It’s always exciting to spot a secretive American Bittern stalking around in the marsh. Unlike other herons who will often fly off when disturbed, the well-camouflaged Bittern will frequently stay right where it is, trying ever so hard to hide amongst the tall leaves. To enhance the effect of pretending to be part of the plant life, “alarmed birds ‘skypoint’, swaying […]
Author Archives: Birder's Journey
“Those who contemplate the beauty of Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains […]
BirdNote recently highlighted this quote from an opinion piece in the Washington Post by Wendy Paulson of the Bobolink Foundation. I couldn’t agree more: ‘My hope is that when we emerge from this troubling time, people around the globe will find themselves more keenly aware of how blessed we are by the gifts of the […]
One of the most specatcular sights at Arenal Observatory Lodge in Costa Rica is the abundance and variety of hummingbirds~!! These tiny birds were buzzing about everywhere, every day, but, oh, so hard to photograph! As I mentioned in previous posts, our guide, Christian, was marvelous, but my memory for these particular species may be flawed. […]
Adult Roseate Spoonbill above and his younger juvenile friend below were in attendance. You can easily tell who’s who by the differences in the colors of their heads, necks, bills, and the intensity of their pink plumage.They always make quite a showing at the Space Coast Birding Festival💕. These lovelies were all seen on Black Point […]
I attended the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival for the second time this year, one of the largest birding festivals in the U.S. Much of the Festival takes place close to one of my favorite birding spots, Merritt Island NWR, near Kennedy Space Center and Titusville, Florida.One of the birds frequently seen along Black Point Wildlife […]
The Arenal Lodge provides fresh fruit pieces two or three times a day for the local birds to enjoy – but not TOO much or TOO often, lest birds become dependent on ‘hand-outs’. This male Yellow-throated Euphonia and his friends were looking a little forlorn at first when they didn’t see any treats laid out for them in […]
Bananaquits are unique, busy little birds. Their classification is debated and it is now generally agreed that the Bananaquit belongs to its own family (FatBirder). We saw them often, forgaging among the shrubbery for flower nectar, fruits, and insects (Birds of Costa Rica, p. 324).These common residents of Costa Rica were frequent visitors to the gardens next to […]
We left the rainforest at Arenal Observatory Lodge and headed for the Pacific Ocean beaches for a few days. Enjoyed a quiet morning beach and sunset at Playa Carillo.Next we drove through the countryside and over the mountains – Coffee country!Our last stop was this incredible oasis a short distance from the airport, Hotel Bougainvillea, […]
Birder's Journey 