Northwest Wandering - Day 3

We went from Beaverton, OR to Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach, OR.  First we stopped for breakfast on the way and got a couple of birds.

 Steller's Jay

 Northwestern Crow

Caught Haystack Rock at low tide and were fortunate enough to have the fog blow out and give us an hour to photograph the wildlife.

Multiple species nesting together - Gulls, Common Murre, Tufted Puffin, and Pelagic Cormorant

 Tufted Puffins

 Common Murre

 Pelagic Cormorant

Tufted Puffin with food for youngsters

 Pigeon Guillemots

 Tufted Puffin

Black Oystercatcher

 Tufted Puffin - taking the leap

 Starfish and Anenomes

 Herring Gull with crab

 Common Murres with Gull

 Red-faced Cormorant - This species usually is found in Alaska

Pelagic Cormorant

 Brandt's Cormorant - in the middle

Haystack Rock from Ecola State Park

 Fog rolling in at Ecola State Park

Another shot of Haystack Rock from Ecola State Park

We then drove up the coast of Washington to Ocean Shores.  We got out before dinner and picked up a couple of photos.

 Blacktail Deer

 Heermann's Gull

Harbor Seal

Carpenter Bees

I caught some of our Carpenter Bees flying around this afternoon.  They nest in our fence gates and board fence.  They act aggressively, but have never stung any of us.  These are taken at 1/2000 sec at f8 with manual focus on my 300 f4 with TC14E II.  I figure 1 of 50 are keepers.

Day 5 in Costa Rica

Today we left Earth University and traveled to Tirimbina Rainforest Lodge.  We had a tour of the rainforest with a guide.  Got to see the Honduran White Bats that make a tent out of large leaves.  Later went on a demonstration of how they make chocolate from the Cocoa nuts.  The first group of photos was from the morning walk at Earth U. and the second group at Tirimbina.

 Pale-billed Woodpecker

 Black-striped Sparrow

 Red-rumped Tanager

Roadside hawk - That is its real common name.

Crested Caracara

Start of Tirimbina photos

Heliconias are growing wild everywhere

 White-collared Manakin nest with female

 Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

 Yellow flowering tree - no leaves just yellow blossoms

Chestnut-headed Oropendolas - Different species

Blue Jeans Frog - One of the poison dart frogs

 Passion vine flower on the rainforest floor

 Leaf cutting ants

White-whiskered Puffbird

 Broad-billed Motmots

Agouti in the rainforest

Bats from the research presentation that we had at night.  Large diversity of bats in Costa Rica including insect eater, fruit eaters, fishing bats and vampire bats.

Day 3 in Costa Rica

We traveled around Earth University, visiting the banana plantation, packing house and cattle operation.  Our host Harvey Anselmo Valentine Harriett is a great birder and got up every morning early around 5:15 to take a few of us early riser around.  The birding was fantastic.  Here are a few of day three photos.

Montezuma Oropendola

Green Iguana

 Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

 Black-cheeked Woodpecker

 White-collared Manakin

Clay-colored Robin - The national bird of Costa Rica.  Go figure with all the beautiful birds. 

 Chestnut-mandibled Toucan

Howler Monkey - This was the alpha male leading a small pack.  They really roar early in the morning or when they get riled up.  Our driver Ronald, got this group going when we were in the banana plantation.

 Gray-headed Chachalaca

 Cocoa Woodcreeper - These guys are tough to ID because they all look very similar.

 Green Iguana

 Three-toed Sloth

 Montezuma Oropendola with nests

Montezuma Oropendola flying by

 Common Tody-Flycatcher

Female Common Basilisk

Northern Jacana

Collared Aracari