[WPRESTO]

Reichenow's weaver

Attached Images

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

[OrchidJulie]

I found one... Anhinga anhinga..."snakebird" or "water turkey", this is a female, the males are mostly black with some white flecks on the wings. Anhingas have no oil glands for their feathers, after an underwater hunting session, they perch with spread wings to dry their feathers.

[WPRESTO]

Warthog, coming, then going. Same individual with a missing left tusk.

[GreenRich]

KP+55-300PLM at a nature reserve within a disused power stations grounds. I've cropped some of the cormorants out, apparently there were 250+ the other day when they counted

[WPRESTO]

White-throated bee-eater.

[OrchidJulie]

Young alligator

[WPRESTO]

Puff adder - zoo specimen.

Attached Images

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

[OrchidJulie]

Softshell turtle, not quite as bad-tempered as a snapping turtle, but close...

[WPRESTO]

Another turtle, an African species (did not record the name, this one is in a herpetological zoo).

A tidbit about the common snapper (not alligator snapper). If they are out on land and grab and pull their tail, or simply hold tight to the tail, they will raise up on their legs, pull their head back as far as possible, hiss menacingly and snap fiercely over the carapace with lightning quick speed. Put them in water only a few inches deep and hold their tail, they will pull and try to swim away, with their neck stretched out, and neither hiss nor attempt to bite. Land means vulnerability and danger so threaten and attempt to bite. Water means safety so get as far out and deep as quickly as possible.

[OrchidJulie]

A tidbit about the common snapper (not alligator snapper). If they are out on land and grab and pull their tail, or simply hold tight to the tail, they will raise up on their legs, pull their head back as far as possible, hiss menacingly and snap fiercely over the carapace with lightning quick speed.

Softshells can do the same, stretch the neck so far out that the jaws can snap on something touching the hind feet or tail. I've seen it, my former employer had a couple of softshells in his pond, one day one of them managed to get onto the deck and some crazy person (I don't remember who it was) thought it would be a good idea to pick the turtle up and toss it back into the water. Fortunately he let go of the turtle a fraction of a second before the jaws clamped onto one of his hands. He had picked it up with hands near the hind feet, the turtle could reach that far to bite.

[OrchidJulie]

Little blue heron

[noelcmn]

[WPRESTO]

Grants gazelle and blue gnu

[Tonytee]

Little blue heron

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful and interesting. Nothing to not fall in love with in this awesome wildlife capture. Love it! Many thanks for such an amazing treat.

tt

[OrchidJulie]

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful and interesting. Nothing to not fall in love with in this awesome wildlife capture. Love it! Many thanks for such an amazing treat.

tt

Thank you, Tony. They are quite beautiful birds. That one was shot at the Shark Valley entrance to Everglades National Park...there's a visitor center quite nearby, so most of the birds and other wildlife (read: alligators) are used to people all around them, and fairly calm. One can get darned close to many of them, as long as you don't make sudden movements or loud noises.