These strange, prehistoric-looking birds are pretty common in Jamaica.  I find them fascinating to watch.  Painfully awkward and gangly on land with impossibly large heads, balanced on the nearest fence they look to me like they may just topple over.  But they are as graceful in the air as they are clumsy on land, and its really fun to watch them swoop overhead, scanning the water for their next fishy treat.  Once a target is spotted, they dive head first into the water with a very loud splash and reappear seconds later bobbing on the water’s surface.  We watch closely to see if anything is caught.  There’s a pause, spilling water pours from the upward-pointing beak, and then comes the gulp.  Success! –in fact, there’s rarely a miss.  Then its back over to the favorite lookout spot for a 20 minute break before the hunt begins again.  Its become a favorite pastime for us too.

Target spotted

the big dive…

Yum!