Saturday, November 27, 2010
Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)
This was pretty typical - kind of like a teenaged boy... He would rattle his pouch, then check the sky to see if any of the ladies were watching. We wished him good luck.
Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)
This was one of those things that I had seen on countless nature shows when I was a kid. Seeing them in person was amazing!
Galapagos Flycatcher (Myiarchus magnirostris)
No other word for it. This bird is cute. Most of the birds on the islands were utterly unafraid of people, and some were downright inquisitive. This one was one of those.
Darwin Finches, Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos
Larry Richardson was the leader of our group. We were in a forested area where we could hear birds, but we weren't seeing many. Just a little "Pishing" brought out a huge mixed flock. It was amazing.
Vermillion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus)
Of the dozens of amazing birds we saw in the Galapagos, most were endemics. This little beauty is pretty common throughout Central and South America - it's even fairly common in parts of the US. I had never seen it before; it was one of the most exciting birds of the trip for me! This one was working from a dead limb right at eye level, and he let me get quite close.
Galapagos Pintail (Anas bahamensis galapagensis)
The background of this shot is a Santa Cruz giant tortoise. I love that.
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
I just couldn't get enough of these birds.
Probably it's the poem:
"A wonderful bird is a pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week;
But I'm damned if I see how the helican."
Thank you, Grandpa Harrington, for introducing me to Ogden Nash.
