American White Pelican

(103 views)
by Terry Costales

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 one.

Black Crowned Night Heron

(103 views)
by Terry Costales

It's breeding season again for the Night Herons and Snowy Egrets. Here is a Heron settling a property dispute with his Egret neighbor.

White-bellied Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis)

(102 views)
by Terry Costales

I was quite taken with this two foot tall, chicken-turkey-like bird. It's a ground dwelling native of eastern Africa.

Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

(101 views)
by Terry Costales

A large fledgling appears mesmerized by the camera.

Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja, sometimes Ajaia ajaja)

(100 views)
by Terry Costales

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 silly.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

(99 views)
by Denver Welte

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 white.

Green Heron

(99 views)
by Terry Costales

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 all.

Long-nosed bat

(99 views)
by Terry Costales

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 bats.

Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)

(98 views)
by Terry Costales

This was the first Toucan I saw in Costa Rica. A keel-billed or Fruit Loops Toucan.

Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)

(98 views)
by Terry Costales

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 moving, foraging habits."

Rufescent Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum)

(98 views)
by Terry Costales

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.

Heermann's Gull

(98 views)
by Terry Costales

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 white.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

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 one.

Lesser Scaup

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

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 so.

White-bellied Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis)

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

Here is a close up of yesterdays' subject.

Great Tit (Parus major)

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

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.

White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

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.

Cormorant

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

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.

White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

This photo was taken from high on the hill in the center of the zoo. It shows the storks nest in context.

Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius)

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

You only need to glimpse the bill of this bird to know exactly why it is called boat-billed.

White Pelicans

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

Taking photos from a boat was a new experience. I was able to get much closer to this flock of Pelicans before they took flight. These appear to be Australian Pelicans because of the pink bills. Or do American White Pelicans have pink bills in the winter? Further research needed.

Northern "Bullock's" Oriole (Icterus bullockii)

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

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 construction.

Ostrich (Struthio camelus)

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

Up close and personal with a curious ostrich.

Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria)

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

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 shade.

Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)

(97 views)
by Terry Costales

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 heron.