Author: Charlie

Retired American nature-lover, living in Costa Rica, photographing birds and other jewels of nature. This site simply reports on my joys of being RETIRED IN COSTA RICA!
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Vireo-Grassquit-Tanager-Grosbeak-Nicaragua

Yellow-throated Vireo,  Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
Yellow-faced Grassquit,  El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
“Maybe” a migrant Yellow-bellied Flycatcher ,  El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

I first called it a “Bush Tanager” but an expert corrected me on it.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak,  El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
A really bad photo, but it does show I saw one!  🙂

Will I ever finish the Nicaragua birds? You may be asking that and I am getting closer to the end, but it is I believe the most different birds I have photographed on any trip, about 85 to 90 species. No exact count yet, but it beats my 2009 Costa Rica birding trip with about 50 species.

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Last of the Birds from Montibelli Nicaragua

Smooth-billed Ani
Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

White-winged Dove
Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

White-tipped Dove
Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
The difference from White-winged is the tail is tipped white

Inca Dove
Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Bronzed Cowbird
Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Clay-colored Thrush
Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Rufous-naped Wren
Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Melodius Blackbird
Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Streak-headed Woodcreeper
Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Whew! It was a lot of birds! A wonderful trip!

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Last of Birds from El Jaguar, Nicaragua

Black-headed Saltator
El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Bushy-crested Jay
El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Baltimore Oriole
El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Clay-colored Thrush
El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Great-tailed Grackle
El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

El Jaguar Nature Reserve was a great place for birding, maybe the best yet!

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Long-tailed Manakin, Nicaragua

Long-tailed Manakin
Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
This shot shows his face best while the next his colors

Long-tailed Manakin
Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
Notice the blue on his back and red on his head

About Long-tailed Manakin on

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Flycatchers in Nicaragua

Great Kiskadee, Lake Nicaragua

 

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Lake Nicaragua

 

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Lake Nicaragua

 

Common Tody Flycatcher, Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

 

Social Flycatcher
El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

 

Dusky-capped Flycatcher, El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

See my gallery of Nicaragua Birds

About Flycatchers on Cornell’s “All About Birds” that redirects you to each species page

 

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Warblers from Nicaragua Trip

Magnolia Warbler
Lake Apanas, Jinotega, Nicaragua

Yellow Warbler
Montibelli Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Yellow Warbler
El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Wilson’s Warbler
El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Wilson’s Warbler
El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Notice that I included two photos of the Yellow Warbler and two of the Wilson’s Warbler. You will with this see how different the same species can look at first glance. Age, gender and other factors can influence a “different look” for birds of the same species.

About Warblers on Easy Science for Kids
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Montezuma Oropendola in Nicaragua

Montezuma Oropendola 
El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
Montezuma Oropendola 
El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Montezuma Oropendola 
Lake Nicaragua near Granada

Montezuma Oropendola Nests
Lake Nicaragua near Granada

About Montezuma Oropendola on Cornell’s NeotropicalBirds site where you can listen to them sing their unusual bubbly sound.

Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Found 3 Bird-nests in Nicaragua

Unknown Bird Nest with eggs
El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Costa Rica

Tropical Kingbird nesting in air-plant on tree
Selva Negra Mountain Resort, Nicaragua

Tropical Kingbird Male
Standing guard by the nest
Selva Negra Mountain Resort, Nicaragua

AND THE THIRD BIRD NEST is in the above post on Montezuma Oropendola, most unusual!

Myths About Nesting Birds on Cornell’s “All About Birds” site

About Tropical Kingbird on Cornell’s “All About Birds” site
My shots of Tropical Kingbirds in Costa Rica from my yard and a spot near Turrialba
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. 
~Albert Einstein
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Coots and Gallinules! Nicaragua!

Some of the more interesting water birds are coots and gallinules in the same family:

Purple Gallinule
Lake Nicaragua at Granada

Common Gallinule
Lake Nicaragua at Granada
Common Gallinule
Selva Negra Mountain Resort, Nicaragua

American Coot
Lake Apanas, Jinotega, Nicaragua

American Coot
Lake Apanas, Jinotega, Nicaragua

About the Purple Gallinule on Cornell’s “All About Birds”

About the Common Gallinule on Cornell’s “All About Birds”

About the American Coot on Cornell’s “All About Birds”

“Maybe one day I could fly all over the world and meet other interesting birds.” 
― Jarod Kintz
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More Water Birds from Nicaragua

Northern Jacana
Lake Nicaragua at Granada

Mangrove Swallow
Lake Apanas, Jinotega, Nicaragua
Spotted or Stilt Sandpiper
Coloring most like stilt (in book) but legs and beak seem short. Juvenile?
Or could it be a Western or Least Sandpiper? Pectoral?
Lake Apanas, Jinotega, Nicaragua
Tricolored Heron Flying, Lake Apanas, Jinotega, Nicaragua
See another Tricolor on my Herons Post

Laughing Gull
Lake Apanas, Jinotega, Nicaragua
See another one on my April 1 Post, sitting on a post

Neotropic Cormorant

Lake Apanas, Jinotega, Nicaragua
Neotropic Cormorant

Lake Nicaragua at Granada

Neotropic Cormorant

Lake Apanas, Jinotega, Nicaragua

About Northern Jacana on Cornell’s “Neotropic Birds” site

About Mangrove Swallow on Cornell’s “Neotropic Birds” site

About Sandpipers on Wikipedia

About Tricolored Herons on Cornell’s “About Birds” site

About Laughing Gull on Cornell’s “About Birds” site

About Neotropic Cormorant on Cornell’s “Neotropic Birds” site

And in my photo galleries of Costa Rica Birds:
Northern Jacana   –   Mangrove Swallow   –   Spotted Sandpiper   –   Pectoral Sandpiper   –   Neotropic Cormorant