Northern Emerald Toucanet: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — We had seen Emerald Toucanet at Soda y Mirador Cincinola on the way to the Sarapiqui Valley, but it is always nice to see them again in the high valley of the Savegre at Miriam’s and Batsu Gardens…both good spots for this attractive but aggressive egg predator. It is sometimes called the Blue-throated Emerald Toucanet, for obvious reasons. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 552mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Large-footed Finch: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Take a look at those feet! The Large-footed Finch is aptly named (though it is not a finch at all…but a large sparrow) and a speciality of the Talamanca mountains of southern Costa Rica and Northwest Panama. Miriam’s is low for this bird. It is more commonly seen in the area on Cerro de la Muerte another 2000 feet almost straight up from Miriam’s. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 614 and 552mm equivalents. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Talamanca Hummingbird: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — There were probably only a few male Talamanca Hummingbirds at Miriam’s when we visited, but they were aggressively defending the feeders and their territories, so it felt like a lot of birds. I have grouped shots here of males, to show off the various shades of violet and blue that the changing light brings out. Each photo is worth a look on its own for the details. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Talamanca Hummingbird: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2024 — The problem at Miriam’s is not that the Talamanca Hummingbirds are too far away…it is that they are too close. They were literally buzzing around our heads and often landed behind us under the eaves at the back of the deck. The Talamanca is among the largest hummingbirds in Central America and used to be called the Magnificent Hummingbird, before the species was split and the Central American birds were renamed after the mountain range where they dwell in Southern Costa Rica and Northern Panama. I had my OM System OM-1 on my birds-in-flight program but the 1/1600th of a second was still not fast enough to completely still the wings at this close distance. 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. -0.3 EV. Processed in Photomator.
Flame-colored Tanager: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Someone in the comments on my recent Acron Woodpecker post, images taken at Miriam’s Quetzals in San Geraldo de Dota, sang the praises of the Flame-colored Tanager…a common bird at the feeders at Miriam’s. One of the brighter of the mountain birds of Central America (and that is saying quite a bit considering the competition), the male and female, while different shades of flame, are both brilliant. These shots, both on the same perch in the partial shade, show off the colors. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Acorn Woodpecker: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — We drove up to the top of Buena Vista Mountain as it is named on the maps, or Cerro de la Muerte as it is commonly known, but the mountain top was shrouded in dense fog, hiding the vistas, so we returned to Savegre for a morning of photographing silky water in the stream below the hotel. Then for lunch we drove back up to Miriam’s Quetzals, a small family owned restaurant/coffee shop/gift shop half way back up to the Panam highway, perched on the side of the Savegre canyon, with a wonderful deck and feeding station which draws all the common birds at its cloud forest elevation, approaching 9000 feet. In the year since my last visit they have improved and enlarged the deck and it is an even better perch for photographing birds. Acorn Woodpeckers are among the dominant species, and though we can see them in the Western US, they are always a treat to see in the mountains of Costa Rica. The deck at Miriam’s provides close up views. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher: Savegre Mountain Lodge and Reserve, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2023 — The other “show” bird of the Talamancas Mountains has to be the Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher (after the Resplendent Quetzal of course). These are not ideal shots but they are among the first shots I managed after getting to Savegre late in the day, between my cabin and the restaurant/office/gift shop. Not actually a flycatcher, it is closely related to the Phanopepla of the US southwest. OM System OM-1 with ED 100-400 IS zoom at 800 and 338mm equivalents. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. ISO 20,000 and 16,000 (early evening light). Processed in Photomator.
Collared Aracari: Selva Verde Lodge and Reserve, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, December 2023 — I began to think we were going to get through our whole time at Selva Verde without seeing an Aracari…which would have been very strange for December…but a small group finally showed up early one morning in the rain. Toucans in general were in short supply while we were there. Facebook friends tell me they are coming to feeding stations in their normal numbers now, so maybe it was just some heavy crop of fruit they like in the rainforest that was keeping them busy away from the feeders. I hope so. OM System OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Rosenburg’s Tree Frog (?): Macaw Ranch, Sarapique, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Of course, the Red-eyed Leaf (or Tree) Frog is not the only amphibian of the Sarapique rainforest. We found this brown species in a bush near the ranch house at Macaw Ranch. Tree Frogs are very rare in the daylight. I think it might be a Rosenburg’s. OM System OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Red-eyed Leaf Frogs: Selva Verde Lodge and Reserve, Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, December 2023 — Part of what makes Red-eyed Leaf Frogs so much fun to photograph is the interesting poses they take and hold. We don’t pose them. This is the way we find them, caught in the act of being themselves. 🙂 OM System OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with in-camera focus stacking. ISO 6400 and 2000. Processed in Photomator.