Category: Hotels-Lodges

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3 New Species Today!

And another lovely sunrise! The two new birds are called “lifers” by birders, while the one new butterfly species is just generally called a new species! 🙂 And it is my favorite! The two new birds were identified by Merlin for the sake of any birders reading. 🙂 After I submit them to eBird, they will be reviewed and someone will notify me if they think misidentified. 🙂 The markings on both of these two birds are similar though their body builds are different and a tan color with white wing stripes is common to many species as is the white eye ring, but I’m trusting Merlin on these. 🙂 I’m now up to 10 bird species on this trip and 6 butterfly species, with there simply not being as many butterflies here this year or in October compared to my usual September trip. But I’m happy with what I’m getting and the sunrises alone are worth the trip, though I do miss hiking in Gandoca-Manzanillo & Cahuita! “Being old is not for sissies!” 🙂

Gold-bordered Hairstreak – Rekoa palegon, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Limón, Costa Rica
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Rainy Day in Paradise

I flew out of San Jose Airport at noon in the rain and through clouds most of the 25 minute flight to Limón. The taxi drive to Banana Azul was off an on rain and it continued solid until about 4 when I made these cloudy shots of my room and it continued to fade until there is not rain at about 5:30. Three shots today: first leaving San Jose, then my room deck & office where I will prepare all blog posts this week and the view from my deck toward the ocean under clouds. Hopefully nature shots tomorrow!

Rainy Day in San Jose
My upstairs room’s deck & my tropical office.
Cloudy view from my deck toward the beach.

¡Pura Vida!

Tonight I will watch the Walz-Vance Debate on either CBS internet streaming or on a TV here on CNN International.

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There is a pleasure in the pathless woods

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal.

– Lord George Gordon Byron, 1813

9 more photos below . . .

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50+ Dragonflies Identified . . .

. . . with either the species or family genus name, most by species. That is because I decided to upload all my dragonfly and damselfly photos to Naturalista Costa Rica, the iNaturalist branch here, and of course you know that all members of iNaturalist can submit an identification of a species photo submitted. And lucky for me, one of the two authors of Dragonflies and Damselflies of Costa Rica is active on iNaturalist and so my many photos have been labeled by possibly the foremost specialist on Costa Rica Dragon and Damselflies. 🙂 You can see them in my gallery named: DRAGONFLIES & DAMSELFLIES (50+) which is now the first set of galleries under OTHER WILDLIFE. It was a lot of work, but now my photos are properly identified and are all on iNaturalist for posterity! 🙂 Plus, this gallery is now a good scientific database for research. And in the future I hope to do this with some other categories of my nature photos. 🙂 Though I will continue to post my birds on eBird and my butterflies on butterfliesandmoths.org

CLICK on the above image to go to the gallery. One of the largest Costa Rica Dragonfly Collections on the internet! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Maquenque 2024 Trip Gallery

Being quarantined at home with Covid means I can give more time to finishing my photos from the July trip to Maquenque Eco Lodge and I now have that “Trip Gallery” finished, which I’m pleased with. It is Costa Rica Trip #121 and I continue to feel my trip galleries are the best.

You can click on the first page below to go there or if prefered, here’s the web address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2024-July-4-9-Maquenque-Eco-Lodge

CLICK on above image to go to the trip gallery.

¡Pura Vida!

And Maquenque Lodge Website

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Maquenque Butterflies 2024 GALLERY

Fewer than birds which is expected at my best birding location, but of these 14, 3 are new to me! 🙂 Click the first page image below or go to this address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2024-July-4-9-Maquenque-Eco-Lodge/BUTTERFLIES

CLICK above image to go to the gallery.

¡Pura Vida!

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Maquenque Birds 2024 GALLERY

In my slow state of activity with Covid I finished the birds gallery for my recent trip. 48 species is not bad but not as many as last year with 62! But let’s face it, I’m slowing down. And the good thing is that I got one Lifer this trip, the Yellow Tyrannulet! And from the back porch of my little cabin! 🙂

You can see this trip’s bird gallery by clicking the first page image below or going to: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/2024-July-4-9-Maquenque-Eco-Lodge/BIRDS

CLICK image to go to the gallery.

¡Pura Vida!

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4 Hummingbirds

There were oh so many more hummingbirds at Maquenque, but I’m getting too “slow on the draw” to capture these fast and constantly moving birds. And these four shots aren’t real good, but at least I got some that aren’t Rufous-tailed H, which is all I get at home now. 🙂 Here’s a shot of each of four different species of hummingbirds and only a tiny sample of what’s at Maquenque throughout the forests and gardens.

Stripe-throated Hermit Hummingbird, Maquenque Eco Lodge, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica

See more in my Stripe-throated Hermit Gallery.

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Immature Gray Hawk

Most mornings at Maquenque I walked from my cabin to breakfast around the Lagoon, through two little forests, and a corner of the farm looking for birds. One morning I saw this juvenile, young or immature Gray Hawk perched in a tree long enough for me to get several shots and in okay light! To see the different looks of Gray Hawks, go to my Gray Hawk Gallery with shots from several areas of Costa Rica. I did see a more mature Gray Hawk on another day, but in the shadows and my photo is not good enough to share here though in my gallery.

Immature Gray Hawk, Maquenque Eco Lodge, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica

¡Pura vida!