Birds, birds, birds!

Chhaya and I went birding with Ioana (our bird-studying teaching assistant) the other day. She was wonderfully patient with all of our questions and helped us identify all the birds. We say at least twenty species of birds including...

Black Orapendula (Psarocolius guatimozinus). It has distinctive yellow tail feathers which splay out when it flies.

Chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps).

Chachalaca silhouette. Apparently Chacalacas display rather like turkeys, but I haven't seen it.

Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota), remember the myth about their remarkable tail feathers?
Also see the avocados?

The avocados are different here. They don't taste as good by themselves, but they are yummy mixed in with beans and rice, as I had for dinner today.

Close up of the Motmot. See the blue head?

We saw this nest in the process of being built...

...by this bird, the Yellow-bellied Elaenia (Elaenia flavogaster).

Panamanian Flycatcher (Myiarchus panamensis)

The more dully colored, but very cute Streaked Flycatcher (Myiodynastes maculatus).

Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus).

Orange-chinned Parakeet (Brotogeris jugularis).

They blend in remarkably well; although they are flashily colored, the sun shines through the leaves and illuminates them to a similarly brilliant green.

Grooming time! This involved a careful chewing of feet as well as ruffling of feathers.

Red-legged honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus). I wish I could have seen it from the side as it's a flashy blue.

Common Tody-flycatcher (Todirostrum cinereum).

Yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia).

Blue-gray tanager (Thraupis episcopus)

Crimson-backed Tanager (Ramphocelus dimidiatus).

And my favourite...

Golden-hooded tanager (Tangara larvata).

Here you can really see the golden hood.

I also loved this impressive tree covered with epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants)...

And this gorgeous orchid...