Northern Jacana (immature)
Jacana spinosa
During our most recent trip to the Lower Rio Grande Valley we spent some time at Estero Llano Grande State Park where a young Northern Jacana has been causing a stir. While I have seen this species many times over the years, including one at that very same park I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said I wasn’t interested in seeing this one. During our time in the area we did keep our eye out for the special bird; but due to higher water levels from recent rains it wasn’t spending time in front of the deck at the visitor’s center. This made seeing the bird more challenging than we had anticipated. In fact we had pretty much given up on seeing the bird as we made our way back to our car at the end of our time at the area. As luck would have it we spotted the jacana just as we rounded the corner onto the trail that would take us out of the park. To our delight the bird foraged for several minutes at relatively close range, seemingly oblivious to our presence. Choosing a photo to post here was somewhat challenging for me but I liked this one because it gives a glimpse of the enormous feet and a peek at the bird’s chosen habitat as well as giving a little eye contact with the bird. It is moments like this one that keep me excited about birding and bird photography.
_MG_3404-web
Northern Jacana (immature)
Jacana spinosa
During our most recent trip to the Lower Rio Grande Valley we spent some time at Estero Llano Grande State Park where a young Northern Jacana has been causing a stir. While I have seen this species many times over the years, including one at that very same park I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said I wasn’t interested in seeing this one. During our time in the area we did keep our eye out for the special bird; but due to higher water levels from recent rains it wasn’t spending time in front of the deck at the visitor’s center. This made seeing the bird more challenging than we had anticipated. In fact we had pretty much given up on seeing the bird as we made our way back to our car at the end of our time at the area. As luck would have it we spotted the jacana just as we rounded the corner onto the trail that would take us out of the park. To our delight the bird foraged for several minutes at relatively close range, seemingly oblivious to our presence. Choosing a photo to post here was somewhat challenging for me but I liked this one because it gives a glimpse of the enormous feet and a peek at the bird’s chosen habitat as well as giving a little eye contact with the bird. It is moments like this one that keep me excited about birding and bird photography.
_MG_3404-web