Four-lined Whiptail

The Four-lined Whiptail (Chisbala de Cuatro Rayas) – Holcosus quadrilineatus is a medium-sized lizard found in the lowlands of both coasts of Costa Rica. There are three other similar lizards in Costa Rica. Here’s a couple of my shots of one at Hotel Banana Azul on the Beach Road.

Four-lined Whiptail, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Limón
Four-lined Whiptail, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Limón

See all of my CR Lizards GALLERIES.

¡Pura Vida!

You Are Invited!

Please attend the open house of our new art gallery in Atenas, Alajuela Provincia, Costa Rica, just 12 days away! Sunday, 15 October 2023! It is at the corner of Calle 2 & Avenida 3, beside the new Linea Vital Medical Plaza in the even newer Calle 2 Plaza, 100 meters west of Banco Popular and 50 meters south of La Finca Pizzeria, Crema y Nata & El Rayo. See you there! 🙂

Galería Artenas Facebook Page

¡Pura Vida!

Aging Slider or Mud Turtle

There is a little channel of water on two sides of the outdoor restaurant in Hotel Banana Azul with lots of Mesoamerican Sliders swimming and some fish. This one attracted my attention as he rested on these floating plants and though most likely a Slider, because he doesn’t show the usual yellow stripes on his neck, I gave the option of Mud Turtle in the title. 🙂

Most likely an aging Mesoamerican Slider, though possibly a Mud Turtle at Banana Azul.
Most likely an aging Mesoamerican Slider, though possibly a Mud Turtle at Banana Azul.

¡Pura Vida!

FLASH SALE!

15% OFF my Nature Photo Books!

October 3, 2023 through October 5, 2023 -THREE DAYS ONLY! You can order any of my photo books in My Blurb Bookstore at 15% off the price. At checkout use the Discount Code: BOOKFLASH15

I recommend my Costa Rica: A Nature Portfolio, which includes all my genres from birds and butterflies to sunsets and landscapes – A PERFECT COFFEE TABLE BOOK! Click the above title to see a free preview of every page!

¡Pura Vida!

Muy Pronto!

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122125987562016558&set=a.122117270456016558

Last week’s early Facebook promotion of our coming art gallery in Atenas.

For what it is worth, the sunset on the top row of the collage is my photo and the Red-eyed Tree Frog on the bottom row is also my photo. Each artist in the gallery got two images for that collage. Tomorrow I will send out the invitation to the Grand Opening on 15 October.

¡Pura Vida!

Immature Green Basilisk

Much more popular than yesterday’s Striped Basilisk is the Green or Emerald Basilisk which, when full grown, look like a bright little dinosaur! 🙂 This immature one doesn’t have the head or back crests yet, so not as impressive, but still a colorful little reptile! 🙂 One more of the “Other Wildlife” photographed at Hotel Banana Azul, Caribe Sur. And this one is definitely found on both the Atlantic and Pacific Slopes of Costa Rica, though almost always in the lowlands near water. Both species of Basilisks are often called the “Jesus Christ Lizard” because they walk on water! 🙂

Emerald or Green Basilisk, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Limón, Costa Rica
Emerald or Green Basilisk, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Limón, Costa Rica

See many more and better photos in my Emerald Basilisk GALLERY!

¡Pura Vida!

Fumigating My House Videos

Alex made a couple of very short phone videos of Walter fumigating inside and outside my house yesterday. It doesn’t show him doing the attic or spraying liquid insecticide along all walls, both inside and outside around the house foundation.

INSIDE

OUTSIDE

I’m back home on Saturday cleaning up their mess and my maid is coming at 1:00 to mop the floors (sticky insecticide) because she mops better than me. I swept up all the dead insects and unfortunately some Geckos too. Hopefully new Geckos will come back in. They are generally the best pest control, just not for thousands of ants!

¡Pura Vida!

Nite in Colinas del Sol

Yesterday I had my house fumigated for insects, mainly for an invasion of two different kinds of ants and believed the treatment would be more effective if I left my house closed up with the fogging and spray overnight and thus not healthy for me to sleep there. So I spent last night at our little neighborhood hotel, Colinas del Sol, which is a group of cabins along with a few larger, long-term rental houses. I was put in Villa 3 and snapped a few shots before the afternoon rain started. I can’t go anywhere without capturing photos of the nature there!

I’m writing this last night and my plans are to enjoy their breakfast included with the room this morning and mid-morning return home to open up and air out the house, with all the ceiling fans on for awhile! 🙂 Then enjoy my ant-free house! And tomorrow’s blog post will return to the continuing reports on Hotel Banana Azul in Caribe Sur! I’m still processing photos with a lot more to share! 🙂

View from my Cabin surrounded by forest-like gardens.
Continue reading “Nite in Colinas del Sol”

Birds at Banana Azul

Here’s photos of 8 species of birds I photographed at Hotel Banana Azul which is fewer than usual like everywhere has been this year! And there are 10 photos because the male and female Scarlet-rumped Tanager look like 2 different species 🙂 and the juvenile Tropical Kingbird looks like a different species from the adult, so I included a photo of each. These 8 are all fairly common species all over Costa Rica except the Wood-Rail which is only in wetlands or coastal rainforests like the location of Banana Azul where there has always been a family of Wood-Rails living in their garden by their lily pond. Note that I saw 9 totally different species at Gandoca-Manzanillo (link to those bird photos) and a photo of only one bird at Cahuita but it was my Lifer this trip. 🙂 Thus in this trip gallery there will be a total of 18 species of birds this year, which is fewer than usual but not bad! 🙂 I always get a lot of photos in the Caribbean side of Costa Rica!

Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica.
Continue reading “Birds at Banana Azul”