Gallinule on a Wire
By Mike • February 10, 2009 • 4 commentsSince I’m literally counting the days until I attend the Fifth International Birdwatching Encounter in Guatemala (it’s not too late to register!), I’m ready to share a very special series of photos I’ve been saving since my last trip there.
After a couple of days kicking around Guatemala City and Antigua, our horde of rabid birders took a plane north to the Peten region, home of the mighty Tikal temple complex as well as countless other lesser-known but still stupendous locales. Among a kaleidoscope of memorable moments was our bounteous breakfast on the shore of Lake Peten-Itza. Of course, once everyone had enjoyed a rich morning repast, out came the optics. Birders from across the Americas and points beyond lined the balcony to scope a variety of waders and rallids. It’s not like we hadn’t seen Purple Gallinules before; it’s just that you’d be hard-pressed to find a more ravishing or resplendent bird anywhere. The acts of uncanny agility and balance is a bonus…
Did that gallinule just hop on the fence?
Careful now…
Check out those enormous splayed toes.
Almost there…
And the dismount!
Tags: gallinules, Guatemala, Lake Petén Itzá
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I give it a ten (see me holding up a small square card with a “10″ on it) for form and a 9.5 for difficulty! I also give it a much higher score for color and beauty. Thanks for saving it for us Mike!
We loved Guatemala when we visited Lake Atitlan back in the 70′s. Too bad I wasn’t birding back then but I can surely book a trip in the future. Like I told Chris over at Picus Blog, I NEED to take a birding trip to the tropics!
[...] was created by the wonderful Mike Bergin of 10,000 Birds and I and the Bird fame (note: Mike is in Guatemala at a birding conference right this minute – be sure to look out for what is sure to be an amazing photography collection [...]
We have these birds in Leesburg, FL. at Venetian Park. I love their vivid colors and markings. I love to go there and take pictures of these and Egrets and Blue Herons.
[...] to either melt your face or your hard drive you can check out Mike’s series of shots of a gallinule on a wire.Purple Gallinules live in marshes in the southeastern United States, Central America, northern [...]