This blog is devoted to showing photographs and paintings of birds, and it is our hope that these images create interest in the enjoyment and the conservation of this diverse group of animals. Your comments are appreciated. If you like a photo or painting, please give it a heart. This helps us understand what our viewers want to see more of.
Silver-throated Tanager. Photo Taken at Las Cruces Biological Station, Costa Rica (David Zittin 2018)
We ran into our first Silver-throated Tanager by accident when we saw something yellow flitting around in a nearby tree. We were amazed at its beauty. It’s namesake isn’t always apparent, the bright yellow head and the greenish wings with black lines catches the eye long before the silver throat.
One of the draws of driving to Merced National Wildlife Refuge is to see sandhill cranes. We did not see huge numbers as in past years but several groups were quite close. I love seeing the blue grey birds against dried grasses.
Yellow-bill Magpie (David Zittin, Santa Clara County 2019)
You don’t think much about the birds occurring where you live. This species only occurs in a small area of California. Whenever I run into someone who has come a long distance and is excited about seeing the Yellow-billed Magpie, it amazes me because they are just another local bird for me. The same occurs when I go bananas over encountering a Dickcissel in Texas or a Fish Crow in Florida. One man’s rarity is another’s common bird.
Its cousin, the Black-billed Magpie has a much wider distribution over several lower states in the west, Canada, and up into Alaska.
The last three winters we have driven two hours to Panoche Valley to look for Mountain Plovers with no luck. But this year they were there! In fact there was a flock of over 80. In spite of having ‘mountain’ in their name these are birds of short grasslands and were once associated with bison herds.
Golden-hooded Tanager (David Zittin, Costa Rica 2018)
I know I have posted this species earlier, but darn, it’s hard to get tired looking at such beauty. A few birds really take the breath from me when I encounter them in the field and this is one of those species.
Some quick sketches I did while Dave was photographing tanagers in Costa Rica.
It’s hard to describe the feeling that a birder has seeing one of these for the first time. They are strikingly beautiful with a color combination that takes the breath away from the viewer.
Speckled Tanager (David Zittin, Costa Rica 2018)
Speckled Tanager (David Zittin, Costa Rica 2018)
Scarlet Macaw Pair 12” x 6” acrylic on wood panel
This is also the first time I’ve tried painting a scarlet macaw! It was amazing to see them in the wild.
Lesson’s Motmot 12” x 6” acrylic on wood panel 2019
My first ever Motmot painting! This was inspired by a sketch I made in Costa Rica trip.
Red-eyed Tree Frog
Costa Rica was not all birds, we did see some frogs. This one in particular is stunningly beautiful. I had a 100-400 mm zoom telephoto lens which was not ideal for this shot. I had to back up against a mud bank while Floy held the leaves back so I could get a clear shot.
I found a sketch of a third honeycreeper, the Shining Honeycreeper which we saw on a hike later in the Costa Rica trip.
Honeycreepers are common in Costa Rica. They are often seen at places where fruit is put out to attract birds.
The Green Honeycreeper male is blue, but the female is green.
The female Green Honeycreeper, unlike the male, is green.
Walking across the Stone Bridge at the La Selva Research Station. I was more or less not paying attention to what was in front of me and you can imagine my surprise when I lifted my head and came eye to eye with an adult Broad-winged Hawk.
This hawk migrates across Costa Rica in large numbers and will flock with other hawks and Turkey Vultures. Some of these migrants will winter in Costa Rica and others keep going to locations further south.
Dave talked about blues which reminded me of a little sketch I did of Red Legged Honeycreepers and a Blue Morpho butterfly. Beautiful striking colors.
quick pen and ink and watercolor sketch by Floy Zittin
Golden-hooded Tanager eating fruit
(David Zittin, La Selva BIological Station, Costa Rica, 2018)
Golden-hooded Tanager
The Golden-hooded Tanage (Tangara larvata) is a neotropical bird mostly found in lowlands from Southern Mexico to Northwestern South America. As with other small, blue tropical birds, they catch the eye. The contrasting golden hood against blues and blacks makes this a neotropical delight. They are common around feeders and places where preferred food sources are found. Like many birds, they are opportunistic omnivores and will eat fruit and small arthropods.
Black-throated Trogons live mostly in dark forested areas of the American Tropics and can be difficult to photograph. Fortunately these two were cooperative. The one on the pipe rail just sat there and allowed me to approach to within about 20 feet. The one on the tree was next to a path and didn’t seem alarmed at my presence.
This trogon eats mostly insects, but will also take lizards and fruit.
Black-throated Trogon (David Zittin, Costa Rica 2018)
Black-throated Trogon (David Zittin, Costa Rica 2018)
This is a quick sketch of birds in the garden at La Selva, Costa Rica.
Sketch by Floy Zittin
Blue Dacnis (David Zittin, La Selva Research Station, Costa Rica, 2018)
This beautiful blue neotropical bird is found from Nicaragua south to the northern half of South America. Like many birds, it is an opportunistic feeder eating insects, seeds and fruit.
The electric blue color of the male is eye catching. This one is probably a young male because it still has some green color on its wings. The female is an intense green with a blue head.
Melanerpes hoffmannii occurs from Southwest Nicaragua to Northern Costa Rica. We saw several of them over a two-week period.
One of the characteristic markings of this species is that the nape (back of the neck) is yellow. This male was busy hunting for bugs and was oblivious to my close presence.
Costa Rica 2018
Costa Rica 2018
Since motmots sit still and Dave can take his time photographing, I also have time to do some quick sketches. Here are a couple pages from Costa Rica.
Incidentally, one thing I love about Motmots is that they say their name, ‘Mot Mot’ in a low spooky voice.
