Category: Birds

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Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush

This Clay-colored Thrush, Turdus grayi (my gallery link) is the National Bird of Costa Rica and widely believed since pre-Columbian days to be the bird who sings in the rains in April & May. One neighbor says they are already singing in his yard, though I haven’t heard them in mine yet. Yesterday morning it was the White-winged Dove out-singing all of the other birds in my garden. 🙂 And I have no idea what that means! 🙂

And interestingly, at night I’ve had both the Common Pauraque and the Tropical Screech Owl singing me to sleep! (Merlin sound ID) 🙂 But no photos of either in my trees at night. The linked photo of a Pauraque was at Maquenque Ecolodge where I’ve seen more species than any other place, and it was a daytime shot! 🙂 Here’s four shots of the Yigüirro in my garden the other day . . .

Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Soaring above the winds . . .

The high winds this time of year seem to keep away both birds and butterflies from my efforts to photograph, except for one bird! And in my neighborhood he seems to never stop soaring, The Turkey Vulture! Cathartes aura (linked to my gallery). I don’t get to regularly see an Eagle or Hawk soaring, but this vulture I can see almost every day as he makes riding the wind drafts look easy and motivates me to want to soar! 🙂

Turkey Vulture soaring over Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.” ~Helen Keller

And may you soar today in whatever you do! Windy or not! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Feather of a . . .

Red-tailed Hawk? Maybe, even though this 1 by 2 1/2 inch feather on my terrace was a little small, big birds do have some small feathers. And it appears to maybe be too big for a Rufous-backed Wren (common in my garden) and not dark enough for the Oropendola’s rust color and there are no Wood Rails near me! So I’m thinking it is most likely a small feather from a Red-tailed Hawk that blew in from a nesting place nearby or blew off when flying over. 🙂 Make your own guess! 🙂

Feather on my terrace from a partly rufous-colored bird, possibly a Red-tailed Hawk and less likely a Rufous-backed Wren. Less likely because of size.

And my only photo of a Red-tailed Hawk here is of one in captivity, but this feather does look like it’s possible to have come from him. 🙂 And the more I look at the Rufous-backed Wrens, the less likely it seems to be his, but check out my many photos of him to see what you think.

¡Pura Vida!

TOMORROW: Latest Cancer Surgery & Treatments and how I Mix the Public & Private Healthcare Systems Here

Thursday I went for an appointment to a new private Dermatologist for me, one recommended by my public ENT Oncologist, expecting to just talk and set up treatments later. But WOW! And in just 2 hours I had surgery on a large facial growth and “Plasma Treatment” (explained tomorrow) on a field of little pre-cancer growths across my forehead. In at 9 and out by 11! I was amazed! Read about it tomorrow. 🙂

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Perched Like a King!

This Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus (linked to eBird) is perched proudly on the powerline cable in front of my house like so many do. He is common in both South America and Central America and one of the many little joys of living in Costa Rica! 🙂 See more of my photos in the gallery titled Tropical Kingbird — Tirano Tropical with that second name being the Spanish name for this bird along with the unofficial local common name of “Pecho amarillo.” 🙂

Tropical Kingbird, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Hope you’re happy America!

UPDATED Monday, 8:33am after reading similar, more detailed article in the Washington Post:

Another one of your deportee planes just landed in Costa Rica’s San Jose Airport with 135 Refugees (Tico Times link) after a 4 hour flight from California, they faced an 8 hour bus ride to a migrant camp near the Panama border (Darien Gap). That included 65 minors and several senior adults & 2 pregnant women. All will be cared for lovingly by the Costa Rica people and helped to get to either their birth country or, because many can’t go back, will be helped to residency in another accepting country like Costa Rica. The refugees are from all over the world including Asia who are being sent here and to Panama, two countries who agreed to be intermediary locations for persons forced out of the U.S. The same day these 135 came here, 300 arrived in Panama. The richest country in the world kicks out people it doesn’t want and lets other, poorer countries like Costa Rica & Panama take care of them. Hmmmmmmm. While at the same time talking about taking over the Panama Canal. You guys really chose Trump as your president?

The U.S.A. kicks out its refugees & immigrants. Some here have landed in Costa Rica for help. –Photo taken from Tico Times was made by Patricio Bianchi/AFP/Getty Images.

I guess those Republican Evangelicals have forgotten what the Bible says about accepting refugees and migrants. So sad! And it is also sad to watch from a distance as Trump (“Perched like a king!”) and his evil cohorts (the Republican Party & Rich People) destroy my birth country. But I guess we will all eventually get used to China & Russia as the new world leaders.

🙁

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Visitor from Baltimore – The Oriole!

Possibly a migrant, this Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula (linked to eBird) was in and out of several trees in my garden Sunday. We do have some resident Baltimore Orioles here, just like some of us humans from up north! 🙂 But this time of year they are likely to be migrants. And I’m still amazed at how far birds fly!

Baltimore Oriole, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

See also my Baltimore Oriole Gallery for more photos of this northerner made in many places all over Costa Rica! And you might also be interested in some of his relatives who are also down here . . .

  • Black-cowled Oriole (Gallery)
  • Orchard Oriole (Gallery)
  • And there are 3 other species of Orioles in Costa Rica that I have no photos of. 🙂 They are: Streak-backed Oriole, Spot-breasted Oriole, and Yellow-tailed Oriole. Orioles are in a bigger family that includes Blackbirds.

¡Pura Vida!

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Nance Trees Blooming!

Along with dozens of other trees that bloom here during the dry season, which at first seemed strange to me, but I guess it is all about the sun. 🙂 These little yellow and orange cluster flowers will eventually turn into clusters of Nance Berries (yellow) which many birds will enjoy! And the iguanas too! 🙂 And here a few people eat them or make jams-jellies or marmalade with them. I tried eating one and did not like it as a bitter taste to me. Read about them on Wikipedia: Nance Tree, Byrsonima crassifolia.

Nance Tree Flowers that will become berries, Atenas, Costa Rica.

¡Pura Vida!

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Reduced Travel This Year

As my age, health and increased cost of living here begin to require, I simply need to reduce the big activities, so only 3 trips this year of 4 nights or more, and I may sneak in some day trips or even a 2-nighter at a nearby lodge – we’ll see! 🙂 But I’m still focused on nature and have plans for a few changes in my garden this year. And the three “big” trips are going to be very good, as always! 🙂

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird in a Heliconia Flower, Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica.

It will be a coastal rainforest jungle in July as I return to Esquinas Rainforest Lodge for my 3rd visit and second time on my birthday! 🙂 Both photos with this post were made at Esquinas Lodge.

Then in September I’m exploring the “Amazon of Costa Rica” again at Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean Coast instead of my usual Hotel Banana Azul beach trip. I like all the lodges in Tortuguero, but Tortuga Lodge & Gardens gets my vote for the most comfortable with the best food! And I don’t care if it is more expensive! 🙂

Then I finish the year with Christmas at Ballena National Park, Uvita in another favorite lodge, Hotel Cristal Ballena with a room overlooking the Pacific and nightly sunsets! Plus their 30 acre rainforest refuge! 🙂 And “Ballena” = “Whale” in English.

¡Pura Vida!

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A New Rufous-tailed Visited

This older and much larger Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Amazilia tzacatl (my gallery link) was visiting a couple of days ago and has not been back. I think that the smaller and younger one is chasing all other hummingbirds away as if he owns the place. The Blue-vented I had here earlier last month has not returned either. I filled the feeders again, hoping if would attract others, but maybe not with a little boss bird around. 🙂

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Lifer Bird Just 3 Blocks from Home!

It makes 379 species of birds photographed in Costa Rica and with that many it is becoming rare to find a new species anywhere, especially so close to home. Hotel Colinas del Sol is just about three or four blocks from my house and while my BC Canadian friends were visiting in January I was over there 2 or 3 times. One of those times when I had my camera, Margaret noticed first this Blue & White Swallow, Pygochelidon cyanoleuca (eBird link), on the wall of a carport by one of the houses they rent out. It was overcast, no good light, and thus not a good photo, but useful to say that I added one more species to my collection! 🙂 AND NOTE that this is a South American bird that gets no further north than Costa Rica! 🙂 There are so many birds here that you never know what you will see next or where! And though my CR bird count will continue to grow much slower than in those early years here, I believe it will continue to grow with who-knows-what coming next! 🙂

Blue & White Swallow, Hotel Colinas del Sol, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
I tried to lighten the shadows of above pix so the blue would show, but it’s grainy! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

And oh yeah, if you are interested in swallows. there are three others that I see here with the Mangrove being the most common. See those in their photo galleries at:

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Gray-headed Chachalaca

The only “regular” (almost daily) large (Turkey-sized) bird in my garden is the Gray-headed Chachalaca, Ortalis cinereiceps (eBird link) which is found only in the southern parts of Central America or from Honduras to Columbia. When a whole flock of them swoop into one of my trees they are sort of “pests” because of their constant chatter. But lately it has only been 2 to 4 at a time which is less noise and more interesting to watch. See my many photos of this unique bird in my Chachalaca Gallery. Just one shot here.

Gray-headed Chachalaca, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!