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| View Out My Kitchen Window Today It changes daily and above this is landlord’s fence covered in morning glories. |
See my photo gallery Flora & Forests
New Looks in Garden
My photo gallery Flora & Forests or directly to the sub-gallery My Home Gardens
Note that in these and all of my photo galleries at Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA I have added the new gallery header that is available at Smugmug which features one of the photos in that gallery. An improvement by Smugmug I think.
Politics
Yesterday I told you that there were versions of the Women’s March on Washington in more than one town in Costa Rica. Well, today I learned that some of my rich Republican friends in Atenas had an Inauguration Celebration Party at one of their large houses on Friday night. Unfortunately it is not just poor Democrats migrating to Costa Rica. But I think I can safely say that most Costa Ricans are horrified at the prospects of the Trump presidency.
Banded Skipper
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| Banded Skipper My Home Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica The gardener found it and came got me for the photo. I have other shots of one inside my house. |
Women’s March in Washington is also happening in Costa Rica Saturday in multiple locations. Respect for women is very important here and the new U.S. President’s attitude toward women is shocking to Costa Ricans! People still ask me “How can your country elect a man like that as president?” I have no good answer beyond my embarrassment and to say that I did not vote for him, nor did the majority of the voting citizens. But I’m glad I live in Costa Rica now! With a Republican congress and president the states will soon be in multiple wars and huge debt. I have a different idea of greatness.
See also my photo gallery for Butterflies & Moths
Jungle Flowers at Sarapiquí
See also my photo gallery Flora & Forests or go straight to My Garden
Flowers, birds and butterflies! What beautiful expressions of God’s colors I get to enjoy!
And today my gardener planted a new kind of butterfly bush that will bring many more butterflies he promises!
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A Nation of Immigrants, an interesting article on how Costa Rica accepts the fact that it is made up totally of immigrants (much like the States) with fewer indigenous people (Indians) than the states. Read how Costa Rica still welcomes immigrants and thrives because of them. And we are regularly listed as one of the top happiest countries in the world! Interesting!
Summer Flowers
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| My Breakfast View this Morning It is summer here, school is out for summer break & more flowers are blooming. Jan-Feb are also the windy months, but at least the volcano has slowed issuing ash. |
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What Our Costa Rica President Says about Immigration, an article in Tico Times today.
You guys in the U.S. feel free to share this article with your new president-elect. The quick summary is “If you want to get through a border, you’ll be able to sooner or later.” 🙂 And read about how CR deals with the flow of Cubans en-route to the U.S. through Costa Rica and the Nicaraguans and Colombians who come here to stay. Personal Disclosure: My maid is a Nica and my haircuts are at a Colombino peluquería and nobody seems to have a problem with that here. Everyone is welcome in Costa Rica, even arrogant Americans. Though there’s already enough in Atenas, so I’m not issuing an invitation! 🙂
Other Animals at Sarapiquí
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| Mantled Howler Monkey male Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica |
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| White-nosed Coati Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica |
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| Variegated Squirrel Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiquí, Chilamate, Costa Rica |
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| Black River Turtle Puerto Viejo River, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica |
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| Spectacled Caiman Puerto Viejo River, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica |
See also all my non-bird wildlife photo galleries at OTHER WILDLIFE
And this will be my last post on what I saw in Sarapiquí at Selva Verde Lodge. I highly recommend this lodge and spending at least 3 or 4 nights when you go!
TWO YEARS TODAY LIVING IN COSTA RICA
Two years ago today (on Dec.24, 2014) I boarded a plane in Nashville with 5 suitcases and a one-way ticket to Costa Rica. (I’ve since learned the airline was not supposed to sell me a one-way ticket since I wasn’t a legal resident of CR yet. But anyway, I got here late and the taxi driver drove me in the dark up the winding mountain road (Ruta 3) from airport to Atenas and the inefficient Dutch owner/manager of the apartments Hacienda La Jacaranda was not ready for me, thinking I was not coming until January. His girlfriend had to clean an empty apartment for me before I could move in and the adventure began!
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| Today’s Boat Captain/Guide, Luis |
Two years later I’m on my umpteenth birding trip, this time to Sarapiqui and what some have told me is one of the best birding spots in Costa Rica. Well . . . I’ve only been here a day and a half, but it has not yet proven to be one of my best! Most of the birds I’ve been able to photograph have been at the feeder outside the dining room and only a fraction of what I can see in 2 hours on the Tarcoles River or a short time at San Gerado de Dota or Rancho Naturalista.
I was hopeful about the birding river boat trip this afternoon, but some new friends told me they saw only 4 birds on yesterday’s boat trip, so expecting the worse, I went. Well I saw about 12-15 bird species including a yellow-throated toucan, so very good for me and better than today’s morning walk, though not like Rio Tarcoles. But my guide here, Evon, is trying to schedule me an early morning boat trip for Monday when I’m likely to see a lot more birds. Hope it works out!
Tomorrow, Christmas Day, I do morning and afternoon walks and maybe will see a lot more. The lodge on the river is nice and I’m enjoying my stay here; resting, birding and meeting some very interesting people, especially today a couple from Ireland who also lived in The Gambia once like me.
Didn’t use my cell phone camera much today, but above is a shot of by boat captain and guide Luis and below a couple of shots here at the lodge.
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| Violet-headed Fairy Hummingbird In the gardens of Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiqui Maybe the only bird shot on my cell phone. Shooting into the sun is not good on any camera! |
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| Orchid Blooms In the gardens of Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiqui near my room. |
I heard that we will have the option of tamales for dinner tonight which is a big Christmas tradition in Costa Rica. I’ll tell you tomorrow on Christmas Day.
MERRY CHRISTMAS or Feliz Navidad!
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| Charlie Enjoying Retirement in Costa Rica My 2014 Selfie at Trogon Lodge, San Gerado de Dota |
And Still More Birds on the Tree!
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| Well, this one is not on my tree but one of my new napkin rings. |
See also my other posts of tree birds: Animales Fantasticos, Arbolitos de Pajaros and More Birds on My Tree.
A Birds and the Bees Problem
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| A swarm of bees building a nest on neighbor’s carport ceiling. Don’t know the name. |
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| Cropped in closer on hundreds of bees and corner of hive. |
These bees have taken over Anthony’s hummingbird feeders and he is looking for a solution to that problem. Let me know if you have one. Knocking down this nest did not do it.
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| His bees stay on his hummingbird feeders, thus no birds now! |
I have no such problem since my hummingbirds eat from my flowers and there are enough flowers for both the birds and the bees! 🙂 My favorite bee in my garden is the Green Orchid Bee I think I may have shown on the blog before.
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| Green Orchid Bee My Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica The hummingbirds and bees don’t seem to fight over the flowers. |
More Birds on My Tree & Little Theater Experience
See also my other posts of tree birds: Animales Fantasticos, Arbolitos de Pajaros and still one more coming!
LITTLE THEATER EXPERIENCE
For you guys back in the states who think I just live with the birds and have no social outlets, you couldn’t be more wrong! Sometimes I have too much going on to live the slow, simple life I’m here for. One group I belong to is expats that take charter bus trips to San Jose for cultural activities plus some local recreational activities. Last week we went to the San Jose Little Theatre Group for a very interesting little play titled The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. It was about a teen boy with Asperger’s syndrome that was a little emotional to me since that was one of Juli’s problems. But I enjoyed it and our group of 40 filled the theater which we had to ourselves. It was a late afternoon private performance and then we went to an Argentina Steak House for a very good dinner before returning to Atenas. Thanks to Tony Phillips who puts these trips together!
