Category: Wildlife

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Next Week’s Adventure

Sometimes I think I’m the luckiest guy in the world! Being “Retired in Costa Rica” is simply perfect for me, even if I never left my little casita and garden in Atenas! But on top of that I get to continue exploring one of the most beautiful and ecologically diverse countries in the world! And next week it is to a place that not only have I not seen, but I am yet to meet anyone else who has been there! Even my driver will be going for his first time!   🙂

I urge you to watch their beautifully created introductory nature video to see part of what I will experience next week and also as an expression of why I love Costa Rica so much! Nature!       🙂

Just click the Macaw logo below to see it on YouTube. I’ll give you their website link further down.

This small eco lodge has only eight rooms and is recommended by National Geographic Society. I expect stellar service and food along with my full immersion in the wilderness! The video does not mention birding (I don’t do yoga), but they have birding guides and multiple options for birding with of course many trails I can explore on my own. And they will be my third lodge to visit that has installed Macaw Nesting Boxes, what may save a whole species from extinction!

My current approach to trips is to stay most of a week with birding in the mornings followed by relaxation and photo processing in the afternoon with a great evening meal and early to bed. Some places are more designed for my kind of schedule and I think this is going to be one of those! And may become one of my new favorites! Now explore their website by clicking the link below:

Macaw Lodge Website

As with most good lodges, there’s a lot to explore on their website as well as on their grounds, like their secret gardens and birding trails, their own waterfall with plunge pool swimming hole, their farm where most food I’ll eat is raised, unlimited birds, insects and other nature to photograph and much more! Six nights there will give me time to explore and discover another great getaway to which I already expect I’ll return! I love new discoveries!   🙂

Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.  ~John Muir

¡Pura Vida!

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Surprise WhatsApp Message Today

MonteverdeThis morning I received a WhatsApp Voice Message with the above photo from Rodiber, my guide at Monteverde last month. He was thanking me profusely for the autographed copy of my Monteverde photo book for himself, Costa Rica Expeditions (who service this hotel) and the hotel Monteverde Lodge & Gardens. The girl in photo is one of the several front desk persons who were all very helpful to me during my stay. I sent two copies of book, one for my guide and one for the hotel to use at front desk, in lobby or in their little loaner-library of books for guests.

Since I make a book for most of my trips or the first trip to a lodge, I usually send two books like this. I just concluded my second trip to Selva Verde Lodge and right now not planning a second book. Their two guides on my first visit plus the front desk got copies of my 2016 Selva Verde trip book.

I really enjoy surprising my hosts in thanks for a good experience with the little photo books – not something they expect nor receive from other guests. This is the first one to send me a photo with their thank-you note. A surprise for me now! My response was the typical Costa Rican response to a “Thank You!” which is ¡Con mucho gusto! “With much pleasure!” Ticos are such beautiful people!     🙂

Art must take reality by surprise.

Francoise Sagan

¡Pura Vida!

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Selva Verde Sarapiqui Gallery

The trip photo gallery is completed! You can see my photos of this latest birding trip at:

https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2019-May-9-15-Selva-Verde-Lodge-Sarapiqui

Or click this print screen image of the gallery:

2019-05-20

 

And how about my earlier visit to this same hotel with even more birds? See the TRIP GALLERY:  2016 December 23-27 – Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui   or click the print screen image of that earlier gallery:

2019-05-20 (4)

 

Same Lodge  –  Two Visits!

See also the LODGE WEBSITE

¡Pura Vida!

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Boat Safari

On Saturday, my 3rd day here I chose to do the boat tour of part of the Sarapiqui River and part on the Puerto Viejo River. When I was here before in a December it was one of my best places for a large number of bird, but this time, like everywhere else in May, there were not as many birds. But it was still a good tour and a nice young couple from Austin, TX also in Selva Verde Lodge went on the same tour with me plus about 5 others on the boat. Here’s my photos in three categories:

Birds on the River

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Other Wildlife on the River

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Boat & River Shots

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“Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?” That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future.” 
― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

 

¡Pura Vida!

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Last Day Birds

Today, Tuesday, is my last full day at Selva Verde Lodge, (link to their website) so of course I tried to get some more bird photos! Most of these are repeat birds, but different images and two are new for this trip. I just can’t stop photographing that baby Aracari and this morning after breakfast I saw him fly out of his hole to the nearest branch, not far, but he is learning! A treat to experience!

Last Day Birds

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I woke up this morning, 
Smiled at the rising sun, 
Three little birds, 
Sat on my doorstep, 
Singing sweet songs

~Bob Marley
¡Pura Vida!
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Other Wildlife

These are just a few of the “other” wildlife I photographed here at Selva Verde Lodge, on the grounds. Of course birds & frogs have already been shown and I just got two different/new birds this morning, thus hard to keep up with. All will appear in the trip gallery soon to be announced after I return home tomorrow.

Selva Verde Wildlife

 

 

“The smaller the creature, the bolder its spirit.”
― Suzy Kassem

¡Pura Vida!

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Different Birds Today!

With the offical morning bird walk and personal walks around the lodge grounds today, I saw several birds not seen yesterday. The two special ones were the babies. The featured photo above is a baby Collared Aracari peeking his head out of the tree hole nest. Also in the slide show below is a baby Great Kiskadee. Both were first-time baby sightings here. It is that time of year, the beginning of the rainy season. Tomorrow I may share the birds we saw on our “Boat Bird Safari” Saturday, then sometime the other wildlife. It is so great to be out in a rainforest like this! Pura vida!

New Birds at Lodge Today

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“Pan, who and what art thou?” he cried huskily.
“I’m youth, I’m joy,” Peter answered at a venture, “I’m a little bird that has broken out of the egg.” 
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Gray-capped Flycatcher SINGING

¡Pura Vida!

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BIRDS!

Tonight I decided to share my first set of birds photographed right here on the lodge grounds and I don’t have the official bird hike until tomorrow morning when maybe I will get a whole new set of birds!   🙂

Selva Verde Birds

¡Pura Vida!

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Ruffled Feathers & Wet to the Skin

It rained the whole 2 hours + I was at La Selva Research Station, thus no good photos, but the ones I got tell a story like the wet ruffled feathers on the Tropical Kingbird and Clay-colored Thrush. The only creature that seemed to love the rain was that Blue Jeans Frog!    🙂

After returning to lodge for breakfast there was no rain, thus some better photos at the lodge, but no time tonight to post them, Later! Tonight is my frog hike.   🙂

La Selva Rain Shots

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Fun, even in the rain!   🙂

¡PURA VIDA!

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Returning to Selva Verde Lodge

My 3rd Christmas living in Costa Rica (2016) was spent at Selva Verde Lodge Sarapiqui, a birding “Hot Spot” in Costa Rica. Tomorrow (Thursday) I return and because I liked my room so much last time, I requested the same one. That is not always possible, but we will see. See My 2016 Photos.

I’m staying longer this time, not driving, and expect to relax more as well as photograph a lot of birds. Stay tuned for a lot of photo reports.   🙂   And enroute tomorrow morning my driver and I will stop at Soda & Mirador Cinchona for breakfast where I hope to photograph my first Barbet in the Americas. I photographed a different variety in The Gambia. They hang out at Cinchona some.

¡Pura Vida!