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While at Villa Lapas in Tarcoles last month, I got only one butterfly with a decent photo and it is another semi-unusual or not seen much here butterfly, though on butterfliesandmoths it seems to be quite common in the Eastern USA. It is the Brazilian Skipper, Calpodes ethlius (link to my gallery) and this was my second time to see one. Here’s just one photo . . .
¡Pura Vida!
The Northern Ghost Bat, Diclidurus albus (Wikipedia Link) is an obvious identification because the only other white bat in Central America is the Honduran White Bat and it has obvious yellow ears & nose, leaving this as the only other white bat. I’ve seen it twice in my nearly 10 years in Costa Rica and both times in Carara National Park where I got this photo more than a week ago.
Read on for the White-lined Bat . . .
Continue reading “2 Bat Species in Carara Park”
This Central American Agouti, Dasyprocta punctata (Wikipedia Link) is indigenous to Central America and found from Southern Mexico through all the countries to the northern borders of South America with another species in the rest of South America, plus Mexico has a Black Agouti. This one was photographed in Carara National Park, Tarcoles. I have photographed several in many places as seen in my C.A. Agouti Gallery.
¡Pura Vida!
The last bird I will post about from the Villa Lapas & Carara Park trip is not a good photo but a cool bird! The Golden-hooded Tanager, Stilpnia larvata (eBird link) was this time photographed inside Carara Park and is one I’ve seen all over Costa Rica as noted in my Golden-hooded Tanager GALLERY where there are some much better photos than this one in the shadows.
¡Pura Vida!
A pirate because he steals nests made by other birds, the Piratic Flycatcher, Legatus leucophaiuss (eBird link) is not new to me, but these were difficult to identify at first, even confusing one with the Streaked Flycatcher, but he was not large enough. I had several sightings of this bird during my 2 hours in Carara Park and I’m now reasonably certain of these identifications, even with poor light and shadow problems. I’ve seen this species in three other locations (Arenal, Xandari & Monteverde) as shown in my Piratic Flycatcher Gallery. Here’s three totally different photos of the same species . . .
In Carara National Park on my last morning in Tarcoles, I barely got photos (in poor light) of this Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus (eBird link) before and after he caught an insect for his breakfast. 🙂
I have some much better photos in my Tropical Kingbird Gallery. 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
Yes! He’s a hero! Nature’s sanitation engineer or garbage collector if you prefer, but all the species of vultures keep our natural world clean and more beautiful for people like me to explore! And I think they are “handsome” in their own special way! 🙂 These two photographed at Hotel Villa Lapas in Tarcoles are each a Black Vulture, Coragyps atratus (eBird link) and you can see more of my CR vulture photos in their 3 different species galleries:
And here’s just two photos from Villa Lapas, one on the ground and one flying above . . .
Everywhere I go in Costa Rica I see Clay-colored Thrush and Great Kiskadee, Pitangus sulphuratus (eBird link). And therefore I was not surprised to see many of the Great Kiskadee at Hotel Villa Lapas in Tarcoles. And this time I got a good shot of a Kiskadee Nest with a Kiskadee coming in and out of it, though sadly it had been built on an electrical power pole. Here’s four shots and you can see more in my Great Kiskadee Gallery.
The Northern Waterthrush, Parkesia noveboracensis (eBird link), is a common bird found near water throughout North America, Central America and the northern portions of South America, but I’m sharing this lackluster photo because I haven’t seen very many here in Costa Rica. In my Northern Waterthrush Gallery I have photos of them from only 2 other places, the nearby Hotel Punta Leona and Maquenque Eco Lodge. Here’s one now from Hotel Villa Lapas in Tarcoles . . .
¡Pura Vida!
This Orange-billed Sparrow, Arremon aurantiirostris (linked to eBird) is another mostly Central America bird with a few in the southern edges of Mexico and northwestern South America. His bright beak makes it obvious when you spot one! This one was in the gardens of Villa Lapas Hotel at Tarcoles. And though the book says it is fairly common on both slopes here, I’ve only seen in 2 other locations so far, as shown in my Orange-billed Sparrow Gallery. Here’s two shots of this one . . .
