16 January, 2025
Bougainvillea Hotel, Heredia
A walk through the gardens at the Bougainvillea Hotel is always a great way to start the day.
We had barely rubbed the sleep from our eyes when a Lesson's Motmot (Motmotus lessonii) dazzled us all.
A couple of Chestnut-capped Warblers (Basileuterus delattri) darted hither and thither in search of insects.
After all, they too were looking for breakfast.
The prize of the morning was a Mottled Owl (Strix virgata) perched in the same bamboo as it had been before we left over a week earlier.
It had doubtless breakfasted before first light.
Nectar and Pollen Reserve, Limón
This was a fabulous place to visit. Our feet had barely hit the ground when a magnificent Chestnut-headed Oropendola (Psarocolius wagleri) came to bid us welcome.
It was followed in short order by a Yellow-throated Toucan (Rhamphastos ambiguus) on the same branch.
The toucan's profile is prognathous,
its person is a thing of bathos.
If even I can tell a toucan
I'm reasonably sure that you can.
Ogden Nash
I am sure that for a fleeting moment I contemplated just watching this branch, but all around me wondrous creatures flew and perched, skittered and chirruped, squabbled and gobbled, preened and primped. One wished to be like an owl with a 270 degree rotation of the head!
A Collared Aracari ( Pteroglossus torquatus) was suddenly on parade, as emblematic of Central America as one might imagine.
And suddenly, out of this eye and that, aracaris and toucans were attached to branches as though to flaunt their outrageous refulgence.
Is it not incredible?
And there's another Chestnut-headed Oropendola.
It had only just begun!
A Silver-throated Tanager (Tangara icterocephala) seemed almost pedestrian.
A male Scarlet-rumped Tanager (Rhamphocelos passerinii) might have been called a Faded-rumped Tanager based on this picture.
I wonder whether the object of his desire was impressed?
A Black-cheeked Woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani) looked quizzical.
This female Olive-backed Euphonia (Euphonia gouldi) showed what an appealing little bird it is.
A female Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii), meanwhile, was content to feed on bananas.
As neotropical tanagers go, Palm Tanager (Thraupis palmarum) is decidedly subdued in appearance.
A male Scarlet-rumped Tanager, by contrast, makes quite a statement.
A Crimson-collared Tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii) is no less impressive.
Clay-coloured Thrush (Turdus grayi) relies on personality rather than ostentation, and in doing so earns the honour of being Costa Rica's national bird.
I know this is overkill but I can't resist one more picture of Yellow-throated Toucan.
This is a bird to knock your proverbial socks off!
Ovenbird (Seirus aurocapilla) is a warbler that breeds in the boreal forest in Canada, and we were happy to see one in Costa Rica.
Here is a picture of the Aztec emperor, Montezuma.
I will leave it to you to decide whether a Montezuma Oropendola (Psarocolius montezuma) presents a more handsome appearance.
Hummingbirds are a vital component of neotropical ecosystems, and are frequently seen, but they can be frustratingly difficult to photograph.
This Crowned Woodnymph (Thalurania colombica) was evidently attracted to Canadians and posed for us without hesitation.
I could say that he turned to show his good side, but hummingbirds only have good sides!
A Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer (Chalybura urochrysia) was equally accommodating, but the light was working against us.
Don't you find the names of hummingbirds delightful? Who wouldn't want to be a woodnymph or a plumeleteer?
This very attractive plant is a type of Stickpea (genus Calliandria).
A couple of Black-cheeked Woodpeckers could hardly get their fill of bananas.
A Buff-throated Saltator (Saltator maximus) was not shy to join the party.
There are many gob-smackers in Costa Rica and Emerald Tanager (Tangara florida) is high on the list.
A Julia Heliconian (Dryas iulia) paused very briefly for us.
Melodious Blackbird (Dives dives) lives up to its name.
" The song is usually performed as a duet between the male and the female, usually started by the female......creating a rich melodious song." (Alvaro Jaramillo and Peter Burke, New World Blackbirds (1999).
This butterfly in the genus Phoebis has suffered a little wing damage - the hazards of life on the wing.
A Banded Peacock (Anartia fatima), by comparison, was in peak condition.
A Blue-grey Tanager (Thraupis episcopus) might covet either one as a tasty snack.
These organisms in the subfamily Salininae seem to be poorly known and little has been written about them; except perhaps for scientific papers to which I do not have access.
It was great to see a familiar Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica), soon to be breeding in Ontario.
A male Red-headed Barbet is a sight to behold.
A Wedge-billed Woodcreeper (Glyphorynchus spirurus) as befits his name, plied his trade up and down the trunks of trees.
A Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) was familiar to all.
This very attractive plant is found in the family of Stickpeas (genus Calliandra).
As we were admiring it a type of stingless bee (tribe Meliponini) alighted to capture whatever sweetness was exuded by the plant.
Males were similarly occupied at another feeder.
A female Green Honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spizza) has charm and panache to spare.
A female White-naped Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora) presents an identification problem for some, but once learned is never forgotten.
This is an interesting observation of a Red-legged Honeycreeper in transitional plumage.
A male White-naped Jacobin is aptly named.
Is a Golden-hooded Tanager (Tangara larvata) not an amazing bird?
Birds are often characterized by their quarrelsome, pugnacious nature, but sometimes they are willing to share.
Here are Shining Honeycreepers (Cyanerpes lucidus), male and female.
Sticking with honeycreepers, how about this scintillating male Green Honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza).
Perhaps hearkening back to a childhood filled with pirates and hidden treasures, parrots always evoke a sense of the exotic for me. An Orange-chinned Parakeet (Brotogeris jugularis) is particularly lovely.
Hoffmann's Woodpecker (Melanerpes hoffmannii) was common yet always delightful.
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzactl) was even more common.
Baltimore Orioles (Icterus galbula) are now a common sight in Southern Ontario. I wonder if this individual is visiting my yard?
A Black-headed Saltator (Saltator atriceps) is a paragon of subdued modestly surrounded by its flashy relatives.
Several species of butterfly put in an appearance but rarely perched; this White Satyr (Pareuptychia ocirrhoe) was the exception.
A Brown Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus) with a baby thrilled everyone.
Sloths are creatures like no other!
Our host knew of a pair of Spectacled Owls (Pulsatrix perspicillata) nearby and took us to see them. We had to don rubber boots to cross a muddy area, but it was well worth it to see this phenomenal tropical owl.
Photo: Victoria Ho
It was about a three-hour drive back to the Bougainvillea Hotel, and it was a satisfied group of birders that settled in for the ride.
A Spectacled Owl was a fitting climax to a wonderful experience.
Whenever I organize these trips, I am always struck by my good fortune in having such great friends. I thank them all for their splendid company.
And some of us are already planning to do it again!
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