My cellphone App “Merlin” (from the eBird folks) tells me that this is a Blue Grosbeak Female (eBird description link) but it is not an exact match to the photos in my bird books or even online. It is similar to but larger than a female Blue-black Grassquit which in the past has never had that much black or rufous on the wings and the same for sparrows or juncos (which are otherwise similar). So my often experienced conundrum of identification continues, especially with “little brownish birds!” 🙂
I have posted these two photos on the Facebook Group “Cost Rica Bird ID” and I will add here any helpful results if received from that group – sometimes a knowledgeable person is very helpful there! 🙂 We will see what happens. 🙂
UPDATE: On the FB group Patrick O’Donnell, one of my past guides and the official guide for the Costa Rica Birding Club, answered my request with this:
Hi Charlie! Merlin is right, growing new feathers makes it look funny. Note the big bill and rufous wing bars.
~Patrick O’Donnell
So I’m hereby declaring it officially a Blue Grosbeak female! and a “lifer” for me! 🙂
The Turkey Vulture (eBird description) is the most common vulture in Atenas and maybe in all of Costa Rica followed closely by the Black Vulture that I’ve seen more of in some wilderness areas. It is found throughout all the Americas. Today’s was flying above my house in Atenas. See my other photos in GALLERY Turkey Vulture — Zopilote Cabecirrojo.
This morning ( 2 weeks ago today, as I’m really writing posts way ahead now) I took the difficult steep route up to the top of the hill I live on the side of and completed the circle drive back around to my house. I’ve done this only 2 or 3 times since radiation therapy and I’m okay with it, just slow going uphill. 🙂 Because of dogs on this route I walk with my walking stick and not the big camera, only cell phone, which I regretted today, seeing a Keel-billed Toucan in a distant tree and unable to photograph it well.
I will include two cellphone photos of the tree, one crop-zoomed in on the bird, but not good resolution. Then I tried to do a selfie with the village of Atenas in the background below the hill but the sun was too bright to catch the town in photo and it is before breakfast or even me shaving, so I’m “unkempt” but I’m showing the photo anyway! 🙂
Toucan on lower limb to right.
Keel-billed Toucan in poor zoom-crop of above photo.
Early-morning Selfie on Hill before Shave, Shower or Breakfast! Distant Atenas lost in the glare behind me.
For those concerned about my health, you can see that the left cheek is still swollen from the surgery and radiation (can take more than a year to go down) but the left side of smile has moved up a little bit and the eye is good uncovered for 2 to 4 hours in the morning before it hurts/burns and I then wear the black patch. I remove patch again for short times in afternoon and evening (easier reading with 2 eyes). And my Covid Mask is on my wrist here with no people around! 🙂
The Covid mask, 2 meter distancing & hand-washing is still required everywhere in Costa Rica and come January 8 the proof of vaccination will also be required to enter all public places, including supermarkets and restaurants. But remember, Costa Rica has a lower percentage of Covid cases than the U.S. with their stupid Republican Anti-vaxxers! 🙂 And if you want to visit this healthy country, you will need proof of vax just like the rest of us! By December we will have a vaccination app for cell phones here that will show some code for electronic readers at the entrance to all businesses, etc. Interesting! We’re pretty “high-tech” to be a “developing country.” 🙂
The other morning after breakfast on my terrace I discovered this wasp nest on a limb of my Cecropia or Guarumo Tree. After a lengthy bit of research on the web I discovered this ID on the “What’s That Bug?” website. It’s a really interesting and well-built nest! I think it might be a type of the more generic “Paper Wasp.” The curls on top are just dead leaves from my Guarumo tree.
Cachicama or Carton Wasp Nest, Atenas, Costa RicaCachicama or Carton Wasp Nest, Atenas, Costa Rica
Well, not to eat! 🙂 But this male Great-tailed Grackle (eBird description) stopped by and stayed awhile during my breakfast (I always eat outside) where I could see him while other birds are going higher in the tree above the roof line and my line of sight. 🙂
This common bird is found from the Western U.S. south throughout Central America and into northern South America. In my Great-tailed Grackle Gallery I have photos of both the male and female from 11 different locations in Costa Rica.
Next to maybe “Nature” in general or “Birds” specifically, nothing describes my life of being “Retired in Costa Rica” better than “WALKING!” For seven years now without a car I have learned to get to most needed places on foot; walking to town, to the supermercado or farmacia, to a restaurante; and even better, walking for fun or the discoveries of nature on city sidewalks, my “Country Lane” or “Country Road” walks for photos of birds or other nature and best of all the many wonderful wilderness trails I’ve discovered in national parks and reserves across this beautiful, natural country of Costa Rica. My life here has made experiencing nature and walking (hiking) almost synonymous! The feature photo at top is one of the horizons I experience on “Country Lane” and other paths in Atenas with one of my trip trails below . . .
Titi Trail, Bosque del Cabo Rainforest Lodge, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Had I not married, hiking would have been my avocation or how I spent all my time when not working to pay the bills. 🙂 But that’s not the way my life worked out. So I squeezed in as much as I could, though mostly before marriage and after the divorce with some during marriage, and the memories of all those times among nature are some of the greatest treasures I have. Most of my photography on backpacking trips and day hikes were of the scenery and nature, but I have a few of me on the hiking trails I will show below on the post-email section of the blog, plus even more of hiking groups I either led (most of them) or participated in group hikes. These will be galleries and you can click an image to see its larger full-frame pix and/or a manual slideshow if you wish.
For the 10 years I lived in downtown Nashville I walked nearly every day in Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.
The feature photo at top is of my Vasque Hiking Shoes, the best hiking shoes I ever had!
This White-fronted Parrot(eBird description) is found only in Central America and Mexico and is just one of the 13 different species of parrots/parakeets that I have photos of and I think the reason I chose him rather than one of the other colorful parrots is the way he looks back at me as if to ask “What are you doing?” 🙂 See other shots in my White-fronted Parrot Gallery from the only location I’ve seen him in Costa Rica, the Hacienda Guachipelin Lodge and read more in The Backstory below . . .
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!
