Speckled Tanager: Las Cruces Biological Research Station (OTS), San Vito, Costa Rica — I have shared this bird before, but not this photo, which is arguably the best of my Speckle Tanager shots from our visit to the Wilson Botanical Gardens and Las Cruces. Such an amazing bird! They are listed in my field guides as “common”, and often included in mixed feeding flocks, so relatively easy to see…if you happen to be in the foothills and mid-elevations of Costa Rica or Panama, or in scattered regions in northern South America…so not so common for most of us. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. Equivalent ISO 5000 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Crested Caracara: Las Cruces Biological Research Station, San Vito, Costa Rica — Just a pair of Crested Caracaras…same as you can see in south Texas, Arizona, or central Florida. Oh hum. But these were the first Crested we saw in a week and a half in Costa Rica…lots of Yellow-headed, which is a real treat for we North Americanos, but no Crested until we got to the Wilson Botanical Gardens at Las Cruces. These were wee and far, it a tree across the whole width of the garden, but with a little help from the machine learning maximum resolution algorithm in Pixomator Photo, the Sony at 600mm was able to bring them in. I have to say, I think these might have been my first perched Crested Caracaras anywhere. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixomator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus 1.3 EV for the backlight.

Golden-hooded Tanager: Las Cruces Biological Station (OTS), San Vito, Costa Rica — These are not the first Golden-hooded Tanagers I have shared, even from our most recent December trips to Costa Rica. Certainly an eye-catching bird, and common around dwellings and in mixed feeding flocks. All these shots were around the banana platform off the patio by the dinning hall at Las Cruces. As the morning progressed the light got better. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 2500, 1600, and 1250 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Lesson’s Motmot: Las Cruces Biological Research Station (OTS), San Vito, Costa Rica — Checking my field guide, I see that the Lesson’s Motmot, which it seems to me is the most common Central American Motmot, is also the only Motmot resident on the southern Pacific slope of Costa Rica. This bird came to the bananas on the patio of the dining hall at Las Curces whenever we put them out. Certainly a handsome bird. Sony Rx10iv at 330mm and 600mm equivalent. Program mode with wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. Equivalent ISO 2500 and 3200 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

White-crowned Parrot: Las Curces Biological Research Station (OTS), San Vito, Costa Rica — I am not sure why the number of different Parrot species we were seeing at Las Cruces did not register at the time. As I go back through my photos from our few days there, I am amazed to keep finding new parrots. It is almost as much fun as being there was! This is the White-crowned Parrot. I had seen White-fronted Parrots in Honduras, and maybe had them confused in my mind, but I am pretty sure this was a life bird at the Wilson Botanical Gardens at Las Curces. Not the best encounter…distant and behind some foreground palm fonds, and against the light…but still! We had better sightings later (which you will probably see in a few days 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent (cropped and enlarged to maybe 1800mm or more). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixomator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th. +1.7 EV for the backlight.

Crested Guan: Las Cruces Biological Research Station (OTS), San Vito, Costa Rica — Guans are hard to miss, if they are around at all. They are huge. Even the Black Guan of higher elevations is big, and the Crested Guan is the size of a turkey. In fact they remind me a lot of a turkey. And Crested Guans, like turkeys, seem to like yards and gardens, openings, clearings, where they are easy to see. We see them at La Selva Biological Station in the Sarapique valley in the Caribbean lowlands, and we found this one in the Wilson Botanical Gardens in the foothills of the Pacific slope. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixomator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/800th.