MarkG

Well, I'm back to North Carolina winter birds, although coming upon a flock of Cedar Waxwing's eating berries was nice. Cedar Waxwing by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

I couldn't decide which one I liked better... Rufous-tailed Hummingbird by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr Rufous-tailed Hummingbird by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

It's really fun watching Toucan's eat. They have a way of getting a piece of fruit in the front part of their beak and then flip it back into their mouth with a toss of their head. Yellow-throated Toucan by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Baltimore Oriole by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

White-Ruffed Manakin by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Tiger Heron by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

White-necked Jacobin by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Mangrove Swallow by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Green-crowned Brilliant

Yes

Golden-browed Chlorophonia by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Lesser Violetear by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Squirrel Cuckoo by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Mistletoe Tyannulet by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Bay-headed Tanager by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Pacific Screech-Owl by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Purple-throated Mountain-gem by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Yellow-throated Euphonia by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Slate-thoated Redstart by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

On my recent trip to Costa Rica my main target bird was a Resplendent Quetzal. I last visited Costa Rica in 2018 and stayed in the Monteverde area for a few days. While there I had walked the Curi Cancha Reserve several times hoping to see a Quetzal, there had been eBird reports of recent sightings, but I came up empty. On this trip I decided to use a bird guide and told him above anything else, I really wanted to see a Quetzal. He recommended that we go back to Curi Cancha. Being a good guide, he knew where to look for a Quetzal and within ten minutes he spotted a female in a mini-avocado tree. He told me that if we waited a bit we would probably see a male as well. I had no problem waiting and within 15 minutes a male made his appearance. Eventually there were at least four Quetzal’s, maybe five, in that tree, which was really something. Although the two males did some jousting and were briefly in the open, most of the time the birds were fairly deep within the tree. (It was a massive tree) I managed a few decent photos and was happy to get them. I think this is my best shot… Resplendent Quetzal by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Gray-necked Wood-Rail by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Violet Sabrewing by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Red-headed Barbet by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Mangrove Cuckoo by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Collared Aracari by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr