It is in its breeding plumage. We saw this one at Estero Llano Grande State Park in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager (Anisognathus igniventris)
The tanagers of Colombia are not only diverse, they are often stunning. I think of them as eye-candy.
White-tailed Trogon (Trogon chionurus)
I love photographing trogons. This one was a lifer.
Violet-bellied Hummingbird (Chlorestes julie)
Rufous-capped Warbler
A perky small warbler that resembles a wren in the way it keeps its tail erect. These were common in Jalisco state in and around brushy areas.
We found this little beauty on the side of the road near San Sebastián del Oeste. We later saw others on our drive up to Cerro la Bufa.
Five-striped Sparrow
A few years ago, I posted a photo of this species on our blog. I ran into these and don’t know why I did not include them because they really show off features. This sparrow barely makes it into the United States and has only been found in Arizona, mostly south of Tucson. It mostly occurs in Western Mexico.
Scarlet Macaw
We were visiting Costa Rica to see birds for part of the trip and meet with our daughter’s family later. We were all together on the balcony of a rental house at Punta Leona when these two macaws happened to fly by. Fortunately, my daughter saw them early in their flight as they headed towards our location. This allowed me enough time to get the camera out.
Mountain Bluebird
The striking Western Bluebird is found over much of western North America. This photograph was taken norther of Truckee, California.
Elegant Trogon
The Elegant Trogon, a neotropical species, barely makes it into the United States. During the summer breeding season, it is found in Texas and in southeast Arizona. The call sounds like a muted barking.
Scaled Quail
I have seen this bird in the past, but I have never had a good look because it was too far away, or it was close, but in a high-speed run. This one posed for me for several seconds.
We just returned from eight days of birding in Arizona, a few days in and around Tucson and the rest of the time in Portal, AZ. I will get some of my better photos on this blog over the next week or two.
Red-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus)
This is a photo of the sixth known occurrence of this bird species in California. It appeared in a small park near the beach in Santa Cruz.
Blue-necked Tanager (Stilpnia cyanicollis)
A colorful tanager that occurs in northern South America.
Tropical Parula
The beautiful, but shy Tropical Parula. In our 10 days of birding in Colombia, we only saw them a few times. This one was photographed near the town of Soatá, Colombia.
Golden-fronted Redstart
A common western warbler that we encountered in the Western and Eastern Andes.
Varied Thrush
One of my favorite Santa Clara County birds. We don’t see them every year because they can be scarce and they are usually hard to spot. They usually appear in our area in the winter months. We saw this one in a county park near where we live.
Southern Emerald-Toucanet
We have returned from our second birding trip to Colombia. We had an exhausting, but great time.
Our first trip concentrated on the Western Andes and the Cauca Valley. On our second trip (Jan-Feb 2023), we looked for birds in the Eastern Andes from approximately Bogotá to Soatá.
Azara’s Spinetail (Synallaxis azarae)
This skulky spinetail was seen in Colombia, near La Suiza. It took awhile to get this photo because this bird normally stays hidden in the brush.
Red-headed Woodpecker
On our frequent spring pilgrimage to Northern Ohio, we see many warblers species breeding and more migrating north into Canada. It is a special treat if we see the Red-headed Woodpecker. It is a beautiful woodpecker with gorgeous sharp color lines, and what is not to love about that striking red head? This one was photographed at Maumee Bay State Park, Ohio.
Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis)
I first saw this small sparrow in Ecuador before I knew I was a birder. It caught my eye and I fell in love with them. This photo was taken in near-zero temperature in the high Andes Mountains of Columbia, in February 2022. This explains why it is puffed up into a sphere. I didn’t notice the leg band on the left leg until we returned home and I cropped the photo.
Masked Trogon (Trogon personatus)
The Masked Trogon is common in the Andes of Colombia. This is a female. The male looks entirely different, and I hope to post a photo of the male soon. This one was seen in the Rio Blanca watershed east of Manizales, Colombia.