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| The Daily Animal World As Seen By Terry Costales |
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Rufous Motmot (Baryphthengus martii) by Terry Costales posted 2008/11/03 (1 of 94) The only motmot seen on this trip appeared just after dawn. The tree in which it was perched was a favorite of several species. Unfortunately, the motmot's gorgeous colors were not visible from this... view more |
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Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa) by Terry Costales posted 2008/11/02 (2 of 94) When the Jacanas fly they display bright yellow patches on their wings. Despite there being so many of them, we never got a shot of one flying They are known for "walking on water", because their... view more |
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Rufescent Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum) by Terry Costales posted 2008/11/01 (3 of 94) I knew at the time this was a Tiger Heron, but a kind I hadn't seen before. Later I identified it as Rufescent Tiger Heron, where rufescent simply means red.... view more |
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Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/31 (4 of 94) You only need to glimpse the bill of this bird to know exactly why it is called boat-billed.... view more |
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Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/30 (5 of 94) This poor Caiman probably wished he was invisible. As the boat came closer, he slowly moved from exposure on the mud bank and into the welcoming murky... view more |
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Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/29 (6 of 94) The mangrove tour's pilot and guide were very supportive of our photographic efforts. This little bird either flew away as soon as the boat moved close, or hid invisibly in the bushes. Nearr the... view more |
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Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/28 (7 of 94) The Little Blue was the prettiest heron I saw in Costa Rica. Its body was blue, the neck a purplish color and it always appeared very graceful. We saw them in every region we... view more |
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Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/27 (8 of 94) The light color of this bird indicates that it is a juvenile. The adult of this bird is all black. Neotropic is the only species of cormorant that resides in Costa Rica.... view more |
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Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/26 (9 of 94) Anhingas look a lot like cormorants. They differ in that they have straight not hooked bills, longer tails and necks, and have silver-white markings on their wings. This was a female. A male would... view more |
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Plumed Basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/25 (10 of 94) On the bank was a gorgeous male basilisk. Observe from the color change that he was still shedding his... view more |
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Mangrove Swallow (Tachycineta albilinea) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/24 (11 of 94) This swallow is one of a pair we saw from the boat. They patiently remained perched for several minutes while everyone photographed... view more |
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Roseate Spoonbill by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/23 (12 of 94) I was focusing my attention on the spoonbill but good lord! Look at the length of the neck on that... view more |
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Bare-Throated Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/22 (13 of 94) We saw a lot of these solitary herons on the trip. Although it's called bare throated, you can't see that detail in this flying... view more |
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Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/21 (14 of 94) Wood storks are common in this area, unlike the Jabiru. They aren't as tall as the Jabiru but equal them in their unusual... view more |
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Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/20 (15 of 94) There were many of these toucans in the forest surrounding the volcano. They traveled in small flocks and were easily seen and... view more |
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Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/19 (16 of 94) Our guide Jaime was very excited to see these migratory Jabiru because they were a very rare sight. Jabiru are storks which stand four and a half feet tall. The ones we saw were sedate and seemed... view more |
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Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/18 (17 of 94) I saw this osprey dive into the river and come up with a fish. Unfortunately the image is not sharp because the boat was moving fast, the bird was far away and flying fast. I'm glad I at least got... view more |
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Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/17 (18 of 94) While canoeing to a nearby lagoon, we happened upon a flock of little blue herons taking flight. I originally thought the white one was another species but later discovered it did belong in the... view more |
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Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/16 (19 of 94) A caiman lived in the lodge marina and could almost always be seen hanging out in its far corner. We found out the marina staff were feeding it chicken scraps from the kitchen. I supppose feeding a... view more |
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Brown Basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/15 (20 of 94) Unlike yesterday's bright green plumed basilisk, this brown one has a yellow stripe. Here the male shows off his crest.... view more |
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Green Basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/14 (21 of 94) A female basilisk showed up at breakfast looking for a handout of food scraps. The kitchen staff were pleased to see it and urged us to give it food. Not a good thing for the lizard but very... view more |
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Semiplumbeous Hawk (Leucopternis semiplumbeus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/13 (22 of 94) On my way breakfast I happened upon a hawk hunting near our room at the lodge. He had taken some small prey, yet he looked at me with little concern. A few seconds later he flew off. The word... view more |
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Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/12 (23 of 94) This prehistoric looking male Green Iguana appeared beautiful yet frightening.... view more |
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Black River Turtle (Rhinoclemmys funerea) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/11 (24 of 94) There are numerous Black River Turtles in the canals and rivers of Costa Rica. We stopped to view a caiman near the riverbank and this curious turtle came up to the boat. It was definitely used to... view more |
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Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/10 (25 of 94) This was the first Toucan I saw in Costa Rica. A keel-billed or Fruit Loops Toucan.... view more |
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Green Heron by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/09 (26 of 94) Green herons are abundant in Costa Rica. We saw them on both coasts and in a preserve near the center of Costa Rica. It took me a while to remember their name however, because they are hardly green... view more |
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Gray-necked Wood-Rail (aramides cajanea) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/08 (27 of 94) We saw many wood rails and like the clapper rails, they are quite shy and quickly melt into the background as soon as they realize they are being... view more |
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Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/06 (28 of 94) This juvenile was perched directly across the canal from the adult bird I posted on this blog... view more |
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Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/05 (29 of 94) I have seen many black-crowned night herons but this was the first yellow-crowned I'd ever seen. They reside in Costa Rica year... view more |
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Long-nosed bat by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/04 (30 of 94) On a tour of the Canal of Palms, this was the first animal spotted by our guide. There were three of these tiny bats on the underside of a dead branch. How the guide even saw them was a mystery... view more |
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Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja, sometimes Ajaia ajaja) by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/03 (31 of 94) On our boat trip to Turtle Beach Lodge we saw many Roseate Spoonbills feeding near the banks. When they feed, they move their heads rapidly back and forth in the shallow water, making them look... view more |
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Howler Monkey by Terry Costales posted 2008/10/02 (32 of 94) On our way to Tortuguero on the eastern coast, the guide spotted a family of howler monkeys in the trees next to the road. The van stopped and we got out to watch them. The noise the howlers make is... view more |
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Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) by Bryan Costales posted 2008/08/10 (33 of 94) I had no camera that day in Union Square. So I became the director of the photo shoot. That means I said, "Honey, get a shot of that starling for me!" I'm not sure if I said please, but Bryan is... view more |
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Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) by Terry Costales posted 2008/08/01 (34 of 94) Earlier this year the cliff swallows were busy feeding their young under the eaves of the Lucy Evans Interpretive Center.... view more |
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Standard Poodle by Terry Costales posted 2008/07/01 (35 of 94) Beautiful poodle with a decent haircut and a colorful... view more |
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Chinese Crested by Terry Costales posted 2008/06/22 (36 of 94) It's an odd looking animal, but it's like any other dog, really.... view more |
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Ostrich (Struthio camelus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/06/20 (37 of 94) Up close and personal with a curious ostrich.... view more |
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Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) by Terry Costales posted 2008/06/15 (38 of 94) A large fledgling appears mesmerized by the camera.... view more |
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Western Gull Chick (Larus occidentalis) by Terry Costales posted 2008/06/09 (39 of 94) There is a large breeding colony of Western Gulls on the island which is fenced in for their protection. There were a couple of chicks near us and my husband was able to get their... view more |
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Great Spotted Woodpecker by Terry Costales posted 2008/06/04 (40 of 94) This pair of woodpeckers stayed in the tops of very tall trees making them very hard to photograph. This shot has been cropped about 75%. The Great Spotted is larger, with a longer bill than the... view more |
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Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius) by Terry Costales posted 2008/06/02 (41 of 94) My first day in the woods I heard woodpeckers but only glimpsed them from a distance. My second day was more successful and I saw several. Not close-up but close enough for a... view more |
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Mourning Dove by Terry Costales posted 2008/06/01 (42 of 94) The shy Mourning Dove reveals some lovely... view more |
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Crow by Terry Costales posted 2008/05/30 (43 of 94) This is not my typical bird photo. I usually prefer a close-up that reveals identifying marks of the species. But sometimes, you just get a cool... view more |
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Black Crowned Night Heron by Terry Costales posted 2008/05/29 (44 of 94) It's breeding season again for the Night Herons and Snowy Egrets. Here is a Heron settling a property dispute with his Egret... view more |
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Bullock's Oriole Nest by Terry Costales posted 2008/05/28 (45 of 94) This is the nest I referred to in my last blog.... view more |
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Northern "Bullock's" Oriole (Icterus bullockii) by Terry Costales posted 2008/05/26 (46 of 94) I observed this female oriole as it fed and then flew into its nearby nest. It would remain in its nest a few minutes, then fly out again. The nest would have been invisible if not for the white... view more |
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Wild Horses of Unalaska by Denver Welte posted 2008/05/23 (47 of 94) Part of the small herd of wild horses on the island. They were originally brought to the island about 12 years ago and then... view more |
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Arctic Fox (Alopex lagopus) by Denver Welte posted 2008/05/18 (48 of 94) Taken July 2007, this photo shows the summer coloring of the Arctic Fox. In winter it will be snow... view more |
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Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Denver Welte posted 2008/05/17 (49 of 94) Bald Eagles are very numerous in Dutch Harbor, where they live year round. They are used to people and you see them perched on dumpsters and piers, looking for an easy meal. Bald comes from the Old... view more |
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Bar-headed Geese by Terry Costales posted 2008/05/10 (50 of 94) There is a small flock of these beautiful geese living on the small lake inside the zoo. Bar-headed geese were featured in the nature documentary "Winged Migration" which I highly reccomend.... view more |
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Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo) by Terry Costales posted 2008/05/04 (51 of 94) Although a large and very stately bird, this is actually the smallest variety of... view more |
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Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/05/03 (52 of 94) This is a beautiful female camel. She has very petite furry... view more |
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Butterfly by Terry Costales posted 2008/05/02 (53 of 94) The Hall of Butterflies (Schmetterlingshalle) was one of my favorite spots in the... view more |
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Bryan and Terry showing off their Segway skills. by Terry Costales posted 2008/05/01 (54 of 94) Amazing!! What a thrill!! Segways... view more |
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Irish Wolfhound by Terry Costales posted 2008/04/10 (55 of 94) The Irish Wolfhound is the tallest breed of dog. It's hard to imagine this extremely gentle animal being used in war, but war is the original use for which they were bred.... view more |
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Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) by Terry Costales posted 2008/04/07 (56 of 94) Here is a shot of the male from yesterday's posting which shows the unusual feather formation over his... view more |
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Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) by Terry Costales posted 2008/04/05 (57 of 94) Mandarin ducks are very striking in appearance. At least the male, he looks like he's wearing a... view more |
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White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) by Terry Costales posted 2008/04/02 (58 of 94) Yesterday's posting showed storks nesting in a tree. Here is a photo showing storks nesting on top of a building that was in the Stuttgart Zoo.... view more |
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White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) by Terry Costales posted 2008/04/01 (59 of 94) This photo was taken from high on the hill in the center of the zoo. It shows the storks nest in... view more |
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White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/30 (60 of 94) These storks were nesting in a very tall tree inside of the Karlsruhe Zoo. I took this photo from partway up the hill in the center of the park.... view more |
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Grey Heron by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/25 (61 of 94) The Grey Heron is the European version of our Great Blue Heron and quite plentiful in the city of Stuttgart. I saw this one in a large city park where I was lucky to get this in-flight shot. When... view more |
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Cormorant by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/24 (62 of 94) This bird is resting on an urn placed next to a reflecting pool inside the Stuttgart Zoo. It isn't caged and flew in on its own. I witnessed many herons, storks and cormorants fly into various... view more |
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Chiloe Wigeon (Anas sibilatrix) by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/23 (63 of 94) The Chiloe Wigeon comes from, as its name suggests, Chile. The duck was curious and friendly even though it knew we weren't going to feed it. The "No feeding the animals" rule is strictly adhered to... view more |
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Great Tit (Parus major) by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/22 (64 of 94) The Great Tit is the most numerous bird in the parks of Karlsruhe and is related to the bird of yesterdays' posting. The Great is a little larger and bolder.... view more |
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Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/21 (65 of 94) These little birds were everywhere. They were always on the move, hopping, flitting, hanging upside down and really fun to... view more |
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White-bellied Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis) by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/20 (66 of 94) Here is a close up of yesterdays'... view more |
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White-bellied Bustard (Eupodotis senegalensis) by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/19 (67 of 94) I was quite taken with this two foot tall, chicken-turkey-like bird. It's a ground dwelling native of eastern... view more |
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Butterfly by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/18 (68 of 94) A rare opportunity to see and photograph these colorful creatures. Butterfly in German is... view more |
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Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/17 (69 of 94) The Fieldfare is about the size of an American Robin and its movements are similar. It took me quite a while to identify it as I had never heard of a Fieldfare before. According to Wikipedia the... view more |
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Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope) by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/16 (70 of 94) A very understated but beautiful duck. There is also an American Wigeon but I haven't personally seen one... view more |
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Anna's Hummingbird by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/15 (71 of 94) Yesterday in Palo Alto was chilly and grey for the most part. Fortunately the sun came out once in a while and highlighted this wonderful little bird while it fed.... view more |
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Eurasian Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/14 (72 of 94) The red squirrels in Germany don't look like the squirrels here. Get a load of those ear tufts! This shot was back lit and little more than a silhouette, but it was the only close-up I got. So I... view more |
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Bufflehead by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/02 (73 of 94) This is a photo of a female Bufflehead. She definitely has a quieter look than her handsome but flashy... view more |
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Lesser Scaup by Terry Costales posted 2008/03/01 (74 of 94) Here is the female lesser scaup. The mate of yesterday's... view more |
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Lesser Scaup by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/29 (75 of 94) The male lesser scaup is almost identical to the male greater scaup. The head of the lesser gleams purple whereas the greater gleams green. Supposedly the lesser is also smaller than the greater, but... view more |
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Greater Scaup by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/28 (76 of 94) This is the female scaup. Much more muted in coloration than yesterdays... view more |
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Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/27 (77 of 94) Greater Scaups are very common in the Bay Area. This is a... view more |
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Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/26 (78 of 94) This is a very cute little diving bird . When they come up after a dive they puff up their posterior so it looks like a big powder puff. Then right before they dive, they bring those feathers close... view more |
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Canvasback female by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/25 (79 of 94) Here is the mate of yesterday's male Canvasback. She is in almost the exact same pose that he, but here you can see her paler, gentler... view more |
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Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/24 (80 of 94) This is a male Canvasback duck resting in the water. You can't see the long red neck in this photo but I like the pose... view more |
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Goldeneye by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/23 (81 of 94) This is a female Goldeneye showing how differently the genders appear. No flashy white duds for this... view more |
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Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/21 (82 of 94) There were many male and female Goldeneyes out on the lake that day. This is a very handsome male. Goldeneyes are closely related to Buffleheads and are also found in Scotland and Great... view more |
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American White Pelican by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/20 (83 of 94) There was this one lone white pelican at the nature center that day. It was probably an injured bird being nursed back to health, or it just knew a good hand-out when it saw... view more |
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Western Grebe by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/18 (84 of 94) There were many Western Grebes on the lake. They were more wary of people than the ducks and kept their... view more |
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Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/17 (85 of 94) The male Bufflehead is a strikingly beautiful bird. There were several on the lake this summer-like day, having a good time diving to avoid the... view more |
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Flamingos by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/07 (86 of 94) Maybe I should have posted this on Valentines Day. It's either affection or defense of... view more |
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Black and White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata variegata) by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/04 (87 of 94) The lemurs at the zoo have a large natural exhibit that gives them many opportunities to climb, relax and relate to one... view more |
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Grizzly (Ursus arctos) by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/02 (88 of 94) This is a swimming bear in the new Grizzly Gulch exhibit at the zoo. The zoo acquired two female Montana bears that were about to be euthanized. They had become too used to humans and couldn't be... view more |
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Black Swan (cygnus atratus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/02/01 (89 of 94) This photo shows the ruffled feathers on the back and white feathers edging the wings of the Black... view more |
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Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) by Terry Costales posted 2008/01/30 (90 of 94) Another view of the distant and beautiful... view more |
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Ugly Bird by Terry Costales posted 2008/01/28 (91 of 94) I don't know what kind of bird this is. Some kind of stork-like-vulture-thingy. It was in the walk-through aviary. Scary... view more |
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Black Crowned Crane by Terry Costales posted 2008/01/25 (92 of 94) This photo was taken Sept 29, 2007. The Black Crowned Crane is an African bird and endangered by loss of... view more |
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Siberian Tiger Tatiana by Terry Costales posted 2008/01/02 (93 of 94) Here is Tatiana on Sept 29, 2007 looking alive and well. Due to incompetence at the Zoo and the malicious idiocy of a few young men, she and one of those young men are now deceased. A needless... view more |
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Heermann's Gull by Terry Costales posted 2008/01/01 (94 of 94) This juvenile Heermann's gull exhibits its main identifying marks clearly: black feet, red bill and dusky body. As an adult, its head will become pure... view more |
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