Category: Birds

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Toucan in my Garden Again!

Yesterday, November 3, 2025, this Keel-billed Toucan (my gallery link) landed in one of my Nance Trees (though not time for the berries). In the past I always had them in my Cecropia Tree, but it is dying and I think they sense that and avoid the tree. My last shot of this Keel-billed Toucan was last November ’24 from my garden but in a tree uphill from me in a neighbor’s tree, two Toucans with a Chachalaca! 🙂 The last of this species in my garden was in January 2023! So I was quite pleased yesterday! And booted the October photo scheduled for tomorrow up to November 15. 🙂 Yes, I have my blog photos scheduled more than 10 days ahead now and will be adding November shots after that. But I did not want to wait until the 15th for these two shots with many more made and in the gallery.

Keel-billed Toucan, My garden, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Streaked Flycatcher

This striking flycatcher I’ve see on 3 trips, 3 times in my yard and once on Calle Nueva here in town. See the pix in my gallery at Streaked Flycatcher, Myiodynastes maculatus. Here’s two shots from my garden this month . . .

Streaked Flycatcher, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Blue-vented Hummingbird

This one with the bright blue tail is probably my second most common hummingbird this year after Rufous-tail, followed by Canivet’s Emerald which I photographed near the same time as this blue-vented, but the photos aren’t good enough to share. And you can see much better photos of this one in my gallery Blue-vented Hummingbird, Saucerottei hoffmanni OR Saucerrotia amazilia. Glad there are a few interesting birds as my butterflies are slacking off a little. Two so-so photos . . .

Blue-vented Hummingbird, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Green Palm Berries

These green palm berries will eventually turn red and the birds will eat everyone of them, as you can see a Boat-billed Flycatcher doing in my October 11 post. 🙂 Just one of the many little interesting bits of nature found in my Leaves & Nature Things Gallery.

Green Palm Berries, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Laughing Falcons All Around Me . . .

. . . but none up close. For the last couple of days I’ve heard the call or song of the Laughing Falcon, Herpetotheres cachinnans (my gallery link) coming from one of the many big trees on the hill north of me. Yesterday I was trying to find them from a distance when at least 3 of them flew overhead, possibly to K’s, above me, since he got photos of some in his trees. 🙂 I have usually had to go to national parks to see this interesting falcon, but now they are here. They are the same size as many hawks and I think an attractive bird. Another neighbor, Steve, has had one in one of his trees. Here’s two shots of one flying overhead . . .

Laughing Falcon, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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Western Wood-Pewee

The Western Wood-Pewee – Contopus sordidulus (my gallery link) is not seen very often, but more so than the Eastern or Northern Tropical Wood-Pewee and is found in all parts of Costa Rica while the other two or mostly in the lowlands along both coasts. Plus it is usually “taller” or longer than the other two and in this case the iNaturalist AI labeled it “Western” which matched my presumed ID and it matches my previous Western photos better than my photos of the other two, so I’m pretty confident of this identification, even though Merlin (the eBird AI) said that it was unable to identify. This one landed in the dead tree behind my house on the hill and was there less than 30 seconds, so I got few photos and sharing only this one . . .

Western Wood-Pewee, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Tropical Kingbird + No Kings Rally

This guy is more of a “regular” this year and one that I always like seeing, the Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus (my gallery link).

Tropical Kingbird, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

No Kings Rally Saturday

Thanks to Steve for this image. No Kings Rally, U.S. Embassy, San Jose, Costa Rica, 18 Oct 2025.

And of course the demonstration had nothing to do with Kingbirds! 🙂 And not in the photo were persons in costumes, including a frog & a chicken! 🙂

I did not go because I’m having bathroom issues (like incontinency) and there was no way the embassy would provide their bathrooms, plus they are closed on Saturday anyway and no option nearby. 🙂

About 100 Americans showed up for the demonstration out of the approximately 120,000 American citizens living in Costa Rica. 🙂 And if wondering about Atenas, we had a bus load of 48 there from the approximately 3,000 Americans living in Atenas Canton (county). That 3,000 figure is from the Municipality of Atenas and is approximate. FYI, the U.S. Department of State says that approximately 9 million U.S. Citizens live in other countries around the world, so we are just a fraction of that in Costa Rica or Atenas. 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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Inca Dove

I’m glad that one of my favorite Doves was still around in September, even though this is not a great photo! 🙂 See more and better photos in my GALLERY: Inca Dove, Columbina inca.

Inca Dove, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Preparing this post two weeks and a day earlier I have decided that it will be the last of my photos made in September and tomorrow I will start posting only October photos! 🙂 And the October ones will most likely overlap into November. 🙂 I’m thankful to live so close to so much nature to keep my attention and bring me joy in my creative outlet. Share my posts and tell your friends about my nature photography obsession, this blog, and my unique photo gallery! ¡Pura vida! Retired in Costa Rica!

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Boat-billed Flycatcher

At first I had these two photos lumped in with the Great Kiskadees, but eBird’s AI helped me realized that they have bigger bills and are shaped slightly different as Boat-billed Flycatcher, Megarynchus pitangua  (linked to my gallery). Not as frequent but the last few in my gallery are from my garden. One photo . . .

Boat-billed Flycatcher, in my garden, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

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Blue-gray Tanager

One of several birds that I’m seeing more of now, the Blue-gray Tanager, Thraupis episcopus (my gallery link) lives all over Central America and the northern half of South America and is found literally everywhere in Costa Rica except the highest altitudes. He is similar to the grayish-green Palm Tanager and I have a lot of photos in the above linked gallery. Pictured here in my garden.

Blue-gray Tanager, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!