2025/1/30　Attended an International Conference

Terajima-san(D3) attended the Waterbird Society and Pacific Seabird Group 2025 Joint Meeting, which was held in Costa Rica from January 6 to January 9, 2025, where he presented a poster.
Although the journey to Costa Rica, located almost on the other side of the globe, was quite challenging, the experience was incredibly rewarding. He had valuable discussions with international seabird researchers and had the opportunity to observe the local birds.

A luxurious hotel, the conference venue.
(Unfortunately, it was too expensive for me to stay there.)

Poster presentation.
Discussions became quite lively, with people holding beers in hand.

An event at the National Museum organized by the conference.
Attendees were greeted by people dressed as birds. This costume represents the Scarlet Macaw, and there were also people dressed as other iconic Costa Rican animals.

A field trip organized by the conference.
Various courses were available, and I joined a tour to Los Quetzales National Park and Paramo Forest, a primeval forest at over 2,000 meters in altitude.

The highlight of the tour: the Resplendent Quetzal.
This bird is one of Costa Rica’s most iconic species and is often referred to as the most beautiful bird in the world. Seeing it in the wild was truly breathtaking. I believe that visiting Costa Rica is worthwhile just to see this magnificent bird. (I was told by our guide that encountering this bird requires a bit of luck. Photographing it was quite challenging, and this is the one shot I barely managed to capture.)

Costa Rica is home to countless fascinating birds.
Hummingbirds, which cannot be seen in Japan, were particularly captivating. I observed many species, and their iridescent colors were mesmerizing. This is the Coppery-headed Emerald, a Costa Rican endemic species. (When facing forward, it shines in a beautiful emerald color, just as its name suggests.)

Not only was nature breathtaking, but the delicious food—especially the coffee—and the kind and friendly local people made Costa Rica a country I would absolutely love to visit again in my lifetime.