Another Green-Crowned Brilliant, the most cooperative of the hummingbirds in the garden, and certainly one of the finest.
This image had a piece of string removed in post, and the blur on the rear leaf was increased, as well as the normal edits.
Volcàn Arenal from Lake Arenal, Costa Rica, 2012
The cloud-covered cone of Arenal volcano recedes as we cross Lake Arenal on the ferry to Monteverde.
Volcàn Arenal from la Fortuna, Costa Rica, 2012
The cone of Arenal Volcano seen during a clearing in a storm from the road just north of the town of La Fortuna. The volcano and surrounding jungle has made La Fortuna one of the country’s premier tourist draws, even as it has stopped spitting lava in recent years.
Beetle, Canopy Layer, Monteverde Cloudforest National Park, Costa Rica, 2012
Some kind of large brown beetle high in the canopy, photographed from the hanging bridge in Monteverde National Park.
Some form of Dynastes?
Vines, Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica, 2012
Vines twist together alongside a trail at Manuel Antonio National Park.
At the Canopy Layer, Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve, Costa Rica, 2012
The bridge at the canopy layer reveals philodendrons, ferns, orchids, and other plants, all competing for precious real estate on an avocado tree.
Hanging Bridge, Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve, Costa Rica, 2012
One of the distinctive features of Monteverde (now much imitated) is a bridge over a deep valley which allows visitors to walk by trees at the canopy level, seeing the plants that would normally be far above our heads.
Dragonfly on a Solanaceae, Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve, Costa Rica, 2012
A small black-and-red dragonfly hangs onto what I believe is some kind of Solanum sp.. Our guide gave a name, but I have forgotten it. I do recall him saying that the berries are used by natives as a stomach cure, but that one would have to be really sick to make the disease worse than the cure in this case.
Scarlet Macaws, Pacific Coast, South of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, 2012
While eating lunch, a flock of Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) landed in the avocado trees across the road. My long lens is not very good, so the image is a bit soft, but I couldn’t miss including it in my Costa Rica set.
Social Flycatcher (Myiozetetes similis) Chicks in Nest #2, Rio Frio, Costa Rica, 2012
Here is another version of the nest, which shows how the log rises from the river a little better.