Home on the River

Tags

Frigates, Herons, Ibis, kingfishers, Mangroves, night herons, Pelicans, snowy egrets, WordPress Weekly Challenge HOME

How many birds?  Frigates, egrets, herons, cormorants, ibis, terns, ducks -and about 50 more call this last bend their home!

While flipping through photos, I realized how lucky I am to have sights like this every day that I am home on the river.  The 2013 rainy season kicked off with a strong start, so the river now resembles cafe con leche instead of the colors from a few weeks ago!   The bird life remains phenomenal, and how could I not share some images of those amazing birds that punctuate this last bend of the river ?!

Those amazing frigate birds perch near the tops of the mangroves and suddenly leap into a swan dive that takes them near the surface of the water.  They might swoop lower in pursuit of fish, or they might soar high above and ride the air currents in lazy spirals throughout the day.  During nesting season, they often perch in the mangroves for most of the day.

Pelicans claim the middle section of the mangroves and spend their time flop-flop flopping their wings in the water at low tide.   At times a mighty kingfisher hovers high above the pelicans then dive bombs the churned waters in pursuit of a fish.  If successful, he rat-tat-tattles away in a low arc of a glory circle while boasting about his catch!  If unsuccessful, he flies skyward  and hovers above the pelicans again and again until he he finally scores a catch!

Catch me if you can!

I once watched a pelican and kingfisher play a game of tag!  The kingfisher taunted the pelican until it took flight and chased it across the river.  The kingfisher ducked into its hole in the river bank, and the pelican flew back and flopped into the water.  The kingfisher then darted back across and chattered until the pelican again took flight and chased it to the other side.  They appeared to be on good terms with each other  and were playing a friendly game of tag!

I am the king of t his river!

“Hi-Ho!”

Harmony

The kingfishers announce the arrival of the sun each morning!  At times, several challenge each other with the loudest pre-sunrise greeting of the day!  Perhaps they’re asking, “When is the gringa going to come outside and say,’Good Morning!‘ to us?”

The muddy riverbank provides a home for the kingfishers, while a nearby mangrove tree shelters the night herons.  They are my closest neighbors and bring me great joy each day!  The pelicans and frigates take a more distant residence and guard the point on the last bend of the river.

Last year I defended the birds and the mangroves when the local municipality altered the outside curve of the river.  Without warning, they brought in heavy equipment and began shoving down mangroves!  I threatened to tie myself to the ‘upriver’ trees that were home to my neighbors the birds!

Black Crowned Night Heron and Green Kingfisher

Each night a lone yellow-crowned night heron guards my house!  Perhaps it’s a token gesture of gratitude for speaking up for their rights!

Black Crowned Night Heron

Snowy egret and little blue heron – low tide

I mourn the loss of this lovely mangrove.

The Mangrove Melting Pot of Ibis, Egrets, Herons and Frigates

At high tide, one can canoe upriver into small breaks in the treeline and peek at the many species nesting there.

Save Us! – In over a year, not one tree has started the regeneration process.  Thankfully the ones remaining still offer a safe haven to the birds!

Yellow feet = Snowy Egret!

Dorothy sighed, “There’s no place like home; there’s no place like home.”

Ah, Home On The River!

See many other examples of ‘HOME’ on this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge.