Avocet non-breeding plumage

(923 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.

Great Egret (Ardea Alba)

(913 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.

Great Egret

(912 views)
by Terry Costales

I was fascinated to watch this egret hunt . He moved very patiently and slowly, then his head would dart into the shallow water and he would come up with a little fish. It must take a lot of little fish to fill such a large bird.

Great Egret flying

(911 views)
by Terry Costales

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

Killdeer eggs

(911 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.

Killdeer in Flight

(910 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

(910 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.

Great Egret

(909 views)
by Terry Costales

The Great Egret has just caught a small fish.

Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)

(909 views)
by Terry Costales

Of course England has it's fair share of "flying rats". For some reason this one in Hyde Park seemed more like an actual bird to me than just feathered vermin. I'm sure if I was there long enough they would become just as annoying as pigeons are here at home.

Great Egret

(909 views)
by Terry Costales

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

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

(909 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.

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

(909 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.

Tortoise

(908 views)
by Terry Costales

These two large tortoises ambled about and were not as sluggish as one might expect. I dont know which species of tortoise this is because I forgot to photograph the sign.

Avocet in breeding plumage (Recurvirostra americana)

(908 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

(908 views)
by Terry Costales

I got this shot just as the egret was landing. Look closely and you can see the feet haven't quite come to rest on the pipe.

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

(908 views)
by Terry Costales

The moorhen is a very commonly found bird in England, Europe and the States. Even so, I had never seen one before this day in Hyde Park. Moorhens are related more to Coots than to ducks. Moorhens and Coots both have greenish feet with lobed toes which allows them to walk over water-plants and mud.

Young Snowy Egrets

(907 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.

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

(907 views)
by Terry Costales

Yesterday I thought these birds might be Australian Pelicans but with further research I found they are American White Pelicans in non-breeding plumage. I'm glad that's settled.

Young Night Heron

(907 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. . . .

Great Egret and Pheasant

(907 views)
by Terry Costales

I didn't see a pheasant when I looked at this tree, only the Egret. As the boat drew nearer to the tree the pheasant burst out, startling the egret and me. I tried to get a shot of them as they flew past, but I was much too slow. It wasn't until I looked at the photos at home that I had the pleasure to see I had gotten a shot of the pheasant after all.

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

(907 views)
by Terry Costales

Something about a swan. I see one and I feel like I am getting a small glimpse into a fairy tale. Swans conjure images of fairy princesses, enchanted lakes and talking animals. I almost expect to turn my head and see a unicorn come to drink at the edge of this pond. A more realistic approach to these birds is not to just admire them but protect them as well. The population of swans had declined in the UK due to habitat loss and lead poisoning, but their numbers are rising again. The Mute s . . .

Zebra (Equus burchelli boehmi)

(907 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?

Red-eared Slider

(907 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?

Elephant reaching for food

(907 views)
by Terry Costales

The largest elephant in the group reached up to pull down some hay. The elephants in this zoo had a very large enclosure with varying terrain. The Dublin Zoo seems to be doing an excellent job of caring for these great animals.

Harbor Seal

(907 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.