Heermann's Gull

(281 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.

Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

(278 views)
by Terry Costales

A large fledgling appears mesmerized by the camera.

Black Crowned Night Heron

(277 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.

Long-nosed bat

(275 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.

White-bellied Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis)

(273 views)
by Terry Costales

Here is a close up of yesterdays' subject.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

(273 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.

Northern "Bullock's" Oriole (Icterus bullockii)

(272 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.

Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)

(272 views)
by Terry Costales

This juvenile was perched directly across the canal from the adult bird I posted on this blog yesterday.

Western Grebe

(272 views)
by Terry Costales

There were many Western Grebes on the lake. They were more wary of people than the ducks and kept their distance.

White-bellied Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis)

(272 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.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

(272 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.

American White Pelican

(272 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.

Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)

(271 views)
by Terry Costales

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 visited.

Arctic Fox (Alopex lagopus)

(271 views)
by Denver Welte

Taken July 2007, this photo shows the summer coloring of the Arctic Fox. In winter it will be snow white.

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

(271 views)
by Terry Costales

Another view of the distant and beautiful Harrier.

Anna's Hummingbird

(271 views)
by Terry Costales

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.

Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa)

(271 views)
by Terry Costales

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 the mud the whole time and so we never witnessed this behavior.

Irish Wolfhound

(271 views)
by Terry Costales

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.

Wood Stork (Mycteria americana)

(271 views)
by Terry Costales

Wood storks are common in this area, unlike the Jabiru. They aren't as tall as the Jabiru but equal them in their unusual appearance.

Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

(271 views)
by Bryan Costales

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 forgiving.

Rufescent Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum)

(271 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.

Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)

(271 views)
by Terry Costales

Mandarin ducks are very striking in appearance. At least the male, he looks like he's wearing a costume.

Black and White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata variegata)

(271 views)
by Terry Costales

The lemurs at the zoo have a large natural exhibit that gives them many opportunities to climb, relax and relate to one another.

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)

(271 views)
by Terry Costales

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 photographer.

Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)

(271 views)
by Terry Costales

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 anyway.