Category: Wildlife

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Variegated Squirrel

Variegated Squirrel, Atenas, Costa Rica
Found all over Costa Rica, this one by my balcony in a Yellow Bell Tree
They can greatly vary in color around the country but all have tail “frosting”

Variegate Squirrel, my first shot peeking around tree trunk,
giving a little break from birds and butterflies!

Variegated Squirrel, Atenas, Costa Rica
Two moved from Strangler Fig to this tree and back – looking for food?
They are about the same size as North American squirrels.

And I continue to get new surprises on my balcony! Maybe after a year I’ll get bored.  🙂

July 8 I get my visa renewed and will start traveling more which means new wildlife photos.

And by the way, I just started a Costa Rica Mammals Photo Gallery which these guys are in. I haven’t gotten a lot of mammals since moving here, but got several from previous trips and will get more! This gallery is in addition to my
Costa Rica Birds Gallery
Costa Rica Butterflies Gallery
Costa Rica Insects Gallery  (other than butterflies)

Now all I need is galleries for reptiles and amphibians! Coming soon!

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Manuel Antonio National Park

Baby Green Parrot Snake in the Pacific coastal rainforest of
Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
Shot with cell phone through a spotting scope
Three-toed Sloth
Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
Shot with cell phone through a spotting scope
Glass Frog
Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
Shot with cell phone through a spotting scope
Rare and elusive Squirrel Monkey
Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
Shot with my Canon Rebel, 75-300 mm lens
A People-Watching White-faced Capuchin Monkey
Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
Shot with my Canon Rebel, 75-300 mm lens
Sunset from El Avion Restaurant
Manual Antonio, Costa Rica
Cell Phone photo

We spent the morning on a guided tour of Manuel Antonio National Park with a guide who had a spotting scope making some of these photos possible. The web connection is still slow, but I was more patient today uploading these 5 photos, though it took about an hour. Only a couple of birds today, but a lot of birds yesterday which I will show some of after back home in Atenas with a faster internet. We are tried a different approach to the sunset tonight by eating in a restaurant overlooking the ocean. Not as good as last night, but we accomplished dinner at the same time!

Quepos and Manuel Antonio towns are like Gatlinburg, horrible tourist traps next to a wonderful National Park like Gatlinburg with the Smoky Mountain National Park. Our older, simple hotel is nice and right on the beach unlike most. They have no restaurant, but there is one next door serving all three meals. We had lunch in a nice restaurant near the park today and tonight’s in an old airplane, El Avion, which overlooks the beach and ocean. Different!

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The Costa Rica Amazon?

Aerial View of Tortuguero River/Canal not showing the beach area.
Photo from Chris Howard’s Live In Costa Rica Blog site

Chris Howard’s newsletter today tells about one of my favorite places in Costa Rica, Tortuguero which he calls Costa Rica’s Amazon. Having experienced part of the Amazon, I agree. And see my photos of Tortuguero as Days 3 & 4 in my Costa Rica 210 Photo Gallery. Or look at some professional photos on the Anywhere Costa Rica website, noting there are two sets on that site, one by tapping the arrows on the header collection and a static collection seen by scrolling down the page. There is good information on the Wikipedia page too!

Well, you can see it is one of the places I love in Costa Rica and will continue to visit while living there! There is another jungle boat ride in Los Chiles that is almost as good and of course Corcovado is the largest rainforest, but that is mostly seen by hiking with a guide. Recently a young man from Alaska was lost hiking there, meaning a guide is necessary. Well enough jungles for today! 

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Second Thoughts? Doubts?

HOUSE
I’m having a relaxed morning in my “just right” or “perfect” house for me here in McKendree Retirement Village. As I have searched online for rental properties in Costa Rica it seems I will not be able to afford something this nice there though all the literature say you can’t base your decision on classified ads, since most people just advertise a house or apartment for rent with a sign out front. This makes my four days of free time after the August tour even more important as I see what is really available and at what price. Housing and its cost is possibly my biggest issue with moving to Costa Rica. I must be at least as comfortable there as I am here and at a lower price. A tall order!

YARD
After breakfast and reading the paper in my breakfast nook looking out at my big maple tree and bird feeders full of birds, I’m reminded of the views so many of the stories of Costa Rica claim: looking out at the ocean, mountains, valleys, farms, the beautiful Volcano Arenal – but have also noticed that the houses I’ve found online with great views are also the more expensive ones. It is like the rich buy up most of the beautiful views. Then I take my cup of tea out on my deck here, looking out at a huge oak, two huge maples, a poplar and 5 other trees I can’t name now. I have one of the most beautiful backyards at McKendree. I continued to watch the red streaks of cardinals darting across the yard, a bossy mockingbird, a little chickadee and others fly through the trees.While sipping tea I also see many squirrels, some rabbits, and the occasional groundhog. This is a pretty nice view that I have now! Of course if I can get a jungle location in Costa Rica I will have tropical birds, monkeys, agoutis, and maybe an occasional sloth. But at moments like this I’m tempted to think “a bird in hand is better than two in the bush.”

And this is just part of what goes through my mind as I pursue my “wild idea” of moving to Costa Rica. Yet all adventures have risk and not matching my current lifestyle is one of those risks. (Or having to spend more money instead of less.)

Hopefully my “thinking out loud”  and being brutally honest will help someone else facing the same decision and that is one reason for this blog, along with my own personal record. I have two other things to post today, but will do them with different titles.