I enjoy exploring different areas of Costa Rica and being surprised by the birds along the way. I was thrilled to spot my first puffbirds on a trip to the northern lowlands.

The Pied Puffbird is an uncommon species that inhabits the edges of lowland forests on the Caribbean slope. I felt privileged to be able to watch these attractive birds from the veranda of our lodge's guest room. The puffbird couple were inspecting and working on a possible nesting site. While one of the birds supervised from above, the other was busy hollowing out an old termite nest attached to the tree.

Puffbirds are relaxed birds. They take their time and will often just sit conspicuously on a branch. I wanted to capture this intimate moment between the pair in my scratchboard work.

This work was selected for the International Society of Scratchboard Artists (ISSA) Annual Exhibition 2025. Find out more in my NEWS section:

ISSA Annual Exhibition 2025