Our group was actually in two boats. Here are a couple of shots of the other boat as we were out and about.
One of the most interesting of the sightings on this day was a young Great Black Hawk. As with many juvenile birds, the coloring is very different. Often it is hard to tell, so things like the beak can be a telltale marker as it is with this bird.
We were actually only about 15 feet from this bird. Incredibly close for a raptor of this size. Normally they are very shy of people. This juvenile however just stood and screamed for quite a while. Finally, the sign for flight was given. After you have been watching birds for a while, you notice that they will void just before flying. With the big raptors, this can be pretty incredible!
Beautiful flight.
A couple of Southern Screamer's flying over about the same time.
While another mom tended her young.
Late in the day we saw a Black Collared Hawk, quite rare some ways off in a tree. We ended up hiking back along the lake and getting some really close looks.
The really large shorebirds are especially accessible here. One of them, the Limpkin, forms the basis for today's mystery critter.
This gangly striking wader often has his head buried deep in the swampy mud.
Sometimes coming up empty beaked.
And sometime coming up with a tasty morsel.
For the mystery critter prize, what is in the Limpkin's mouth?
We have already met the largest wader, the "Jaibaru" Stork.
The Whistling Heron
Anytime you have water around the world you will have the Kingfishers. These are remarkable birds, with powerful beaks and incredible eyesight to see into the water where they dive for food. Here are all 3 of the local species.
The Ringed.
The Amazon.
And the Green.
The "tyrant" flycatchers are always among the most gregarious of the birds. The Cattle Tyrant is especially noticeable as it finds itself onto the backs of many of the other animals.
On the Marsh Buck
And on the Capybara.
Another tyrant is the Spectacled Tyrant. It's name can really be understood with the male.
This female had just been successful in her hunt.
The Small-billed Elania is a little cutie.
And to see the Scarlet Headed Blackbird among the reeds is an amazing experience.
At dusk, we went back out to see if we could get any owls. We were rewarded with this pair of Tropical Screech Owls.
And a Nine-Banded Armadillo!
Whew! What a day!
