[PIC_THREAD] Wildlife, Animals, Birds, Zoo

Some recent photos:

I've been trying to get good photos of Ospreys with limited success. There is a nest about 1hour drive away and a further 1 hour hike so i have mostly been there with poor lighting. made a trip leaving 5 am in the hopes of getting some good morning light but they were no where to be seen.

This specimen is about a 90min drive but 10 minute walk away which is a little more convenient but the nest is not easily visible and is quite far out from the shore. I went on Saturday had sweltered in the sun but gave up. this one is form earlier in the spring.

Turkey Vultures are pretty abundant though

This is just some kind fo common blackbird but the lighting helped emphasize the pearlescent feathering.

Columbo · 22 Jul 2015 at 05:27

That Turkey Vulture looks like a rather large mofo and the Ospreys are beautiful, wish we had more of them in the UK.

D.P. · 22 Jul 2015 at 15:22

Columbo said:
That Turkey Vulture looks like a rather large mofo and the Ospreys are beautiful, wish we had more of them in the UK.

Turkey vultures are pretty big:

a wingspan of 160–183 cm (63–72 in), a length of 62–81 cm (24–32 in), and weight of 0.8 to 2.3 kg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_vulture

They are also not not afraid of humans and will fly quite close. The vulture above was no more than 20feet above my head. The wing tip was clipped out of the frame despite crouching down a little!

They don't have a good reputation since they are scavengers and not "majestic" predators so tend to get ignored by wildlife enthusiasts and put in the same vermin category as animals like foxes. Which i think is a real shame because they do a very good job of cleaning up the country side. they aren't the prettiest of birds, their head is designed to go inside carcasses and not soil their head feathers too much.

One cool thing that they do which I have faked to photograph is early in the morning when it is cool in the spring/fall they stretch their wings ut to warm up in the sun.

Here is a different species from Costa Rica

D.P. · 22 Jul 2015 at 15:27

2StepSteve said:
I landed a big fish .... Was not expecting to see one of these today!

Outstanding kindfisher photos. Very jealous.

when i sued to walk to work I would see a kingfisher most mornings at the pond, but it was perched on power line way too far out form the path or waters edge. i would carry my camera to work every day in the hope that it would move to a tree branch or something but for 2 years t never moved form its perch. Even an excessive crop from a 300mm + 1.4XTC would be far too small to bother with.

peter · 22 Jul 2015 at 15:55

Not as rare as one of these only 200 in the wild 3m wingspan

D.P. · 22 Jul 2015 at 16:34

Absolutely amazing capture!

peter · 23 Jul 2015 at 10:09

Google images just did this !

D.P. · 23 Jul 2015 at 16:12

^^ cool.

Some from the swamp the other week.

The scenery:

The inhabitants

baby Snapping turtle