Costa Ricaaaaaa!!!

Yesss! Back in my tiny, humble country, where war and an army are things of the past (abolished 1949). Where 5% of the worlds biodiversity is found. A place some call the happiest on earth, with the one of the most stable democracies in Latin America. A place awarded for being the greenest country in the world, and that, by the way, has 25% of its tiny landmass (no bigger than Maryland) is in protected national parks and areas.. It's usually sunny here, a country where the weather is warm year-round. Where every time I step out into my grandma's huge property, I hear and see the abundant blue-gray tanagers. Where the yigüirro (clay-colored robin) sings the song that made it become national bird. I literary see a life bird every day here, in my tiny, humble country.

We're gonna stay here for 2 weeks. We arrived at about 2 AM here and will simply enjoy our stay before going back to the US for some months before coming back. I must now write about some great experiences I had here concerning birds:

1-Leucistic Great-Tailed Grackle

2-Grackle robing nest???

3-Lots of warblers in one place

4-Central American/Ferruginous (?) Pygmy Owl encounter

It's late, and I want to wake up early and search for more birds tomorrow. I'll post a page for each of these stories and perhaps more to come :)

I'll also post some pictures I have taken here. I'm learning (with my father's help) how to adjust a camera to certain light and movement conditions, and I am somewhat getting the hang of it. Expect some decent pictures...

Now, the song of the Blue-Gray Tanager, which I hear every day here: http://www.xeno-canto.org/america/recording.php?XC=2813

And that of the Clay-Colored Robin: http://www.xeno-canto.org/america/recording.php?XC=578 it has more variations of that one, popular belief tells that it has 7 songs, one for each province :)

-Cristina (Pura Vida!)

Photo: Wikimedia Commons