The Hallowed Honeymoon Hummingbird Hunt - Costa Rica - Part 4 - Arenal

It was again an early start, and straight up to the gardens where we came across more new Hummingbird species, in particular, Violet Headed Hummingbird was particularly abundant. 

Violet Headed Humingbird

Harder to get views of were Stripe Throated Hermit Hummingbirds, tiny orange, lightning fast little Hummers that would rarely spend more than seconds at a flowering plants before being run out of town by the more numerous, and highly aggressive Rufous tailed hummingbirds.


Stripe Throated Hermit - A hoor to snap

A few Green Hermits were also present, again rarely spending long at flowers. 

Our only Bronze Tailed Plumeleteer was seen here and our first Purple Crowned Fairy.


No. YOU'RE Purple Crowned Fairy!

Beyond the Garden, as we made our way towards the forest trails, we met our first, monstrous, Great Currasow. True dinosaurs.


Great Currasow - Female

House Wren sang from the fences and as we entered the forest we began to come across small flocks, which included species like Nightingale Wren and Spotted Antbird.


Spotted Antbird

Rufous Motmot was a particularly stunning species.


Rufous Motmot

After a productive morning in the forest we made our way back to the lodge for breakfast, seating ourselves in convenient viewing range of the fruit feeders which were attracting a wide variety of Tanagers, Honeycreepers, Monty's Orpendola.

The colours among the Tanagers and Honeycreepers were mesmerizing.

Montezuma's Orpendola

The sound of sound of these Orpendolas was utterly bonkers. The closest description I can give, is a drunk Jackie Healy-Rae - Fuh-wobble-wobble-lee.-woo

Green Honeycreepers


Clay Coloured Thrush


The view from Arenal Observatory Lodge

Green Honeycreeper, Scarlet Thighed Dacnis, Golden Hooded Tanager



Green Honeycreeper


Blue Grey Tanager

After breakfast it was long hikes on the trails, seeing a mix of open country species, such as Yellow faced grassquit and more rainforest species.
Yellow Faced Grassquit

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