Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Dave and Daves Nature Park, La Virgen, Costa Rica

One morning in Costa Rica we visited Dave and Dave’s Costa Rican Nature Park, a small private reserve in La Virgen. Dave, the father, founded it in the 90s when he moved from California to Costa Rica and married a local girl. He bought the property, farm and plantation, and sought out expert advice on how to return it to its natureal state. They told him to plant 20% of the native trees and bushes the ground could hold, and let the rest fill in naturally. Now 30 years later, the trees have grown (it is the tropics) and the property has filled in nicely with a natural succession of plants…and the birds and wildlife love it. His son Dave is now actively involved and both project a real love for the environment and a justifiable pride in what they have accomplished.  It is one of the best places in Costa Rica for bird photography because of Dave and Dave’s sensitivity to maintaining a natural setting. They have feeders…but the sugar and food concentrations are kept intentionally low so that the hummers and other birds will still utilize the abundant native plants by preference…just zipping in for a quick fix when they need it. This is a Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer Hummingbird which was defending this Heliconia flower all morning. Other hummers would sneak in for a drink, but the Plumeleteer was always right there to assert his dominance. Sony Rx10iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with flight shots adjustments. 1/1000th @ f4 @ ISO 1600. Processed in Polarr.