I just got back from spending a wonderful week with my hubby in La Fortuna, Costa Rica – a place that is a slice of paradise for a birdnerd like myself!

We stayed in a picture-perfect VRBO at the edge of town, surrounded by nature, where each morning I awoke either to the call of a Great Kiskadee…

…or to the cry of a Howler Monkey, which sometimes was so close it sounded like it was right outside my bedroom window!

I’m sure those early hour greetings are quite common to the locals, but to me, they just added to the already exotic feel of the surroundings.

Our host, Marco, was a kindred spirit who put out food for the birds each morning, only instead of peanuts and sunflower seeds he gave them a fresh supply of papaya and plantains. It was such a joy to get up, grab my coffee and camera, and watch the birds arrive.

Let me share just a few of these backyard beauties with you.
I already mentioned the Great Kiskadee, but he was a pretty regular attender at the breakfast buffet, so I’ll share a couple more shots of him.

A breathtaking Black-cowled Oriole, with his bold contrast of colors, made several appearances…

…as did the charming little Yellow-throated Euphonia.

A Black-cheeked Woodpecker showed up at the feeding station…

…and had to hold his ground against the Clay-colored Thrush, who was not keen on sharing the spoils.

One of the most striking birds (although there were countless that fit that description!) was the Crimson-collared Tanager.

I’m pretty sure I oohed and aahed every time one landed!

I came home with about 5,000 pictures to sift and sort through (a delightful dilemma!), and I can hardly wait to share more of them with you in the days ahead! So stay tuned!