GOOD FENCES - Costa Rica

I am linking this image with GOOD FENCES. This image was photographed at the gardens of the first hotel I was staying at in Costa Rica.

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Red flowers at Hotel in Costa Rica

These are a few red coloured flower images I photographed in the gardens of the first hotel I was staying at in Costa Rica. Enjoy.

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WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY - Costa Rica

These photographs and video at the end of this post were photographed from my balcony which was a long way off.  These Crimson – fronted Parakeet birds had come in to roost.  You also can see how windy it was on the video for a hand held camera.

I am linking with WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.

If the video does not appear below, CLICK HERE.

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THROUGH MY LENS - Costa Rica

I am slowly getting my 2016 Costa Rica photographs and videos edited  and to start us off I am showing you the National bird of Costa Rica.  The clay-coloured thrush (Turdus grayi), known locally as the yigüirro, was also once known as the clay-coloured robin, but scientists later changed its family from robin to thrush. The species is one of Costa Rica’s most common birds and it is found throughout almost every region. The clay-coloured thrush was designated Costa Rica’s national bird in January 1977.  

This is my breakfast table and although it is difficult for you to see, there were a bird bath and feeding station under that tree and it was delightful to watch the birds as i eat.  There is a VIDEO of it at the end of this post.

Considering there were so many colourful birds in Costa Rica I was surprised the nation picked this bird but i suppose it was picked because it covered the whole country.

 

Below is part of the enormous gardens were there were probably about 100 different species of birds there and it was quite a challenge for me to to ID them all.  

If the video does not appear below,CLICK HERE.

I am linking to THROUGH MY LENS.

Lots more to follow.

Thanks you for visiting and also for your comments.

SUNDAY THOUGHT - Costa Rica

There are many who pray:

    “Give us more blessings, O Lord.

    Look on us with kindness!”

 But the joy that you have given me

    is more than they will ever have

    with all their grain and wine.

 When I lie down, I go to sleep in peace;

    you alone, O Lord, keep me perfectly safe.

Psalms 4 v 6, 7 & 8

Photographed in Costa Rica

2016

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Have a blessed Sunday

SUNDAY THOUGHT - Costa Rica

 There are many who pray:

    “Give us more blessings, O Lord.
    Look on us with kindness!”
 But the joy that you have given me
    is more than they will ever have
    with all their grain and wine.

 When I lie down, I go to sleep in peace;
    you alone, O Lord, keep me perfectly safe.

 Psalms 4 v 6, 7 & 8

Sunset photographed in Costa Rica February 2016.

Thanks for visting and also for leaving any comments.

Have a Blessed Sunday.

SATURDAY CRITTERS - EXTRA

I am giving myself a breather from uploading videos and editing same and stills so today I am showing you another wonderful image that Danny, one of my bird group took.  

It is a Lesser Redpoll and I am linking to SATURDAY CRITTERS.

Thanks you for visiting today and also to Danny for sharing this shot.

Many thanks for all you leave very kind comments on this post.

FRIDAY'S HUNT and WEEKEND REFLECTIONS - Costa Rica

It is time for Friday's Hunt and Weekend Reflections and I have started to upload and edit (at last) my videos I took in Costa Rice.  Today we have the letter H, Simple and Green and this video has all of those in it.  Try and watch until the end as there are close ups there.

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The SIMPLE beautiful GREEN – crowned Brilliant HUMMINGBIRD.

If the video does not appear below, CLICK HERE

This trip to Costa Rica was in January/February 2016 and I took 221 videos clips and thousands of still (none of which I have edited yet) and I am ploughing through my videos as we speak so if you are  patient with me I think you may be in for a real treat over time.  The bus below is what we travelled around the countryside in for 16 wonderful days with a fabulous driver who actually was a guide in his own right but we also had a guide and a leader.  A trip to remember and over 300 new birds seen! There is a REFLECTION in the bus windows.  

I probably will have more of Costa Rica to share with you next week but it will be a slow process to get all these videos and stills edited.

Many thanks for visiting and also for all your comments.

GOOD FENCES

I am linking this image with GOOD FENCES. While I was on the Isle of Wight recently, my daughter Gillian and I went for a lovely walk and came across this church that certainly Queen Victoria used when she was in residence at Osborne House. Beatrice, Queens Victoria’s daughter also attended there often on Sundays.  When we arrived home Chris, Gillian's husband had a wonderful BBQ ready for us.

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EXTRA Kite and Osprey

This is an Osprey leaving the nest and a Red kite both photographed by Danny, one of my bird group when was on holidays. 

Many thanks to Danny for sharing these images with us, you for visiting 

and all who leave comments.

WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY - EXTRA

These photographs of Gannets were taken by Danny, one of my bird group when we visited Great Saltee Island in June this year.  The second two Gannets are in different stages of immaturity while the first shot is how the breeding adult birds greet each other every time they come  together  I am linking with Wild Bird Wednesday

i am in the process of uploading and editing videos that I took on Great Saltee in 2015 and then will start on my stills!!! I am way behind on this work, taking too many photogaphs and not enough days in the week!

Many thanks for Danny for sharing these wonderful shots with us and to you for visiting as well as those who leave comments.

THROUGH MY LENS - Amsterdam Zoo

For Through My Lens this week, I am showing you the Great White Pelican which I photographed at the the Artis Royal Zoo in Amsterdam. Male Great White Pelicans are slightly larger than females and both have a huge wingspan of up to 3 metres wide.

The Great White Pelican’s huge, long bill/beak is used to scoop up fish from the water. The pouch under the beak is stretchy and can hold several litres of water. As the Pelican pushes its bill underwater, the lower bill bows out, creating a large pouch which fills with water and fish. As the bird lifts its head, the pouch contracts, forcing out the water but retaining the fish which are swallowed whole.

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SUNDAY THOUGHT - EXTRA

Who ·makes us smarter [or teaches us more] than the animals of the earth and wiser than the birds of the ·air

Job 35:11 

 Gannets photographed by Danny on Great Saltee Island.

Thank you for visiting and also for your comments.

Have a Blessed Sunday.

SATURDAY CRITTERS - Amsterdam Zoo

The Java Mouse Deer (Tragulus javanicus) is a species of even-toed ungulate from the family Tragulidae. At maturity it reaches the size of a rabbit, making it one of the smallest ungulates on earth.  I am linking to Saturday Critters.

Although called a deer, they do not grow antlers. Both sexes have elongated canine teeth, but they are especially prominent in males, where they project out on either side of the lower jaw. These teeth become effective weapons for the males in fights over females. The Asian species typically weigh between 1.5 and 17.6 lbs (0.7 and 8.0 kg).

Java Mouse Deer are primarily herbivores. Their diet consists primarily of that which is found on the ground in the dense vegetation they prefer to inhabit.

Mouse Deer are timid and solitary, but they often live in pairs. The young fawns are weaned at about three months of age and reach sexual maturity between five and ten months.

Mouse Deer are native to forests of South and Southeast Asia, with a single species in the rain forests of Central and West Africa. The species residing at Artis is native to the Indonesian island of Java. Although other Mouse Deer in Southeast Asia are very similar to the Javan species, researchers determined there are enough differentials to consider the Java Mouse Deer a completely separate species.

I hope you found that as fascinating as me.  Many thanks for visiting and also for leaving comments.

FRIDAY'S HUNT and WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

It is time to link up with Friday’s Hunt and Weekend Reflections and this week the letter G, Candy and latch.   So today I am showing you the CANDY Shop at the Ulster Folk Museum near Cultra, the front and back of the LATCH  in my daughers’ kitchen door and the GENTLE GIANT GIRAFFES at the Artis Royal Zoo in Amsterdam.  

Thank you for visiting and also for leaving any comments.