Birding Around the World at San Diego Zoo

Carribean Flamingos

Would you like to take a trip around the world to go birding some day? Can't afford it, you say? For a mere $43 (after discount coupon), you can enter the San Diego Zoo for a day, and see birds from all over the world! We saw them in open areas, or in one of three large walk-in aviaries, or in countless netted enclosures of various sizes.  The best part was having photos with the names and place of origin for each bird. I photographed the ones of the birds we saw so I'd know their names for later. Smart move, right? I took almost 1,300 photos, and managed to reduce that to less than 600 after the first cut. My poor backup program will be on overdrive tonight.

Superb Starlings

In this country, we don't think much of Starlings. But around the world, they are some of the most beautiful birds we found! Every continent has them and the variety of color is incredible.

Red Shoveler

Some birds looked familiar, and where simply different species of birds we already knew, especially some of the ducks.

Great Blue Heron

Others were, in fact, the birds we thought them to be.

Great Egret Breeding Plumage

It's getting to be breeding time, and many of them had their fancy feathers on.

Andean Cock of the Rock

Harlequin Ducks

Toucan

Want bright colors? They come in any color you can name, plus a few that have no words to describe them.

Smew

Most of all, we got to see birds I will never see anywhere else! Too bad I can't count them on my life list! My absolute favorites were the raptors though....

California Condor

Eagle Hawk

Harpy Eagle

Andean Condor

If you have time and are interested in the other birds I managed to photograph, click to go to my Picasa web album. And this doesn't even include any of the mammals we saw, especially some of the really cute babies. But it's getting late, and time to go to bed. The birding festival starts officially bright and early Thursday morning, so tomorrow is the last day to just go where we want to go.