Day 3 in Costa Rica

We traveled around Earth University, visiting the banana plantation, packing house and cattle operation.  Our host Harvey Anselmo Valentine Harriett is a great birder and got up every morning early around 5:15 to take a few of us early riser around.  The birding was fantastic.  Here are a few of day three photos.

Montezuma Oropendola

Green Iguana

 Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

 Black-cheeked Woodpecker

 White-collared Manakin

Clay-colored Robin - The national bird of Costa Rica.  Go figure with all the beautiful birds. 

 Chestnut-mandibled Toucan

Howler Monkey - This was the alpha male leading a small pack.  They really roar early in the morning or when they get riled up.  Our driver Ronald, got this group going when we were in the banana plantation.

 Gray-headed Chachalaca

 Cocoa Woodcreeper - These guys are tough to ID because they all look very similar.

 Green Iguana

 Three-toed Sloth

 Montezuma Oropendola with nests

Montezuma Oropendola flying by

 Common Tody-Flycatcher

Female Common Basilisk

Northern Jacana

Collared Aracari

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

We spent some time at the refuge this morning.  Although the sky was overcast and crappy for flying birds, there was no shortage of birds on the marsh.

 





Little Blue Heron, Glossy Ibis, Snowy Egrets and Roseate Spoonbill







Roseate Spoonbills

 









Tricolor Heron

Glossy Ibis

Wood Stork







 Snowy Egret - they were feeding by hovering and snatching minnows off the surface

Blue-winged Teal sleeping

Ring-billed Gulls and Royal Terns

 Terns - Caspian (largest on left side), Royal (medium on right side) and Least (in foreground)

 White Pelicans feeding

 Killdeer

Semipalmated Plover

 Osprey

 Savannah Sparrow

Florida Scrub-Jays

American Avocets

Bonaparte's Gull



Clark County Wetlands Park

Sixth and last day in Las Vegas, I visited the above park http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/wetlandspark
Great place with smaller ponds and great walking trails.  I was searching for the Greater Roadrunner to add to my collection and one never showed up.  I saw two the whole trip, but couldn't pull the trigger either time.  I guess I have another reason to come back.  Here are some more critters.

Covey of Gambel's Quail

 Gambel's Quail male

Ring-necked Duck

Audubon's Warbler - correction from Jim Boone, different subspecies from our more eastern Myrtle Warbler that is also part of the Yellow-rumped Warblers.  Yellow throat is the difference.

Albert's Towhee

 White-crowned Sparrow

Bewick's Wren

Hemenway Park, Boulder City, Nevada - Desert Bighorn Sheep

The first afternoon that we were in Las Vegas, we went down to the park to see if the Desert Bighorn Sheep were there.  Here is some info on the park, http://www.birdandhike.com/Wildlife/Mamm/08Art/05_Bov/Ovis_can/Hemenway/_Ovi_hemen.htm  Jim Boone and his website are the best information for finding wildlife in the Las Vegas area.  He generously sent me emails with advice on where I could find my targets. There were about 20 in the park with one decent ram.  It was cold in the low 30s.  I shot about 100 images and we packed up to head to Hoover Dam.

About a 1/4 mile down the road I spotted 6 rams heading north toward a subdivision.  I quickly wheeled around and headed back past the park to the subdivision on the other side.  We found a dead end where we could look down on the wash below the park.  I quickly spotted the rams and they had turned for the park.  We quickly loaded up and headed back to the park.  By the time I got my camera out at the park, the six rams entered the field.  They singled out a ewe that giving off good chemical signals to the boys.  They hung with her the whole time until I left.