We were birding in an area known as La Mesa during the morning of December 24, 2009. It was a partly cloudy morning with temperatures in the low 80's. We were walking along a country road when we began to encounter foothill birds not found in the forests below or in the Canal Zone. This male Bay-headed Tanager was one of the birds we photographed. This beautiful species, with its chestnut colored head, green back, and bright blue underparts with golden tints on nape and shoulder, graces the cover of Birds of Costa Rica by F. Gary Stiles and Alexander F. Skutch.