It looks to be a great week on On the Road. Albatrossity Monday!
Parades! Ducks! italian food! Gorgeous photos from Africa!
Albatrossity
This will be the last round of pics from my recent trip to Costa Rica, but I’ve saved some of the most striking and iconic species for last. After the events of the last couple of weeks, a spot of beauty, and a deep breath before facing the week, might be just what the doctor ordered!
As before, birds that were lifers for me are designated with an asterisk.

The goal for many birders who visit Central America is the *Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno). Limited to evergreen montane cloud forest habitat, and preferring areas that have both large old-growth trees and an abundance of fruiting trees, these spectacular trogons generally require persistence and a bit of luck to see. We had the luck, as a pair of these birds was nesting near one of the resort hotels in San Gerardo de Dota, a short walk from where we were housed at the Quetzal Education and Research Center (QERC). All we needed to do was wake up early, walk down to the hotel to meet the guide, and half an hour later pick up our jaws from the ground when a female and male quetzal came to eat the small wild avocados in a tree less than 200 ft from the hotel lobby. This is a female, swallowing an avocado, after which she sat for 15 minutes or so to digest the fruit and spit out the seed before she gobbled down another one. Click here for larger image.
On The Road – Albatrossity – Costa Rica FinalePost + Comments (17)