My cellphone App “Merlin” (from the eBird folks) tells me that this is a Blue Grosbeak Female (eBird description link) but it is not an exact match to the photos in my bird books or even online. It is similar to but larger than a female Blue-black Grassquit which in the past has never had that much black or rufous on the wings and the same for sparrows or juncos (which are otherwise similar). So my often experienced conundrum of identification continues, especially with “little brownish birds!” 🙂
I have posted these two photos on the Facebook Group “Cost Rica Bird ID” and I will add here any helpful results if received from that group – sometimes a knowledgeable person is very helpful there! 🙂 We will see what happens. 🙂
UPDATE: On the FB group Patrick O’Donnell, one of my past guides and the official guide for the Costa Rica Birding Club, answered my request with this:
Hi Charlie! Merlin is right, growing new feathers makes it look funny. Note the big bill and rufous wing bars.
~Patrick O’Donnell
So I’m hereby declaring it officially a Blue Grosbeak female! and a “lifer” for me! 🙂
The Turkey Vulture (eBird description) is the most common vulture in Atenas and maybe in all of Costa Rica followed closely by the Black Vulture that I’ve seen more of in some wilderness areas. It is found throughout all the Americas. Today’s was flying above my house in Atenas. See my other photos in GALLERY Turkey Vulture — Zopilote Cabecirrojo.
This book is my current read as the #1 on the New York Times best seller list by Pulitzer Prize winning author Anthony Doerr who wrote the best WWII novel I’ve read yet, All the Light We Cannot See that at first I found hard to read with two different parallel stories during WWII of a 12 year old girl in France and a 12 year old boy in Germany and of course their lives eventually cross. A powerful story! Worthy of all the awards! And now . . .
This morning ( 2 weeks ago today, as I’m really writing posts way ahead now) I took the difficult steep route up to the top of the hill I live on the side of and completed the circle drive back around to my house. I’ve done this only 2 or 3 times since radiation therapy and I’m okay with it, just slow going uphill. 🙂 Because of dogs on this route I walk with my walking stick and not the big camera, only cell phone, which I regretted today, seeing a Keel-billed Toucan in a distant tree and unable to photograph it well.
I will include two cellphone photos of the tree, one crop-zoomed in on the bird, but not good resolution. Then I tried to do a selfie with the village of Atenas in the background below the hill but the sun was too bright to catch the town in photo and it is before breakfast or even me shaving, so I’m “unkempt” but I’m showing the photo anyway! 🙂
Toucan on lower limb to right.
Keel-billed Toucan in poor zoom-crop of above photo.
Early-morning Selfie on Hill before Shave, Shower or Breakfast! Distant Atenas lost in the glare behind me.
For those concerned about my health, you can see that the left cheek is still swollen from the surgery and radiation (can take more than a year to go down) but the left side of smile has moved up a little bit and the eye is good uncovered for 2 to 4 hours in the morning before it hurts/burns and I then wear the black patch. I remove patch again for short times in afternoon and evening (easier reading with 2 eyes). And my Covid Mask is on my wrist here with no people around! 🙂
The Covid mask, 2 meter distancing & hand-washing is still required everywhere in Costa Rica and come January 8 the proof of vaccination will also be required to enter all public places, including supermarkets and restaurants. But remember, Costa Rica has a lower percentage of Covid cases than the U.S. with their stupid Republican Anti-vaxxers! 🙂 And if you want to visit this healthy country, you will need proof of vax just like the rest of us! By December we will have a vaccination app for cell phones here that will show some code for electronic readers at the entrance to all businesses, etc. Interesting! We’re pretty “high-tech” to be a “developing country.” 🙂
Well, not to eat! 🙂 But this male Great-tailed Grackle (eBird description) stopped by and stayed awhile during my breakfast (I always eat outside) where I could see him while other birds are going higher in the tree above the roof line and my line of sight. 🙂
This common bird is found from the Western U.S. south throughout Central America and into northern South America. In my Great-tailed Grackle Gallery I have photos of both the male and female from 11 different locations in Costa Rica.
My last bird in this series, Clay-colored Thrush (eBird description), is special in multiple ways. First, he is the National Bird of Costa Rica, not because of his colors but rather because he is the bird that the indigenous people say sings in the rainy season every April & May. And special for me because I’m including one of my latest images as the feature and one of my first bird shots here back in 2015 while still in the apartments, Hacienda La Jacaranda. Read more in The Backstory and see some of my many other shots of this bird in my Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush Gallery with shots from 16 locations across Costa Rica.
This White-fronted Parrot(eBird description) is found only in Central America and Mexico and is just one of the 13 different species of parrots/parakeets that I have photos of and I think the reason I chose him rather than one of the other colorful parrots is the way he looks back at me as if to ask “What are you doing?” 🙂 See other shots in my White-fronted Parrot Gallery from the only location I’ve seen him in Costa Rica, the Hacienda Guachipelin Lodge and read more in The Backstory below . . .
Okay, I’m kind of “cheating” here by showing two different types of toucans that have perched in my Cecropia or Guarumo Tree: The Fiery-billed Aracari (eBird description) and the Keel-billed Toucan (eBird description). And with many more shots of both from all over Costa Rica, see my Fiery-billed Aracari Gallery and/or my Keel-billed Toucan Gallery. Since I have so many photos from so many different places, I will not try to feature the locations, though the location for both of these shots is my own garden in Roca Verde, Atenas, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica! 🙂 I am indeed fortunate!
I was really excited the first time I saw a Squirrel Cuckoo(eBird description) in my garden, thinking that all cuckoos were rare exotic birds. I’ve since learned that this particular one is fairly common all over Costa Rica and you will find 5 locations in Costa Rica in my Squirrel Cuckoo Gallery. Plus eBird says it is “widespread” throughout Central and South America. It is one of 6 different species of Cuckoos found in Costa Rica. Beyond this one, I have photos of just 2 other species in Costa Rica: The Mangrove Cuckoo (2) and the Lesser Ground-Cuckoo (1). See more information and links in The Backstory below . . .
The Spot-crowned Euphonia(eBird description) is a favorite for many reasons, including that this photo is so detailed of the female eating a little berry that even her tongue is showing. 🙂 Plus this bird is endemic to Costa Rica, meaning it is found only here and a few spots over the border in Panama. In my Spot-crowned Euphonia Gallery I have shots from only two places and will link to those places and TRIP GALLERIES in The Backstory below, plus I’m adding a photo of the male so you can see the difference. It was photographed at the same time and place as the female and thus they could be mates.
