Birding on Bonaire . . .
is almost as good as diving. While the gnats and the heat kept us from venturing down any trails, birding from car provided plenty of interesting opportunities. We discovered a set of trees near by one of our favorite dive sites that housed humming birds, herons, warblers, parakeets and more. We visited that spot several times. But, our most amusing encounter occurred on the road to Rincon.
We came around a bend and spotted a bird standing in the middle of the road. We quickly determined it was a juvenile Crested Caracara. We stopped well back so as not to spook him. Using the car doors as our blind, we started to take some pictures. As we did, he started walking towards us. He came closer and closer and closer, until he was finally lost from view under the bumper. Not a good strategy for a young bird. With a car coming in the other direction, he thankfully moved to the side of the road.
We came upon him again later in the week, and he headed off into the brush. Maybe he is getting smarter.
The other great bird entertainment was the fishing Brown Pelicans. They were in the same spot every day and we spent a lot of time and effort trying to get the whole dive sequence on “film”. They sort of telegraph their moves, but it is hard to keep up as the dive is very fast. Getting the whole bird in focus throughout the maneuver was a real challenge. This was the best I could do.
Remember, you can click on an image to view it full screen.
A few more pictures of the birds of Bonaire.
