I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. (Psalms 50:11 ESV)

Today, Dan and I went to the Lowry Park Zoo again. The birds were quite active and the visitors were few which made birdwatching even more fun. We spent most of our time in the Aviary just inside the entry. The weather was very comfortable, for a change. The summer heat is finally breaking and the humidity has started dropping also.

Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius) by Lee at LPZoo

We were greeting by one of my favorite birds there, the Boat-billed Heron. This time I was able to get a photo up under that neat boat-shaped bill of his (or hers). The picture of the bird is not good, but the bill came out okay. There are two that hang out together most of the time. There are others in the aviary, but these two sweethearts always grab my attention. This next photo shows the pair and also the top of those beaks. My flash gave them the “red-eye.”

Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius) by Lee at LPZoo

Another bird that is hard to get a decent photo of is the Crested Oropendola. They like to stay up in the trees, but this one is a fair shot. (This one is for you, Pastor Pete)

Crested Oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus) at LPZ by Lee

Then as we walked over into the second section, we were greeted by the Red-Legged Seriemas. You could hear them well outside the aviary. As you watch the video, you will see and hear them carrying on. Actually after checking with Wikipedia, this is their “singing.” Here is what they have to say about this:

“The song has a quality described as “a cross between ‘the serrated bark of a young dog and the clucking of turkeys'”.^[3] At the loudest part of the song, the bird has its neck bent so its head is touching its back. Both members of a pair as well as young down to the age of two weeks sing; often one member of a family starts a song just as another finishes, or two sing simultaneously. The song can be heard several kilometres away; in Emas National Park, Brazil, in 1981–1982, observers often heard four Red-legged Seriemas or groups singing at once.^[4]

The full song consists of three sections:

1. Repeated single notes at constant pitch (1,200 to 1,300 Hz) and duration but increasing tempo
2. Repeated two- or three-note subphrases of slightly higher pitch with increasing tempo
3. Subphrases of up to 10 notes, shorter ones rising in pitch and longer ones falling, two-subphrase combinations increasing in number of notes and tempo and then decreasing in tempo.”

Check it out for yourself:

We also stopped by the African Penguins and I took this Foot shot of a Penguin. Thought it was interesting.

Penguin with cool feet

It was a nice enjoyable visit and we needed a break. God’s creative work was on display through all of these neat birds.

All photos can be clicked on to enlarge them.

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