Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: lizard

Finished Day 7! Not sure, but I might just post a few recent local photos next, before I start on Day 8. Just a few more days and Smugmug has the mammoth task of transferring every single thing on Flickr to a new server. Hard to imagine, and I'll keep my fingers crossed that the transfer all goes smoothly. There will probably be a few glitches to iron out afterwards, but these will eventually be fixed. Hoping to get Day 7 of our trip finished before the transfer and maybe even make a start on Day 8. Please bear with me. Posted just a few more odds and ends, taken on Day 7 of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas. A few interesting things, but not the greatest photos of most of them. So happy to see them all and just happy to get any kind of shots. We had an early start as usual on Day 7 of our 13-day birding trip to South Texas, 19-31 March 2019. Leaving our hotel, La Quinta Inn & Suites in Mission, we drove to the Bentsen - Rio Grande Valley State Park / World Birding Centre. "As part of the World Birding Center, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park is a world-class destination for bird-watching. The Rio Grande Valley hosts one of the most spectacular convergences of birds on earth with more than 525 species documented in this unique place. Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park alone has an impressive list of 358 species recorded within the park’s boundaries. Birders have a chance to see migratory birds during their yearly migrations over the valley including flocks of thousands of hawks from the park’s Hawk Tower in the spring and fall.... Over seven miles of trails offer a variety of opportunities to encounter wildlife inside the park." tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/bentsen-rio-grande-valley In the afternoon, we drove roughly 32 miles east to the Estero Llano Grande State Park, arriving there at about 1:00 pm, and spent two and a half hours looking for birds. Estero Llano Grande State Park, Weslaco, is one of nine sites that make up the World Birding Centre in South Texas. It is a 230+ acre refuge. Not many chances to see and photograph birds, but we enjoyed seeing huge cacti in bloom and a few beautiful flowering trees. A couple of Lizards and a Skink added interesting variety to our sightings - even a cluster of mushrooms.

Yesterday evening, 31 March 2019, four friends and I arrived back in Calgary after an amazing 13-day birding trip to southern Texas! This morning, I grabbed four photos to give an idea of what kinds of things we saw - four of my better photos, I should add : ) As usual, for me, it was not a trip to photograph just birds, but to capture anything else of interest, of beauty. This included flowers, insects, a few fungi, wild animals, and so on. As always, I missed quite a few of the birds that were seen by my friends. They are excellent birders and spend so much time birding and taking photos, and so are able to spot and capture the tiniest, fastest of birds. I am happy to have seen every bird that I did see! Everything from Whooping Cranes down to a small Yellow-throated Warbler. Unlike on our trip to Ontario and Quebec last year, we were thrilled to see Northern Cardinals close enough to photograph this holiday. Right now, I can't remember names of places, and I have a huge amount of getting organized with where and when I saw most things. However, I just wanted to let you know I am home, feeling back to being motivated to take photos again, after totally losing interest the last few weeks before we left on this exciting trip. I used both my old Canon SX60 and my less old Nikon P900 on this trip. The advantage of the P900 is that it has GPS and automatically loads on the map on Flickr. It may not always give an accurate location, but hopefully it will be close enough. Part way through the holiday, it looked like the Canon was taking somewhat better photos than the newer Nikon, so I was using the Canon as my main camera. First things first, though - I need a mug of coffee and some breakfast before I download the rest of my images to my computer. Such a mixed bag - some reasonable shots and others just about as bad as they could possibly be, but will post them on Flickr for the record. Once again, I will post photos in very roughly the order in which they were taken, to help give me a much better idea of just where we went and what we saw and when.

This photo was taken on 19 March 2017, but I also saw and photographed these huge reptiles each day that we were staying at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the island of Trinidad. They like to hang around the Asa Wright building, finding food, and then they seem to disappear into the forest for most of the day. Funny, I was fine with his huge lizard - but the tiny House Gecko that was in my bathroom in my cabin was the absolute last thing I wanted to see : ) Had some bad experiences with them when we lived in Borneo, decades ago. "The gold tegu, also known as golden tegu, common tegu, black tegu, Colombian tegu and tiger lizard (on Trinidad), is a species of tegu. Its old scientific name (synonym) was Tupinambis nigropunctatus but it has since renamed to Tupinambis teguixin. Gold tegus grow to be approximately 2 to 3 feet (60 to 100 cm) on average, and up to 3.5 to 4 kg in weight, with a glossy body, powerful limbs and a thick tail.[3] They have many black and gold stripes down their body. Gold tegus live in the tropical forests of northern and central South America, as well as Panama. They feed on insects, invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles and birds, as well as fish and sometimes fruit." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_tegu This adventure was only the second holiday of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my dear friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going. Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could choose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself! We were so lucky with our flights, as we were just in time to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off! What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous. The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up the mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a minibus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was enough room for two vehicles to pass each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way. I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and even the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure. This is a video that I came across on YouTube, taken by Rigdon Currie and Trish Johnson, at many of the same places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here again, so that I won't lose it. youtu.be/BBifhf99f_M I also came across the following 27-minute YouTube video of the flora and fauna of Trinidad, filmed by John Patrick Smith in February 2015. youtu.be/6HHBm9MIxnk

This photo was taken on 16 March 2017, but I also saw and photographed these huge reptiles each day that we were staying at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the island of Trinidad. They like to hang around the Asa Wright building, finding food, and then they seem to disappear into the forest for most of the day. Funny, I was fine with his huge lizard - but the tiny House Gecko that was in my bathroom in my cabin was the absolute last thing I wanted to see : ) Had some bad experiences with them when we lived in Borneo, decades ago. "The gold tegu, also known as golden tegu, common tegu, black tegu, Colombian tegu and tiger lizard (on Trinidad), is a species of tegu. Its old scientific name (synonym) was Tupinambis nigropunctatus but it has since renamed to Tupinambis teguixin. Gold tegus grow to be approximately 2 to 3 feet (60 to 100 cm) on average, and up to 3.5 to 4 kg in weight, with a glossy body, powerful limbs and a thick tail.[3] They have many black and gold stripes down their body. Gold tegus live in the tropical forests of northern and central South America, as well as Panama. They feed on insects, invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles and birds, as well as fish and sometimes fruit." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_tegu This is a video that I found on YouTube, taken by Rigdon Currie and Trish Johnson, at many of the same places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here again, so that I won't lose it. youtu.be/BBifhf99f_M I also came across the following 27-minute YouTube video of the flora and fauna of Trinidad, filmed by John Patrick Smith in February 2015. youtu.be/6HHBm9MIxnk This adventure was only the second holiday (or was it actually my third?) of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my great friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going. Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - flights (we were so very lucky to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!), accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could chose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself! What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous. The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up a mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a van/small bus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was just enough room for two vehicles to squeeze past each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way. Even after more than two months, I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure.

This photo was taken on 16 March 2017, but I also saw and photographed these huge reptiles each day that we were staying at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the island of Trinidad. They like to hang around the Asa Wright building, finding food, and then they seem to disappear into the forest for most of the day. Funny, I was fine with his huge lizard - but the tiny House Gecko that was in my bathroom in my cabin was the absolute last thing I wanted to see : ) Had some bad experiences with them when we lived in Borneo, decades ago. "The gold tegu, also known as golden tegu, common tegu, black tegu, Colombian tegu and tiger lizard (on Trinidad), is a species of tegu. Its old scientific name (synonym) was Tupinambis nigropunctatus but it has since renamed to Tupinambis teguixin. Gold tegus grow to be approximately 2 to 3 feet (60 to 100 cm) on average, and up to 3.5 to 4 kg in weight, with a glossy body, powerful limbs and a thick tail.[3] They have many black and gold stripes down their body. Gold tegus live in the tropical forests of northern and central South America, as well as Panama. They feed on insects, invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles and birds, as well as fish and sometimes fruit." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_tegu This is a video that I found on YouTube, taken by Rigdon Currie and Trish Johnson, at many of the same places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here again, so that I won't lose it. youtu.be/BBifhf99f_M I also came across the following 27-minute YouTube video of the flora and fauna of Trinidad, filmed by John Patrick Smith in February 2015. youtu.be/6HHBm9MIxnk This adventure was only the second holiday of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my great friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going. Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - flights (we were so very lucky to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!), accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could chose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself! What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so may have been familiar with a few of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous. The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up a mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a van/small bus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was enough room for two vehicles to pass each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way. Even after a few weeks, I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and even the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure.

This small House Gecko was a very unwelcome room mate in my cabin at the Asa Wright Nature Centre. When I took this photo, I was looking up at the ceiling in the bathroom. That was the only place I actually saw it. However, a couple of droppings on the bathroom floor and a row of droppings on a narrow ledge behind the headboard of my bed told a different story! I had many unpleasant experiences with these indoor Geckos when we lived in Borneo (Far East) many, many years ago.

Funny, I was fine with his huge lizard - but the tiny House Gecko that was in my bathroom in my cabin was the absolute last thing I wanted to see : ) Had some bad experiences with them when we lived in Borneo, decades ago. "The gold tegu, also known as golden tegu, common tegu, black tegu, Colombian tegu and tiger lizard (on Trinidad), is a species of tegu. Its old scientific name (synonym) was Tupinambis nigropunctatus but it has since renamed to Tupinambis teguixin. Gold tegus grow to be approximately 2 to 3 feet (60 to 100 cm) on average, and up to 3.5 to 4 kg in weight, with a glossy body, powerful limbs and a thick tail.[3] They have many black and gold stripes down their body. Gold tegus live in the tropical forests of northern and central South America, as well as Panama. They feed on insects, invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles and birds, as well as fish and sometimes fruit." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_tegu This adventure was only the second holiday (or was it actually my third?) of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my great friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going. Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - flights (we were so very lucky to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!), accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could chose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself! What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous. The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up a mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a van/small bus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was just enough room for two vehicles to squeeze past each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way. Even after one month, I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and even the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure.

All three photos posted this morning were taken at the Calgary Zoo yesterday afternoon, 6 October 2015. The west entrance to the Zoo will be closed from 13 October till April 2016, so I did want to get in another visit before then. I don't like the drive home on Deerfoot Trail from the north entrance, so tend not to go to the Zoo all winter. "Calgary's infamous freeway has taken the dubious top spot when it comes to this city's most dangerous place to drive." From the Calgary Sun. The forecast was for sun with some cloud, but it turned out to be overcast the whole afternoon and most of my photos, especially those taken indoors, came out blurry. The Zoo has an adult Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) called Loka. She is the oldest female Komodo dragon in captivity and she arrived at the Calgary Zoo in 2014. Later, the Zoo acquired four new young ones (all from the same litter). When they arrived, they were put in the adjacent enclosure, so that they wouldn't get eaten. My photo is a close-up shot of one of the young ones. The IUCN Status of the Komodo Dragon is ENDANGERED – there are only between 3 to 5 thousand Komodo dragons left in the wild. “The Komodo dragon’s size (2.4 - 2.7 m or 72 - 108 in length) and appearance as well as the yellow color of its long, forked tongue inspired the ‘dragon’ portion of their name, evoking thoughts of mythical, firebreathing creatures. Komodo dragons are the largest lizard in the world. As such they are also the largest of the monitor lizards, an ancient reptile group with ancestors that date back more than 100 million years. Their habitat is hilly and rugged volcanic forest and grassland where conditions are hot and dry; tropical dry forest and sometimes moist deciduous monsoon forests of southeastern Indonesia. Komodos can eat large chunks of food without chewing because of their loosely-articulated jaws. Powerful neck and throat muscles help this process. A Komodo dragon can consume up to 80 per cent of its own body weight at one time.” From the Calgary Zoo website. www.calgaryzoo.com/animals/reptiles/komodo-dragon simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon

When I called in at the Calgary Zoo on 14 October 2014, this time the adult Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) called Loka was visible. She is the oldest female Komodo dragon in captivity and she arrived at the Calgary Zoo just a few months ago. Very recently, the Calgary Zoo acquired four new young ones (all from the same litter) and they are in the exhibit next to Loka, so that they don't get eaten. My photo is a close-up shot of one of the young ones, which was lying next to a bright lamp - hence the rather golden look to its skin. The IUCN Status of the Komodo Dragon is ENDANGERED – there are only between 3 to 5 thousand Komodo dragons left in the wild. “The Komodo dragon’s size (2.4 - 2.7 m or 72 - 108 in length) and appearance as well as the yellow color of its long, forked tongue inspired the ‘dragon’ portion of their name, evoking thoughts of mythical, firebreathing creatures. Komodo dragons are the largest lizard in the world. As such they are also the largest of the monitor lizards, an ancient reptile group with ancestors that date back more than 100 million years. Their habitat is hilly and rugged volcanic forest and grassland where conditions are hot and dry; tropical dry forest and sometimes moist deciduous monsoon forests of southeastern Indonesia. Komodos can eat large chunks of food without chewing because of their loosely-articulated jaws. Powerful neck and throat muscles help this process. A Komodo dragon can consume up to 80 per cent of its own body weight at one time.” From the Calgary Zoo website. www.calgaryzoo.com/animals/reptiles/komodo-dragon simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon

I took plenty of photos of this brilliantly coloured Madagascar Giant Day Gecko when I spent a few hours at the Zoo, but ended up with only two or three photos worth keeping. This is perhaps the best one. "The Madagascar Giant Day Gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis Gray, 1870) is a diurnal arboreal subspecies of the Madagascar day geckos (Phelsuma madagascariensis ssp.). It is found in areas of tropical and subtropical forest in northern Madagascar. The Madagascar giant day gecko feeds on various invertebrates and very small vertebrates and nectars. This lizard is among the largest of all living gecko species. It typically reaches a total length of about 28 cm, though larger specimens have been found." From Wikipedia.

This Madagascar Giant Day Gecko is so breathtaking, with its beautiful colours and amazing patterns and textures. Seen at the Calgary Zoo.