Helping people enjoy the natural world around them
In these days of Covid, there are new considerations even for outdoor activities. For instance: will my favorite park be open? Or: which location is empty enough to keep safe distances, but not so empty that it is unsafe?
And the most important of all: is there a bathroom?!
Read MoreNope, not talking about those pubs.
Read MoreIt’s embarrassing, actually. It’s right there, so close that through our apartment window we can see the treetops. But in these last 20+ years, we visited only once.
Read MoreWaterfowl has always been my "thing." Many happy, youthful days spent at duck ponds started me on this path and when I began watching birds, my love of ducks (along with other water birds) grew -- they are large, somewhat slow-moving, sport great colors, and have easy dispositions for observation. Plus, they like the water, and so do I.
Read More(Well, all trips come to an end, and as I now post the last entry, I say farewell to Costa Rica -- for now....) This was our first "proper" trip to a place south of Texas (a couple cruise vacation stops don't count, now matter how adventurous we may have been).
Read More(Costa Rica is months ago, but I am determined to have it stay in the forefront of my mind by spacing out blog posts!) We've moved from the very comfortable surroundings near Manuel Antonio and traded them for a cabin about 1 1/2 hours north along the coast outside the small town of Tárcoles.
Read MoreIn the mountains, birding started at 7am. But here in the tropics, the heat means an earlier start and we have now set a record -- present and accounted for at 6am!
Read MoreNight in the tropical wet forest (a climate just a few inches shy of being a full-fledged rain forest) differs from the cloud forest not only in temperature and air moisture but also in sound. Mountains feature subtle insect sound, while in the tropics, it's a cacophony. Insects sing through the night and birds call well before the sun rises and temperatures rise. But of all these calling creatures, I found the geckos most intriguing.
Read MoreRaúl, our naturalist guide from the previous day, pointed out a particularly melodic trill from the Clay-colored Robin. Based on the song, one would understandably expect to see a stunner of a bird especially since it is the national bird of Costa Rica, yet the species is quite true to its common name with dull, brownish coloring, but at least sporting a regal shape.
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