The first photo is a blue-grey tanager. They're very common here and a little larger than a sparrow. Really pretty birds when you see them up close. Next is a pair of inca dove. They're really neat little birds that don't move until you almost step on them. This pair has been hanging out on the roof of our garage.

While I was shooting them, this guys motorcycle stalled out on him. He's a door dash/food delivery guy. When covid was a thing, San Jose was shut down so people began to order food online and have it delivered. That sudden need for delivered food created a very large business for getting food delivered at home. Now, there are motorcycles everywhere that look like this guy, or they'll have a big cooler above the rear tire. Traffic is really bad and very crowded, but a motorcycle is cheap and can weave through traffic. They're often nuisances that disregard traffic etiquette (sort of like bicyclists in any urban area).

I shot that one through the metal grates on my garage door. People in this town live in cages like zoo animals or your pet hamster. Sneak thieves and burglars are common. Usually petty crimes to raise drug money. You don't want to be the only house on the block to not have security bars around your house/windows, etc.

Street crime, getting held up, etc. is pretty uncommon in my part of town and there aren't any problems with trouble making thugs. My part of town is a pretty nice place to live, but it ain't cheap.

We went to the coast earlier this week. It's really pretty country, but very humid and hot once you're in the jungle. The beach is fabulous!


A fiery billed aracari


He's gonna snag those on something, eventually!




The ocean colors are really vivid. The national park is nearby these houses.
edit for context

Amazing bird pic!
Were you down in Manuel Antonio?

Thanks! It's hard to get good photos of them as they're usually in shadows and behind cover.

Yep, Manuel Antonio.

There were some sloths hanging around down there. They were difficult to get photos of. They would move away once tourists started gawking at them. I found a couple in the trees the tour guides failed to locate and got a few bad pics of them. They're neat to have around!



This is a clay colored robin, the national bird of Costa Rica. They're everywhere.



A hawk hanging out in the park across the street. It ate a young hummingbird in its nest a couple months ago.

We spent the weekend at an Air BnB house up in the mountains. Costa Rica has a large mountain chain running through the middle of the nation. The higher elevations are really lush and are a combination of tropical hardwoods, pine and cedar. The cedar looks very much like western juniper. If you're a plant/animal person that enjoys learn about different ecosystems, this country is awesome.

We didn't do much but relax and enjoy the gigantic enclosed porch while the mountain was engulfed in fog, clouds and rain. It was great trip. Near this cabin is another that's adjacent to a small river stocked with trout. We're going to stay there soon and I'll try my hand at Costa Rican trout. Here's a few birds from the trip.

A male long tailed silky winged flycatcher. They're really aggressive at catching bugs in the air and are fun to watch.





A very wet flame colored tanager



A tiny hummingbird. There are about 52 hummingbird species here! I saw a violet saberwing. Very cool hummingbird. Look them up! I don't know what this one is yet.



I need to start posting more than just birds. Lots to photograph down here. The people are the most interesting part of anyplace I'll ever visit so I need to practice getting shots of them.