charliedoggett.net
The second book in my “Faces of Nature” series is all birds or faces of birds with 265 photos. It’s an amazing up-close experience with nature and you can preview every page of the book in my online bookstore at:
https://www.blurb.com/b/10692886-faces-of-nature-2
Or browse through all 67 of my photo books.
¡Pura Vida!
I am so glad I chose this Best Western Plus San Jose over the two other options, if for no other reason, for the beautiful surroundings. I’m including two galleries below, one of landscapes and one of flowers, with more about the hotel itself in another post. The feature photo is the big tree from the breakfast dining patio (also seen from my room) and the shot below is from the Jacuzzi.
At breakfast the other morning the wind had stopped and these two birds came to my Cecropia Tree, though reluctantly showing themselves, hiding in the glare of morning sun.
“Birds learn how to fly, never knowing where the flight will take them.”
-Mark Nepo
See also my Costa Rica Birds Gallery.
¡Pura Vida!
I will be doing separate posts concerning my radiotherapy, though I hope for more nature to share from my month-plus hotel nearby! 🙂
I’m having trouble identifying this bird, but with the Merlin App and Cornell online, the closest match seems to be a juvenile or immature male Bronzed Cowbird or possibly one of the other cowbirds, but for this location, most likely bronzed.
As the wind has settled down, I’m just now getting only a few birds in my close trees and those have been mostly the Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush (singing a lot!) and an occasional Rufous-naped Wren or one of the dove/pigeons. I see more birds flying over but not landing in my trees. 🙂
“A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
-Maya Angelou
HEALTHCARE NOTE: Today is the day I am again scheduled to begin radiotherapy for my cancer and in the next few days I will share updates here while spending 4 nights a week in the big city of San Jose, Costa Rica every week for 6 weeks.
¡Pura Vida!
Now that the wind is dying down a bit (we had an exceptional amount of wind Jan-Apr) the insects are more visible in my garden and I hope will be in the hotel garden this coming week! And here is just one of my favorite bees in Costa Rica . . . The Green Orchid Bee! (Link to my CR Bees Gallery)
I have a huge belief in the importance of bees . . . the necessity of bee colonies that are vital to the health of the planet.
~Trudie Styler
¡Pura Vida!
The first in a long time for me and the first since the rainy season began early in April. Like many I’ve seen here, I cannot identify it yet, but just ordered a new book from Amazon, Dragonflies and Damselflies of Costa Rica: A Field Guide (Zona Tropical Publications / Antlion Media). I’m hoping it will help me in identifying the many dragonflies here. In the meantime, if you know this one for sure, leave a comment with the ID. 🙂
And check out my Gallery: Dragonflies & Damselflies
“I love to see the sunshine on the wings of the Dragonflies… there is magic in it.”
― Ama H. Vanniarachchy
¡Pura Vida!
Looking out of my living room front window during a hard rain today (so glad rainy season is here!), the big tree is a Strangler Fig Tree with an unknown smaller one beside it plus a strangled one and then on this side is the tall, skinny Ylang-ylang Tree still growing up through the canopy of the larger trees. And all much wetter than the photo shows! 🙂 See also my May 11 “Rain Trees” post for a different look at wet trees! 🙂
Here are just some of the many reasons I love being “Retired in Costa Rica” and I thank Christopher Howard for first printing this “song” in his Live in Costa Rica Blog & Website. It was written by the late Lair Davis to express his love for this wonderful country. It lists many of the reasons that I live here and will continue to until I die. Though he does not emphasize my primary love of the country – NATURE – and all of the natural beauty found here, it expresses many of the “people reasons” for living here:
Continue reading “People Reasons for Living in Costa Rica!”
That was the name of my business during those few short years in Tennessee trying to sell nature photography. I was reminded of the many different kinds of “art” found in nature this morning at breakfast on my terrace, focusing on these two trees against the clear blue sky. Draw your own conclusions, but I liked what I saw in both the Cecropia Tree and Palm Tree.
I am in a period of rest from medical procedures until Friday when I get both an MRI and CT Scan plus modeling for my radiation mask. Then next week a new phase of Radiotherapy will begin. Stay tuned! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
Of course it was right after I watered my gardens that the big downburst of rain came and just kept raining like one of those good rainy season afternoon showers. Yeah, we were hoping the same with our March 22 rain but it was not this big of a thundershower and didn’t have the Pacific Ocean storms we’re having now. I checked the Accuweather long-range forecast and, if accurate, we are beginning rainy season early (most typically it starts in May). It is also called “The Green Season” and is my favorite time of year!
Except for rain pounding down on the driveway, I haven’t been able to photograph rain around my house so it shows up very well in the pix, but here’s two from past trips that show up a little better. That one from Selva Verde (feature photo at top online) shows rain pouring off the roof of my cabin by the river, while my house here in Atenas has gutters all the way around, thus never having that same effect.
I Feel Most At Peace When It Is Raining For It Reminds Me That The Sky Is Alive.
– Taylor Ashley
¡Pura Vida!