Birds! Ecuador, Peru and Costa Rica

About 18 months ago, when we were stuck in Shelter Bay marina awaiting delivery of our cylinder head, I took to walking in the grounds and surrounding jungle taking photographs of the wildlife. Although not a “twitcher” deliberately seeking out the various birds in the area I did enjoy snapping them when I saw them – usually when actually looking for the elusive sloth – and a blog post, published in Dec 2014, was the result.

I have continued to try to capture birds [and animals] on camera as I come across them and, having managed to bring the blog up to date with our travels, I decided it was time to put together some photos of the birds we have seen since leaving Panama. Most of the aquatic life, reptiles and the occasional animal we have seen I have included in the earlier travel posts but I “saved” the birds as there were more of them. Unlike in my “normal” posts I have titled the photographs rather than include the names of the birds in the script.

There has, of course, got to be an exception to the rule as I start with a couple I can’t name! Maybe you can help me out? I think this first one may be a kind of plover [seen in Northern Ecuador]…..

….and, observed in the “Reserva Nacional de Paracas [Pacific Coast of Peru], maybe this is a juvenile something!

Now for a few which I have included because I have been able to identify them even though I don’t think they are particularly good photographs [mainly a bit out of focus or because the whole bird can’t be seen/it is looking in the wrong direction]. These birds are from Ecuador….

….. the following from Costa Rica……

….and these from Peru……

When first seeing this duck in a park in Guayaquil, Ecuador, I thought it was nothing out of the ordinary but it turns out that it is a hybrid – but maybe most ducks are hybrids and indeed it is nothing out of the ordinary!

More ducks, from Peru……

…and from Costa Rica.

Whist travelling in Ecuador and Peru we were only on the coast for a few days but saw these on our trip to the Islas Ballestas…

As we strolled around the shores of Lake Titicaca, Peru we were treated to these….

…. and, as it was the mating season, we also witnessed a display of excess testosterone!

Mating seems to have been over for this pair….

…. seen in the Colca Canyon, Peru, as were the following….

I haven’t actually been able to verify the last bird as an Andean Gull, but our guide in the Canyon was very knowledgeable and correctly named all the other birds and animals we saw, so who am I to argue!

Condors featured in my post about our time in the Canyon, but whilst waiting for those magnificent birds to soar in the early morning thermals I spotted this little fella who I thought was equally deserving of having his picture taken.

We saw the following upland bird in the hills above Cuzco, Peru…..

…. and this high altitude bird, which was actually much bigger than it looks in the photograph [should have tried to find something to show perspective – must try harder], was in the Parque Nacional Cajas near Cuenca, Ecuador.

On the malecon [promenade] in Guayaquil, Ecuador we saw this small songbird….

…. on the Peninsular de Osa [at Puerto Jiménez], this beautiful raptor….

….and last, but not least, these brilliant birds which are at risk of extinction and which we saw at the Eco Zoologico St Martin, Baños, Ecuador.

So, I hope you have enjoyed this slightly different blog post. At least you haven’t been subjected to the usual excess of words!!!