We've been trying out some new items on the bird feeder. About a week ago Maria put out a half avocado that was past its prime. Surprisingly, the birds gobbled it up. Then, this week we put out a bunch of small bananas the Ticos call guineas. They are small, plump, and very sweet. The Ticos told us that birds loved to eat guineas. They were right. The feeder has been covered with birds for two days now. This morning we hit the jackpot. I was brushing my teeth when Maria began to shout excitedly. I came running out of the bathroom foaming at the mouth.
"What is it?" I gargled.
"It's a . . . it's a TOUCAN," she shouted.
We had not seen a toucan since we moved here. It was gone by the time I got out on the porch, so I'll have to take her word for it. One of the locals told us that it was true, on rare occasions toucans do come around this area. Later she looked it up in our bird book and identified it as a chestnut-mandibled toucan, the largest toucan in Costa Rica.
Happy gardening!
No comments:
Post a Comment