Costa Rica- the Highlands

We ended our time in the highland cloud forest.  Our rain gear remained in our baggage because it is the dry season in February.  But, we were prepared! Next time I will only bring a small umbrella.

At elevation, we mostly saw little critters with a preponderance of rapidly moving hummingbirds. I prefer natural settings for  subjects so there are none showing feeding stations.  Compounding this is the speed for most hummingbirds.


There are a group of nectar feeders that rob nectar without pollinating the flowers.  They cut directly into the nectar site.  I believe this little brown bird is doing just that.  He perches beneath the cluster of blooms and .....

...  uses its sharp beak to enter at the right spot.

 Only occasionally was I fast enough to get focus and grab an image.

I never could do this with film.  It would take half a dozen rolls to get just one shot like this, or the next one.

There were unexpected visitors like this Red-tailed Squirrel.  It came in for the ripe fruit on a platform feeder.  It looks very similar to the Red Squirrels in New York.

While the hovering hummers only allow a few seconds to capture a photo, sometimes one will choose to perch in full sunlight.  Then you have maybe 30 seconds, which is a luxury.

That birds was clearly visible. This next image is a favorite for me because it offered a narrow tunnel of visibility.

There was one larger visitor, a Black-cheeked Woodpecker.  It seems all woodpeckers have sharply defined patterns.

The highland cloud forest, even in the dry season, offers a fine display of flowers including bountiful numbers of succulents.  This cluster was outside our lodging in the Savegre River valley.

Every lodging we visited had beautiful flower beds like these.

It is little surprise that Costa Rica is such a popular destination. The Tico are serious about maintaining a balance with their natural resources.  Pura Vida!  It reflects their philosophy.

Have to visit again, maybe in the wet season?

Paul Schmitt

A Real Honey Hole

For a fisherman, a honey-hole is that special place where there is always a good catch.  So it is too with birders that there are those special places where a lot of birds can be found nearly without fail.

In Florida this month, I found a real honey hole.  We were on a nature trail near Titusville mostly looking for early warblers when a beautiful Red-bellied Woodpecker caught my attention.  I usually see them high in the trees so this chap at eye level was special.

The tree he frequented had some exposed termite burrows plus several seeping wounds in the bark.  He was particularly around the seeps. Then, he showed me why.

He was feeding on the sap seeping out the wound. I examined it for insects but found none.  It was literally a real "honey hole".  He came back to it repeatedly.  

In the process of waiting for each return, there appeared another visitor.

It is a Yellow-rumped Warbler.  There were several other warbler species in the area, but this was the only one down low at eye level.  And, why was he down here?

He had the same appetite for the sap, and came back frequently.

There are birders who build a long list of birds seen.  I find unique behaviors observed to be a more interesting sum of experiences. 

Paul Schmitt

Pileated Woodpecker Nest

Had the pleasure to observe a Pileated Woodpecker nest cavity today. I am always amazed when they appear.   The  color and patterns, the size and the raucous vocalization.  This nest was reported to have two chicks, but all observations indicate one chick had already left the nest.  The remaining chick was very active at the cavity, seeming to be  hungry and frustrated that the adults would not come to him.

I did not expect the chick to be capable of adult calls, but it was pretty loud at times. The adults came in a few times, seeming to tempt the chick to come to them.  I've seen this in House Wrens when it is time to fledge.  The chicks have been conditioned to the adults singing before entering the nest box.  At fledging time, the adults repeat the song but from a nearby tree until the young come to them. 

This calling from nearly continued, and finally an adult flew to the nest.

What a beautiful plumage. The chick got some food, not as much as had been normally observed and the adult retreated to a side of the tree.

The adult soon left the chick to consider the options and the vocalization continued from a distance.

I had planned to return to this nest in two days, but I think the nest will be empty tomorrow.

All images used Nikon D800, 400 mm f/2.8 lens with 1.4 multiplier. ISO 2000 to 6400.

Paul Schmitt