Here are some of the hummingbirds I managed to get photos of in Costa Rica. This country is home to some 50 species of hummers. These birds are notoriously difficult to photograph due to their speedy flight and fast movement. The best place to get photos is to visit gardens with sugar-water feeders. Of course, not entirely natural, but unless you have a lot of time, this is the best option to get decent photos of many of the species during a time-limited vacation.

I visited one hummingbird garden with feeders in mid-altitude Monteverde (1400 meters), and one garden at mid-altitude north of San Jose on my last day (La Paz Waterfall Garden, altitude 1200 meters). I saw at least 21 different hummingbird species during my 14-day trip, a somewhat lower number than expected. In retrospect, I should probably have visited an eastern hummingbird garden with feeders to have been able to get images of more species common in the Caribbean lowland. But still I am happy I was able to see this number of species, and to obtain photos of most of them. So, I decided to show some of these images (18 species, including a few "confirmation" images) on a separate page. Added later, I also had a poor photo of the Blue-throated Goldentail (Chlorestes eliciae) from La Fortuna.

A male Purple-throated Mountain-gem

Green-crowned Brilliant - female, Monteverde

Green-crowned Brilliant - male with blue gorget, Monteverde

Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus), Monteverde

Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus), Monteverde

Brown Violetear, Monteverde

Brown Violetear, La Paz Waterfall Garden

Purple-throated Mountain-gem - male, Monteverde

Purple-throated Mountain-gem nest, Monteverde Cloud Forest

White-bellied Mountain-gem - female (Lampornis hemileucus), La Paz Waterfall Garden

I was in doubt whether this is a White-bellied Mountain-gem, mainly due to bill structure (looks a bit robust). Posted the image on a bird ID forum, and experts confirmed the ID

Green Thorntail - female, La Paz Waterfall Garden

Green Thorntail - male, La Paz Waterfall Garden

Coppery-headed Emerald - male (Elvira cupreiceps), La Paz Waterfall Garden

Coppery-headed Emerald, La Paz Waterfall Garden

Coppery-headed Emerald - female (Elvira cupreiceps), La Paz Waterfall Garden

Coppery-headed Emerald - male (Elvira cupreiceps), La Paz Waterfall Garden

Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Monteverde

Stripe-tailed Hummingbird - male, Monteverde

Black-bellied Hummingbird, La Paz Waterfall Garden

Black-bellied Hummingbird, La Paz Waterfall Garden

Violet Sabrewing, Monteverde

Violet Sabrewing - male (Campylopterus hemileucurus), Monteverde

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) feeding on a Blue Porterweed, La Fortuna

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, La Fortuna

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, La Paz Waterfall Garden

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, La Paz Waterfall Garden

Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila), Cerro Lodge

Cinnamon Hummingbird, Cerro Lodge

Green Hermit - female (Phaethornis guy), La Paz Waterfall Garden

Green Hermit - female, La Paz Waterfall Garden

Violet-headed Hummingbird (Klais guimeti). From a night-walk at Tirimbina Biological Reserve, with no flash photography allowed

Poor image of a Long-billed Hermit (Phaethornis longirostris) from a night-walk at Selva Verde Nature Reserve near Sarapiqui

Bronzy Hermit (Glaucis aeneus), Maquenque Ecolodge. Early morning walk, hence the poor quality

The nest of the Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii), Frio River in the Caño Negro region

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird (Phaeochroa cuvierii). Early morning guided walk at Maquenque Ecolodge

Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, La Fortuna