There are a lot of wonderful birds in Costa Rica (and all of Central Ameria). If you’re a birdwatcher you need to go there and add dozens of species to your lifetime spotted list.
I’m not an avid birder, although I like birds. I enjoyed seeing the motmots in Costa Rica. These are attractive birds, with moderately long hooked beaks and two distinctive elongated tail feathers.
(Arenal Volcano — difficult to appreciate from this photo but smoke still rises from the top of the crater)
Arenal Volcano National Park is a beautiful spot, with a classic cone-shaped volcano (actively erupting only a few decades ago) framing the setting. One of the birds the area is known for is the Keel-billed motmot.
As luck would have it, one of these birds landed in front of us and posed — seeming to study us as much as we studied him. One of those special moments that makes a trip memorable.
