An Uninvited Guest

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This handsome guy is a Great Kiskadee which is the national bird of Costa Rica. You can’t miss it, because even if you can’t see it, you’ll hear it’s call, “KISS-KA-DEE.” It caused some havoc, though, one afternoon, when he flew into our hotel room via the terrace sliding glass door, and started flapping around our room! It got really worrisome when he saw himself in the wardrobe mirror and started attacking the mirror. Fortunately, we finally managed to get him to fly back out, and he seemed okay.

Manuel Antonio,

Costa Rica

He’s Back!

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We saw the bald eagle high up behind the Well House at the park, and then walked on. A half hour later, we walked part way around the lake, and sat down on a bench facing the lake. Then all of a sudden, we saw and heard a huge flock of gulls squawking and circling around over the lake. And a moment later, the eagle came by and landed on a tree right over the lake near our bench. And I was very happy I had my camera with me.

Prospect Park

Brooklyn, New York

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

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If you look very closely, you can see a faint patch of reddish-orange towards the very bottom of the belly, and that’s how the bird gets its name. This one is a female; the male has the bright red patch extend all the way from the nape to the rest of the crown forward. This is the first time I’ve gotten a photo of this kind of bird.

Prospect Park

Brooklyn, New York