King Vulture Photography at Laguna Lagarto, Costa Rica
After breakfast, we drove about five minutes down the road from Laguna Lagarto for a king vulture photography session. The vulture photography hide is owned by the same people as the lodge.
The walk in was muddy, and our group split between two hides. We chose the one slightly farther in and off to the left. When we arrived, the vultures had already started feeding.
Watching King Vultures Feed Up Close
These were king vultures, and seeing them from the hide was entirely different from spotting them at a distance in the wild, as we had in Panama.
At first, nothing seemed particularly unusual. The vultures were feeding, we were taking photos, and everything looked pretty much as expected.
Then their crops started to grow. The change happened gradually enough that I didn’t really appreciate it until it became impossible to miss. Their crops hadn’t even been noticeable when we arrived, but they slowly expanded as the vultures continued eating. By the time we left, they looked like two oversized, rounded bulges hanging from their necks.
A bird’s crop is essentially a temporary storage pouch in the digestive system, allowing it to eat more food than its stomach can process immediately. Seeing a king vulture is one thing. Watching one visibly change shape over the course of a meal is something else entirely.
We’re Andy and Jennifer—two former corporate executives who chose long ago to prioritise experiences over stuff while pursuing our passions for travel and photography. From the Arctic to Antarctica, and most places in between, we’ve captured the world through our lenses and love sharing those stories. Our careers gave us the means, but our purpose is inspiring others to explore and helping people create images they’re proud of.
