Birds and Nature

This video is copywrited--please ask for permission before use other than viewing on this blog. This is my first video clip and it has been a bit of pain to get uploaded but it is worth the hassle. This is videoscoped by videotaping the tiger-heron through a spotting scope--too cool. At the begnning of the clip the BARE-THROATED TIGER-HERON is standing still as it forages in it's slow, methodical manner. Then you will see it move it's head--watch very closely because it will jab down and almost behind in an exceptionally fast manner-puts new meaning to the phrase 'break-neck speed'! This is followed by swallowing movements (and my comments of astonishment as if I had never seen a creature swallow before), then some chewing movements. In the background someone talks about whether it is eating a grasshopper but I don't know that anyone was able to see what it ate. SeEtta

Today the BARE-THROATED TIGER-HERON provided just awesome views as it foraged for more than an hour at fairly close distance at Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park in Texas. This was another daytime viewing with very good light. I just purchased a camera to try digiscoping again (when I tried over a year ago it just didn't work out) and these are my first attempts at using it for digiscoping. I used two different spotting scopes but the pics came out pretty good. I also did some videoscoping but the files are very large and it is taking hours to upload. I am hoping the first video file will be up and processed for viewing on this blog tomorrow. SeEtta

I was hoping to get some video of the Bentsen Tiger-Heron so walked out on the levee south of the Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park a little before 4 pm today and the top pic is what I saw. The south levee is on the left where the birders are standing--it is higher and affords better views. The trail on the north levee is directly ahead and some of the vegetation on the north side of the cnal in the park's re-veg area is visible on the far right. Over the next hour or so a lot more birders arrived increasing to about 50 at the most. This time I stood on the south levee just south of the small bridge on the side so I had a better chance of being to the west of the bird which would be the best light. Around 6:15 when we still had not seen the bird, I moved to the west side so I could have a good view of the dirt road that runs north from the bridge as one of last night's birders told me they had seen the bird on that road and flying to/from (?) the grass field east of it. I was...

I found these two good videos of BARE-THROATED TIGER-HERONS videotaped in Costa Rica by different persons. The top video by "doctorpyserphd" shows two BARE-THROATED TIGER-HERON engaged in probable courtship behavior in Tortuguero Natl Park, Costa Rica according to the labels. The bottom video shows a single BARE-THROATED TIGER-HERON videotaped in Corcovado Natl Park, Costa Rica, that is engaged in grooming and foraging behavior. BARE-THROATED TIGER-HERONS are listed as crepuscular, being most active during dawn and dusk. It is interesting that these videos were taken clearly during the daytime (the bottom video in good sunlight) as it has have stated by birders on the Texas listserve that it would be rare to see this species during the day unless it had been flushed from it's roost. The renowned ornithologist Robert Ridgely in A Guide to the Birds of Panama states, "Mainly crepuscular, and at times active even at night (as are other tiger-herons)." I think i...

©Michael Packer (copied here by permission) I found this image on the on the internet at PackerLight.com and found it helpful in visualizing the BARE-THROATED TIGER-HERON photo I posted just below, and re-posted above this pic, as it shows the upper wings including the interesting trailing edge that appears scalloped due to the rounded feather ends. I emailed the photographer, Michael Packer, for permission to post this pic on my blog and he promptly replied authorizing my request (I strongly encourage seeking permission before using someone's photographic work--it's like borrowing someone's book without asking). This bird, that was photographed in Costa Rica, is in juvenal plumage. The bird that is in So. Texas certainly looks a lot like BARE-THROATEDTIGER-HERON in juvenal plumage like this and other I have found on the internet. Others with more experience with this species had identified the Texas bird as an immature transitioning to adult plumage but it seems to be r...