Sunday, February 17, 2019

Costa Rica 27 and 28 January 2019


To those who have the happy ability to find adventure among little things, I recommend the hummingbirds. In no other warm-blooded animals, perhaps in no other living creatures of any kind, has nature managed to compress so much beauty, vitality, animation and complex behaviour into so small a compass.

Alexander Skutch (1977)

27 January 2019
Hotel Carara - Carara National Park - Santa Elena - Monteverde Hummingbird Garden

     The room at Hotel Carara was pretty substandard, and there was hardly a drip of water coming out of the faucet or the shower and the toilet kept running until I fixed it. Breakfast, however, was excellent. There was good coffee, lots of fruit and a variety of items from a hot buffet.
     We left for Carara National Park with a full stomach!




     Upon arrival we paid our entry fees and waited for the park to open. In the parking lot we saw Franklin with a couple of clients, and he invited us to tag along. We made sure that his paying customers were agreeable - and they were! We are indebted to Rich and Nanette Armstrong of Sedona, AZ for their kindness.
     The list of species to be found at Carara is impressive, but locating many of them is another matter! The trails are more than adequate, and well maintained, but either side of them is dense rain forest. Even with Franklin's local knowledge and ability to recognize birdsong we saw relatively few species.



     A White-whiskered Puffbird (Malacoptila panamensis) was perched quite close, but stubbornly refused to show us its best side. We had to be content with a dorsal view before it flew deeper into the forest.



     It was too bad that most of the birds were not as obliging as these two!



     Many of the trees were impressive, with huge buttresses. This of course is part of the joy of visiting the rain forest. Our quest was for birds but everything was delightful and interesting.



     We trudged along.


     We glanced skyward frequently, searching for movement in the canopy. Mostly there was none, or at least none that could be detected from the ground.



     The only time that I had ever seen Northern Royal Flycatcher (Onychorhynchus mexicanus) was at Carara National Park in 2011, so it was a singular pleasure to meet up with this enigmatic species again in the same location. This time we had a much better line of sight for a photograph.



     A Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) reminded us that spring migration is really not so far away, and this species will arrive in Ontario by the thousands.



     We heard the loud rapping of woodpeckers and were thrilled to find Lineated Woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus) and Pale-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus guatamalensis) on opposite sides of the same trunk, high up, however, with much intervening vegetation. A poor photograph of Pale-billed Woodpecker is all we were able to obtain to memorialize the sighting.



     The signature bird of this region is without question Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao), a bird whose numbers for years spiralled downwards, due to trapping for the lucrative cage bird trade, and habitat destruction. Slowly, with some degree of protection, and more importantly enforcement of the law, numbers are recovering somewhat. It was a moment of elation to see a pair occupying a nest.



     May their beauty grace the skies forever. Jim always selects a "bird of the trip" and on this journey it was Scarlet Macaw.



     I might add a brief word about the cage bird trade and its implication in the decline of so many psittacids around the world. It is easy to blame poaching and illegal trapping, but it is the insatiable and irrational demand from Europe and North America for exotic birds  that fuels this trade. I hope that the day will come, and soon, when a total ban, rigidly enforced, will be imposed on the trafficking of wild birds. Only then will endangered and seriously depleted populations recover. 
     Checkout time at the hotel was 13h:00 so we had left our stuff in our rooms and returned to pick up our belongings and have lunch. Then we hit the road for Santa Elena, a small town near Monteverde where we had accommodation reserved for the night.
     We checked into the Pension Santa Elena, where the accommodation was basic, but acceptable; in fact some thought it "cute." It was not a judgement I shared, but in reality it was no worse than the hotel the night before which was considerably more expensive. 
     We decided to take a drive to Monteverde so that we would know the route the following morning, and it was in fact pretty straightforward. We visited the hummingbird garden there and for those who had not previously experienced such a location it was both exciting and maybe a touch overwhelming. The activity is frenetic to say the least, but it is an amazing opportunity to see nature's gems up close.
     Photographing hummingbirds is not the easiest pursuit in the world for two reasons. First of all the birds move at incredible speed and are seldom perched for more than the briefest of moments, so high speed capture is essential. Second the iridescence of hummingbirds, the very feature that produces their dazzling colours, is structural in nature rather than chemical, so that a bird which is brilliant at one moment can appear black the next. A bird that even moves from one perch to another on the same feeder can change its appearance.
     Consider the following images of Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula).






     And here is a juvenile of the same species.



      Identification is not easy, or at least I do not find it easy, and much more familiarity is needed than one can acquire on a brief visit, to become totally confident that one's identification is correct. Some birds, especially juveniles or females, of necessity remain unknown. It has to be remembered that for most us we see these birds at most every several years. On visiting Cuba it is easy; one is faced with a choice of only two species, and they are radically different from each other. In Costa Rica there are fifty-one species, with many plumage gradations, conditions of moult, males, juveniles and females. To add to the complexity there has been much taxonomic revision in recent years with changes at the genus and species level.
     If I have misidentified any of these birds I accept my errors with humility and urge you to offer corrections. 
     A Violet Sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus) is fortunately unmistakable!




     Here is a male Purple-throated Mountaingem (Lampornis calolaemus)....



     ...... and here is a female of the same species.



     Bananaquits (Coereba flaveola), friendly as always, were also anxious to get their share of the hummingbird nectar.



     A Common Bush Tanager(Chlorospingus flavopectus) was content to feed on the ground, on what I am not quite sure, but it appears to be food dropped by a human.



     We returned to Santa Elena and went out later for dinner to a restaurant called Taco Taco, where the food was excellent. I had chicken fajita tacos and Miriam had pork carnita tacos, served with a cob of grilled corn, which challenged the roots of your teeth trying to separate the kernels from the cob. It seems to be impossible in Costa Rica to have dinner without music being played so loudly that it is hard to hear each other speak, and words become strings of sound, difficult to tease apart. As mentioned, however, the food was simply delicious.
     There was not a single chair in our room at the "pension" to sit on, so we retired early, read for a while and turned out the light. The management had provided ear plugs to block out the noise and gaiety of this festive little town. Dogs barked, brakes squealed, music played, people called to each other, but we fell asleep nonetheless, anxious to be well rested for our visit to Monteverde the next morning.

All species 27 January: Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Brown Pelican, Magnificent Frigatebird, Black Vulture, Broad-winged Hawk, Laughing Gull, White-winged Dove, Groove-billed Ani, Violet Sabrewing, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Blue-throated Sapphire, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Purple-throated Mountaingem, Green-crowned Brilliant, Gartered Trogon, White-whiskered Puffbird, Lineated Woodpecker, Pale-billed Woodpecker, Red-fronted Parrotlet, Barred Antshrike, Tropical Kingbird, Northern Royal Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Rufous-backed Wren, Common Bush Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, Great-tailed Grackle, White-shouldered Tanager, White-lined Tanager, Bananaquit. 

28 January 2019
Santa Elena - Monteverde - El Coco

     We were up early and went to a little bakery in town that opened at 05h:00 and had very good coffee and an appetizing range of pastries, both sweet and savoury. We were well pleased with our choices and the service provided by a very friendly young man.
     In high spirits, fueled no doubt by caffeine and sugar, we meandered through town and took the road to Monteverde. 
     A Lesson's Motmot (Momotus lessonii) was there to greet us; a more splendid welcome would be hard to conjure.




     We had sought the advice of Charlie Gomez as to a guide at Monteverde and he had recommended Samuel Arguedas (samguia@hotmail.com) and we were happy to see him waiting for us.



       Sam is a consummate guide, a dedicated naturalist and a passionate and ardent conservationist. Wisely he rejects the use of laser pointers which in errant fashion can damage a bird's vision, and in the process of moving the point of light around can inflict destruction on a range of micro organisms. He is advocating for their total ban in Costa Rica. Sam is so ardent that he does not even have a business card, electing not to use paper for such trivial purposes!
     His efforts are paying dividends, however. He acts as the Monteverde guide for the well known travel company, Tauck World Discovery, and was appalled at the sheer volume of plastic water bottles provided to their clients - 11,500 per year. He advocated to the company, with the persistence of a terrier nipping at your heels it seems, to have the company provide a refillable water bottle for each client - and succeeded. That's a lot less plastic littering the forests and streams of Costa Rica. Bravo, Sam!
     As a registered guide, Sam is able to gain access for his clients at 07h:00, an hour before the main onslaught begins. There is a choice of trails and we were happy to rely on Sam's intimate knowledge of the cloud forest to select the trail with the best likelihood of seeing Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus macinno), that most enigmatic of birds, a creature of mythical proportions, the stuff of legend and history, a source of joy for all, verging on adoration for some.



     Amazingly, within minutes we saw a female.



      And almost before we could get our starry eyes reoriented a male came to join her.



    The day was already a grand success! I know one birder who has been to Costa Rica three times and has not yet succeeded in seeing a quetzal. 
     We wandered along the trail, still quiet, without the press of people that was about to occur, listening to Sam explain the multi-faceted structure of the forest.


     The tranquility was about to be broken, however, as the flood gates opened and the trails were invaded by a serpentine stream of birders, backpackers, hikers, and tourists of every description. As Sam aptly commented, "The Cloud Forest becomes a Crowd Forest."



     Charlie Gomez had told me that even though Costa Rica Expeditions owns a lodge at Monteverde he does not take his tours there for this very reason, preferring to search for the quetzals in the quieter regions around Savegre.
     An Elegant Euphonia (Euphonia elegantissima) was a lifer for everyone.


     And Sam spotted a Black Guan (Chamaepetes unicolor) deep in the trees, about 75 metres off the trail I would guess, and had it in his scope almost before the legs of the tripod hit the ground!


     We kept hearing a Prong-billed Barbet (Semnornis frantzii) and finally saw it; alas no pictures!
     People had no hesitation in milling around us, and profiting from the expertise of a guide who earns his living from ecotourism, without paying a cent. 
     We slowly drifted back towards the main gate, birding along the way, and for those who cared to listen, receiving Cloud Forest 101 along the way.
     The Hummingbird Gallery was too much of a lure to pass up and Miriam and I went to get a coffee and sit and watch the feathered jewels. Verging on self-flagellation we started to identify the various species and get photographs when possible! It was fun though, challenging and rewarding. It is always great to stay at a lodge that has hummingbird feeders so that you can really spend some time and hone your identification skills.
     Here is what Miriam got, in the order in which she took the pictures.

Purple-throated Mountaingem
Mexican (Green) Violetear

Green-crowned Brilliant (juvenile)
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
Green-crowned Brilliant (female)
     A Common Bush Tanager was moving around in the bushes too.


     Sam had suggested to us that we have lunch at the restaurant in the park, assuring us that the food was good, and that by spending our money there we would be contributing funds for conservation. We did so and were happy with our choices. Miriam had a chicken sandwich and I had a chorizo sandwich - both excellent.
     Our drive back to El Coco went smoothly with no delays, and we were happy to be back to our base.

All species 28 January: Black Guan, Western Cattle Egret, Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, Western Osprey, White-winged Dove, Green Hermit, Violet Sabrewing, Mexican Violetear, White-tailed Emerald, Coppery-headed Emerald, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Purple-throated Mountaingem, Green-crowned Brilliant, Purple-crowned Fairy, Magenta-throated Woodstar, Resplendent Quetzal, Collared Trogon, Prong-billed Barbet, Hoffmann's Woodpecker, Northern Crested Caracara, Red-faced Spinetail, Ruddy Treerunner, Lineated Foliage-gleaner, Grey-throated Leaftosser, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Spotted Woodcreeper, Slaty Antwren, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo (heard only), Mistletoe Tyrannulet, Northern Tufted Flycatcher, Yellowish Flycatcher, House Wren, Ochraceous Wren, Grey-breasted Wood Wren, Tropical Gnatcatcher, Black-faced Solitaire, Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush, Mountain Thrush, Clay-coloured Thrush, White-throated Thrush, Elegant Euphonia, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Common Bush Tanager, Great-tailed Grackle, Golden-winged Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Golden-crowned Warbler, Black-eared Warbler, Slate-throated Whitestart, Summer Tanager, Bananaquit.


David M. Gascoigne,
David M. Gascoigne,

I'm a life long birder. My interests are birds, nature, reading, books, outdoors, travel, food and wine.

47 comments:

  1. Hello, another great report on your Costa Rica trip. The hummingbirds are just gorgeous. I would love to see the Scarlet Macaw and the Resplendent Quetzal. Awesome collection of birds and photos. Happy Sunday, enjoy your day. Have a great new week ahead!

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  2. I'm inordinately proud of myself. I saw your photos of the quetzal bird, and the name felt familiar. I discovered the reason in an online Britannica entry for Quetzalcóatl:

    "Quetzalcóatl, Mayan name Kukulcán,(from Nahuatl quetzalli, “tail feather of the quetzal bird [Pharomachrus mocinno],” and coatl, “snake”), the Feathered Serpent, one of the major deities of the ancient Mexican pantheon. Representations of a feathered snake occur as early as the Teotihuacán civilization (3rd to 8th century ce) on the central plateau. At that time Quetzalcóatl seems to have been conceived as a vegetation god—an earth and water deity closely associated with the rain god Tlaloc."

    A crowd of hummingbirds is heavenly. A crowd of humans? Acceptable, but sometimes annoying, particularly in favored "selfie spots" where the focus on the flora, fauna, geology, and such is set aside for "a good background." (Thus endeth the gentle grump.)

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    1. My word, you leave interesting comments! Thanks for this thoughtful response.

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  3. Wonderful images, David. The Hummingbirds are so beautiful.

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  4. Good morning David. Thank you for providing my day’s diet of exotica. Your post reminds me that there is a fine balance to be struck between people’s desire for travel in general but also for places previously inaccessible where they join in wildlife tourism. I guess I didn’t imagine that Costa Rica is so popular with people from NA and Canada but then it is just like us in Northern Europe descending upon Spain and the Med for our dose of warm sunshine and to see their birds. It is good that you found such a dedicated guide in Sam.
    As for those hummers. I’m not ashamed to say that apart from IDing the most common and easiest ones, they would be “hummer sp” so that I could concentrate on the more familiar bird families. I would even seek out the ones that travel north to NA so as to see them in their “other world”.

    I must agree with Shoreacres. I hate crowd birding, one, two, three or four but more than that, leave me out.

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    1. I can do it, Phil (get the hummingbird ID down pat) but I need to sit and watch for a few hours with a good reference. To simply stop by the Hummingbird Gallery for twenty minutes doesn't work, especially when one has not seen the birds for years. As for seeing the North American species, the ease of identification is a quantum leap ahead since you are only dealing with a few species; here in Ontario only one.

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  5. Hi David.

    Wonderful, this was enjoying these beautiful colored birds.

    Groettie from Patricia.

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  6. Att få vandra i en regnskog med alla dess växter och djur, att få uppleva en så mäktig natur måste vara något alldeles underbart. Jag beundrar Miriam för att hon lyckas med fotograferingen i en värld som är fylld av tät växtlighet. Jag förstår att det är oerhört komplicerat med identifieringen men jag undrar om du inte är lite blygsam? Hoppas du någon dag bestämmer dig för att skriva den där boken, material har du och skrivkonsten behärskar du suveränt.

    Gläder mig när du berättar om er guide som tagit ställning för naturen, om vi blir tillräckligt många runt om i världen skulle det bli en sådan kraft som ingen makthavare kan negligera. Vi får drömma om det..och vara redo om det händer.

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    1. Thanks, Gunilla. You have more faith in me than I have in myself!

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  7. I see David you had the successful second day trip, more birds than in the first day. I liked Heliodoxa jacula and Ara as they are the well known birds everywhere. Then I also liked Resplendent Quetzal, I've never seen it in nature and know it's a national bird and image of the country.

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    1. Hello Nadezda: The Clay-coloured Thrush is the national bird of Costa Rica. The Resplendent Quetzal is ironically the national bird of Guatemala, but it has been extirpated there.

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  8. Hello David, And more birds, like little Jewels they look. The colours so briljant. Love those little hummingbirds.

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  9. Todos los pájaros me gustan, pero sobre todo los colibrís me parecen maravillosos. Besitos y esperando los siguientes.

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  10. Love seeing all those hummingbirds, they are so little and very pretty. Wonderful photos and narration as usual. Thank you, David.

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  11. Buenas tardes amigo David, precioso nuevo reportaje ¡y cuanta belleza! Estoy totalmente de acuerdo con tu afirmación, debería de estar totalmente prohibido con duras sanciones económicas la compra-venta de aves exóticas o tropicales. No se puede permitir que ciertas especies se vean amenazadas por tanta locura humana. Los Colibrís son preciosos pero el Guacamayo rojo y el Kuetzal son unas verdaderas joyas de la naturaleza. Muy buenas fotografías por parte de Miriam y excelente tu narrativa y reportaje como siempre.
    Un fuerte abrazo de vuestro amigo Juan.

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  12. Impresionante tu reportaje por Costa Rica, ver esa vegetación y localizar a las aves tiene que ser una aventura apasionante. Me gusta ver a estas especies de colibríes, con plumajes diversos y bellos y conocerlos gracias a tus explicaciones y las fotos.
    Es una pena que estas aves estén amenazadas por las compras y ventas, debería hacerse algo para que no suceda.
    Un placer leerte, David.
    Un abrazo.

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  13. I always enjoy reading your posts and seeing your collection of wonderful photographs.
    Those hummingbirds look so pretty.

    Fabulous post.

    All the best Jan

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  14. I love the term Goldilocks Zone. A big YES to banning capturing wild birds and caging them.
    What an incredible couple of days you had. So many of the birds you saw are the stuff of dreams...
    And a big hooray for Sam and ecotourism.
    Many thanks for this beautiful and informative post.

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  15. Absolutely stunning birds, you travelled very well.

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  16. Hari OM
    I was ooohing and aaahing all through this! What gems... YAM xx

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  17. These birds have such vibrant colors and I enjoyed seeing the variety. I have always thought Macaws are quite beautiful.

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  18. I've been to the Osa Peninsula in the rainforests of Costa Rica and the Scarlet macaws were fairly (in a relative sense) common. They are amazing, aren't they? And just a response to a comment you left on my blog about the Canada Goose. Yes, I do know that but where I grew up we always called them Canadian Geese. Why, I don't know. And blogger kept insisting I change to to Canadian geese. Maybe whoever did the edit software grew up where I did. (smile). Thanks goodness for universal scientific names in this big world of so many other names. Happy new week David.

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    1. I have no direct knowledge of the population history in the Osa Peninsula but over this species' wide range it is decreasing, in some areas in alarming fashion. Recently the population in Belize, for example, was deemed not to exceed 24 birds, and in Brazil it is seriously imperilled due to habitat destruction and the illegal trade in parrots.

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  19. Thanks for introducing me to the Quetzal, hitherto only known as a very clever word to get in Scrabble! I used to have the problem of freeloading guests when I led walks; in the end the firm I worked for produced a printed sheet which we handed to such people. It politely informed them of our prices, whereupon they used to mysteriously vanish!

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  20. A wonderful and interesting post with such stunning photos. So lovely to see all the Hummingbirds and Macaws are so very special. Thank you so much for sharing details of your holiday.

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  21. An impressive batch of photos with subjects I would never see, unless of course we make it to Costa Rica! The hummers fascinate me, the only time I have ever seen them is in Nevis. Have a good week Diane

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    1. Then you have to come here sometime between May and September, Diane, and we will sit on the patio sipping wine and nibbling on cheese while Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeds on nectar. Just give me the date and I will have your pilows fluffed.

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  22. I always like to hear about people like Samuel Arguedas. I wonder if his employers have considered nominating him for the Disney Conservation Heroes or the Whitley Awards, or other similar, who acknowledge and help such dedicated people?

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    1. He has no employer, Jenny. He is a self-employed guide.

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  23. When I see photos like this -- so many beautiful birds of so many different shades and hues and colors -- I see why birding becomes a passion. (We see a lot of sparrows! I need to look a little more!) These are dazzling. Amazed to see a hummingbird sitting still! And those macaws are splendid. I'm not big on birds in cages -- this is where they belong and they are exquisite. (Oh, and when it comes to lodging, "cute" is a relative term!)And well done, you, fixing the toilet!

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    1. Cute is a relative term indeed! It's amazing how we can use words in English in many different ways. Some who is too cute is too smart for his own good; nothing to do with appeal or prettiness. Other languages, at least the two others that I speak, are far more restricted in this way.

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  24. Hola David.

    Muchas gracias por compartir tu viaje a la hermosa Costa Rica con todos nosotros. Estoy totalmente de acuerdo contus reflexiones acerca del inmoral -y muchas veces ilegal- comercio con especies de aves en real peligro de extinción.

    Aparte de las innumerables bellezas fotografiadas cabe destacar el summum: observar y fotografiar al ave sagrada de los Mayas: el quetzal.

    Un abrazo desde Galicia, España,

    Rafa.

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    1. It was, in fact, so sacred, Rafa, that only the high priests were allowed to wear its feathers and the penalty for killing a quetzal was death.

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  25. So many beautiful birds, I can't imagine seeing so many Hummingbirds in one go! It's good to read about someone with so much passion for what they believe in.

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  26. Hi Both,
    Yet another wonderful set of images from Costa Rica.
    The initial images of the Mahogany trunks, they always fascinate me with the shape.
    Then your images of the Hummingbirds, such a difficult bird to get a decent image from.
    We had a talk at the bird club by a gent on Hummingbirds, he had a set up designed and built for him so everything was computer controlled as he had worked out to get a flight shot the camera would have to fire at 1/80,000 of a second, no camera can shoot that fast, hence the fancy set up, but he managed some beautiful images with the wings perfectly in focus.
    Also enjoy seeing Sunbirds in Africa but the Hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backwards .
    Super post, all the best, John

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  27. It is probably just as well that I don't live in the Americas, David - I think I might get hooked on hummingbirds, and I suspect it would add to any age-related confusion that's comming my way!

    Thank you for another delightful post.

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  28. Hi David,
    These days lots of people can afford themselves to go on holiday and search for attractive wildlife. We unfortunately have to cope with the fact that we are not the only ones searching for interesting countries and wildlife.
    But, when we are lucky, it may happen that we can experience an amazing encounter, like you did with the quetzal. Lucky you! Seeing hummingbirds is always a pleasure. Costa Rica is clearly a country where you can get plenty of opportunities to see them. Like I probably said before, you can't complain about the wildlife you have seen so far.
    Greetings, Kees

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    1. In fact, Kees, when I look back on my already long life, I have had the privilege of enjoying wild life in so many different habitats in different countries that I consider myself one of the most fortunate people on earth.

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  29. this is a wonderful account and diary of your recent trip to costa rico, one i thoroughly enjoyed. when i read the first paragraph, about the hummingbirds (2/17), i knew i was in for a treat. the captures are just amazing and it is so cool to see such a variety of the bird. i only see one here, (ruby throated) males and female but they do come right to my window feeder and i get a nice close up look at them!!

    beautiful photographs, i know how difficult it is to get pictures of them!

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  30. Amazing colours on these birds. I love the macaw!

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  31. So magnificent place! Wonderful photos and great report, it's my dream to be there... The hummingbirds are beautiful, I always wanted to see them and take photos of them. Fantastic trip!
    Best wishes from Poland.

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  32. Hi David - wonderful, wonderful photos - all of them ... I'd love to visit one day. I was sent a calendar with a Calliope Hummingbird in - brilliant throat ... love that plumage some birds have at their throat ... I hadn't realised the 'star burst' spreads out ... just looked at google images. Gosh I'd love to see them in the wild.

    Re Samuel - so interesting his environmental thoughts - we should all be doing that - not to say I use lasers ... but simply never use one. no paper either and he's not tied to an organisation either - sensible chat.

    Great post - thank you ... cheers Hilary

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  33. Hi David,
    I finally got time to get some more time to devote to your wonderful photo report!
    Very beautiful this impression of the rainforest. Beautiful picture of the Northern Royal Flycatcher. Brilliant, Miriam! The Pale-billed Woodpecker is gorgeous! A Grand picture of the three flying Macaws! Congratulations for Francine. All the pictures of the beautiful hummingbirds are overwhelming. The Violet Sabrewing is very blue, wow, it makes me very humble. Thank you for sharing!
    Have a nice weekend ahead,
    Regards, Maria

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  34. Dear David,
    it must be an impressive experience just to walk around in this forest with its unbelievable high trees. And to watch hunmmingbirds fly around also must be an experience by itself. I enjoy very much reading your journals of this trip.

    Best regards, Corrie

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    1. It is a very movng experience to be in these forests, Corrie. I always wish I had a good deal more knowledge to be able to interpret them better. If there is one disadvantage to birding with others it is the fact that Miriam and I do not spend enough time simply immersing ourselves in the environment in which we find ourselves.

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  35. I am impressed by the number of species. Some colours are extraordinary. Thank you for these gigantic trees too.

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