dot org, with three sightings now. 🙂 I’m basing my identification mainly on those two sets of 3 white dots on the wings. I guess most people just see it as another one of the many brown skippers! 🙂
