Seeing this bird in Costa Rica was one of the highlights of my year. It is undeniably a special bird, and one I had been keen to see. More than that, this guy was just super-cooperative. He was hanging out close to the trail -- close enough that my kids got great looks even without binocs -- and just generally hanging out looking stunning for everyone to see. I've been lucky to see some pretty amazing birds this year, but this was one of the few times I was able to share a bird that everybody agrees is amazing (even non-birders) with my family. So I decided to save it to wrap up the year.

And with that, my 100 bird project is over. It has been quite a journey. I've been lucky to be able to travel and bird a lot this year (5 countries total), which certainly made things easier, but I've also taken nearly half (40 pictures) from our superb local hotspots in the Boston area. I've certainly done more birding than I may have otherwise, which I'm sure will continue into the new year, although the rate of posting photos will certainly decrease.