The hummingbirds are among my favorite bird families (only second after the tanagers). These avian jewels are designed exquisitely to obtain the flowers' nectar that supports their busy lives and are readily attracted to feeders, making them popular among the birders (and non-birders too). I already posted a link to a video of a lowland hummingbird feeder close to Gamboa, in central Panama (see the bottom of the lateral bar), but now, I want to post some pics of these beautiful creatures that I got in my last trip to Panama's western highlands. Most of them were photographed while visiting my friends Glenn & Janet Lee in their lovely Cielito Sur B & B Inn (the best breakfast that I ever tasted) last saturday. Others were higher up, above Cerro Punta. Unfortunately, I don't have photos of neither the Selasphorus hummingbirds, nor of the spectacular Fiery-throated Hummingbird, endemics to Costa Rica and Western Panama. 
The following two species were photographed in the area of Fortuna Forest Reserve. The road that leads to the Continental Divide Trail has been asphalted all the way to the transmission tower, allowing me to park my car in front of a bunch of flowers (already in the Caribbean slope), where I simply waited.
Finally, though they aren't restricted to the western highlands, the following two species are so common at the hummingbird feeders in Cielito Sur that deserve to be included in this gallery. Others species restricted to this area and sighted during my last trip, but not included, were the Stripe-tailed Hummingbird and the White-throated & White-bellied Mountain-Gems.
The following two species were photographed in the area of Fortuna Forest Reserve. The road that leads to the Continental Divide Trail has been asphalted all the way to the transmission tower, allowing me to park my car in front of a bunch of flowers (already in the Caribbean slope), where I simply waited.Finally, though they aren't restricted to the western highlands, the following two species are so common at the hummingbird feeders in Cielito Sur that deserve to be included in this gallery. Others species restricted to this area and sighted during my last trip, but not included, were the Stripe-tailed Hummingbird and the White-throated & White-bellied Mountain-Gems. 
Happy Birding!
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Wow - so many species, and so colorful. I really enjoyed your photos!
ReplyDeleteThanks Amber, I'm glad you liked them!
ReplyDeleteI spotted a hummingbird with a yellow patch on it's crown at my feeder. I was close enough to see that this was not pollen but part of its feathers, do you know what this might be?
ReplyDeleteFirst, I need to know where your hummingbird feeder is. There is no hummingbird species with yellow crown in the western highlands.
ReplyDelete