Unlike my previous walk up the steep hill above my house, I left my walking stick and took my main camera with the 600mm zoom lens which is needed for both the little birds in the trees and bushes and the toucans who stay in the tops of the trees, thus I got an almost decent photo of this Keel-billed Toucan who hasn’t been back to my garden for maybe 2 years now. It is just pure luck when one poses on an open limb so you can see all of the bird without limbs blocking parts like this; but this one is okay and you can tell what it is! 🙂 You may want to read about the Keel-billed Toucan (eBird description link) or see the many other photos I have made all over Costa Rica in my Keel-billed Toucan Gallery.
Or maybe just a big cousin? 🙂 I passed this tree walking home from town this morning and it certainly made me think of poinsettias, though you can see that the bloom is a little different from the typical Christmas flower – though similar! 🙂 Online blooms like these were labeled “Wild Poinsettia.” Either way, they are categorized as shrubs or small trees.
Wild Poinsettia Tree?Wild Poinsettia Tree? (With a Yellow Bell Tree behind it!)
My cellphone App “Merlin” (from the eBird folks) tells me that this is a Blue Grosbeak Female (eBird description link) but it is not an exact match to the photos in my bird books or even online. It is similar to but larger than a female Blue-black Grassquit which in the past has never had that much black or rufous on the wings and the same for sparrows or juncos (which are otherwise similar). So my often experienced conundrum of identification continues, especially with “little brownish birds!” 🙂
I have posted these two photos on the Facebook Group “Cost Rica Bird ID” and I will add here any helpful results if received from that group – sometimes a knowledgeable person is very helpful there! 🙂 We will see what happens. 🙂
UPDATE: On the FB group Patrick O’Donnell, one of my past guides and the official guide for the Costa Rica Birding Club, answered my request with this:
Hi Charlie! Merlin is right, growing new feathers makes it look funny. Note the big bill and rufous wing bars.
~Patrick O’Donnell
So I’m hereby declaring it officially a Blue Grosbeak female! and a “lifer” for me! 🙂
The Turkey Vulture (eBird description) is the most common vulture in Atenas and maybe in all of Costa Rica followed closely by the Black Vulture that I’ve seen more of in some wilderness areas. It is found throughout all the Americas. Today’s was flying above my house in Atenas. See my other photos in GALLERY Turkey Vulture — Zopilote Cabecirrojo.
Just 4 flowers that I liked on my walk this morning down “Shady Lane.” This flatter walk doesn’t have the vistas of the hill yesterday, but some nice close-ups! 🙂
This morning ( 2 weeks ago today, as I’m really writing posts way ahead now) I took the difficult steep route up to the top of the hill I live on the side of and completed the circle drive back around to my house. I’ve done this only 2 or 3 times since radiation therapy and I’m okay with it, just slow going uphill. 🙂 Because of dogs on this route I walk with my walking stick and not the big camera, only cell phone, which I regretted today, seeing a Keel-billed Toucan in a distant tree and unable to photograph it well.
I will include two cellphone photos of the tree, one crop-zoomed in on the bird, but not good resolution. Then I tried to do a selfie with the village of Atenas in the background below the hill but the sun was too bright to catch the town in photo and it is before breakfast or even me shaving, so I’m “unkempt” but I’m showing the photo anyway! 🙂
Toucan on lower limb to right.
Keel-billed Toucan in poor zoom-crop of above photo.
Early-morning Selfie on Hill before Shave, Shower or Breakfast! Distant Atenas lost in the glare behind me.
For those concerned about my health, you can see that the left cheek is still swollen from the surgery and radiation (can take more than a year to go down) but the left side of smile has moved up a little bit and the eye is good uncovered for 2 to 4 hours in the morning before it hurts/burns and I then wear the black patch. I remove patch again for short times in afternoon and evening (easier reading with 2 eyes). And my Covid Mask is on my wrist here with no people around! 🙂
The Covid mask, 2 meter distancing & hand-washing is still required everywhere in Costa Rica and come January 8 the proof of vaccination will also be required to enter all public places, including supermarkets and restaurants. But remember, Costa Rica has a lower percentage of Covid cases than the U.S. with their stupid Republican Anti-vaxxers! 🙂 And if you want to visit this healthy country, you will need proof of vax just like the rest of us! By December we will have a vaccination app for cell phones here that will show some code for electronic readers at the entrance to all businesses, etc. Interesting! We’re pretty “high-tech” to be a “developing country.” 🙂
Or Palm Berries? The row of various little palms I planted nearly 7 years ago as a privacy shield by my bedroom & office windows have created their own Christmas Ornaments just in time for the holidays! 🙂
