rufescent tiger heron

Juvenile rufescent tiger heron hunts from drift wood in the napo river

The alternative to taking a drive around the property was to putter along the river in a boat, with a variety of birds to be seen.

We visited a reserve in the far south of Uruguay near the Brazilian border, called Santa Teresa. There was a boardwalk out over the marshes and arriving at the end we came across this sentinel who stood in the same position for nearly half an hour.

Rufescent Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum subsp. lineatum) Juvenile. Sani Lodge, Challuacocha Lagoon, Sucumbios Province, Ecuador. Margin of lagoon with surrounding area being Ecuadorian Submontane Amazonian Rainforest at ca. 200 m (656 ft) elevation.

Soc-boi Tigrisoma lineatum (Boddaert, 1783) Rufescent Tiger Heron

Rufescent Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum subsp. marmoratum) Sexes similar. Tributary of Piquiri River, south of Puerto Jofre, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Riverine with cerrado and scattered wetlands away from the tributary at ca. 122 m (400) elevation.

on the Cuiab River

Here's the other shot of the Tiger Heron. Still just as far away.

Rather far across the water, but I got two recognizable shots of this handsome lifer.

Rufescent Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum lineatum) Two subspecies are recognized with only the nominate being mapped for Panama. Photographed at Ammo Dump Ponds, Coln Province, Panama. Swampy-marsh surrounded by a secondary humid forest at ca. 38 m (125 ft) elevation. Canon EOS 50D, Canon EF...

Train services are not too frequent in Panama, but this bird was taking a risk.

Another photo from the heart of darkness ...