Great Grey Owl - A Lifer!

One of the best wildlife moments of my life, this Great Grey Owl put on quite a show for me. It was obvious this wild owl was used to people as it approached quite close many times. The rumor mill was buzzing with sightings of this owl and the unethical behavior displayed by certain photographers baiting. This owl was looking for an easy meal while I was there, although no one baited him on this day. Right or wrong, perfect weather conditions and a big help from this lifer owl made this a spectacular day! Enjoy!

Raccoon Youngsters Foraging

A couple of young raccoons took advantage of the milder temps to look for food. Raccoons normally hibernate during freezing temps but leave the den to eat when the temps are not so frigid. 

 

 

My Trip to Costa Rica 2013

Scartlet Macaw - A breeding pair

 My 3rd trip to Costa Rica was amazing! Reasons to keep going back is endless. The culture there is simply beautiful. The mantra for Costa Rica is: "Pura Vita", meaning "the pure life" or simply put: "the simple life". Costa Rica has the respect of the world for their respect of nature. Did you know that the residents who own property have to get permission to cut down a tree? The government then comes out and decides if the tree qualifies for killing it. Most of the time, they deny it unless it is completely dead already. Many species of trees are only found native in this country so wasting something so precious must require proper paperwork and removal.

Pygmy Owl

 There is very little crime in C.R. I found that fascinating. Talking with a local guide on 1 of our adventures told us that money isn't all that important. If you can pay your bills and feed your children, most people dont have a desire for luxuries. They have vast gardens for self-sustaining themselves so the rest just complicates their "pure life". What a way to live!

Chestnut-mandibled Toucan

All of these photos came from the same resort we had stayed in for the past 3 trips. The resort was cut out of a rainforest reserve. We stayed in bungalows that was surrounded in jungle. The resort removed very little trees, unlike alot of resorts who wipe out acres and acres to build huge highrises next to the beach. Not this place! That is why we go back to this particular place.

Fiery-billed Aracari

It doesn't feel like you are in a resort. When you take a trail to go birdwatching, you are enveloped in rainforest and you can only hear nature.

Three-toed Sloth

We took an early morning birdwalk tour to see where the birds were. From there, we revisited those places to find even more birds.

Capuchin Monkey Silhouette

Finding the sloth was a highlight I had not gotten in my previous 2 visits.

Capuchin Monkey

Stay tuned for all of the waterbirds we found during our Croc Tour!

Lonely Duck

Lonely Duck, originally uploaded by Hannibals Animals.

Digging thru my photo archives, I found this winter scene, and since I haven't posted in awhile, I would submit something wintery!

Crazy Tines

Crazy Tines, originally uploaded by Hannibals Animals.

An encounter with this guy produced very poor quality photos, but I just had to give this guy respect for his his "craziness"! It looks as if he has a long drop tine that forks off. Anyway, I thought he was really cool.

I "tried" to focus out my passenger side window, handholding my ridulculously heavy 300mm f2.8 with 2x attached and failed miserably. I usually have my homemade "seatpod" for these situations, but it was in my trunk. My bad! I added a filter application to try to hide the poor quality.

Knuckle Head

Sometimes bad weather produces the best days in sightings. Although my ISO was set at 400 for lighting purposes this cold and rainy/foggy morning, I was blessed with seeing this massive 16 point buck! Just look at those massive beams! I call this guy "Knuckle Head" for obvious reasons. I am hoping my luck holds in the coming weeks as the rut comes into full swing.

My 2013 Wildlife Calendar is NOW available! 12 months of my best photos including various owls, bucks, cranes, birds, etc... This isn't a flimsy calendar either! I had these made with the highest quality in mind. The pages are produced with PREMIUM glossy card stock. This calendar will not rip off the nail while hanging, like so many other cheap calendars. Order now as I only have a limited quantity available. I also ship within 24 hours!

$15.00