COSTA RICA 2019 - DAY 4

DONDE COPE

DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAYS 5,6 | DAYS 7,8 | DAY 9 | DAYS 10,11,12

Donde Cope is the private residence of José "Cope" Perez which is located in La Unión de Guápiles, Costa Rica. Cope is a photographer and he has set up a fantastic backyard garden complete with a natural pond. There are both fruit and hummingbird feeders to attract a variety of birds. He built an area that serves as a blind so you can photograph without disturbing the various creatures that visit the area.

After photographing in the garden for a couple of hours, Cope took us on a hike out to an area where he had spotted a White-tipped Sicklebill nest. This took us across a little stream and out into the woods. On our way to the nest site, a White-tipped Sicklebill was spotted perched on a branch and preening. William digiscoped this fantastic video of this bird (and a Purple-crowned Fairy seen at Cope's) for Hummingbird Spot.

Cope pointed out the nest and I saw what I thought was a baby hummer sitting there. My first clue should have been that the bird had a long tail. But we set up and waited for the mother (or the bird in the video that I thought was the mother) to come and feed the baby. We waited.....and waited.....and waited. Three hours later we had exhaled enough carbon dioxide to attract every mosquito within a five mile radius, but we waited. Finally the mother left the nest which now appeared to be empty and she came back a few minutes later and sat. She was obviously sitting on EGGS and it would be a long time before I was going to get any feeding shots! I did get a nice photo of the mother with her mouth open and sticking her tongue out. This was Lesson #2 for Lalo, who couldn't believe I would stay in one place that long to get a photograph. I am VERY patient!

Normally I only photograph hummingbirds, but I could not stop taking pictures of the toucans that were landing a few feet in front of me.

I have no idea what was going on with these two Bronze-tailed Plumeleteers. At first I thought they were mother and fledgeling, because they would sit together on a branch like this for a long time. But when one would leave to try and drink from a nearby feeder, the other would attack it. Then they would go back to sitting together. Neither would let the other feed. Strange!