In April 2017, I joined my first birdwatching trip with Fundación Rapaces de Costa Rica, without ever knowing this would become my preferred hobby. Photographing birds has taught me a lot about photography (doh!), but also about myself and my relationship with the natural environment. I feel at home when I am patiently waiting for the birds to strike the best pose. Sometimes they do play hide-and-seek with me, but that just makes it the most worth when I finally get the picture I wanted. Usually I strive to get the closest I can to the birds without disturbing them, which helps to isolate the subject for portraits by blurring the background, however some times it is difficult to get close enough, so environmental portraits showing the nature around the birds are in order.

Rain does not have to stop a photographer from capturing wildlife pictures, in fact it can help unique images, like a Brown Violetear being hit by rain drops as it perches, or a White-throated Crake taking a bath on a rain pool. Many times rain spurs additional bird activity after it has ended. Also one does not have to go far away from home to practice creating great pictures of wildlife. Fortunately, there are many species that are common throughout the country, like the Inca Doves which are very common at home and they have grown accustomed to people’s presence, so they do not mind me lying with my belly on the ground.

I am frequently asked if those smooth green backgrounds are some kind of photoshop trick (spoiler: They are not). Half of the trick is the equipment, which means having a lens with plenty of reach helps to produce smooth backgrounds. The other half is technique, or how to get close enough to animals without disturbing them in their natural setting, as the closer you get, the smoother the background. These techniques can also create light circles and blobs of color when there are light sources in the background, like in this Purple-throated Mountain-gem.

In-flight pictures of birds are very difficult, although that’s not necessarily true for hummingbirds in particular. Once you have determined which flowers they prefer to drink nectar of (or placed them in a strategical position), it becomes a matter of positioning yourself with a good background, focusing on the flower, and taking as many high-speed pictures as possible. Sometimes a huge pile of 200 pictures gets discarded, in order to post a single one that stands out. That also means that the shots are more planned, instead of the usual chase and stealth techniques that one uses for other birds. Slowing down and being patient might very well be the most important attitude for these types of pictures to succeed.

The species below are organized according to the families in The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide by Richard Garrigues and Robert Dean, an essential tool to identify each photograph to a species. I have made an effort to base my species description on my own observations and words, but undoubtedly have included details from the book itself where relevant. I claim no exclusive rights to those details and encourage visitors with an interest in species identification to purchase the guide. For the more serious bird lover, look at A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica, by Alexander Skutch, Gary Stiles and Dana Gardner. This book has the identification plates with photographs and full description accounts for each known species. The version linked was published in 1989 and so many species have been reclassified and some new have discovered since, but still its value to understand the biology of each species is immense.

Currasows, Chachalacas, Guans

Great Currassow
Great Currassow

Ducks

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Cormorants

Neotropic Cormorant
Neotropic Cormorant

Oystercatchers

American Oystercatcher
American Oystercatcher

Sunbittern

Sunbittern
Sunbittern

Herons, Egrets and Bitterns

Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Green Heron
Agami Heron
Agami Heron
Great Egret
Great Egret

Ibises, Spoonbills

White Ibis
White Ibis
Green Ibis
Green Ibis

Plovers, Lapwings

Southern Lapwing
Southern Lapwing

Sandpipers, Allies

Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone

Jacanas

Northern Jacana
Northern Jacana

Rails, Crakes, Gallinules

Purple Gallinule
Purple Gallinule
Russet-naped Wood-Rail
Russet-naped Wood-Rail
White-throated Crake
White-throated Crake

New World Vultures

Black Vulture
Black Vulture
King Vulture
King Vulture

Hawks, Kites, Eagles

Harris’ Hawk
Harris’ Hawk
Common Black Hawk
Common Black Hawk
White Hawk
White Hawk

Falcons, Caracaras

Bat Falcon
Bat Falcon
Aplomado Falcon
Aplomado Falcon

Owls

Black-and-white Owl
Black-and-white Owl

Swallows

Blue-and-white Swallow
Blue-and-white Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Southern Rough-winged Swallow

Hummingbirds

Green-crowned Brilliant
Green-crowned Brilliant
Crowned Woodnymph
Crowned Woodnymph
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Long-billed Starthroat
Long-billed Starthroat
Black-crested Coquette
Black-crested Coquette
Talamanca Hummingbird
Talamanca Hummingbird
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
Brown Violetear
Brown Violetear
Purple-throated Mountain-gem
Purple-throated Mountain-gem
Fiery-throated Hummingbird
Fiery-throated Hummingbird
Coppery-headed Emerald
Coppery-headed Emerald
Lesser Violetear
Lesser Violetear
Green Thorntail
Green Thorntail

Pigeons, Doves

Band-tailed Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Common Ground-Dove
Common Ground-Dove
White-tipped Dove
White-tipped Dove
White-winged Dove
White-winged Dove
Plain-breasted Ground-Dove
Inca Dove
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Ruddy Ground-Dove

Parrots

Great Green Macaw
Great Green Macaw

Trogons

Resplendent Quetzal
Resplendent Quetzal

Motmots

Lesson's Motmot
Lesson’s Motmot

Kingfishers

Amazon Kingfisher
Amazon Kingfisher

New World Barbets

Red-headed Barbet
Red-headed Barbet

Toucans

Collared Aracari
Collared Aracari
Keel-billed Toucan
Keel-billed Toucan
Yellow-throated Toucan
Yellow-throated Toucan

Woodpeckers

Acorn Woodpecker
Acorn Woodpecker
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker

Typical Antbirds

Barred Antshrike
Barred Antshrike

Tyrant Flycatchers

Torrent Tyrannulet
Torrent Tyrannulet
Social Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Gray-capped Flycatcher
Gray-capped Flycatcher
Tropical Pewee
Tropical Pewee

Tityras, Becards, Allies

Black-crowned Tityra
Black-crowned Tityra

Manakins

White-collared Manakin
White-collared Manakin
Red-capped Manakin
Red-capped Manakin

Thrushes, Allies

Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush
Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush
Sooty Thrush
Sooty Thrush
Clay-colored Thrush
Clay-colored Thrush

Mockingbirds

Tropical Mockingbird
Tropical Mockingbird

Silky-Flycatchers

Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher
Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher

Wrens

Cabani's Wren
Cabani’s Wren
House Wren
House Wren

New World Warbler

Buff-rumped Warbler
Buff-rumped Warbler
Slate-throated Whitestart
Slate-throated Whitestart
Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Gray-crowned Yellowthroat
Gray-crowned Yellowthroat

Tanagers, Seedeaters, Allies

White-lined Tanager
White-lined Tanager
Palm Tanager
Palm Tanager
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Nicaraguan Seed-Finch
Nicaraguan Seed-Finch
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Scarlet-rumped Tanager
Scarlet-rumped Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Bananaquit
Bananaquit
Variable Seedeater
Variable Seedeater
Grayish Saltator
Grayish Saltator
Blue-gray Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Green Honeycreeper
Green Honeycreeper
Blue-black Grassquit
Blue-black Grassquit
Yellow-bellied Seedeater
Yellow-bellied Seedeater
Buff-throated Saltator
Buff-throated Saltator

Finches, New World Sparrows, Allies

Large-footed Finch
Large-footed Finch
Rufous-collared Sparrow
Rufous-collared Sparrow

Grosbeaks, Buntings, Allies

Summer Tanager
Summer Tanager

Blackbirds, Orioles

Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Meadowlark
Great-tailed Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
Baltimore Oriole

Euphonias

Olive-backed Euphonia
Olive-backed Euphonia
Elegant Euphonia
Elegant Euphonia