One of the prettiest of Costa Rica’s 50 hummingbird species is the Purple-crowned Fairy (Heliothryx barroti). Identification is relatively easy because it’s the only Costa Rican hummer with all-white underparts. I have not found it here in San Antonio, a little higher up at this species’ elevation limit (1300), but it is regular at San Diego (1000 m).

Female Purple-crowned Fairy, courtesy of Larry Waddell

The crown is purple only in the male, so I assume that today’s bird was a female.

This most recent trip down to San Diego turned up relatively few species, with virtually none on the waterfall path (under repair) until the last hour of the afternoon. However, Larry, Vera and I had numerous close-up looks at a handsome male Gartered Trogon (Trogon caligatus). This is the area’s commonest and smallest trogon species, but all trogons are beautiful birds. At least two birds were calling. Below is one of Larry’s best photos, showing the male’s yellow eye-ring:

This male Gartered Trogon (previously Violaceous Trogon) posed nicely on several occasions

Here is the day’s species list for San Diego:

1. Gray-headed Chachalaca
2. Cattle Egret
3. Black Vulture
4. Turkey Vulture
5. Roadside Hawk
6. Red-billed Pigeon
7. White-collared Swift
8. Purple-crowned Fairy
9. Violet Sabrewing
10. Crowned Woodnymph
11. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
12. Gartered Trogon
13. Black-cheeked Woodpecker
14. Golden-olive Woodpecker
15. White-crowned Parrot
16. Streak-headed Woodcreeper
17. Yellow-bellied Elaenia
18. Dusky-capped Flycatcher
19. Great Kiskadee
20. Social Flycatcher
21. Piratic Flycatcher
22. Tropical Kingbird
23. Brown Jay
24. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
25. House Wren
26. Plain Wren
27. White-breasted Wood-Wren
28. Tropical Gnatcatcher
29. Clay-colored Thrush
30. Black-and-white Warbler
31. Tennessee Warbler
32. Chestnut-sided Warbler
33. Wilson’s Warbler
34. Passerini’s Tanager
35. Golden-hooded Tanager
36. Silver-throated Tanager
37. Bananaquit
38. Yellow-faced Grassquit
39. Black-striped Sparrow
40. Rufous-collared Sparrow
41. Summer Tanager
42. Great-tailed Grackle
43. Baltimore Oriole
44. Montezuma Oropendola