Posts in Category: Costa Rica
Lesser Violet-ear displaying
The Lesser Violet-ear was the Green Violet-ear until recently. In its range it is the most aggressive hummingbird. It actually spends more time in dominance displays and defending food sources than it does feeding. Though it seems counterproductive, the strategy seems to work for this bird…as it is also among the most numerous hummer in its range. It’s displays involve both wing posturing, as in this photo, and flaring out those violet-ears until they stand away from the head pretty much their full length. This one is at Batsu Gardens in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
This Stripe-tailed Hummingbird was the rarest species at Batsu Gardens in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica when we visited in December. We only saw it a few times and we never did find where it perched away from the feeders. The stripe-tailed is easiest recognized, despite its name, by the highly visible patch of rufous on its wing. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Talamanca Hummingbird
A Talamanca Hummingbird faces off with an “intruder” to his dominion. All hummingbirds spend a lot of time in dominance displays, especially around artificial feeding stations, like those at the Batsu Gardens in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica. In this case it looks like the intruder is a female Talamanca, so it is only competition for the feeder, not a threat to the territory. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
White-throated Mountain Gem
A male White-throated Mountain Gem from the Batsu Gardens above Savegre Mountain Hotel in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica. Batsu Gardens is a delightful spot on the side of the mountain…a terrace with native plantings, hummingbird and fruit feeders, a sheltered patio, restrooms, and fresh coffee. You have to reserve ahead of time and you are driven up there on benches in the back of a 4 wheel drive truck. It is a experience not to be missed when visiting the Valley of the Quetzals and San Gerardo de Dota. The birds you see there vary by season and by day…but in December there were lots of Mountain Gems, Talamanca Hummingbirds, Volcano Hummingbirds, Scintillant Hummingbirds, and a few Stripe-tailed Hummingbirds. At the fruit feeders we had Silver-throated Tanager, Sooty-capped Chlorospingus, and the brilliant Golden-browed Chlorophonia. At the edge of the forest we had Buff-throated Quail Dove. And I am missing some. Quite a place. But the White-throated Mountain Gems were certainly a highlight. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Resplendent Quetzal!
The Resplendent Quetzal is the reason many birders visit San Gerardo de Dota and the Savegre River Valley in the Talamanca Mountains of Costa Rica. It is sometimes called the Valley of the Quetzal. The Resplendent Quetzal has to rate among the most beautiful birds in the world, and certainly one of the most beautiful birds of the Americas, but it is not an easy bird to photograph. The only time it is seen in the open is early in the morning, before the sun has cleared the mountain tops to bring full daylight to the deep valley. During the day it feeds under the dense canopy of the cloud forest. There is never enough light. This was the first of three Quetzals we saw on our Point and Shoot Nature Photography Adventure in Costa Rica in December 2019. To get an angle on its perch we had to position ourselves at an distance that was not ideal. Still, it is a Resplendent Quetzal! You take whatever view you can get. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed and heavily cropped in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Flame-colored Tanager
Another bird in the rain. There are many bright tanagers in Central America. The Flame-colored Tanager is the most common tanager at cloud-forest elevations. This one was at Miriam’s Quetzals in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica when we visited with the Point and Shoot Nature Photography Adventure. Flame-colored Tanagers are somewhat variable in plumage…ranging from yellow-orange to this bright orange, and we saw individuals of all shades here at Miriam’s. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Yellow-thighed Bushfinch
The Yellow-thighed Bushfinch is a sight to see, always. This one was another of the birds we encountered at Miriam’s Quetzals in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica on our stop with the Point and Shoot Nature Photography Adventure. This Bushfinch is a very active bird. It does not pose for photos. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Slaty Flowerpiercer
This female Slaty Flowerpiercer shows off her piercing tool at Miriam’s Quetzals in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica, during our stop on the Point and Shoot Nature Photography Adventure. In the rain again. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Hummingbird Shower
A bonus shot for today. Hummingbird shower. This Talamanca Hummingbird was making the most of the rain at Miriam’s Quetzals in San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.
Acorn Woodpecker
Acorn Woodpecker in the rain. On our yearly Point and Shoot Nature Photography Adventure in Costa Rica, we always plan a stop at Miriam’s Quetzals, a small coffee shop and cafe, half way down the twisting mountain road from the Pan American Highway to the Savegre Mountain Hotel, in San Gerardo de Dota, It gets its name from a tree in the backyard which attracts Resplendent Quetzals when it is in fruit, but it is a great spot for a variety of cloud forest birds. You get great views from Miriam’s partially covered back deck. I was shooting from under an umbrella, juggling a cup of Miriam’s excellent coffee, and attempting to keep my camera dry. Still the birds are too good to miss. This bird, a female, was less than 6 feet away. Acorn Woodpeckers are pretty much limited to mixed oak forest, from west coast of the US south of the Canadian border, all the way down to Columbia in South America. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.