Costa Rica: Passion for Birds… and Art!

Bird passion pasion aves arte art

In Costa Rica there are birds everywhere. Parakeets, parrots, toucans, owls, hawks... Such is the extent of the diversity of birds in the country that a whole lifetime is barely enough to observe them all while traveling along the different landscapes of the country. Although in a few hours, you can take a beautiful tour in the Ballena lowlands up to the middle elevations of the Talamanca mountain range, to see the changes in the composition of birds that can be observed. On October 6 in just 24 hours, 663 species of birds were registered on a national scale through the eBird digital platform, which places Costa Rica as the eighth country in the world in reporting the most species.

Bird passion pasion aves arte art

Some of these bird varieties are residents and others migratory. There are groups of them spending the whole year with us and others only arrive when it is cold in their countries of birth (like the Baltimore Oriole.) However, all journeys have their dangers and especially the small birds tired of traveling many kilometers can be easy prey.

Bird passion pasion aves arte art

Costa Rica’s raptors are majestic birds, which are at the top of the food chain as large  predators of many species of mammals and smaller birds as in the case of the Ornated Hawk-Eagle (Spizaeutus ornatus), of fish like the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) or snakes as it happens with the Laughing Falcon (Herpethoteres cachinnans). On our walks through the mountains and along the coast it is not uncommon to observe these magnificent birds perched, trying to detect prey with their keen eyes. Personally, the birds have also served as an inspiration to test my precision with brushes and watercolors. During the month of December, I will be exhibiting my works at the Ballena Tales office in Uvita.


By Susana García Blanco

 

CONTACT: Biol. Susana García Blanco Costa Rica Birding B&B susana.cotinga@gmail.com -

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