There are actually 2 species of the Yellow Warbler here, the migrants from the north and a resident one here called Mangrove Swallow. But they look identical except for the resident adult male who has a reddish or rust-colored head or cap. The females and juveniles look identical. Thus, I have all my photos in one gallery, Northern/Mangrove Yellow Warbler, covering both Setophaga aestiva and Setophaga petechia. And I’m pretty sure that this one is a migrant male or Northern Yellow Warbler, Setophaga aestiva, male. I have more photos of him in the gallery. And who knows? He just may have migrated here from Nashville like I did! 🙂
Northern Yellow Warbler male, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
This is one of the few hummingbirds not totally chased off by the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, though he is only an occasional visitor to my Porterweed Flowers.
Blue-vented Hummingbird, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
OOPS! The eBird Checker just told me I’m wrong on this ID and that this is actually a Turkey Vulture with no red showing and that the little yellow showing on the head is due to light and a blurry photo. Oh well, I’m leaving the original post below but moving this photo to my Turkey Vulture gallery, Plus it is interesting to note that the iNaturalist AI called this a Yellow-headed and three people on iNat agreed with that ID. So once again, IDs are difficult! (Especially with weak photos!) 🙂
A Lifer or first-time-seen bird for me! And he was in the sky above my garden! 🙂 In Costa Rica they are found only on the Pacific Slope (which I’m on), but usually more on the coast and in the marshes, says my bird book. They look a lot like the Turkey Vulture with a shorter tail and more contrasting white on outer primaries. The book also says they usually stay closer to the ground and the marshes than this one, which was flying in circles in the valley hills like a Turkey Vulture. This one has only a little yellow on his head which indicates an immature one, as they get more yellow when they age. Also, my observation was that he was flying with raised wings more than the Turkey Vulture who seems to always be gliding with flat wings stretched out. Since this is my only photo, I will not link to my gallery but rather toeBird where you can find more information and much better photos! 🙂 And the iNaturalist CR observations page and map shows where they are seen mostly, including in the marshes of the north along the Nicaragua border where I will be again in July and will look for them this time. 🙂
Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Or Yigüirro in Costa Rica Spanish, as the national bird that sings in the rains every May. See more of this simple but iconic bird in my GALLERY: Clay-colored Thrush, Turdus grayi (gallery link).
During this very windy time of the year (Jan-Mar) there simply are not many birds on my little hill, but in February I got photos of this pair of White-winged Doves (my gallery link) in the overlapping Nance Tree & Palms adjacent my terrace that I could photograph from my outdoor rocking chair. 🙂 This species is a little larger than some and seems to handle the wind okay, but others have simply disappeared to who knows where? And of course virtually no butterflies.
I usually see this species out in the cow pasture grass, but here he is in one of my Nance Trees! See more of this seedeater species in my gallery: Yellow-faced Grassquit – Tiaris olivaceus. Just one shot from this sighting in the middle of March . . .
Yellow-faced Grassquit, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
One of those semi-rare birds that I don’t see very often at home or on trips, though the most common of 8 different cuckoos in Costa Rica . This one was hiding in the shadows of a Nance Tree earlier in March, never showing the front of his/her bright B&W tail, thus no great photos like with the one that posed for me back in 2017. 🙂 But in nature photography you take what you get and try to make the best of it! 🙂 See my collection of Squirrel Cuckoos, the gallery! Just 3 shots here . . .
The last of the three day trips that I participated in with my Canadian Friends was to the Los Angeles Cloud Forest Reserve better known here for its Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel where we had breakfast after a couple of hours of birding. And the clouds never lifted or burned off the entire time we were there. Click the first page of that gallery below to access it or if you prefer an address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/Birding-at-Villa-Blanca-Cloud-Forest-Reserve
Because we went after the Rio Tarcoles trip, it was too late in day for many birds, I got only 2 species, but I did get 10 species of other wildlife including some interesting species like the Helmeted Iguana, stick moth caterpillar, etc. and one of my dark monkey shots is visible. Click the first page of gallery below to enter or if you prefer an address: https://charliedoggett.smugmug.com/TRIPS/Hiking-Carara-NP
CLICK ABOVE IMAGE to go to the gallery.
I earlier did a post on the Helmeted Iguana and one on the Stink Bug, two of the 10 “Other Wildlife” seen at Carara this time. See gallery.
And tomorrow I will hopefully have completed the gallery for our morning visit to Los Angeles Cloud Forest Reserve and Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel.
