In Costa Rica, you often hear folks greet you with the words “pura vida” – a beautiful expression that conveys a simple, cheerful way of life. Well, can I just say that Papa’s Place is the epitome of the phrase!

I started to tell you about this bird and wildlife sanctuary in my last post, but there was too much beauty for just one sitting, so I’ll share some more with you now!

Let’s start with the Great Curassow that paid us a visit, a large bird in the Chachalaca family. (Now, you probably don’t care that it’s a Chachalaca, but that word is just too fun to leave out! I promise, say it three times fast and you can’t help but smile!) Below is the female, with her finely detailed feathers and her incredible crown…

…and here is the male, strutting his stuff, who is stunning as well.

A Social Flycatcher, with its buttery belly, paused to pose as it scanned the area for insects…

…as did an Emerald Tanager, whose colors look too brilliant to be real!

We also got to see a Baltimore Oriole, which was especially fun since hubby and I both grew up in Maryland and were fans of the major league baseball team that bears its name!

A Pale-billed Woodpecker swooped in to hunt for bugs in the tree bark…

…and then, after lingering for awhile, swooped off to a different area, letting us see the underside of his wings as he flew away. I really can’t decide if these birds are beautifully bizarre or bizarrely beautiful, so I guess I’ll label them both!

But perhaps the coolest looking bird that showed up was the Collared Aracari, a bird commonplace to Costa Ricans but a thrilling first-time-see for me!

Doesn’t his bill look like it was hand painted! Come to think of it, doesn’t his whole body look hand painted too!

These big birds seem to be rather easy going…that is, until you mess with their meal…

…then they ruffle their feathers and get a bit possessive over their plantains! In the picture above he was (unsuccessfully) warning off a Keel-billed Toucan, who flew in and unapologetically commandeered the coveted spot at the feeding station!

Even after two posts, I still feel like I’m leaving out so much of the beauty we saw at Papa’s Place. Gerald and Priscilla (the owners) have taken such care to create an environment that draws in an abundance of birds and other fascinating creatures. I really do hope you can see it for yourself one day!