Wildlife of Costa Rica

[gmaize]

Hello All,

I just returned from several great days in northwest Costa Rica. If you have never been, be sure to put it on your don't miss list of destinations ....especially if you enjoy wildlife and the outdoors. Attached are the first batch of processed favorites. Enjoy....and comment if you wish. I.D's for the last two (7 and 8 ) would be appreciated.

First the Iguanas.

--gmaize

[gmaize]

and then the big birds....

[gmaize]

egret and grasshopper.

[gmaize]

and the final two. If you can ID these, I'd be appreciative.

--gmaize

[Dante King]

Very nice to see, Looks like it was a perfect outing for photogs!

[gmaize]

Thanks Dante. Most of these were taken on the one day we saw the sun shining through the clouds. Although it is nearing the end of the wet season, most days remained shrouded in thunderstorms. Hot and sticky still. Forgot to mention that all of these images are with my new Canon 100-400 IS L. Still have to work out the proper IS modes with these panning shots. I have yet to use Mode 2 and a think a lot of my photos suffered as a result.

Regards,

--gmaize

[sparker1]

You have some neat shots to remember your trip by. Good work.

[Hellashot]

Lucky to have had such "wild" wildlife to shoot. :)

[cfcRebel]

Very nice. I really like the bird shots.

[gmaize]

Stan, Hellashot and cfc,

I'm appreciative of your feedback. The birds were tough to shoot but I tell you I had more than my share of attempts. While on the river, the egrets and herons were everywhere. You have very little time to think about your setup, but conversely.....you need to adjust to the condtions constantly. Thanks for checking in.

--gmaize

[Gary Fairhead]

Very nice shots. I really like the bird shots and that photo of the grasshopper is super.

[gmaize]

Thanks Gary,

Very unique critter indeed. I'm hoping to work up some more shots of these creatures, but this particular image was my immediate favorite because of the reflection in the water.

--gmaize

[Paul A]

Great shots G, the last two are a black-crowned night heron and a turquoise-browed motmot.

[gmaize]

Paul,

Much appreciated. I would have never guessed the last one in a thousand tries.

--gmaize

[SolPics]

Nice series. What a beautiful country Costa Rica is. Really like #6.

[gmaize]

Nice series. What a beautiful country Costa Rica is. Really like #6.

Beautiful indeed. I have rarely heard any negative comments about the people or places in Costa Rica. It was very much more than we expected. Thanks for the compliments.

--gmaize