Category: Trees

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Backside Identifier

From the front view, the Great Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher and Boat-billed Flycatcher look almost alike (with differences in overall size & the bills), but one key characteristic of a Great Kiskadee that you can see from behind (or a side view) are the “rufous” (red-brown) feathers while the others have only dull brown feathers. And that is sometimes easier to see than overall size or the size and shape of the bill. Thus I’m sharing this backside photo today to emphasize one of the characteristics of the Great Kiskadee (my gallery link). That yellow spot on his head is true of him and the Social Flycatcher, so another identifier. 🙂

Great Kiskadee, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Toucan in my Garden Again!

Yesterday, November 3, 2025, this Keel-billed Toucan (my gallery link) landed in one of my Nance Trees (though not time for the berries). In the past I always had them in my Cecropia Tree, but it is dying and I think they sense that and avoid the tree. My last shot of this Keel-billed Toucan was last November ’24 from my garden but in a tree uphill from me in a neighbor’s tree, two Toucans with a Chachalaca! 🙂 The last of this species in my garden was in January 2023! So I was quite pleased yesterday! And booted the October photo scheduled for tomorrow up to November 15. 🙂 Yes, I have my blog photos scheduled more than 10 days ahead now and will be adding November shots after that. But I did not want to wait until the 15th for these two shots with many more made and in the gallery.

Keel-billed Toucan, My garden, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Toucan in my Garden Again!”
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Laughing Falcons All Around Me . . .

. . . but none up close. For the last couple of days I’ve heard the call or song of the Laughing Falcon, Herpetotheres cachinnans (my gallery link) coming from one of the many big trees on the hill north of me. Yesterday I was trying to find them from a distance when at least 3 of them flew overhead, possibly to K’s, above me, since he got photos of some in his trees. 🙂 I have usually had to go to national parks to see this interesting falcon, but now they are here. They are the same size as many hawks and I think an attractive bird. Another neighbor, Steve, has had one in one of his trees. Here’s two shots of one flying overhead . . .

Laughing Falcon, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Continue reading “Laughing Falcons All Around Me . . .”
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Western Wood-Pewee

The Western Wood-Pewee – Contopus sordidulus (my gallery link) is not seen very often, but more so than the Eastern or Northern Tropical Wood-Pewee and is found in all parts of Costa Rica while the other two or mostly in the lowlands along both coasts. Plus it is usually “taller” or longer than the other two and in this case the iNaturalist AI labeled it “Western” which matched my presumed ID and it matches my previous Western photos better than my photos of the other two, so I’m pretty confident of this identification, even though Merlin (the eBird AI) said that it was unable to identify. This one landed in the dead tree behind my house on the hill and was there less than 30 seconds, so I got few photos and sharing only this one . . .

Western Wood-Pewee, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Inca Dove

I’m glad that one of my favorite Doves was still around in September, even though this is not a great photo! 🙂 See more and better photos in my GALLERY: Inca Dove, Columbina inca.

Inca Dove, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Preparing this post two weeks and a day earlier I have decided that it will be the last of my photos made in September and tomorrow I will start posting only October photos! 🙂 And the October ones will most likely overlap into November. 🙂 I’m thankful to live so close to so much nature to keep my attention and bring me joy in my creative outlet. Share my posts and tell your friends about my nature photography obsession, this blog, and my unique photo gallery! ¡Pura vida! Retired in Costa Rica!

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Boat-billed Flycatcher

At first I had these two photos lumped in with the Great Kiskadees, but eBird’s AI helped me realized that they have bigger bills and are shaped slightly different as Boat-billed Flycatcher, Megarynchus pitangua  (linked to my gallery). Not as frequent but the last few in my gallery are from my garden. One photo . . .

Boat-billed Flycatcher, in my garden, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Blue-gray Tanager

One of several birds that I’m seeing more of now, the Blue-gray Tanager, Thraupis episcopus (my gallery link) lives all over Central America and the northern half of South America and is found literally everywhere in Costa Rica except the highest altitudes. He is similar to the grayish-green Palm Tanager and I have a lot of photos in the above linked gallery. Pictured here in my garden.

Blue-gray Tanager, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Variegated Squirrel

This is the species that lives in my garden and is the most common squirrel in Costa Rica (with 7 subspecies) and I see them in most places I visit here, including different colors. In my gallery you can see my photos of 3 other species as well as this most common one, each species in their own gallery 🙂 . . .

  • Alfaro’s or Central American Pygmy Squirrel (just 1 photo from Curi-Cancha Reserve, Monteverde)
  • Deppe’s Squirrel (3 photos, also at Curi-Cancha Reserve, Monteverde, my favorite reserve in Monteverde, where I also get the most species of birds in Monteverde!) 🙂
  • Red-tailed Squirrel (the 2nd most numerous for me with a dozen photos from 7 different locations across Costa Rica on both slopes, though considered “non-native”.)
  • Variegated Squirrel, (49 photos from 12 locations across Costa Rica, including both slopes and more than one subspecies or color-combinations.)
  • The only two of these that are “native” to Costa Rica are Deppe’s and the Variegated. The other 2 are “introduced” or “migrants,” kind of like me! 🙂

Just this one photo here. Go to gallery for more.

Variegated Squirrel, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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A Tropical Waters Icon

The Anhinga, sometimes called “Snake Bird” because when swimming with his long neck out of the water he/she looks like a snake swimming. This bird is found in all of the tropical Americas on the water where it dives into the water to catch a fish and then afterwards sun-dries itself on a tree as in these two photos, one a male (all black) and one a female (with brown neck). See more of my photos from Costa Rica in the Anhinga Gallery (linked) with most seen on rivers, though also on lakes.

Female Anhinga, Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa Rica
Male Anhinga, Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa Rica

And yes, this makes three days that I have reverted back to my Tortuguero trip for photos. That is because I’ve had some “lean” days in my garden recently (doing posts a week or more ahead now) and I always have more that can be shared from places like Tortuguero! 🙂 Every national park and wildlife reserve here is a rich source of nature photos!

¡Pura Vida!

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“The Woods”

In and/or near Tortuguero National Park, Limón, Costa Rica, seen from a Sansa airplane.

More than 25% of Costa Rica’s forests and land is protected by the government in official National Parks, Wildlife Refuges and Biological Reserves. On top of that there are many “private reserves” that some people say brings the protected percentage closer to 30% but no data on that. And according to Google’s AI:

“With over 615 wildlife species per 10,000 sq km, Costa Rica sits atop of the list as the most bio-diverse region of the world.”

–Google

¡Pura Vida!