Costa Rican Wildlife 3 - Small Parrots

Small flocks of small parrots are common in the countryside of Costa Rica and also, remarkably and rather wonderfully, in the built-up zones around the capital city too.

Two species are featured here. The first series of pictures are of a flock of orange-chinned parrakeets and the second of their crimson-fronted cousins.

Silhouettes in the early morning light and mist.

These two really like each other - first one feeds his mate

Then there is a little preening

Soon, as the light and warmth from the sun increase, everyone is preening
and preparing for the day.

High above the busy streets of San Jose a small flock of crimson-fronted parakeets go about their noisy lives. They pause on the palm trees just outside my hotel window.

A youngster - lacking the red head-badge of his parents.

There is noise outside and the flock is scuttling around on the roof, and hanging off the drain-pipe actually peering into my room. The reflection from the window glass blurs the image but you get the idea!

Costa Rican Wildlife 2 - Out at Sea

On morning on the Pacific -

The Pacific Coast of Costa Rica

Pretty little islets

A 'flypast' of brown pelicans

Another close to shore

One iselet hosts a roost of seabirds

Magnificent frigate birds - juvenile with white heads

One in flight with its distinctive white tail.

Costa Rica Wildlife 1 - on the land

 I was lucky enough to go to Costa Rica for work recently.

A view across the Costa Rican countryside

The country is rich in extraordinary wildlife and we made a couple of little excursions to take a look at some of the animals ... but sometimes they just came to us.

First here are a few photos taken in and around a rescue centre just outside of the capital San Jose.

You may have to look carefully but there is a toucan in the picture - bill to the top right, tail bottom left and the bright red band on the belly shows this to the a fiery-billed aracari.

A howler monkey - in rehab.

A sloth - I think this is the two-toed species
- also being rehabilitated.

Geoffroy's spider monkey - an endangered species.

Puma (also known as cougar or mountain lion) - coy in its enclosure.

Handsome male green iguana - not a captive, just hanging out in the grounds surrounding the rescue centre.

And here is an example of wildlife coming to me .... scorpion in the wash basin. It must have fallen from the ceiling. A good reminder to sleep with my mouth closed.

The photos from here on are of animals in the wild.

Green coconuts

Small tropical bats in the roof.

White-winged dove

The next nine images are from a boat tour on the Tempisque Rivee which borders the Palo Verde National Park.

Veined tree frog

A sizable American crocodile - well over two metres

A circle of howler monkeys high in the canopy above the river (and the crocodiles)

Being watched by a young howler

Great egret - about a metre tall - hunting for small fish

Little blue heron

Another handsome green iguana male

Black-crowned night heron

Variegated squirrel

A beautiful black ctenosaur (another species of iguana) which shared our lodgings.

Basking on the roof

Costa Rican sunset - over the leatherback turtle nesting beach.

Some (more) seals of Bardsey

Autumn calls and so do the grey seals of Bardsey Island! 

Here are a few photos from the latest breeding

season.

A recently moulted pup - so born about three weeks ago and now living off its fat whilst contemplating entering the sea. This youngster is too young to be scared of us. A little later this changes and this years moulted pups generally become nervous and will quickly head off over the shore to the safety of the sea.

A bull (an adult male) - hauled out and resting on the shore.
His strong tarry 'perfume' can be smelled from many yards away.

Another handsome bull.

Newly born pup in the white coat that it wears for the first three or so weeks of its life.
This one has a nice soft bed of sea-cast kelp.

And here is a pup in mid-moult. His little head has now lost its baby fluff and over the next couple of days the rest of his body will go the same way. Note the fluff on the ground!

Mother seal suckling her pup in the shingle zone of the upper part of the shore.

And finally a snippet of film of a young pup calling for her mum and some lunch. Mum was not far away.

The Shapes of Bardsey

The low Autumn sunshine lights up the 'Island of Twenty Thousand Saints', Bardsey or in Welsh, Ynys Enlli, the Island in the Tides..

More about Bardsey HERE and its wildlife HERE..