Okay, I’m kind of “cheating” here by showing two different types of toucans that have perched in my Cecropia or Guarumo Tree: The Fiery-billed Aracari (eBird description) and the Keel-billed Toucan (eBird description). And with many more shots of both from all over Costa Rica, see my Fiery-billed Aracari Gallery and/or my Keel-billed Toucan Gallery. Since I have so many photos from so many different places, I will not try to feature the locations, though the location for both of these shots is my own garden in Roca Verde, Atenas, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica! 🙂 I am indeed fortunate!
Continue reading “FAVE BIRDS – Toucans at Home”FAVE BIRDS – Squirrel Cuckoo
I was really excited the first time I saw a Squirrel Cuckoo (eBird description) in my garden, thinking that all cuckoos were rare exotic birds. I’ve since learned that this particular one is fairly common all over Costa Rica and you will find 5 locations in Costa Rica in my Squirrel Cuckoo Gallery. Plus eBird says it is “widespread” throughout Central and South America. It is one of 6 different species of Cuckoos found in Costa Rica. Beyond this one, I have photos of just 2 other species in Costa Rica: The Mangrove Cuckoo (2) and the Lesser Ground-Cuckoo (1). See more information and links in The Backstory below . . .
Continue reading “FAVE BIRDS – Squirrel Cuckoo”FAVE BIRDS – Rose-throated Becard
I became aware of the Rose-throated Becard (eBird description) when in 2017 I got this close-up of a female in my own garden! 🙂 See other shots in my Rose-throated Becard Gallery from only 2 different locations in Costa Rica, one other in my neighborhood and one at Punta Leona on the Pacific Coast.
Continue reading “FAVE BIRDS – Rose-throated Becard”FAVE BIRDS – Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
It is both a fave bird and favorite photo of the Pygmy Owl! Read about them at Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (eBird description) as the Central & South American version of the pygmy owls found around the world. See also my Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl Gallery for my shots from 3 different locations in Costa Rica. Plus below I’m adding a shot from Guatemala of a whole family of them! 🙂 My other favorite pygmy owl photo! 🙂 And also below I will include the TRIP GALLERIES of all 4 trips where I photographed this owl and The Backstory of the featured photo.
Continue reading “FAVE BIRDS – Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl”FAVE BIRDS – Montezuma Oropendola
This bird has always intrigued me with its bright colors and unique nests and because I have seen him all over the country from coast to coast, mountains, valleys and lowlands! Read about the Montezuma Oropendola on eBirds site or see my collection of photos in my Montezuma Oropendola Gallery. I tell more about this photo and the unique nests they make in my Backstory below plus links to the places I made my photos as trip galleries.
Continue reading “FAVE BIRDS – Montezuma Oropendola”Fiddle-Leaf Fig
Ficus lyrata, commonly known as the Fiddle-Leaf Fig (Wikipedia), is often used as a smaller houseplant indoors though it eventually has to be pruned or moved outdoors. Since the last plant I had in my bedroom died I decided to try something different in harmony with the Strangler Fig Tree outside my bedroom window (behind those palms). We will see what happens in this window-side spot that receives very little sun. I liked this houseplant choice especially for the big leaves! 🙂
“Plants give us oxygen for the lungs and for the soul.”
— Terri Guillemets
¡Pura Vida!
FAVE BIRDS – Great Kiskadee
Not exotic but one of the most often seen birds across Costa Rica is the Great Kiskadee (eBirds link) and I have a lot of photos of them in My Great Kiskadee Gallery, but I still can’t tell you what makes him “great.” 🙂 And be forewarned that I still get them confused with the Social Flycatcher (looks the same but is technically smaller) and some of the other flycatchers that are the same colors.
I don’t really have a “Backstory” for this bird or this photo and since the locations where found are pretty much “everywhere in Costa Rica,” I will not link to trip galleries where I have photographed them. But you might want to see in my bird galleries some of the ones that are often confused with the Great Kiskadee and hey! Some of these photos might even be mis-labeled. 🙂 I really do get them confused!:
¡Pura Vida!
FAVE BIRDS – Gray Hawk
I decided to pick only one of my many hawk photos and honestly, I’m not sure why I liked this one best. The Common Black Hawk is the one I’ve photographed the most with the Road Hawk a close second and I have some good photos of both. The Gray Hawk (eBird description) is common and sure of himself and seems determined in this photo. See others I’ve photographed in my Gray Hawk Gallery from many locations. And read below The Backstory on how and where I photographed this and the other Gray Hawks in my gallery.
Continue reading “FAVE BIRDS – Gray Hawk”Green
The response to yesterday’s blog post “Verdure” has been good and of course that older English word refers to the “green” in nature. One response caused me to look up quotes about “green in nature” and there were so many good ones! I limited myself to sharing just three:
“For still there are so many things that I have never seen: in every wood in every spring there is a different green.”
– J. R. R. Tolkien
“Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.”
– Pedro Calderon de la Barca
“Nature in her green, tranquil woods heals and soothes all afflictions.”
– John Muir
¡Pura Vida!
🙂
Verdure
Verdure = the fresh green color of vegetation.
Verdure Hugging me Daily Upon My terrace Fresh, Green
Seeing The garden Colors
Feeling The Garden Tranquil
“To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.”
—Jane Austen
¡Pura Vida!
More CR Nature Haiku