bird

Rented a bike, slathered on much sunscreen and went back to see the nesting site of the Black-crowned Night Herons in Tommy Thompson Park. The Great Egrets were also there but none were posing for my camera, so I spent my time concentrating on the herons.

Night Heron Nests

Night Herons #1

Night Herons #2

Night Herons #3

Night Herons #4

Night Herons #5

Night Herons #6

Night Herons #7

I believe that this bird is a Willet, a common wading bird in Costa Rica and the surrounding region. It kept a wary eye on me while I was taking pictures of it, but opted to walk (and occasionally, run), to keep a good distance from me instead of flying away. This gave me the opportunity to take plenty of pictures of it.

Willet at Tambor Beach in Costa Rica #1

Willet at Tambor Beach in Costa Rica #2

Willet at Tambor Beach in Costa Rica #3

Willet at Tambor Beach in Costa Rica #4

Willet at Tambor Beach in Costa Rica #5

Willet at Tambor Beach in Costa Rica #6

Willet at Tambor Beach in Costa Rica #7

These brown pelicans put on a good show for us down at Tambor Beach. Another case where having a good, fast telephoto lens came in handy.

Brown Pelican #1

Brown Pelican #2

Brown Pelican #3

Brown Pelican #4

Brown Pelican #5

While I saw other hummingbirds in Costa Rica, only this one stayed still long enough to let me take a picture.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

A female Red-crowned Woodpecker finally seen this morning (definitely heard it long before now!) in the villa grounds at Zumaloft, near Montezuma, Costa Rica.

Female Red-crowned Woodpecker

Easily one of the most spectacular birds I photographed while in Costa Rica, this Turquoise-browed Motmot casually let me take a number of pictures of him while he sat and scooped up some berries while sitting on a fence on the Zumaloft grounds.

Turquoise-browed Motmot #1

Turquoise-browed Motmot #2

Turquoise-browed Motmot #3

Turquoise-browed Motmot #4

Turns out it is not just the Fiery-billed Aracaris that like the ripened papayas on the grounds of Zumaloft, but also other birds like this Blue-gray Tanager.

Blue-gray Tanager #1

Blue-gray Tanager #2

After watching last night’s New Year’s pyrotechnics at the Ylang Ylang Beach Resort, the family spent the day relaxing and recovering on the ground of Zumalofts. A pair of toucan-related Fiery-billed Aracaris returned again to the ripe papaya tree to gulp down large chunks of the fruit, and putting on a great show. A wonderfully photogenic bird.

Fiery-billed Aracari Jan 1 2018 #1

Fiery-billed Aracari Jan 1 2018 #2

Fiery-billed Aracari Jan 1 2018 #3

Fiery-billed Aracari Jan 1 2018 #4

Fiery-billed Aracari Jan 1 2018 #5