Torrent tyrannulet sitting on a wire

I have chosen this particular picture of the Torrent tyrannulet (Serpophaga cinerea) because today’s pair of birds sat in similar pose within a few feet of me near the footbridge over the Rio Pejibaye, 1 km outside the town of the same name.  Karel Straatman’s photograph is also from Costa Rica and captures this neat little bird perfectly.  Peeping loudly the pair then flew onto large rocks in mid-stream where they sat and preened for a while.  This is a common enough bird in its very specialised habitat on highland streams, but we were probably at around only 650 m altitude. I have seen the bird at the nearby La Marta Reserve as well as at La Muralla waterfall close to San Antonio.

Here’s the a shot of the beautiful Río Pejibaye at its confluence with the Río Gato, courtesy of José Prieto.

Rio Pejibaye, near Turrialba