RESPLENDENT QUETZAL

December 21, 2006. Monteverde, Costa Rica. This male Resplendent Quetzal was the highlight of our trip to Monteverde. The bird was located very high up and unfortunately the photo does not show the extra long tail-coverts.

FIERY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD

December 22, 2006. La Selvatura, Costa Rica. It is in the Monteverde area.

PURPLE-THROATED MOUNTAIN-GEM

December 21, 2006. Monteverde, Costa Rica. The female Purple-throated Mountain-Gem is perhaps prettier than the male with its pale rufous coloring below.

BANANAQUIT

December 21, 2006. Monteverde, Costa Rica. The feeders at Monteverde were not just for hummingbirds. The cute little Bananaquit also was a common visitor. We were told that this bird would show its intelligence when the water level in a feeder got too low for its shorter bill to reach. Supposedly several of them would perch all on one side of a feeder to tilt the feeder and make it deeper on their side. Even harder to believe, we were also told that one would quickly alternate perching on one side and then the other to create a wave action and thus get to drink.

GREEN-CROWNED BRILLIANT

December 20, 2006. Monteverde, Costa Rica. Outside the entrance to the Monteverde park area there is an approximately 30x15 foot area with nearly 10 hummingbird feeders. There were about 30 hummingbirds from a half dozen different species constantly buzzing around. Many would fly right by your head so that you could even feel the wind from their wings. It was a really remarkable experience.

KEEL-BILLED TOUCAN

December 23, 2006. Arenal, Costa Rica. What an incredibly bizarre bird! I only wish I could have gotten a good photo with its head turned sideways.

LAUGHING FALCON

December 23, 2006. Arenal, Costa Verdi. We went with a guide one morning in the Arenal area. It rained for much of the morning but we still found a lot of birds, including this Laughing Falcon which agreeably did its "laugh" for us.

HOFFMANN'S WOODPECKERS

December 19, 2006. Tamarindo, Costa Verdi. The garden of our hotel was a pretty good place to find birds, including these two Hoffmann's Woodpeckers who were enjoying the fruit. They spent a good amount of time there, and allowed me to get quite close to them.

Orange-Bellied Trogon

December 20, 2006. Monteverde, Costa Rica. We went on a "twilight walk" just after arriving in Monteverde. It started at 5:30PM and so was mostly in the dark, led by a guide with a very strong flashlight. The walk was advertised as one in which we would find wildlife, but I hadn't expected to find sleeping birds. This Orange-bellied Trogon was a welcome find, and despite the very bright light, neither it or any of the other birds seen, awoke.

This White-Throated Magpie-Jay was a welcome visitor to the outdoor
breakfast at the Tamarindo Diria in Tamarindo, Costa Rica on December 20,
2006. There were two that would come by. One was skittish but the other, apparently used to the people, would take food from your hand. It's really a gorgeous bird.