Great Egret
A classic shot a classy bird. Great Egret off Black Point Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Great Egrets are almost always elegant. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. My birds and wildlife modifications to Program mode. Processed in Polarr.
Tri-colored Heron
There are always a great many Tri-colored Herons along Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Government shutdown, thankfully, has not changed that. 🙂 They vie with the White Ibis for the title of most numerous wader in January. And they are a beautiful bird. It was still overcast when I got this shot a few mornings ago, but that only emphasizes the range of subtle shades of color in plumage. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. My birds and wildlife modifications of Program mode. Processed in Polarr.
Reddish Egret fishing dance
One of my favorite actions to watch is the Reddish Egret fishing. It is definitely a dance, though a sometimes erratic one. This bird was along Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville Florida. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. My birds in flight and action modifications to Program mode. Processed in Polarr and assembled in FrameMagic.
Roseate Spoonbill
Back in Florida for the Space Coast Birding and Nature Festival in Titusville. I got out to Merritt Island and Black Point Drive this morning and saw all the usual subjects except for Wood Stork. The Roseate Spoonbills, in full breeding plumage, were particularly cooperative. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. My birds and wildlife modifications of Program mode. Processed in Polarr.
Bananaquit
The Bananaquit is certainly one of the most common birds at mid-elevations in Costa Rica. This one was at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens just over the continental divide on the way from San Jose to the Sarapiqui region. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. My birds and wildlife modifications to Program mode. Processed in Polarr.
Black-cheeked Warbler
The Black-cheeked Warbler is listed as “common” and endemic to the highlands of Costa Rica and Western Panama: the Central Volcanic Range in Costa Rica and the Talamanca range in Costa Rica and Panama. We saw it at elevations between 8,000 and 11,000 feet. This bird was at 11,000 on top of Bueno Vista Mountain, where it was much easier to see than in the old-growth Cloud Forest above Savegre Mountain Resort in the valley below. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. My birds and wildlife modification of Program mode. Processed in Polarr. (for more on my Program mode modifications you might want to take a look at my eBook, Point and Shoot Nature Photography with the Sony RX10iv at https://psnp.info/psnp_/?p=1525 )
Female Common Merganser (and Mallard)
I went to Roger’s Pond Park on the Mousam River in Kennebunk, Maine, to see if there were any Eagles yesterday morning. There were no Eagles, but there were Common Mergansers in the river. I like this shot taken over the back of the Mallard in the foreground. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. My birds and wildlife modifications of Program mode. Processed in Polarr.
Female Green-crowned Brilliant
Yesterday I posted several shots of male Green-crowned Brilliants, but during this last trip to Costa Rica, females were more prevalent, by about four to one, especially at lower altitudes. This shot is again at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. I think both the male and female are among the most striking of the Central American hummers. Sony RX10iv at 600mm. My birds and wildlife modifications to Program mode. Processed in Polarr.
Green-crowned Brilliant
On our first full day in Costa Rica, between the hotel in San Jose and Selva Verde Lodge in the Sarapiqui River drainage, we always stop at La Paz Waterfall Gardens for birding and lunch. La Paz Waterfall Gardens is a private nature center just over the continental divide in on the north rim of the Central Valley. It is famous for its series of waterfalls on the La Paz River, and for its hummingbird feeders. On a good day, the feeders can attract over a dozen species of hummers. We were not there on a good day, but I still managed to catch this truly brilliant Green-crowned Brilliant. The hummingbird feeders are under a canopy of heavy vines growing over artistically realistic concrete support vines, so the light can be challenging. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. My birds and wildlife modifications of Program mode. Processed in Polarr.
Buff-throated Saltator and Black-cowled Oriole
There is a little Soda (mom and pop restaurant) and art gallery (Galeria de Calibries y Restaurante Cinchona) just up the road from La Paz Waterfall Gardens in Costa Rica, right up near the continental divide, on the way north from San Jose to the Sarapiqui region. They have a little deck built out over the steep drop into the Saraqiqui River Canyon, and both hummingbird and fruit feeders out for the birds. For $2 you can stop and watch the birds and be served a cup of coffee and a snack. Plus they have excellent views of the San Fernando Waterfall, one of the highest in Costa Rica, across the canyon. When we visited, we saw this moment of conflict on the fruit feeder between a Buff-throated Saltator and a Black-cowled Oriole (that is the ubiquitous Clay-colored Thrush, national bird of Costa Rica, out of focus in the foreground). Interesting moment. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Anti-motion Blur mode. Processed in Polarr.