I awoke to a loud cackling sound coming from up in one of the huge eucalyptus trees. Ah, the Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnaus) again! But wait, this time there were two of them, sitting together and one seemingly displaying wings and tail to the other. They then flew off, pursued by a rather smaller Roadside Hawk (Rupornis magnirostris), attracted by the racket, presumably. This post gives me the opportunity to show some splendid file photos, all taken locally by John Beer, of birds that are easy to find in our area. They illustrate just a few of the species that helped make this morning’s coffee so enjoyable:

Laughing Falcon at Angostura, Turrialba; photo by John Beer

Roadside Hawk at CATIE, Turrialba; photo by John Beer

Our resident toucan species is the Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) was here today; it shows up most mornings:

Keel-billed Toucan at Lagos de Bonilla; photo by John Beer

A flock of Crimson-fronted Parakeets (Aratinga finschi) flew by as usual. They have a loud shriek and are very common. However, this species occurs only in Costa Rica.

A pair of Crimson-fronted Parakeets at La Muralla waterfall, San Antonio

The migrant Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons) is a fairly common visitor from North America from September to April. However, today’s specimen was the first in the garden this year. Note the yellow ‘spectacles’ in addition to the yellow throat:

Yellow-throated Vireo in Santa Rosa; photo by John Beer

Tussling with the Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds (Amazilia tzacatl) at the feeder this morning was a White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora):

A male White-necked Jacobin at Aquiares; photo by John Beer

A migrant Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) was in the garden last week but today only the resident but beautiful Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) presented itself:

A Squirrel Cuckoo higher up the volcano slope at Las Virtudes; photo by John Beer

And finally, here’s the Montezuma Oropendola (Psarocolius montezuma), whose gurgling sounds can be heard in the garden at virtually any time of the day:

Montezuma Oropendola at the CATIE canal, Turrialba; photo by John Beer