I have decided to do this trip report in a few posts, mainly because I am having a heck of a time trying to narrow it down to a manageable number of images for one post. It was, in short, a fantastic trip, my very favorite to date.
We made images from dawn to dusk, then we went out at night and shot bats and moths, so I did not sleep much. I am finally getting caught up on my sleep.
We spent almost all of our time in the highlands, and we worked at four different lodges, all of which I plan on returning to. Simply because there is so much to shoot at these areas, I really feel like I barely scratched the surface of all the possibilities. We spent at least three days at each of the lodges. I could have easily spent a week at each of them and not come close to exhausting the possibilities.
Costa Rican Birds
Collared Redstarts
This first set of images is of a Collared Redstart, aka the amigo del hombre (the friend of man). The Costa Rican version of a Black-capped Chickadee, these friendly little fellows would follow you around the jungle, keeping an eye on you.
Slatey Flowerpiecer
This next bird is a Slatey Flowerpiecer. This species’ bill is not long enough to get to the nectar in the base of the flowers, so it bites a little hole from the outside of the flower, near the base and robs the flower of its nectar. I say robs because the flower, in this exchange, does not get pollinated in return for its sugary treat.
Green Honeycreeper & a Quetzal
Next are a couple of very spectacular birds from Costa Rica. On the right is a Green Honeycreeper, and on the left a fairly lousy picture of the bird that everyone wants to see, the Resplendent Quetzal, a truly amazing bird. I saw this bird a few times, always way up in the canopy. E,ven though I was unable to get good pictures I feel privileged to have seen a Quetzal.
 
Costa Rican Moths
Any lights at night would attract an amazing variety of moths. This, of course, kept me up until the wee hours photographing them. Many of them were very camouflaged. Here is a small selection.
Hummingbirds of Costa Rica
I did photographs some hummingbirds as well. Perched below on the right is a White-throated Mountain-gem, and on the left is a Green Violet-ear, showing us how he got his name. That handsome bird in flight is a White-necked Jacobin. Yes, his neck is blue. I have no idea how he got his name.
 
I will finish up with a couple very interesting birds.
Masked Tityra & an Emerald Toucanet
The first bird is a Masked Tityra which is a member of the flycatcher family. The other is an Emerald Toucanet. These guys were feeding on a tree right outside our cabin at one lodge.
I will get some more up soon. Thanks for looking.
Good Luck & Good Light!
Steve & Nicole
Related: Costa Rica Trip Report 2009 (Part 2)