Bald Eagles in snow. China Poot Bay is an extraordinary place to watch Bald Eagles. We were on a small sand spit that was covered in snow with snow-covered mountains as an amazing backdrop. The eages were very active! Female birds weigh on average 5.3kg whilst males...
Bald Eagles at sunset. As the sunset in China Poot Cove of Kachemak Bay, the Bald Eagles were still active in their search for fish. The light was lovely and the eagles made an impressive sight against the evening sky. The snow-covered mountains in the distance just...
Bald Eagles fishing. Bald Eagles are sea eagles and very adept at plucking fish from the sea. Bald Eagles subsist mainly on fish which they catch by swooping down and snatching from the water with their massive talons. Remarkably, they are able to take whole salmon...
Bald Eagles: power and beauty. Bald Eagles on the shore of Peterson Bay across Kachemak Bay from Homer, Alaska. The ice covered rocks and icicles made for a beautiful setting to watch these magnificent birds. Female birds weigh on average 5.3kg whilst males weigh in...
Gentoo Penguin chicks at González Videla Base, on the Antarctic mainland at Waterboat Point in Paradise Bay. One advantage of visiting this base is the opportunity to get closer to the penguins than is allowed elsewhere. This is because the Gentoo Penguins nest very...
Gentoo Penguins. This very noisy and busy Gentoo Penguin colony was on Pleneau Island on the Antarctic Peninsular. Lots of interesting behaviour on view. Penguins were carrying stones to build the nests whilst penguins sitting on the nest with eggs were doing some...
We made a visit to the Chilean Antarctic base Bernardo O'Higgins to hear some of the history and current activities on the base. In addition, there was a Gentoo colony which we intended to visit. As we watched the Gentoos, we heard the unmistakable call of an Emperor...
Skuas feeding their chick. I had been watching a mixed Chinstrap Penguin and Gentoo Penguin colony when I noticed there was a pair of Skuas close by along with their chick. This was a very convenient place for them to be since food in the form of young penguin chicks...
These Chinstrap Penguins were on Georges Point at the north end of Ronge Isalnd in Antarctica. It had been a bit of a climb to get up there - first across rocks and boulders and then deep snow. It is remarkable that these hardy birds make their nests in such exposed...
Gentoo Penguins on the beach at Cuverville Island, Antarctica. It was fun to watch the Gentoo Penguins as they waddled back and forth to the sea. Some were very dirty but others pristine. Gentoo Penguins are the third largest of all the penguins after Emperor and King...
Playful Gentoo Penguins. There is a large Gentoo Penguin colony on Cuverville Island on the Antarctic Peninsula. It is both noisy and very smelly. But these are amazing penguins. Behind me was the colony and many penguins were making their way down to the sea. I...
Penguin punch-up! All had been quiet at this Adelie Penguin colony on Yalour Islands on the Antarctic Peninsular. Chicks had been fed, parent pairs were displaying when all hell broke loose. A huge squabble broke out for no obvious reason and went on for several...
Arctic birds: Fulmars and Guillemots. In the Arctic, the temptation is to focus on the iconic species. But the birds are always fun to watch. Here Fulmars and Guillemots appear at one with the ice
Two polar bears vie for a seal carcass. Getting food is tough in the Arctic! On the ice near Svalbard, this large male polar bear had killed a beared seal and you can see from the state he is in that he had been feasting on the kill for some time. The younger male...
The Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) can be found from the southeastern United States to Central Chile and Uruguay. Black vulture adults stand 64 cm high, weigh 1.8 Kg with a 1.33m wingspan. These were viewed in Costa Rica.
The rather quirky King Vulture. King vultures have very distinctive black and white plumage which makes them easy to identify. However, King Vultures are uncommon and difficult to find. At Laguna del Lagarto there is a hide and bait is put out each day. This attracts...
Black-mandibled Toucan. Toucans are the quintessential birds of the neotropics. The Black-mandibled Toucan is the largest of the Toucans. We saw this magnificent specimen in Costa Rica.
Collared Aracari. Toucans are the quintessential neotropic birds. The wonderful Collared Aracari is the smallest of the Toucans but nevertheless is a lovely bird to see. These were seen in Costa Rica.
White-necked Jacobin. Costa Rica enjoys a diverse range of beautiful hummingbirds. Perhaps the most spectacular is the White-necked Jacobin. Its royal blue head is a notable feature. In wet lowland and the foot hills of Costa Rica, these birds are reasonably common....
The Resplendent Quetzal is resplendent indeed! We watched these Resplendent Quetzals in the Savegre Valley of Costa Rica. They were visiting a wild avocado tree close to a small, gurgling stream. They feed mostly on members of the avocado family The striking males...