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The Clay-colored Thrush (my gallery link) is called a Yigüirro in Costa Rica and is the National Bird, yet such a simple, Robin-sized brown bird. Not only does his singing in April attract the rain (and me), but his simple, plain look is also appealing. Another favorite bird seen at Xandari this week.
¡Pura Vida!
The rainy season here is believed by many to have been “sung in” by the Yigüirro or Clay-colored Thrush. Rain usually starts around the middle of May, while this year it started in early May. And sure enough, the Clay-colored Thrush sang almost constantly throughout April and the rains started the first week of May! I think this image of a Yigüirro in one of my Nance Trees has that look of a “job well done!” 🙂 And it continues to rain almost every afternoon.
¡Pura Vida!
See more photos of this National Bird of Costa Rica in my gallery: Clay-colored Thrush.
The Yigüirro (CR Spanish name) or Clay-colored Thrush (Common English name) became the national bird of Costa Rica because early residents gave it credit for the beginning of Rainy Season in May, since they seem to be singing constantly during April before the rains start. Two shots from my garden a few days ago or see more from over the years in the gallery: Clay-colored Thrush or Yigüirro
¡Pura Vida!
Or Yigüirro in Costa Rica Spanish, as the national bird that sings in the rains every May. See more of this simple but iconic bird in my GALLERY: Clay-colored Thrush, Turdus grayi (gallery link).
Had I been going there for birds like I used to, it would have been earlier, like 5:30 or 6 am! But even during this 8-10 am best time for butterflies, I saw a lot more than 3 birds, but this is all I photographed on Calle Nueva that morning, plus the Yellow-faced Grassquit (May 15 Post) in the cow pasture as I was getting back home. 🙂 Here’s the three other birds I got photos of on that nearby dirt road . . .
See my Inca Dove Gallery.
Continue reading “Calle Nueva Birds”
. . . for the rains to begin. And hopefully that will be any day now! (And maybe before this is posted, since I’m scheduling posts about a week ahead now.) 🙂 The National Bird of Costa Rica, known in English as the Clay-colored Thrush, is I think a handsome bird, even when not singing all day like he does every April. Here are three recent shots of different individuals and you can see more in my Gallery: Clay-colored Thrush, Turdus grayi. 🙂
is the Costa Rican Spanish name for the English-named Clay-colored Thrush. (my gallery link) This is the bird that gently wakes me up each morning singing, and, as tradition has it, he/she is singing in the rains for the beginning of our winter or rainy season in May.
¡Pura Vida!
This Clay-colored Thrush, Turdus grayi (my gallery link) is the National Bird of Costa Rica and widely believed since pre-Columbian days to be the bird who sings in the rains in April & May. One neighbor says they are already singing in his yard, though I haven’t heard them in mine yet. Yesterday morning it was the White-winged Dove out-singing all of the other birds in my garden. 🙂 And I have no idea what that means! 🙂
And interestingly, at night I’ve had both the Common Pauraque and the Tropical Screech Owl singing me to sleep! (Merlin sound ID) 🙂 But no photos of either in my trees at night. The linked photo of a Pauraque was at Maquenque Ecolodge where I’ve seen more species than any other place, and it was a daytime shot! 🙂 Here’s four shots of the Yigüirro in my garden the other day . . .
Yeah, ten were all the birds I photographed there this time, but it was only a little more than one day there and during rainy season, so okay for near a big city. But by comparison, I got photos of 15 butterfly species! I will eventually share more of them. And on my first day’s post there were two more birds, a Kiskadee and a Rufous-tailed Wren. Here’s 5 more . . .
It has been a similar problem with other photographs: MORNING SHADOWS in the trees. This original photo was more of a silhouette and of course the English name describes the bird accurately as “Clay-colored Thrush,” while my effort to remove the shadows left him more “electric blue.” 🙂
This is one bird that I prefer the Spanish name for, Yigüirro! I love just saying it and it’s not long until in April and May when he will be singing in the rains for the beginning of our rainy season! I can’t wait! I prefer the rainy (green) season! 🙂
See what they really look like in my Clay-colored Thrush Gallery!
¡Pura Vida!