Yesterday’s blog post was my 12 favorite photos of 2024, allowing myself only 2 pix for each of 6 categories. The Birds Category was the most difficult to narrow down, choosing a Toucan and a pair of Green Ibis. Here are the other 9 bird photos that made my next-to-last cut, presented in a static gallery below this one photo for the email notice of the post . . .
And this featured photo is of a Natal Lily or Bush Lily – Clivia miniata that I have seen at only one other lodge, Playa Cativo in Puntarenas Province. Xandari has different flowers blooming every month, so you can expect different ones if you go at different times of the year. For this December trip my Xandari ’24 FLOWERS Gallery has photos of more than 30 species! Enjoy! And it is the first sub-gallery I have completed for this latest “Trip Gallery” that I will announce when finished. The Butterflies’ identifications are slowing me down this time! 🙂
Natal Lily or Bush Lily – Clivia miniata , Xandari Resort, Tacacori, Alajuela, Costa Rica
¡Pura Vida!
And if you like flowers, check out all mine in the Flora & Forest Galleries. where there is a big gallery for just Xandari!
Flash News!
I finished the entire “Christmas at Xandari” GALLERY last night, so all my photos from this little 2-day retreat are ready to view! Click that link!
CLICK this image of first page to go to the gallery.
CLICK this image of first page to go to the gallery.
Yes, Xandari is expensive, but it is worth it for me as I think the photos tell. Enjoy my “Nature as Art” photos that are different each time I visit there.
This Yellow-patched Satyr or Starred Oxeo, Oxeoschistus tauropolis (my gallery link) is not one often reported on the scientific websites, and though I’ve seen it three times now, it was always in the same place! 🙂 This one on Christmas Day 2024, again at Xandari Resort which has always been one of my better butterfly locations.
Yellow-patched Satyr or Starred Oxeo, Oxeoschistus tauropolis, Xandari Resort, Tacacori, Alajuela, Costa RicaYellow-patched Satyr or Starred Oxeo, Oxeoschistus tauropolis, Xandari Resort, Tacacori, Alajuela, Costa RicaYellow-patched Satyr or Starred Oxeo, Oxeoschistus tauropolis, Xandari Resort, Tacacori, Alajuela, Costa Rica
I remember seeing this bird on my first trip to Costa Rica back in 2009, down on the southern end of Osa Peninsula near Corcovado NP at Lookout Inn, Carata. He’s a handsome bird without the extravagant colors of many tropical birds. And now he’s a regular in my garden! 🙂 See more photos in my gallery for the Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus from literally all over Costa Rica and that first I saw is at the bottom of the gallery. 🙂
Whether a bird, butterfly or other animal or plant, photographing a new species is always special for me! And living in the country with the most species per square kilometers makes that a continuous possibility, even after 10 years of living here! 🙂 During the week of a visit from Nashville friends, Gary & Kenna Eaton, I got photos of two: a butterfly and a moth caterpillar, with still some uncertainty on the ID of the caterpillar, while hoping for a confirmation of my ID by a scientist or naturalist on iNaturalist or on butterfliesandmoths.org. Here’s the two photos . . .
Silver-studded Leafwing, Hypna clytemnestra, La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park, Sarapiqui, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica
Read more about this butterfly on iNaturalist Costa Rica which calls it a “Brightwing” butterfly (in Spanish of course) where you can see many other photos of this “uncommon” butterfly in Costa Rica. There are also two more photos on butterfliesandmoths.org, one other from Costa Rica and one from Cuba, where incidentally it appears on a postage stamp! 🙂
Now the humble little caterpillar . . .
Spotted Apatelodes Moth Caterpillar – Apatelodes torrefacta, Carara National Park, Tarcoles, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
It takes me a while to process the many photos I usually take and then label and get into galleries – but it is done! for the November 10 & 17-22 Visit by the Gary Eaton’s. Linked to the gallery or click on the image of first page below . . .
CLICK ABOVE IMAGE to go to the gallery.
I placed it in my “CR TRIP GALLERIES” because it was their trip and much like a trip for me with a variety of photos, many of which are okay even if not my best! 🙂 After all, I had cancer surgery on my nose in the middle that week and was dealing with feet & leg inflammation from the new blood pressure medicine, but in spite of all that, I had great time Gary & Kenna! And I hope you are able to return to Costa Rica in the future to see other areas and different National Parks! I love it all! 🙂
The featured photo above is a Masked Tree Frog and just two more photos below from my visit with Gary & Kenna Eaton to the transitional forest Parque Nacional Carara(linked to official website in English.) I have many more photos in my gallery: Nov 22 Carara National Park. 🙂
Northern Black-throated Trogon, Carara National Park, Costa Rica.
Gary & Kenna sludging through mud and giant trees, Carara National Park, Costa Rica.
Carara is just an hour from my house and one of my better close birding places along with the nearby Tarcoles River. They were originally scheduled to go there with Walter on their way to Punta Leona, but heavy rain closed the park that day. Some of the trails were still muddy, but our excellent guide, Franklin, provided high rubber boots for us, so we didn’t return with muddy shoes! 🙂 I usually see many more birds there than on this trip, but the unusually heavy rain this November has affected many such activities as birding! 🙂
On Thursday the 21st of November I took just Gary on a public bus trip to the nearby RESCATE Wildlife Rescue Center (their website link), just 16.5 km or about 10 miles from Atenas to photograph rescued wildlife from all over Costa Rica. For those who have been here, it is the place that used to be called “ZooAve.” Interestingly, as we were leaving, a National Park Ranger brought in a cardboard box with a clutch of baby birds they rescued after their mother was killed.
The feature photo at top is a wild Yellow-throated Toucan who flew in to visit his “cousins” and steal their food! 🙂 Just a couple of shots in the blog post, but you can see more birds and other animals I got photos of from this trip at: Nov 21 RESCATE Wildlife (ZooAve) Photo Gallery. And we also ate lunch there in a very nice restaurant, (though a little “pricey”). 🙂
Mealy Parrot, RESCATE Wildlife Rescue Center, La Garita, Costa RicaGolden Silk Spider (Orb Weaver), RESCATE Wildlife Rescue Center, La Garita, Costa Rica. Gary held his hand behind it to help me get a focus on it and then moved it for the final pix, but I like the contrast of this one better. 🙂