Coppery-headed Emerald: Mirador y Soda Cinchona, Costa Rica, December 2023 — One of only 2, (or 4, depending you who you listen to), hummingbirds endemic to Costa Rica. (Hunningbirds native to only Costa Rica and western Panama are sometimes counted). A smallish hummingbird of mid-elevations, I have only ever seen it at the Soda, and at the relatively nearby hummingbird feeders at La Paz Waterfall Gardens…though it is listed as common at its elevation, in the foothills and mountains of north and central Costa Rica. Males tend to stay high in the canopy, and females lower down…except along edges and at feeders, where they mingle at all levels. They tend to nest high in their range, and then to disperse lower after the chicks are fledged. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

White-bellied Mountain-Gem: Mirador y Soda Cinchona, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Among the many hummingbirds coming to the feeders and flowers at Soda Cinchona, the female White-bellied Mountain-Gems were probably among the rarest. I have only ever seen them here, and at La Paz Waterfall Gardens just up the road at a similar elevation on the same slope of the mountains. The male would have a purple gorget…but if memory serves, I have never seen a male. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Violet Saberwing: Mirador y Soda Cinchona, Costa Rica, December 2023 — The largest of the Central American hummingbirds, common in the foothills and at mid-elevations in the mountains of most of Central America, skipping Guatemala and Nicaragua. This bird, from Costa Rica, is a sub-species of the nominate, common to all of Costa Rica and Western Panama at the right elevations. A stunning bird, as this intimate portrait, taken in the rain, shows. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

Green-crowned Brilliant Hummingbird: Mirador y Soda Cinchona, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Circling back to the first full day of our Costa Rican adventure now, and working our way through day by day — In all his finery! In my opinion, one of the most beautiful hummingbirds…all in subtle shades of brilliant green with that little bright blue chin patch. We had lunch (a first for me) while watching the birds at Mirador y Soda Cinchona…which is certainly one of my favorite stops in Costa Rica. And the food was almost as good as the birds! Never enough light, but still. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.

White-necked Jacobin Hummingbird, Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Reserve, La Vegin, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Male White-necked Jacobin Hummingbird in full display flight, guarding one of the Heliconia flowers at Dave and Dave’s this morning. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 506mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds-in-flight modifications. Processed in Photomator and Apple Photos.