My first encounter with the Judíos (Crotophaga ani) was unexpected. I didn’t realise it was a bird I’d never had the chance to photograph or even see before… And yet, I had a feeling... when I saw them, I felt there was something new in what I was looking at—even though they resembled a flock of zanates. Maybe it was the elongated feathers at the back when they all took flight… well… and the song, the song was different too. Still, since I consider myself a novice in these matters, I just shrugged and thought: maybe they have a call I didn’t know about. I also sensed they were in a kind of watchful mode, because as soon as I stepped into that spot I sometimes visit—because it’s damp and sometimes the water rises and it looks like a little lagoon—the judíos felt my presence and they drifted even farther away. I saw them take off in unison from different spots, as if performing a choreography. I think there were more than a dozen birds. And I only managed to photograph this one. 😏
I tried to get a bit closer to take more photos and sank into the mud—up past my ankles. What a laugh… luckily, I was wearing my wellies (acabo de aprender una nueva manera de llamar a mis botas de goma en inglés británico). 😅
Its diet includes termites, large insects such as grasshoppers, spiders, centipedes, small snakes, lizards, and frogs. They tend to eat fruit and seeds when insects are scarce. Wikipedia
I’d been doing some research to learn a bit more about these birds, and I also spoke with some of the fellow birdwatchers in the group. Opinions there were divided—there were mixed feelings about these birds. 😄 Someone mentioned that they’ve been seen approaching fire. Another replied that it was probably to catch the insects fleeing from it.
When it comes to birdwatching, I also like to show the setting I was in… so let’s rewind this film a little.
Nature is an expert in floral arrangement.
But before all that, another sighting caught my attention—a photo of what seems to be a chubby sparrow. Just look at the spot she chose to perch!
She’s got a nest right there! 🙃 I just hope it’s not dangerous.
My thoughts were bouncing between several themes at once, and I was trying to connect them. I’d just passed through a neighbourhood by the railway tracks, not far from home, and I stopped to take in the sight of its humble little houses—wooden structures, often pieced together from salvaged wood or whatever materials they could find here and there.
There was a man hurling a piece of metal against the railway tracks. He was trying to smash it apart! I carried on without judging him, but it did bother me a little—I was hoping to film another feathered encounter I’d just had. Still, with all that banging, it was impossible.
At least I managed to take these photos of another bird I hadn’t yet had the pleasure of photographing: the Eastern Meadowlark or Sabanero (Sturnella magna). I’d only caught a glimpse of one once at Playa del Chivo. A friend did the bird count and included it, but this—this feels like my true first time!
Maybe they were in the middle of a courtship ritual—ayyyy… 😭 I just couldn’t get them both clearly in the same frame. Everything always happens so fast...
I walked a bit further and took more photos of that neighbourhood. I found myself thinking about my paternal grandparents’ wooden house. It was ever so modest, with a guano-thatched roof and walls made of palm boards. The floor was smooth cement, and the windows—those old wooden shutters that opened outwards—let in the breeze so gently. I remembered those childhood days, how I loved the coolness inside that little house. All of this was drifting through my mind as I walked along...
This has been my entry for the Feathered Friends – Show Me A Photo Contest, Round 245. There’s still time for you to share your bird photos too.
Original content by 
Every image I include in my posts is mine. When it’s not, I credit the source in a caption.