yard birds

Mr. Rududu got a few photos of birds from our balcony yesterday. It's pretty thrilling having such beautiful birds come to our yard. The Baltimore orioles and motmots come to eat bananas that we put out. I'm doing my best to get the orioles fattened up for their long trip to North America. Maybe one of my yard birds here will be singing in Wisconsin this summer. Here in Costa Rica they don't bother to sing because they aren't on their breeding territory. They make a rather uncharming chatter but they are still gloriously beautiful.

This hummingbird is an immature male Canivet's. He's at that splotchy adolescent phase while his colorful chest feathers come in. Isn't he gawky and cute?

Finally, there is one of "our" Blue-crowned Motmots. A pair of them must be nesting near our house because they come frequently to eat banana. They aren't the neatest eaters but I enjoy their enthusiasm. A relative of kingfishers, they nest in long underground tunnels they make in banks of earth.