 |
| Chestnut-headed Oropendola The other day I mistakenly called it a “Crested Oropendola,” which does not appear in this part of Costa Rica, only a few near Panama border in SW I’ve not seen this in Atenas, only the Montezuma Oropendola, a favorite! This one photographed at Rancho Naturalista, Tuis, Costa Rica |
The following photos were made at CATIE campus near Turrialba, an agronomic program for research and education for all of Latin America farmers, headquartered in Costa Rica with a campus Trip Advisor reviews if planning to go. Cost is now $10 per visitor. It helped to have a good birding guide because he sees things I often miss! There were a lot of small forest birds I could not photograph because of light, distance and small size of birds. But some of the ones I got below are “first-timers” for me and that is good as my bird collection grows.
here and one in San Jose. My guide at Rancho Naturalista, Harry, took 3 of us here for the morning of the 7th of Dec. It is a good birding place with a big pond or small lake and a Botanical Gardens with tropical plants from all over Latin America. This terrain is different than the lodge and has lots of possibilities. See the
 |
| Tropical Kingbird Too big for gray-capped or boat-bill flycatchers I believe. All three are colored the same and sometimes difficult to ID. CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica |
 |
| Northern Jacana, second in number only to egrets at the pond. CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica |
 |
| White-ringed Flycatcher, my first photo Like the Social Flycatcher except white on head makes a circle (ring) CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica |
 |
| Prothonotary Warbler, my first photo. CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica |
 |
| Keel-billed Toucan, always from a distance, Not easy for me to photograph. CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica |
 |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler, which I photographed again at lodge better This trip is my first time to photo this bird and twice at that! 🙂 CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica |
 |
| Chestnut-backed Antbird, not great photo but my first! CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica |
 |
| Common Tody-flycatcher, another 1st photo – A good day! 🙂 CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica |
 |
| Muscovy Duck, who we later observed mating 🙂 CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica |
 |
| Great-tailed Grackle, female, common all over Costa Rica CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica |
 |
| Baby Great Egrets, as this pond is a rookery for the Great Egret Though fluffy & black-billed like Snowy Egret, they are not! Note Mom’s black foot to left of baby head. Snowy’s have yellow feet. CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica |
 |
| Hoffman’s Woodpecker CATIE Campus, Turrialba, Costa Rica |
I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs. ~Joseph Addison, The Spectator, 1712