Today we have some guest photos from Belize sent in by reader Mark, but taken by a friend. The IDs are from an anonymous friend, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them:
I’ve already had posted here sets of bird photos from two of my friends in the local Audubon group, Ed and Jeff; here are some photos from a third friend, Cliff. These are photos he took on a birding trip to Belize in April 2024. All identifications are his; he’s not only a better photographer than I am, he’s a better birder as well. As always, posted with permission.
American pygmy kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea):
Bare-throated tiger heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum):
Black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis):
Black-collared Hawk (Busarellus nigricollis):
Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) – in flight:
Black-necked stilt (Himantopus mexicanus):
Brown-crested flycatcher (Myiarchus tyrannulus):
Boat-billed heron (Cochlearius cochlearius):
Great-tailed grackle or Mexican grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus):
Green heron (Butorides virescens) – on nest:
Green kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana) – male:
Green kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana) – female:
Very nice! The Tiger Heron looks like a smaller bird sitting on top of a larger bird.
Ha, it does!
Wow, these are breathtaking and striking – both the animals themselves and the compositions … I definitely never (🤔) saw the herons, or the hawk before…
Nice!
Great photos! I love that Boat-billed heron. I’ve never seen one.
Lovely! It would be fun to watch that boat-shaped bill being used. It looks like the bird might strain fish out of the water as pelicans do, instead of spearing them like other herons.
Such gorgeous birds, great photography!
The black necked stilt does appear to be on stilts.
Very cool, thanks!
(There are black-crowned night herons nesting down the street from me here in Los Angeles, in MacArthur Park.)