While this is not the iconic picture of these ducks perching on a tree limb, I liked the poses. This was shot in Costa Rica at a hotel near the airport. A small pond in the back of this hotel holds literally 100’s of these ducks. Usually they fly from their roosts in the surrounding trees early in the morning, but some do not leave the grounds. Instead they fly down to the pond and feed there. This image was processed in PS, applying a graduated blur to the background to try to compensate for the relative high POV. Not sure it helped.
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Country Costa Rica
Location El Sitio Hotel in Liberia, CR
Gender Unknown
Age Adult
Activity Feeding in the Wild, In or By Water
- Created Timestamp10/11/2022 13:25:55
- CameraCanon EOS R7
- Aperture7.1
- CreditJim Babbitt
- CaptionBlack-bellied Whistling Duck
- Copyright2023
- Focal Length500
- Iso3200
- Shutter Speed1/1250
The ducks really stand out in this shot so perhaps the PS was worth it. I wasn’t aware that these ducks perched in a tree as I’ve photographed them many times but never see them out on a limb (perhaps didn’t look either). I will look next time,.
They were once called Black-bellied Tree Ducks. Nest and roost in trees similar to Wood Ducks. In Costa Rica, where I see them, they roost in trees-often 100’s of them in the same tree. They often share roosting trees with Egrets, both Snowy and Cattle.