Posts in Category: Costa Rica
Waders and shore birds on the Rio Rincon
White Ibis, Greater Yellowlegs, Snowy Egret, Killdeer: Rio Rincon, Costa Rica (near Danta Corcovado Lodge on the Osa Peninsula) — On our wagon ride up the Rincon River, as I mentioned, we crossed the river many times on the big tires of the wagon. That and driving up the stream bed and right beside the water most of the way made it seem a little like a boat rode. Where we crossed first were the river was wide and shallow and we were treated to a shore bird display. These are all birds that are common in North America, but it was good to see them in Costa Rica. All but the Greater Yellowlegs are actually resident in Costa Rica. The Yellowlegs was wintering there. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Wide shot with the iPhone SE and Sirui 18mm lens. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 and 4.5 @ 1/1000 and 1/640th (Killdeer).
Lineated Woodpecker at a distance
Lineated Woodpecker: Danta Corcovodo Lodge, Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica (Osa Peninsula) — We saw this Lineated Woodpecker, our first for the trip to the Osa, from the wagon behind the tractor on our way to the Rincon River for our trip into Corcovado National Park. It was not close, but still within camera range. The Lineated is a big woodpecker…the size of the North American Pileated, and shares the red “night cap.” Sony Rx10iv at 485 and 600mm equivalents. Cropped and enlarged for approximately 2000mm equivalent). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixomator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4.5 and 5 @ 1/1000th.
Herons in the Osa
Little Blue Heron and Green Heron: Danta Corcovado Lodge, Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica (Osa Peninsula) — On the second day at Danta Corcovado Lodge on the Osa Peninsula we boarded an open wagon on tall wheels, behind a tractor with even bigger wheels, for a 2 hour drive up the bed of the Rio Rincon deep into Corcovado National Park…forging the stream itself maybe 30 times, and driving on the stony bed and sand beaches beside the water the rest of the way. It was an amazing journey, totally unique in my experience. We saw lots of birds and a few monkeys along the river. And it was simply a lot of fun! We found these two herons, Little Blue and Green in the reed beds between the Lodge and the river, where we crossed a small stream on its way to river as we were. There is a road the runs into the Park, but, I have to say, the wagon is the way to go…at least on a day when it is not raining. And of course, the river has to be low enough to allow the crossings. Environmental shots iPhone SE with Sirui 18mm lens. Herons with the Sony Rx10iv at 517 and 485mm equivalents. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 400 (Little Blue) 100 and 125 (Green) @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Charming Hummingbird
Charming Hummingbird (female): Danta Corcovado Lodge, Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica (Osa Peninsula) — We found this little hummer, endemic to the Pacific Lowlands of Costa Rica and adjacent Panama, hanging around the entrance to the Lodge. We saw it there several times during out stay, always the female, but I only managed this one shot. The Charming is visually identical to the Blue-chested Hummingbird of the Caribbean slope lowlands, but there is no range overlap. Sony Rx10iv at 371mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 1600 @ f4 @ 1/500th. + .3EV.
Riverside Wren
Riverside Wren: Danta Corcovado Lodge, Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica (Osa Peninsula) — Today marks the transition from my first December trip of 2021 to my second, as we flew from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez in a small 12 passenger plane and reached Danta Corcovado Lodge just before noon. We had time for short hike to show us “something really special” before we sat down to eat. The something special turned out to be a Fer-de-lance snake coiled up at the base of a tree right by the trail. They rushed us out to it because, of course, there was no telling when it would disappear into the forest (I posted a photo in December), but the first bird of the Osa of note was this Riverside Wren in the deep understory of the rainforest. The Riverside Wren, as it turns out, is a fairly common bird, and not hard to see, but you have to be in the Pacific Lowlands of Costa Rica and adjacent Panama, where the bird is endemic, to see it…and this was my first journey to the Osa Peninsula and its unique habitats. Like most wrens, it has a wonderful song. Sony Rx10iv at 371mm equivalent. Program mode with wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. Equivalent ISO 6400 @ f4 @ 1/200th (very dark in there). + .3 EV.
American Dipper
American Dipper: Savegre River, Savegre Mountain Hotel, Reserve, and Spa, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica — I mentioned the American Dipper yesterday, as a bird that shares habitat and habits with the Torrent Flycatcher. It is also another plain grey bird you see on the rocks of rushing streams in the mountains of Central America. The Dipper (sometimes called the Water Ouzel) is a wide ranging bird, found at higher elevations from Alaska to Panama, wherever there are rapid clean rivers and streams. It is, of course, famous as the only aquatic song-bird, and actually walks underwater to forage on stream bottoms. It does not swim, but uses its wings to help navigate the currents. I look for the Dipper every time I visit San Geraldo de Dota as the Savegre river is ideal habitat…it is always there, I am sure, but I see about 1 out of 5 years during my short visit, during which I only spend a few hours along the river itself. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent (cropped to about 1800mm equivalent). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 800 and 1600 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Torrent Tyrannulet
Torrent Tyrannulet: Savegre River below Savegre Mountain Hotel, Reserve, and Spa, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica — There are 11 species of Tyrannulets in Costa Rica…Tyrannulet is apparently just the name for any small bird in Tyrant Flycatcher family…which runs to 9 pages in the Birds of Costa Rica field guide. The Torrent, is, of course, the only one that feeds on the rocks and margins of rushing mountain streams, as you might guess from its name. You might mistake it for an American Dipper, the only other bird that shares this particular habit, or for a Black Phoebe with you sometimes see on the rocks of a stream like the Savegre, but it is unique enough so that it is easily recognized. We followed this one up the stream a ways before I got decent shots of it. Sony Rx10iv at 595 and 600mm. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 640 and 500 @ f4 @ 1/500th. + 1EV exposure compensation. Stream shot: iPhone SE.
Slaty Flowerpiercer
Slaty Flowerpiercer: Savegre Mountain Hotel, Reserve and Spa, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica — This is my second post for the Slaty Flowerpiercer. The previous post featured close-ups of the female and one distant shot of the male, taken at Batsu Gardens on the mountainside above Savegre Hotel. This is the all male review…though it is all the same male, and we found him right on the grounds of the Hotel. You can see the flower-piercing beak very well in these shots and from several angles. 🙂 I was very happy to get these shots, as the Flowerpiercers are highly active birds and rarely pose. The Slaty is the only Flowerpiercer in Costa Rica, though there is one other species in Central America (the Cinnamon-bellied from Mexico and northern Central America) and 18 total, mostly in the Andean highlands of South America. Sony Rx10iv at about 500mm equivalent (I was really close to this bird). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 1250 and 1000 @ f4 @ 1/500th. + 1EV exposure compensation.
Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher
Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher: Savegre Mountain Hotel Spa and Reserve, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica — The Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher is a mostly fruit eating bird of the canopy in the highlands of Costa Rica, ruth up to timberline…but you can see it at eye-level when it is feeding on low growing fruit. Despite its common name, it is more closely related to thrushes and waxwings than it is to true flycatchers. These were seen on the grounds of Savegre Hotel, and down along the river near the lodge. Sony Rx10iv at about 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. All f4 @ 1/500th. 600mm, ISO 1250, + 1EV; ISO 800, + 1EV; Multi-frame noise reduction equivalent ISO 3200.
White-throated Mountain Gem
White-throated Mountain Gem: Savegre Mountain Resort and Reserve, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica — I shared this same bird from Paraiso Quetzal Lodge at 10,000 feet, which we visited on our way up to San Geraldo de Dota, but we found this one on the grounds of Savegre Lodge at about 7500 feet a little further down the Pacific slope. It is a highlands hummer, but more associated with the cloud-forest than with the paramo. The other Mountain Gem of Costa Rica, the Purple-throated Mountain Gem, is a bird of the foothills and lower slopes. This bird is sometimes called the Grey-tailed Mountain Gem to differentiate it from the sub-species of Mountain Gem from Western Panama. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 4000 and 2000 @ f4 @ 1/500th. +1 EV exposure compensation.