Carara National Park (part 3)
May 3rd, 2014
Once we reached the lagoon, I crept along the edge angling for a good photo of the shorebirds and herons. The harsh midday sun made things difficult--as did the wariness of my subjects! This pair of Black-Necked Stilts regarded me sternly, while the young Jacana seemed to wonder what all the fuss was about.
1680x1050 wallpaper
Left to right: Bare-Throated Tiger Heron, Black-Necked Stilts, Tricolored Heron. The young jacana is hiding in here too. Look near a brown leaf to find him.
Green Kingfishers were common, as they seemed to be in just about any wetland in Costa Rica. This one looked rather regal in the bright sun.
At the end of the lagoon trail lay a Boat-Billed Heron nesting colony. I'd seen Boat-Billed Herons in my field guide before the trip, and thought they looked a lot like our local Night Herons (to whom they're related.) In person, they looked nothing like Night Herons. They looked like the strangest birds I'd ever seen: like giant-eyed, bulbous-billed muppets. The juveniles were, frankly, ugly, but it was an ugliness you had to love!
The adults go for a more debonair look, taking on a slightly less bulbous bill and a wavy hairdo.
Not a photomanip, I swear to god. They really look like that.
They're nocturnal herons, thus the huge eyes. The bill is an adaptation to their diet and way of feeding. While most herons spear fish using their long, pointed bills, Boat-Billed Herons just scoop them up out of the mud, along with small crustaceans and aquatic insects.
(Continued in next post)
May 3rd, 2014
Once we reached the lagoon, I crept along the edge angling for a good photo of the shorebirds and herons. The harsh midday sun made things difficult--as did the wariness of my subjects! This pair of Black-Necked Stilts regarded me sternly, while the young Jacana seemed to wonder what all the fuss was about.
1680x1050 wallpaper
Left to right: Bare-Throated Tiger Heron, Black-Necked Stilts, Tricolored Heron. The young jacana is hiding in here too. Look near a brown leaf to find him.
Green Kingfishers were common, as they seemed to be in just about any wetland in Costa Rica. This one looked rather regal in the bright sun.
At the end of the lagoon trail lay a Boat-Billed Heron nesting colony. I'd seen Boat-Billed Herons in my field guide before the trip, and thought they looked a lot like our local Night Herons (to whom they're related.) In person, they looked nothing like Night Herons. They looked like the strangest birds I'd ever seen: like giant-eyed, bulbous-billed muppets. The juveniles were, frankly, ugly, but it was an ugliness you had to love!
The adults go for a more debonair look, taking on a slightly less bulbous bill and a wavy hairdo.
Not a photomanip, I swear to god. They really look like that.
They're nocturnal herons, thus the huge eyes. The bill is an adaptation to their diet and way of feeding. While most herons spear fish using their long, pointed bills, Boat-Billed Herons just scoop them up out of the mud, along with small crustaceans and aquatic insects.
(Continued in next post)
| ← | → |
Mike
May 4th, 2014 at 9:15 am
The Boat-Billed Herons are certainly memorable! Glad you managed to get some good pix, even with the lighting and angle difficulties.
Also, nice group shots of the waders!
dagibbs
May 5th, 2014 at 12:23 am
Those heron juveniles are kind of ugly.
Mustang Sallie
May 5th, 2014 at 10:42 pm
That heron is definitely strange looking. The green kingfishers are so pretty and colorful.