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The only motmot seen on this trip appeared just after dawn. The tree in which it was perched was a favorite of several species. Unfortunately, the motmot's gorgeous colors were not visible from this angle, but the unique tail feathers were.... read more
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When the Jacanas fly they display bright yellow patches on their wings. Despite there being so many of them, we never got a shot of one flying
They are known for "walking on water", because their very long toes allow them to walk on floating vegetation. Unfortunately, the ones we saw were in... read more
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I knew at the time this was a Tiger Heron, but a kind I hadn't seen before. Later I identified it as Rufescent Tiger Heron, where rufescent simply means red.... read more
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You only need to glimpse the bill of this bird to know exactly why it is called boat-billed.... read more
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This poor Caiman probably wished he was invisible. As the boat came closer, he slowly moved from exposure on the mud bank and into the welcoming murky... read more
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The mangrove tour's pilot and guide were very supportive of our photographic efforts. This little bird either flew away as soon as the boat moved close, or hid invisibly in the bushes. Nearr the tours end, one bird thankfully stayed still long enough for me to get this... read more
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The Little Blue was the prettiest heron I saw in Costa Rica. Its body was blue, the neck a purplish color and it always appeared very graceful. We saw them in every region we... read more
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The light color of this bird indicates that it is a juvenile. The adult of this bird is all black. Neotropic is the only species of cormorant that resides in Costa Rica.... read more
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Anhingas look a lot like cormorants. They differ in that they have straight not hooked bills, longer tails and necks, and have silver-white markings on their wings. This was a female. A male would have had a black... read more
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On the bank was a gorgeous male basilisk. Observe from the color change that he was still shedding his... read more
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This swallow is one of a pair we saw from the boat. They patiently remained perched for several minutes while everyone photographed... read more
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I was focusing my attention on the spoonbill but good lord! Look at the length of the neck on that... read more
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We saw a lot of these solitary herons on the trip. Although it's called bare throated, you can't see that detail in this flying... read more
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Wood storks are common in this area, unlike the Jabiru. They aren't as tall as the Jabiru but equal them in their unusual... read more
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There were many of these toucans in the forest surrounding the volcano. They traveled in small flocks and were easily seen and... read more
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Our guide Jaime was very excited to see these migratory Jabiru because they were a very rare sight. Jabiru are storks which stand four and a half feet tall. The ones we saw were sedate and seemed to be resting in the... read more
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I saw this osprey dive into the river and come up with a fish. Unfortunately the image is not sharp because the boat was moving fast, the bird was far away and flying fast. I'm glad I at least got to see... read more
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While canoeing to a nearby lagoon, we happened upon a flock of little blue herons taking flight. I originally thought the white one was another species but later discovered it did belong in the flock because it was a juvenile little blue... read more
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A caiman lived in the lodge marina and could almost always be seen hanging out in its far corner. We found out the marina staff were feeding it chicken scraps from the kitchen. I supppose feeding a caiman is much more exciting than feeding a stray dog or feral... read more
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Unlike yesterday's bright green plumed basilisk, this brown one has a yellow stripe. Here the male shows off his crest.... read more
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A female basilisk showed up at breakfast looking for a handout of food scraps. The kitchen staff were pleased to see it and urged us to give it food. Not a good thing for the lizard but very entertaining for... read more
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On my way breakfast I happened upon a hawk hunting near our room at the lodge. He had taken some small prey, yet he looked at me with little concern. A few seconds later he flew off.
The word plumbeous means leaden, dull. The hawk is half grey thereby clearly earning its... read more
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This prehistoric looking male Green Iguana appeared beautiful yet frightening.... read more
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There are numerous Black River Turtles in the canals and rivers of Costa Rica. We stopped to view a caiman near the riverbank and this curious turtle came up to the boat. It was definitely used to people and was looking for a handout. Of course feeding the wildlife is frowned upon. It makes them... read more
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This was the first Toucan I saw in Costa Rica. A keel-billed or Fruit Loops Toucan.... read more
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Green herons are abundant in Costa Rica. We saw them on both coasts and in a preserve near the center of Costa Rica. It took me a while to remember their name however, because they are hardly green at... read more
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We saw many wood rails and like the clapper rails, they are quite shy and quickly melt into the background as soon as they realize they are being... read more
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This juvenile was perched directly across the canal from the adult bird I posted on this blog... read more
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I have seen many black-crowned night herons but this was the first yellow-crowned I'd ever seen. They reside in Costa Rica year... read more
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On a tour of the Canal of Palms, this was the first animal spotted by our guide. There were three of these tiny bats on the underside of a dead branch. How the guide even saw them was a mystery because they were perfectly camouflaged. The guide identified them as long-nosed... read more
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On our boat trip to Turtle Beach Lodge we saw many Roseate Spoonbills feeding near the banks. When they feed, they move their heads rapidly back and forth in the shallow water, making them look very industrious and a bit... read more
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On our way to Tortuguero on the eastern coast, the guide spotted a family of howler monkeys in the trees next to the road. The van stopped and we got out to watch them. The noise the howlers make is thunderous and can be heard for miles. So when I finally saw them, I was surprised by how small they... read more
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I had no camera that day in Union Square. So I became the director of the photo shoot.
That means I said, "Honey, get a shot of that starling for me!" I'm not sure if I said please, but Bryan is always... read more
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Earlier this year the cliff swallows were busy feeding their young under the eaves of the Lucy Evans Interpretive Center.... read more
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Beautiful poodle with a decent haircut and a colorful... read more
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It's an odd looking animal, but it's like any other dog, really.... read more
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Up close and personal with a curious ostrich.... read more
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A large fledgling appears mesmerized by the camera.... read more
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There is a large breeding colony of Western Gulls on the island which is fenced in for their protection. There were a couple of chicks near us and my husband was able to get their... read more
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This pair of woodpeckers stayed in the tops of very tall trees making them very hard to photograph. This shot has been cropped about 75%.
The Great Spotted is larger, with a longer bill than the Middle Spotted Woodpecker.
Yes, there is a Lesser Spotted but I never saw... read more
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My first day in the woods I heard woodpeckers but only glimpsed them from a distance. My second day was more successful and I saw several. Not close-up but close enough for a... read more
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The shy Mourning Dove reveals some lovely... read more
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This is not my typical bird photo. I usually prefer a close-up that reveals identifying marks of the species. But sometimes, you just get a cool... read more
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It's breeding season again for the Night Herons and Snowy Egrets. Here is a Heron settling a property dispute with his Egret... read more
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This is the nest I referred to in my last blog.... read more
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I observed this female oriole as it fed and then flew into its nearby nest. It would remain in its nest a few minutes, then fly out again. The nest would have been invisible if not for the white egret feathers the orioles had used in its... read more
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Part of the small herd of wild horses on the island. They were originally brought to the island about 12 years ago and then... read more
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Taken July 2007, this photo shows the summer coloring of the Arctic Fox. In winter it will be snow... read more
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Bald Eagles are very numerous in Dutch Harbor, where they live year round. They are used to people and you see them perched on dumpsters and piers, looking for an easy meal.
Bald comes from the Old English "pie-bald", which means partially... read more
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There is a small flock of these beautiful geese living on the small lake inside the zoo. Bar-headed geese were featured in the nature documentary "Winged Migration" which I highly reccomend.... read more
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Although a large and very stately bird, this is actually the smallest variety of... read more
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This is a beautiful female camel. She has very petite furry... read more
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The Hall of Butterflies (Schmetterlingshalle) was one of my favorite spots in the... read more
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Amazing!! What a thrill!! Segways... read more
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The Irish Wolfhound is the tallest breed of dog. It's hard to imagine this extremely gentle animal being used in war, but war is the original use for which they were bred.... read more
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Here is a shot of the male from yesterday's posting which shows the unusual feather formation over his... read more
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Mandarin ducks are very striking in appearance. At least the male, he looks like he's wearing a... read more
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Yesterday's posting showed storks nesting in a tree. Here is a photo showing storks nesting on top of a building that was in the Stuttgart Zoo.... read more
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This photo was taken from high on the hill in the center of the zoo. It shows the storks nest in... read more
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These storks were nesting in a very tall tree inside of the Karlsruhe Zoo. I took this photo from partway up the hill in the center of the park.... read more
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The Grey Heron is the European version of our Great Blue Heron and quite plentiful in the city of Stuttgart. I saw this one in a large city park where I was lucky to get this in-flight shot.
When we got to the Zoo, we discovered dozens of them perched in the trees. Others were perched on... read more
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This bird is resting on an urn placed next to a reflecting pool inside the Stuttgart Zoo. It isn't caged and flew in on its own. I witnessed many herons, storks and cormorants fly into various enclosures to take advantage of the plentiful food supply.... read more
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The Chiloe Wigeon comes from, as its name suggests, Chile. The duck was curious and friendly even though it knew we weren't going to feed it. The "No feeding the animals" rule is strictly adhered to in Germany.... read more
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The Great Tit is the most numerous bird in the parks of Karlsruhe and is related to the bird of yesterdays' posting. The Great is a little larger and bolder.... read more
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These little birds were everywhere. They were always on the move, hopping, flitting, hanging upside down and really fun to... read more
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Here is a close up of yesterdays'... read more
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I was quite taken with this two foot tall, chicken-turkey-like bird. It's a ground dwelling native of eastern... read more
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A rare opportunity to see and photograph these colorful creatures. Butterfly in German is... read more
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The Fieldfare is about the size of an American Robin and its movements are similar. It took me quite a while to identify it as I had never heard of a Fieldfare before.
According to Wikipedia the name comes from "feld-fere meaning "traveller through the fields", probably from their constantly... read more
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A very understated but beautiful duck. There is also an American Wigeon but I haven't personally seen one... read more
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Yesterday in Palo Alto was chilly and grey for the most part. Fortunately the sun came out once in a while and highlighted this wonderful little bird while it fed.... read more
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The red squirrels in Germany don't look like the squirrels here. Get a load of those ear tufts!
This shot was back lit and little more than a silhouette, but it was the only close-up I got. So I digitally adjusted it much more than I would normally.... read more
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This is a photo of a female Bufflehead. She definitely has a quieter look than her handsome but flashy... read more
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Here is the female lesser scaup. The mate of yesterday's... read more
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The male lesser scaup is almost identical to the male greater scaup. The head of the lesser gleams purple whereas the greater gleams green. Supposedly the lesser is also smaller than the greater, but I haven't found that to be... read more
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This is the female scaup. Much more muted in coloration than yesterdays... read more
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Greater Scaups
are very common in the Bay Area. This is a... read more
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This is a very cute little diving bird
. When they come up after a dive they puff up their posterior so it looks like a big powder puff. Then right before they dive, they bring those feathers close to their body and the powder puff becomes a streamlined... read more
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Here is the mate of yesterday's male Canvasback. She is in almost the exact same pose that he, but here you can see her paler, gentler... read more
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This is a male Canvasback duck resting in the water. You can't see the long red neck in this photo but I like the pose... read more
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This is a female Goldeneye showing how differently the genders appear. No flashy white duds for this... read more
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There were many male and female Goldeneyes out on the lake that day. This is a very handsome male. Goldeneyes are closely related to Buffleheads and are also found in Scotland and Great... read more
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There was this one lone white pelican at the nature center
that day. It was probably an injured bird being nursed back to health, or it just knew a good hand-out when it saw... read more
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There were many Western Grebes
on the lake. They were more wary of people than the ducks and kept their... read more
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The male Bufflehead
is a strikingly beautiful bird. There were several on the lake this summer-like day, having a good time diving to avoid the... read more
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Maybe I should have posted this on Valentines Day. It's either affection or defense of... read more
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The lemurs at the zoo have a large natural exhibit that gives them many opportunities to climb, relax and relate to one... read more
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This is a swimming bear in the new Grizzly Gulch
exhibit at the zoo. The zoo acquired two female Montana bears that were about to be euthanized. They had become too used to humans and couldn't be released back into the wild.
Their new home is a well designed habitat and hopefully all the... read more
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This photo shows the ruffled feathers on the back and white feathers edging the wings of the Black... read more
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Another view of the distant and beautiful... read more
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I don't know what kind of bird this is. Some kind of stork-like-vulture-thingy. It was in the walk-through aviary. Scary... read more
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This photo was taken Sept 29, 2007. The Black Crowned Crane is an African bird and endangered by loss of... read more
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Here is Tatiana on Sept 29, 2007 looking alive and well. Due to incompetence at the Zoo and the malicious idiocy of a few young men, she and one of those young men are now deceased. A needless tragedy that ought never have happened.
One should build wild animal enclosures with as much protection... read more
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This juvenile Heermann's gull exhibits its main identifying marks clearly: black feet, red bill and dusky body. As an adult, its head will become pure... read more
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