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Though I still have posts coming through Tuesday, February 2, the photos have all been processed and collected in on of my “Trip Galleries” to see all of the photos in one place called 2021 San Gerardo de Dota Hotel Savegre. Click the linked title or the gallery image below to see.
¡Pura Vida!
This mountains or foothills hummingbird is found in all of Central America and Mexico. But in Costa Rica & Western Panama there is another almost identical bird called the Black-bellied Hummingbird. Now, the belly is not fully shown in this photo, but doesn’t appear to be black even though there is black on the face, as both can have. Though only the stripe-tailed has the little white post-ocular spot, thus with all things considered, I’m claiming this as a Stripe-tailed Hummingbird (link to eBird article). 🙂
My Stripe-tailed Gallery also has a couple of shots of one in Monteverde.
This trip’s Hotel Savegre BIRDS Gallery (23 species)
¡Pura Vida!
This third of my mountain hummingbirds found only in Costa Rica and Western Panama was a “Lifer” (1st time seen) observation this trip. Learn more on the eBird article for White-throated Mountain-gem. My gallery has only these two photos since it is new to me. As always, CLICK an image to see larger:
This trip’s Hotel Savegre BIRDS Gallery (23 species)
¡Pura Vida!
The second in my featured mountain hummingbirds is the Talamanca Hummingbird (eBird article) as one I’ve seen in 2 other locations and of course have a Talamanca Hummingbird Gallery! 🙂 The name “Talamanca” is the name of the major mountain range through the center of Costa Rica where this bird lives only in Costa Rica and the western edge of Panama.
¡Pura Vida!
This trip’s Hotel Savegre BIRDS Gallery (23 species)
There have been at least 3 contacts now including the initial congratulations. Here’s more in this Tico Times online article in English: ‘Multilateralism is back!’ How Costa Rica’s leaders celebrated U.S. inauguration
¡Pura Vida!
I am down to the hummingbirds in my photos from San Gerardo de Dota, the most difficult to identify for me. But I am sure of this first one, Lesser Violetear (eBird Description) and like many of our mountain birds, found only in the mountains of Costa Rica and Western Panama with a former name of “Green Violetear.” (“They” are always changing names which is frustrating for us birders!) There is a larger version of this bird called the “Mexican Violetear” found only in the countries north of us. There is also a Brown Violetear found all across Central America, but less seen by me.
Unlike most hummingbirds, this one’s “ears” actually stick out a little and are very purple or violet. Here’s a few shots from the Batsú Gardens across the road from Hotel Savegre. The hotel no longer uses any feeders of any kinds with only natural plants to attract birds in the forest and gardens, thus some birds are easier to see across the road. 🙂 Though I did get two other hummingbirds in the hotel gardens.
In my Costa Rica Birds Gallery are two related sub-galleries:
Brown Violetear (only 1 photo now)
Lesser Violetear (several shots from Monteverde & San Gerardo de Dota)
This trip’s Hotel Savegre BIRDS Gallery (23 species)
¡Pura Vida!
At first I labeled it an “Orange-bellied Trogon,” but after checking my book I’m calling it a Collared Trogon Female because of the darker shade of orange on the belly, with Orange-bellied having a lighter shade of orange (the only difference) in the book. Then after checking online with eBird+, I see that they are longer calling it two species but all “Collared” with some as an “orange morph” of the Collared Trogon. These constantly changing names and identifications make birding a little complicated sometimes! 🙂 Also the book says it only appears in the highlands of Costa Rica and Western Panama while eBird says it is the same bird in some of the highlands of South America. 🙂
These were photographed on the Robles Trail, Hotel Savegre, San Gerardo de Dota.
Right now I have two photo galleries from previous trips around Costa Rica for both the Collared Trogon and the Orange-bellied Trogon. I’m waiting to see if I should combine those two galleries. 🙂 And in those galleries you can see the slight differences of the two.
And to read further, see eBird’s Collared Trogon page or if you are a subscriber, even more info on “Birds of the World” Collared Trogon page. My hobby is getting complicated! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
This trip’s Hotel Savegre BIRDS Gallery (22 species)
If any readers are planning on visiting Costa Rica in January and beyond this year, it might be helpful to read this article: Preflight Testing For Departing Costa Rica – Logistics And Tips: on the blog called “Two Weeks in Costa Rica.” Like birding, traveling is getting more complicated too! 🙂
¡Lo siento!
A tiny bird sometimes difficult to see in a thick Cloud Forest even with the bright colors, found only above 1,500 meters in the highlands of Costa Rica and across the border in Western Panama. I’ve seen and photographed only 2 other times, once in San Gerardo de Dota at the Trogon Lodge and later on a Monteverde trip in the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. You can see those photos (better) in my Collared Redstart Gallery to which I will eventually add these. CLICK an image below to enlarge:
This trip’s Hotel Savegre BIRDS Gallery (22 species)
I’m home now with a lot of “catching up to do” as always after a trip and part of that will be sharing more photos from this trip! 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
Large-footed Finch is the “official” English common name for this cloud forest bird that my excellent guide, Marino, found for me this morning. This “lifer” for me (1st time seen) is one of several we found near the top of our mountain on the Robles Trail this morning. The feature photo above is the only one to show his feet, which don’t seem that large to me, but maybe to a finch? 🙂
I will share more birds from today later. CLICK image to see larger . . .
It would be hard to praise Hotel Savegre too much with virtually everything perfect here from the food to the rooms, trails, birds and vistas! 🙂 Though the birds of this trip haven’t been added yet, you can see all my others in Costa Rica Birds Gallery, 350 species!
¡Pura Vida!
My mountain lodge is on this beautiful little mountain stream that grows to a bigger river before it feeds the Pacific Ocean. Savegre Hotel is first class and much bigger, more modern than my last visit here in 2009, literally a 4 Star Hotel back in the wilderness on a dirt road, hours from a city! But not sure about the internet connection yet and may be limited to one photo per post. Pura vida from San Gerardo de Dota & Savegre Hotel!
🙂
On one of my walks on the nearby “Country Lane,” I found this simple little tree covered in yellow blooms, like many Costa Rica trees now, and liked it!
The Feature Photo is the broad view of the landscape with the little solo tree, while below I include a closer view from another angle, all from behind a fence, and I never cross fences! 🙂
“Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy.”
~Isaac Newton
¡Pura Vida!
Tonight or tomorrow I will begin reporting on the Cloud Forests of San Gerardo de Dota in Savegre Hotel. It is a lot different from my Central Valley coffee farming town of Atenas! 🙂