Avocet non-breeding plumage

(440 views)
by Terry Costales

This photo was taken late March of this year and many birds were still in just black and white. For courting and breeding the necks and chest acquire a rusty or tan color. They really seem to enjoy their mud-flats.

Zebra (Equus burchelli boehmi)

(427 views)
by Terry Costales

A beautiful Zebra with gorgeous long lashes. I would love to see Zebras in California fields alongside the horses, sheep and cows. We have Ostriches and Llamas, why not Zebras?

Avocet in breeding plumage (Recurvirostra americana)

(426 views)
by Terry Costales

This view shows the extent of the buff coloring avocets acquire on neck and chest in the breeding season. They stand about 15 to 20 inches tall and Wikipedia has more info on these birds if you're interested.

Great Egret (Ardea Alba)

(426 views)
by Terry Costales

These large egrets are graceful and breathtaking in flight. I watched this bird flying back and forth several times bringing nesting material back to it's mate. There was only one pair that I saw amongst dozens of the smaller Snowy Egrets.

Fledgling Night Heron

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

This was taken in early May and shows a fledgling night heron that has fallen out of it's nest. It took shelter next to a fence that was only a few feet from a path. I hope everyone knew to leave it alone. Its parents would care for it where it is, but it was quite vulnerable there. This picture is being considered for inclusion in a training manual to be used by the Toronto Wildlife Centre . If you have any photos you would like to submit, here is the original article with additional detai . . .

Fledgling Night Heron

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

This picture was taken early May. The nest was in a very shady area and it was overcast, but luckily there was a brief break in the clouds which provided enough light for me to get a decent shot. This fledgling night heron managed to stay in the nest despite what looked like a precarious perch.

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

This female Killdeer is standing over eggs in its "nest." Three eggs are actually present but only one is clearly visible. Even the clearly visible one is very well camouflaged. It is reputed their call sounds like "kill deer" and thus the name. I don't hear it myself but maybe that's just me.

Male Lion Sleeping

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

Here is a photo of a lion doing what a lion does best.

Great Egret

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

I think I am addicted to taking shots of flying egrets.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

This snowy owl at the Dublin Zoo was very quiet but, if it had spoken, it would have had an unusual voice.

Killdeer eggs

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

This is a photo of three very well camouflaged eggs in a Killdeer "nest." Because Killdeer often lay their eggs on gravel, the parking lot at the sanctuary had become a favorite nesting spot for them. Unfortunately a parking lot is a dangerous place for eggs, which leads to much failure for the Killdeer who lay eggs there.

Harbor Seal

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

This photo of a Harbor Seal was taken very near the Lucy Evans Interpretive Center at the bird sanctuary. I was very surprised to see it but the ranger verified that they have been known to occasionally appear.

Young Night Heron

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

This photo was taken early in May. There were 4 or 5 young ones about this size on the ground all within the fenced in area. Sometimes one of them would clamber up into a bush, but mostly they sat quietly on the ground. This little night heron actually flew a short distance to explore the edge of the nearby pond. He made a few jabbing motions with his bill and managed a couple of times to pick up a twig I felt quite privileged to have witnessed and recorded these birds and their behavior. . . .

Black-crowned Night Heron (nycticorax nicticorax)

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

At the sanctuary, there is a group of palm trees next to the large pond that provides prime nesting spots. It is fenced off to ensure the breeding birds are not disturbed. In late March, this was one of many night herons nesting amongst the snowy and great egrets. Its usually yellow legs are pink because it's breeding season.

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

Taken late March, this bird is probably a year or two old and has the yellow legs you see on both juveniles and non breeding adults. They get their full adult plumage in the third year. If you look at this shot and the thumbnail below it, you can see they are roughly the same size and shape. Nice of them to pose for their comparison shots.

Breeding pair of Avocets

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

Taken Early May, they are guarding a nest and looking lovely. Maybe next trip out there I can get a shot of some Avocet chicks.

Great Egret flying

(424 views)
by Terry Costales

To get a shot of a graceful bird flying is always a coup.

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

(423 views)
by Terry Costales

The female Killdeer in this picture is adopting a wounded bird pose and making a distress call. She is trying to lure me away from her nest by convincing me she is easy prey. Luckily for her I only wanted her photo.

Red-eared Slider

(423 views)
by Terry Costales

There are hundreds of these turtles in Stow Lake. If the little pet turtle you had as a kid ever lived long enough to outgrow its little plastic dish (the one with the fake palm tree) it would've become an adult Red-eared slider like this one. I wonder how many of those little pets ended up in Stow Lake?

Nesting Snowy Egret with young

(423 views)
by Terry Costales

This picture was taken in late May. There were mother egrets in the colony still sitting on eggs while others, like the one above, were taking care of their small chicks. Many mother egrets were feeding larger chicks. Many larger fledglings were out on the branches but not yet flying. Quite an advance in procreation from my visit a month earlier.

Young Night Herons

(423 views)
by Terry Costales

This picture was taken in early May and these two seem a little older than the other fledglings I saw. They have gotten big enough to come out of the nest and perch on the branches nearby.

Killdeer in Flight

(423 views)
by Terry Costales

Killdeer are a shy and fast bird. Consequently I rarely get a good shot of one. I was lucky this day to get that elusive shot.

Warthog

(423 views)
by Terry Costales

The profile of a warthog is not handsome. Neither is any other view. They do have their niche in nature, but they just don't look good filling it.

Polar Bear (Urus maritimus)

(423 views)
by Terry Costales

What a face. And under all that gorgeous white fur is black skin. All the better to absorb heat and keep the bear warm.

Young Snowy Egrets

(423 views)
by Terry Costales

These 3 birds are all siblings but one is quite smaller than the rest. I kept expecting it to get shoved aside, or even knocked out of the nest, but it really held it's own. The mother would fly up to feed them and the little one was always in the front making the most noise and waggling its outstretched wings up and down in a frantic "feed me" dance. The young don't have the black legs or yellow feet like their parents, just a green that changes gradually to the adult colors as they grow.