An American Oystercatcher traipses by while the snowy egret hunts in the shallow tide pool. American Oystercatchers are stunning shorebirds that specialize in extracting oysters, snails, etc from the protective shell. Gulls will sometimes watch these elegant shellfish specialists and dive in to steal their food after it's prepared. Egrets, on the other hand, simply snatch hapless fish as they pass. Puerto Penasco, MX.
Purchase This Print
American Oystercatchers are stunning shorebirds that specialize in extracting oysters, snails, etc from the protective shell. Gulls will sometimes watch these elegant shellfish specialists and dive in to steal their food after it's prepared.
Puerto Penasco, MX.
Purchase This Print
An American Oystercatcher carries about a hapless snail before brutally extracting dinner with his/her long bill. American Oystercatchers are stunning shorebirds that specialize in extracting oysters, snails, etc from the protective shell. Gulls will sometimes watch these elegant shellfish specialists and dive in to steal their food after it's prepared. Puerto Penasco, MX. Prints of this image are not currently available for sale. Please check back for updates!
Just before sunset and with the combined dramatic light from an approaching storm, these avocets cut a remarkable scene! American avocets sometimes hunt in a peculiar manner. Several will walk in the shallows, side-by-side, moving their beaks in unison. The bent beaks are specialized for the tiny creatures the avocets eat.
Purchase This Print
Purple gallinules are among the most entertaining water birds I've had the pleasure to observe. Disregard the spectacular colors, big goofy feet, and dumpy body structures, these birds are personality-plus! Purple gallinules spend their mornings traipsing across the lily pads of their aquatic homes. When another gallinule encroaches too far or vocalizes too loud, the intruder must be chased off. These chases are frequent, but short-lived. Everglades National Park, FL.
Purple gallinules are among the most entertaining water birds I've had the pleasure to observe. Disregard the spectacular colors, big goofy feet, and dumpy body structures, these birds are personality-plus! Purple gallinules spend their mornings traipsing across the lily pads of their aquatic homes. When another gallinule encroaches too far or vocalizes too loud, the intruder must be chased off. These chases are frequent, but short-lived. Everglades National Park, FL.
Purple gallinules are among the most entertaining water birds I've had the pleasure to observe. Disregard the spectacular colors, big goofy feet, and dumpy body structures, these birds are personality-plus! Purple gallinules spend their mornings traipsing across the lily pads of their aquatic homes. When another gallinule encroaches too far or vocalizes too loud, the intruder must be chased off. These chases are frequent, but short-lived. Everglades National Park, FL.
Hence the name, wood rails are quite fond of damp, dark woodlands. They meander along picking off insects, spiders, and other tiny creatures with a gait that closely resembles that of a chicken. Golfito, Costa Rica.
One of the strangest birds you may encounter, meet the Sora. This unusual water bird looks like a cross between a duck and a chicken, and will readily masquerade as either. I have seen them both stalking the shallows, and swimming in search of food. Photo taken in Tucson, AZ, USA.
Purchase This Print
Coots have some of the funniest feet of any bird! They remind me of medieval chainmail.
This fellow's are unusually visible as he/she balances on a log. Tucson, AZ. Prints of this image are not currently available for sale. Please check back for future availability!
While observing the eared grebes from my rocky outpost and between visits from the patrolling marbled godwit, I was graced with the company of this sandpiper picking off insects from the rocks. Medicine Lake Wildlife Refuge, MT.
Purchase This Print
One of these neotropic cormorants snagged a catfish that was entirely too big to be swallowed in one try. Naturally, this drew the attention of a second cormorant who was able to steal the catch. This, of course, attracted a third and forth cormorant to the scene. By the time one of the birds finally managed to swallow the very dead fish, he / she had passed between 6 different beaks over the course of nearly two minutes. This was, of course, amidst much splashing, flailing, and biting. Gilbert, AZ, USA.
Purchase This Print
In response to an approaching storm, hundreds of black skimmers danced in the turbulent winds. Joined by a plethora of other feathered friends, this magnificent menagerie moved in unison over the coastal waters. I've never before witnessed anything like it! Everglades National Park, Florida.
In response to an approaching storm, hundreds of black skimmers danced in the turbulent winds. Joined by a plethora of other feathered friends, this magnificent menagerie moved in unison over the coastal waters. I've never before witnessed anything like it! Everglades National Park, Florida.
