Resplendant Quetzal!

Today, while leading a bird tour for a couple from The Netherlands, we came across my first male Resplendent Quetzal. We had just spent about an hour walking up the incredibly slippery Chirripo trail, when the distinctive bubbling alarm call, slightly reminiscent of a turkey, came from the trees above our heads, and when we looked up, there, sitting on a branch a mere five metres from our heads, was the male Quetzal in all its splendour. It remained there for at least four minutes before flying away into the forest.

Resplendent Quetzal (male) - what struck me was the length of the tail feathers; they were so long, we had to move our binoculars up and down to see the whole bird. This is surely likely to be the most incredible elegant bird I am ever likely to see.