Back to Tarcoles

and after yesterday's foray into the St Joseph River for Long-tailed Ducks, we return to the Tarcoles River with considerably different flora and fauna.

This meditating (ok sun-bathing) young Bare-throated Tiger-Heron was actually from earlier in the boat ride, but I forgot the pics the first time through.

 More adults were around as well.

 I wonder how many of these disappear down heron throats every year, or how big they have to be for the spines on the crab to prevent them from becoming a meal.

There was a frigatebird feeding frenzy; probably 50-100 of them were swirling around and diving down towards the water.  I'm not sure I've seen a frigatebird since the birds at Tiscornia.

A Yellow-headed Caracara perched directly above another boat.  It quickly flushed and landed right at water's edge.

There were other predators along the water too.

 We probably saw 10-15 crocodiles of various sizes.

Finally two large shorebirds without North American counterparts, first a Southern Lapwing.  I was surprised by how big the two birds we saw were.

Even larger was a double-striped thick-knee.  It was really long-legged.

These nocturnal shorebirds are closer in size to a Little Blue Heron than the killdeer class I expected.