We made it to Costa Rica today - yay!!!! :-) Yes, overnight in Miami sucked, but I was able to rearrange everything and we got picked up at the airport by Lost Iguana and Steve & Beth. Then came the long ride to the resort, with poor Jack getting sicker with each passing mile. On the way we stopped for lunch and I found a kiskadee nest with a parent attending to chicks! :-)
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| great kiskadee flying with berries to nest |
Our room overlooks a really nice landscaped garden area, so I spent some time sitting out there. A turkey vulture circled nice and low over our garden area, I thought the pictures would be stunning. But my camera was on crazy settings all day and I didn't notice! So most of the pictures are unusable crap. :-( Oh well, live and learn. A stripe-throated hermit kept me company.
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| stripe-throated hermit |
I also saw a clay-colored robin (yes, not a difficult feat), a red-legged honeycreeper (gorgeous!) and a mystery woodcreeper (cool). Then I headed down to the front desk to figure out kleenex and bug spray, after making sure Jack would be okay for an hour or so on his own. I saw so much on the way, it was a wonderful introduction! First, a pair of blue-grey tanagers came through, happy as can be and flirting with me.
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| blue-grey tanager |
Then a barred antshrike pair, working their way through about ground level, and this Passerini's tanager going after a spider web with considerable gusto. I don't know if she was after the spider, its victims, or the web for nesting material, but she was definitely after something! I did see a bunch of nests, some nestled into branches and large leaves, and some hanging. It was a great time to be there.
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| female Passerini's tanager attacking spider web with gusto |
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| common tody-flycatcher |
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| female rose-breasted grosbeak |
The was an old dead tree that had two nests in it - one for black-cheeked woodpeckers, on for long-tailed flycatchers. At first I didn't realize they were long-tailed, I thought they were carrying something. Nope, those ridiculous things are attached! Hahahaha - awesome! As I was watching them and assessing the situation I heard what could have been some sort of lawn mower behind me, and turned around to see..... a hummingbird just a couple of feet away, ignoring me and going to town on this flower. Well hello to you too! I was just in heaven.
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| long-billed starthroat |
On the way back up I saw the barred antshrikes again, including a crest-raising incident! I don't think they know how lucky they are to have crests. I would love to be able to raise a crest!
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| barred antshrike apparently hearing something interesting |
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| barred antshrike with crest raised |
I also saw a bananaquit and a black-cowled oriole. I'm so sad about the camera settings, but I did see most of these birds again. Except for taking care of poor Jack, it was a great first day here.
