Hummingbirds, more hummingbirds in Costa Rica

This is a photo of a female purple-throated mountaingem hummingbird, which we saw 15 March 2014 in Cinchona in Costa Rica. We will get there later in this blog post.

I have described walking in the Poas volcano area in Costa Rica on that 15 March.

As we walked back down, a hummingbird flying around a scrub. It was rather big (I mean, big for a hummingbird …) and looked greenish. We saw mainly its back. Later, we would see this species, the fiery-throated hummingbird, much better, including its splendid colours under favourable lighting.

A slaty flowerpiercer was there as well.

A bit further, in the undergrowth: a wrenthrush. This is a species, unique to Costa Rica and Panama. Also, a large-footed-finch.

Then, lower on the Poas slope, to a garden opposite a restaurant, where feeders attracted hummingbirds.

Among them were a female green-crowned brilliant. A species which we would meet again later that day.

And a male violet-crowned woodnymph.

A green violetear. This photo shows a female.

A magnificent hummingbird. This species has its southern limit in Costa Rica, and its northern limit in Mexico.

From southern Mexico to western Panama, including here, one can find the violet sabrewing, the biggest species.

This photo shows a male violet sabrewing.

The smallest species was the volcano hummingbird. It occurs only in Costa Rica and western Panama.

There were also non-humming birds, like a flame-coloured tanager.

We continued to another restaurant, in Cinchona, lower in the mountain area, also with feeders and even more hummingbirds.

Like green-crowned brilliants. This photo shows a male.

This photo also shows a male.

And this photo shows another adult male.

This photo showns a juvenile green-crowned brilliant.

This photo shows a juvenile as well.

And this shows a female green-crowned brilliant.

There were also green hermits. Violet sabrewings. Rufous-tailed hummingbirds. And coppery-headed emeralds: among the smaller species. They live only in Costa Rica. A white-bellied mountaingem as well. Apart from Costa Rica, this species occurs in Panama too.

And purple-throated mountaingems as well.

There was non-hummingbird birdlife in Cinchona too.

Stay tuned!

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