Brown Vine Snake (Oxybelis aeneus)
Here’s something to wake you up on a cold Monday morning! A Brown Vine Snake (Oxybelis aeneus) giving its threat posture to the photographer, RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser.
Read MoreGray Hawk (Buteo plagiatus)
This was a fascinating sighting by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser in Costa Rica a few days ago, and it was the first time he had ever observed it. This raptor put two and two together thinking, “Hey, maybe I can get a free meal while these guys have birds flying out from their hands,” during their banding operation. The Gray Hawk (Buteo plagiatus) stuck around for most of the day watching them process birds and waiting to see if it could take advantage of the situation. Luckily the humans were a step or two ahead of it, but it was an interesting behavior to watch.
Read MoreBlack-crested Coquette (Lophornis helenae)
Sean has captured over thirty species of hummingbirds but this is now his favorite: the Black-crested Coquette (Lophornis helenae). It is about the size of a large bee, and it flies like one! They are a highland specialist that visits gardens as well as a wide variety of other habitats. They have a lion’s mane and a crown to go with their gorgeous plumage. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Costa Rica while on assignment for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
Read MoreBoat-tailed Grackle
This Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) was one individual of the flock of the most northern U.S. population in Stratford, Connecticut, as photographed one spring several years ago. Changes to the local environment from Hurricanes Irene and Sandy helped to push them back to the south it seems, but there are still many places you can enjoy these supersized grackles across the U.S. I hope they come back to Roger Tory Peterson’s favorite places one of these years! Watching them during the breeding season is highly entertaining with their loud calls, conspicuous behavior and big nests. Scott...
Read MoreGeoffroy’s Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)
The second time RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser was fortunate enough to spot a spider monkey species in the wild was a wonderful experience as he saw a Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) for the first time in Costa Rica. Sean said they first saw the smaller individual eating some vegetation before moving to another tree where a large female joined it. They started grooming each other, and after the crew was taking photos for a while the female moved and revealed she had a newborn with her. Spectacular!
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