MARCH 2024

Problems with my arm and my car have limited my birding this month so not a lot to show you.

GUILLEMOT DOVER HARBOUR

LESSER SPOTTED DOGFISH -DOVER DOCKS

MISTLE THRUSH

MANDARIN -KEARSNEY ABBEY

AIDA DIVA -DOVER

THE FIRST FULL MOON AFTER THE VERNAL EQUINOX

46100 ROYAL SCOT HEADING THE GOLDEN ARROW INTO DOVER PRIORY.

KESTREL LANGDON CLIFFS

RING OUZEL SAMPHIRE HOE

RING OUZEL 

SKYLARK SAMPHIRE HOE

GARGANEY STODMARSH

GREAT TIT STODMARSH

46100 ROYAL SCOT AT MARTIN MILL

THE FIRST WHEATEARS HAVE ARRIVED AT SAMPHIRE HOE.

 

ALIEN

 On the last night in Costa Rica I was stung by something on my upper arm,the only bite/sting of the trip.After getting home the wound didnt get better so after a couple of weeks I went to the ICU at Buckland hospital ,the first course of anti biotics had no effect,so had a second course ,at the end of which on Sunday morning I squeezed the lump and an alien emerged,but not fully,so back to ICU where IT was prodded,poked and squeezed but they couldn`t budge it,by now every nurse and doctor in the place had come to see my baby,they eventually came to the conclusion that I would have to go to A&E at William Harvey to have it surgically removed.

THE ALIEN EMERGES

So off we trot to Ashford where A&E is quite busy but not too bad,anyway two hours later I am called in to see the doc where I am prodded and poked some more,and more and more nurses came to see eventually one nurse with strong thumbs squeezed the little bugger out and it shot up into the doctors face puss and blood everywhere!luckily he had donned a mask and wore glasses.

LARVA OF A PARASITIC FLY OR WASP I ASSUME.

The offending larva was still born thankfully was potted up and hopefully given a decent burial.

You will be pleased to know that after another course of antibiotics my arm is healed .

COSTA RICA Part 5 CATIVO LODGE

Another long drive south along the Trans Pacific Highway to Golfito where a transfer by water taxi to Cativo Lodge was waiting.On the way we cruised past these Pelicans and the White Ibis family.

BROWN PELICAN

BROWN PELICANS

BROWN PELICANS

WHITE IBIS

THIS IS MORE LIKE IT

A SLIGHTLY BETTER VIEW.

CHERRIES TANAGER Identical to Passerinis Tanager from Arenal on the eastern side, but the females are quite different.

ROADSIDE HAWK

BANANA PLANT

HOUSE WREN

BLACK HOODED ANTSHRIKE female

BLACK HOODED ANTSHRIKE male

PECCARY

-HEALTH AND SAFETY COSTA RICAN STYLE,
 

WHITE IBIS

BAND TAILED BARBTHROAT

GOLDEN ORB SPIDER Can you spot the small spider near the abdomen?thats not a baby thats the male and after mating he will be eaten by her.

GREAT CURASSOW female several females were often seen strutting around the garden

GREAT CURASSOW

GREAT CURASSOW

GREAT CURASSOW

SCARLET DRAGONFLY

As the tide receded exposing the coarse sand a lot of butterflies came down to extract salts and minerals.I haven`t identified all of them yet  but have given some names myself.

MANY BANDED DAGGERWING

MBD

WILLET Surprisingly few waders were encountered on the shoreline apart from the Spotted Sandpipers just this Willet and several Turnstones were seen.

WILLET

WILLET

-LEMON DAGGERWING(my name for it)

GREAT KISKADEE 

-SUNSPOT EMPEROR(my name)

RED SHORE CRAB

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YELLOW HEADED CARACARA

-ORANGE ADMIRAL(MY NAME)

ROADSIDE HAWK

CHERRIES TANAGER female Markedly different from Passerinis Tanager below.

PASSERINIS TANAGER (female) from Arenal.

NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH -Not in Essex either.

RED LORED PARROT

SCARLET MACAW-Painting in the dining room.

 -THE REAL MACAW,

SCARLET MACAWS About 100m away in the tall trees in the garden.

CLAY COLOURED THRUSH Believe it or not this is the National bird of Costa Rica - we were told it was chosen for its song rather than its looks.

WHITE HAWK high above the garden.

GREAT CURASSOW Male I think he had a harem of about three hens.

Strutting through the garden.

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MARPESIA MEROPS a Daggerwing family member.

MARPESIA MEROPS

MARPESIA MEROPS

ORANGE ADMIRAL(my name)

WHITE BEAUTY(my name)

EMERALD DAGGERWING(my name)

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Another EMERALD DAGGERWING.

BLACK VULTURE

BLACK VULTURE

TROPICAL KINGBIRD

TROPICAL KINGBIRD

VARIABLE SEEDEATER

NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH

MAGNIFICENT FRIGATE BIRDS

WHITE PEACOCK

LITTLE BLUE HERON

SNOWY EGRET

SPOTTED SANDPIPER

SPOTTED SANDPIPER

RED CROWNED WOODPECKER

-EXOTIC TROPICAL PLANTS WERE COMMONPLACE.

SCARLET MACAWS AT NEST HOLE

SCARLET MACAWS

OUR MODEST LITTLE HOUSE

THE HOTELS PRIVATE BEACH.

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THE VIEW AT BREAKFAST

AND FOR SUNDOWNERS

THE LAST SUNSET.

CHEERS.

A FITTING END TO A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY IN A FABULOUS COUNTRY.