NikonGear'23
Travelogues => Travel Diaries => Topic started by: Ann on February 28, 2018, 22:55:52
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After the worst journey i have yet to endure (as detailed in my “Gods Driven Crazy” thread!), I finally caught up with my friends on what would prove to be an amazingly exciting adventure and a truly wonderful experience over the next couple of weeks visiting a number of private estates, gardens, farms and Lodges in the cloud- and rain-forests in different parts of Costa Rica where I hoped to find and photograph the elusive Resplendent Quetzal or even a Jaguar.
The Toucans were out in force to greet me when I finally reached the very remote Laguna del Lagarto Lodge in the forests in the far north of Costa Rica just five miles short of the Nicaraguan border.
The Lodge (originally a private house which was later extended with several very comfortable guest rooms) is reached after a long drive through the rain on a dirt-road through pine-apple fields and protected wild forest.
The Lodge stands in its own extensive gardens and forest besides a river. Feeder stations have been set-up directly in front of its covered verandas so that even when it rains, (after all, these are Rain-Forests!) you can photograph in comfort and stay dry. The natural background is the soft green foliage of the forest and the staff keeps the feeders fully supplied with fruit so animals and birds of myriad species arrive in an endless stream to enjoy this bounty.
Two different kinds of Toucan (Keel-billed and Black-mandibled Toucans) and their boisterous and rather aggressive cousins, the Aracari, are among them:
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Welcome back, Ann! These stunning images prove that your survival game over the hemisphere was worthwhile.
Thank you for sharing! Could we expect more?
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Blown away here, and looking forward to more!
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Great colours, well done.
Tom
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The first image is very radiant a most impressive creature ;)
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Wonderful!
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Beautiful start to the thread. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest.
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Resplendent really is the only word for these birds, whose colours test your credulity and and even your sanity. But because these are Ann's work we know these ultra-exotic birds are real. Birds out of paradise after the journey from hell.
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Very beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing.
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Wonderful photos ! Thanks for sharing them
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The first image is very radiant a most impressive creature ;)
+1
The LGBT rainbow colors are just stunning!
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A delight for these old eyes, Ann!
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I am thrilled that so many of you are enjoying these photographs.
I will get back to some of the larger birds which I was able to photograph later but, meanwhile, here are some of the smaller brightly-coloured songbirds which delighted me in Costa Rica.
They included several species of the Tanagers and Honeycreeper family among others.
I am no ornithologist but have added what I believe to be their correct names and hope you will tell me where I have got them wrong.
I was using the truly splendid Nikkor 500 mm FL E (rented — although how I would love to own that expensive monster!) for these shots. I had hoped to be able to handhold it but that proved to be beyond my capabilities.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318002011-369435.jpeg)
Golden-headed Tanager
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318000415-367731.jpeg)
Silver-throated Tanager
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318000412-3651696.jpeg)
Green Honeycreeper (male)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318000409-3642356.jpeg)
Green Honeycreeper (female)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318000404-360335.jpeg)
Red-legged Honeycreeper
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318000415-3671149.jpeg)
Summer Tanager
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318000353-3552366.jpeg)
Blue-grey Tanager
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318000351-354792.jpeg)
Flame-coloured Tanager
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318000340-349310.jpeg)
Speckled Tanager
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It is totally impossible NOT to enjoy such amaging birds of stunning color! Thank you again for sharing!
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Incredible colors, thanks!
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One is even more beautiful than the other.
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All beautiful images, Ann. The colours are so vibrant, almost incredible, especially the Red-legged Honeycreeper.
The toucans seem to have quite a cheeky personality. These images are well worth the effort it took to get there - no doubt you are glad that you persevered.
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how lucky you are to get those shots Ann!... I need to get out of Massachusetts...
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Thank you all so much. The variety of wildlife and amazing colours of the birds was quite astounding and I am so happy that you are enjoying my photographs of them.
The whole trip was unbelievably wonderful: every day brought even more incredible experiences and that was entirely due to the brilliant advanced planning which Juan Carlos had put into it.
He is world-renowned for his own wildlife photography and is also a Costa Rican who knows his own country intimately and has personal contacts and friends everywhere.
I think that the reason why we all had such amazing experiences; and saw and photographed such a wide variety of both birds and other animals too; was because we were able to visit his friend's privately-owned farms, gardens and forested estates. The regular tourist does not have such opportunities. He also chose three superb Lodges in very different parts of the country and at different altitudes for us which helps to explain the diversity which we encountered.
Other people who I have talked too tell me that I have seen and done far more than they have succeeded in doing during their visits to that country.
I learned a tremendous amount from Juan and think that you might enjoy seeing his own photographs because the influence which he has had on my work is rather evident.
http://www.juancarlosvindasphoto.com/galleries/
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Some very different Flyers:
Several varieties of tiny Glossophaga Leaf-nosed nectar-eating Bat family live in these forests and Juan has devised an excellent way to photograph these attractive little Bats even without the use of crossed Laser beams.
These little bats are very small (less than 70mm in body-length); they fly very fast and don't stay to sip for more than a few seconds so getting clear photographs of their aerobatics in action is not easy.
A suitable fallen branch (preferably covered with plenty of moss and other plants)was selected and clamped between a couple of lighting stands; a flower of the kind which which Bats most like to visit to sip their nectar is attached (we used a Calabash flower followed by a Banana flower); and two off-camera diffused flash heads were set-up on either side of it.
An injection syringe is used to keep the flowers well-supplied with sugar water.
A radio flash-trigger in the hot-shoe fires the Speedlights.
The camera is on a tripod and set to use only Manual focussing; a slowish shutter-speed of 1/200 sec (the flash provides the necessary short duration to stop the action). I used my 300 mm PF stopped down to around f/16 for maximum DOf and found that ISO 640 was about right. I used a longish cable release.
The trick is to manually focus on a point level with the flower (and leave it there!) and then to watch and WAIT.
When you judge that a Bat has entered within your pre-focussed zone (with your naked eye — not through the viewfinder!) you fire the shutter and it is amazing how well this works.
Earlier in the evening there was still just about sufficient remaining ambient light to see the approaching Bats but they fly very fast and don’t stay around for long so you have to react quickly. As the night progressed it became much more difficult to see them coming in the darkness.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214220-3841196.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214218-3832458.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214217-3822006.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214215-381855.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214214-3802102.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214213-3791975.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214212-3781244.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214210-377625.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214208-3762112.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214207-375914.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214204-3731639.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214203-373755.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214200-371159.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214130-3701791.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020318214200-3711930.jpeg)
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Those bat photos are magical. I had no idea that such small bats exist.
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Simply breathtaking...
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A wonderful collection. What I have seen so far seems to have justified the effort you took. But I am sure you took many more shots.
One of my first posts was in future travel plans for NG meetups. I said: "let us go to Costa Rica" Your photos seem to be an advertizing campaign for that!!!!
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it's fun hunting for bats isn't it ?
Great results
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Hummingbirds
I had never had the chance to attempt to photograph Bats in flight before and was so excited by the experience that I couldn't wait to see the results and stayed up for most of the rest of the night processing my images.
(Usually I wait until I get home before I process anything but this was different.)
A different kind of fast-flying objects were the Hummingbirds — another creature which I have never had the chance to photograph before. Hummingbird wings beat incredibly fast and I was using bursts with shutter-speeds up to 1/4000 sec. to try to stop the action.
We had several chances to photograph them in gardens where the owners maintain fully stocked feeders so the birds are very frequent visitors. In those situations, we removed and hid the feeders and substituted fresh flowers which we squirted with sugar-water. That worked and the birds soon gave-up looking for their accustomed feeders and came to our flowers. On another occasion, I just stalked them by standing in a hedge of purple Verbena (which they seem to particularly like) and creeping up on them when they alighted.
Ascribing the right names to Hummingbirds is difficult but I have added my best guess when I think I know what they are.
I now have about 2,000 shots of Hummingbirds so these are just a few of of them.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044217-3972336.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044203-387353.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044202-3861312.jpeg)
White-necked Jacobin feeding from a Furry Heliconia (H. vellerigera)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044205-3882441.jpeg)
Scaley-breasted Hummingbird
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044207-3891381.jpeg)
Scaley-breasted Hummingbird on Verbena
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044214-3951145.jpeg)
Costa Rica's smallest Hummingbird: Volcano Hummingbird (measures less than 70mm beak-to-tail)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044213-394348.jpeg)
Volcano Hummingbird feeding from Agapanthus
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044211-3922283.jpeg)
Violet-eared Green Hummingbirds
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044210-3911004.jpeg)
Violet-eared Green Hummingbird
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044212-393327.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044208-3902370.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044216-396663.jpeg)
White-necked Jacobin
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318084808-399925.jpeg)
Volcano Hummingbird in the rain
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-040318044218-39874.jpeg)
Violet Sabre-wing: Costa Rica's largest Hummingbird.
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Sloths:
While Costa Rica is justly renowned for the incredible numbers of species of gorgeous birds in that country, there are many very attractive, unusual and interesting animals living there too — including some Sloths.
I find Sloths so endearing and was very much hoping to be able to photograph one in Costa Rica although I was not really counting on being lucky enough to see one.
But we got lucky on several occasions.
The Three-toed Sloths prefer the Cecropia tree for their food supply so they are almost always to be found only in this kind of tree. The Cecropia grows to a height of about 60 feet; has a distinctive white-striated bark and large fanned-out umbrellas of leaves; and I soon found myself scanning for "Slothy Trees" as we drove through the Costa Rican countryside and straining to see any woolly bundle which might be suspended in the upper branches.
There are six species of Sloths and they belong to either the Three-toed or the Two-toed Sloth categories. They all spend 75% of their time hanging from a high branch; motionless and asleep so green algae and mosses have time to grow on their backs.
(When I edited the files, I found myself trying to correct my photographs for a “green cast” before I realised that the green fur was their natural colour.)
The first photographs shows a Three-toed Sloth descending from the tree-tops of a distant tree with her infant clinging to her left-shoulder.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-090318023424-401747.jpeg)
Another Three-Toed female which also had an infant (to which I was able to get much closer) hanging from a Cecropia tree. The distinctive leaves provide these animals with their staple diet
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-090318023423-4001840.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-090318023432-4021192.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-090318023433-4031270.jpeg)
Another Three-toed Sloth enduring the drenching rain:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-090318023435-4041433.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-090318023437-4052200.jpeg)
This Two-toed Sloth was in a very low-growing tree hanging over a road-side ditch. I climbed into the ditch with my 300 mm lens (we had a very long drive in front of us so there was no time to dig into the trunk of the car to extract a shorter one!) and shot directly over my head. That lens could produce only tight face-shots at that close distance so I got a close look at his tonsils and black teeth.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-090318023442-4071086.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-090318023450-4081737.jpeg)
Three-toed Sloth using the utility wires to cross the road in a small Pacific coastal town:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-090318023452-4091973.jpeg)
I love the perpetual smile which Sloths always appear to exhibit (even in a drenching downpour) but that is just the normal shape of their mouths.
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Ann, thank you so much for all of the many images that you have posted in this thread. I also like how you have packaged the images for us under their titles, e.g. Sloths, Hummingbirds etc.
I concur with your feelings about the Sloths - they are so cute, as evidenced by the facial images that you have posted today. (That said, I would sure hate to tangle with their claws! ;D)
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Hugh:
I am so pleased that you are enjoying the photographs.
I share your feelings about the Sloths' claws — it amazes me how they manage to handle their very small babies so gently when their limbs end in those fearsome claws?
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Ann, thank you for posting this thread, it's spectacular, lovely images and what a variety!
This forum reminds me of the National Geographic magazines I used to read from the 1950-60's era, with spectacular images of far away places I could never visit, yet hold special interest for me. Truly wonderful.
Even a sprinkling of Jacques Cousteau from Jakov in Egypt.
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More lovely animal photos, thanks for posting.
What do you think is the shortest lens that would be useful on such a trip? Would one have enough decent chances with 400 mm?
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Fantastic series, Ann. I admire your tenacity, as well as your photographic capabilities. The series is interesting and informative, with great catches, especially the night time bat images. Persistence and innovation paid dividends here, with many memorable images.
I like the closeups of the sloths - you have created quite a nice selfie in the second last sloth image. Attractive teeth - was the showing of teeth to warn you off?
Many thanks for the effort you put into posting them and providing background information for each of the segments. Very enjoyable series, and well worth revisiting.
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Wow , another two fantastic series , so again thanks so much for sharing the, they are truly enjoyable
I have shot hummingbirds but none as beautiful as yours
My favorites were:
White-necked Jacobin feeding from a Furry Heliconia (H. vellerigera)
Violet-eared Green Hummingbirds
Violet-eared Green Hummingbird
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Thank you all so much for your very generous remarks.
Anthony:
I think you would find a 400 mm lens too short for many of the oportunities that will occur on a trip like this.
Juan himself used his 600 mm much of the time but handling that lens is way beyond my physical strength.
I rented a 500mm (and frequently needed to use it with a TC) because the small song-birds are very small and canopy-dwelling creatures can both be small and the canopy very high overhead.
We have the excellent LensRentals company here in the States (which I used) and there is probably a similar operation in the U.K.. I think that it would be worth the costs of the rental to have a suitable lens for a trip like this and I am certainly glad that I had that 500 mm with me.
You also need something in the 300mm range (I kept that on my camera while we were driving so that if we came across anything interesting during the journey I would be ready for quick action.
You will also find that you need a macro too for small things like insects and the tiny tropical Poison Dart Frogs which you will undoubtedly want to photograph.
(More about the Frogs later!)
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Thanks, Ann, that is very helpful. I have never shot with more than 400, so a new set of challenges. Costa Rica is definitely on my list.
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Armando:
This was the first time that I have had the chance to photograph Hummingbirds.
The various gardens where I photographed these always have freshly-filled hummingbird feeders hanging in them which means that the hummingbirds hang around in substantial numbers. The feeders themselves are distinctly unphotogenic so the trick of replacing them temporarily with syrup-injected natural flowers (in good light and angled so that they are in front of a nice, homogenously colored distant background) means that one has a very good chance of getting plenty of clear shots of the birds both in flight and when feeding.
Some of the longer telephoto lenses have a programmable pre-focus button and setting its focus-point on the flower means that you can then get back into the focus-zone quickly between shots.
A lighting-stand or other support for the target flower; a hypodermic syringe and a bottle of sugar-syrup proved to be the other vital accessories for hummingbird photography.
Remembering to replace the Feeders (which you had hidden!) before you leave the garden is also rather important.
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Anthony:
I think that you would thoroughly enjoy photographing in Costa Rica and would suggest that you might like to contact Juan if you plan to go there — he certainly organised a simply marvellous experience for me!
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Thanks Ann, replacing the ugly feeders with flowers is a GREAT idea
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Mikes:
I think that my lens was much too close to that low-hanging Two-toed Sloth for his comfort so he hissed his annoyance at me — which is how I got the Dentist's office shot of his black teeth!
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Anthony:
I think that you would thoroughly enjoy photographing in Costa Rica and would suggest that you might like to contact Juan if you plan to go there — he certainly organised a simply marvellous experience for me!
Thank you, Ann. You know me too well!
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Wild Macaws in Flight:
We were able to spend a morning visiting a private farm in the far north of the country where there are a substantial number of wild Macaws living in the surrounding woods.
The owners of the farm only have to go out into the fields carrying a bowl of peanuts and call: "Lapa, Lapa, Lapa" (Lapa being the local name for Macaw) and every Macaw within earshot comes flying!
Most of the birds were Scarlet Macaws but there were a few of the scarcer Great Green Macaws among them and I was able to get plenty of photographs of these magnificent birds in action. These are just a few of them.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030519-411756.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030518-4101431.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030521-4121950.jpeg)
The farmer threw few peanuts on the ground for the earliest arrivals; and then walked to the far-end of a large paddock and called the birds again. They would then all fly to him — flying very fast and very close to the ground. I was using my 300 mm PF lens and needed a shutter speed of 1/3200 to stop the action.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030522-4132323.jpeg)
Two photographs of Great Green Macaws in flight (these are on the list of endangered birds).
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030523-4141513.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030530-418103.jpeg)
Some more Scarlet Macaws:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030526-4152444.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030533-4201436.jpeg)
They were flying in large groups but I found it worked most effectively when I locked onto a particular bird and just followed it as it flew from one end of the field to the other.
This Scarlet Macaw landed in a small tree just above my head and then quickly descended from its branches, head-first, to get his share of the scattered peanuts.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030529-417666.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030527-416793.jpeg)
Coming in for the Landing . . .
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030532-419862.jpeg)
Some portraits:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030535-422841.jpeg)
Great Green
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030534-4212219.jpeg)
Scarlet
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-110318030536-4231547.jpeg)
and a colourful scramble for peanuts . . . .
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Ann, you keep me floored! The image with the macaw hanging head over heels made my day. And the last one is a fantastic color composition.
Thank you for posting!
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What a set. I especially like No.8 for some reason - one wing up, one down, and that eye looking at you.
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Masterfully captured
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Serpents & Dragons
While we were at Laguna del Lagarto Lodge: Juan; Olman (who chauffeured us during the trip); and some of the Lodge staff; caught some snakes for us to photograph one morning.
This was extremely courageous (if not entirely wise!) on their parts because, although these were all baby snakes, and less than a half-meter long, they were no less venomous for being young.
Juan and the other guys set-up some moss-covered logs in the shady veranda of a pavilion which overlooks the river and the forest beyond and provided nice homogeneous backgrounds for the photographs. They used Herpetologists' steel-hooked sticks to keep the snakes under control (which was a good thing as most of us were using macro lenses and getting less than sensibly close to the snakes.)
The shade from the mid-day sun was nice for both us and the snakes and we used off-camera flash to accentuate the texture of their scales!
We had four different species of highly venomous Pit Vipers and a couple of very pretty and benign tree snakes.
The first photograph shows a very prettily coloured Eyelash Pit Viper (Bothriechis schlegelii):
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233917-4242091.jpeg)
Extended scales above their eyes produce the "eye-lashes" for which they are named).
You can see the "Pits" on its snout: these act as infra-red and heat-sensors so that these snakes can sense the body-warmth of nearby prey even in complete darkness.
Bothriechis schlegelii exists in many different coloured variations (although they all share the same species name) and this golden-yellow version is sometimes called the Palm Pit Viper:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233919-4251195.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233923-4261071.jpeg)
The sensory "Pit" is clearly shown on the snouts of these two.
Another species of Pit Viper:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233927-4271081.jpeg)
Hog-nosed Pit Viper (Porthidium nasutum)
While all of the previous species are seriously venomous (although victims do usually respond well to anti-venoms) this next one is deadly.
I talked to one man whose sister had been bitten by a "Fer-de-Lance" and, although she was able to get treatment quickly enough to survive, it was not without amputation of part of her leg.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233932-4292409.jpeg)
The extremely venomous Fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper) is also known locally as "Terciopelo".
I watched very carefully where I put my feet when walking in the forest searching for frogs at night.
These very pretty Parrot Snakes (Leptophis ahaetulla) are non-venomous tree-dwelling snakes which prey on frogs, mice and nesting small birds:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233931-42842.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233934-4301864.jpeg)
The Blunt-headed Vine Snake (Imantodes cenchoa) is another very pretty mildly-venomous arboreal snake which feed on frogs and small lizards. They are nocturnal and have thin bodies, large heads and huge eyes.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233940-4322294.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233938-431580.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233945-433744.jpeg)
Another portrait of the venomous Yellow Pit Viper (shot from much too close!):
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233948-4341303.jpeg)
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Dragons
These astonishing Basilisk Lizards (Basiliscus basiliscus) are popularly known as Jesus Christ Lizards because, in spite of their size, their enormous feet allow them to run on their hind-legs across the surface of water.
I didn't see one walk on water but found this one in the branches of a tree which was growing at the bottom of a steep cliff (on which I was standing) so that the Basilisk was pretty well at my eye-level but I still needed 700mm of lens to get these shots.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233955-4361529.jpeg)
Notice his disproportionately large feet!
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318233953-435938.jpeg)
Long, slender Basilisks have these wonderful dorsal crests, a head-crest like a crown and an incredibly long tail..
This one was about a metre in length from head to tail and we found him in the Savegre River valley on the Pacific side of the country inland from Quepos.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-140318234000-4371174.jpeg)
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Hello Ann,
Now THAT was a productive trip... Your pictures top everything I can remember from you, and that says a lot. I say nothing like that when I visited Costa Rica 18 years ago!
As for snakes, well you are definitely a courageous lady.
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Wow again. Yes. "Floored" is the word
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Wow again. Yes. "Floored" is the word
yes WOW again
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Thank you all for your comments about the snakes: definitely not creatures that one would want to get as close to as we did — unless there are very skillful snake-handlers with you!
The chief credit for my having such amazing opportunities to see such a huge variety of different creatures in such photogenic environments in less than a couple of weeks has to be due to the detailed and careful planning that Juan put into the expedition and I do credit the equipment which I was lucky enough to be using for the results too.
Monkey Business
The same farm as the one where I photographed the Macaws has a very active troupe of Capuchin Monkeys hanging-out (literally!) in their garden.
The owners of the farm do put our food for the Capuchins so they stay around and, because they are used to humans, they are not in the least timid so I was able to walk around among them and get close-up portraits of their very expressive faces.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-190318045858-438308.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-190318045859-4392187.jpeg)
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(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-190318045904-442759.jpeg)
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(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-190318045907-444423.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-190318045910-4461253.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-190318045911-447251.jpeg)
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(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-190318045916-4511203.jpeg)
Costa Rica has four species of Monkeys of which I was able to photograph two: the Capuchins and the tiny, very pretty but also very agile and fast-moving Squirrel Monkeys.
The Black Howlers are supposed to be the most numerous of the monkeys but. although we searched for them in the right terrain, we never saw them but I did hear them in the distance. The Spider Monkeys evaded me entirely.
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Ann, the life you have captured in this series continues to amaze me! Great behavioral study in this last series, thanks for posting all of these.
I also notice that your 300mm f/4 PF is doing very well with a 1.4x converter. ;)
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Almost human. Wonderful.
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LOL, the capuchin sticking out it's tong
Another wonderful series
Thanks for sharing it
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After the worst journey i have yet to endure (as detailed in my “Gods Driven Crazy” thread!), I finally caught up with my friends on what would prove to be an amazingly exciting adventure and a truly wonderful experience over the next couple of weeks visiting a number of private estates, gardens, farms and Lodges in the cloud- and rain-forests in different parts of Costa Rica where I hoped to find and photograph the elusive Resplendent Quetzal or even a Jaguar.
The Toucans were out in force to greet me when I finally reached the very remote Laguna del Lagarto Lodge in the forests in the far north of Costa Rica just five miles short of the Nicaraguan border.
The Lodge (originally a private house which was later extended with several very comfortable guest rooms) is reached after a long drive through the rain on a dirt-road through pine-apple fields and protected wild forest.
The Lodge stands in its own extensive gardens and forest besides a river. Feeder stations have been set-up directly in front of its covered verandas so that even when it rains, (after all, these are Rain-Forests!) you can photograph in comfort and stay dry. The natural background is the soft green foliage of the forest and the staff keeps the feeders fully supplied with fruit so animals and birds of myriad species arrive in an endless stream to enjoy this bounty.
Two different kinds of Toucan (Keel-billed and Black-mandibled Toucans) and their boisterous and rather aggressive cousins, the Aracari, are among them:
Your photos of this toucan are just fantastic ! Sharpness of the details and colours in particular.
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Wow - Ann. Mongo has just had a most wonderful trip vicariously through your images which are filled with variety and stunning colour. Than you for sharing them with us.
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Thank you all for your very kind comments.
Øivind remarked on the fact that I was using a TC-14 iii on the 300 mm PF.
That combination does work extremely well and provides a very useful lens for quick hand-held use.
I even use a TC-20 iii on occasion to provide a very small fast-focussing 600 mm lens. If I stop-down by just a single stop, the quality is remarkably good and it can make the differenece between getting the shot or not. The next series was shot with the the 300mm + TC-14 combination.
Squirrel Monkeys:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220318064016-4531681.jpeg)
The tiny Grey Crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii citrinellus) is found only in a very small area on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica around Manuel Antonio. Because of de-forestation, and also the pet trade, these beautiful little animals were headed towards extinction and were listed as being "Critically Endangered".
1,600 acres in the area are now a protected National Park; local residents have been planting trees extensively; and the monkeys are slowly recovering in number.
Juan and I arrived in Manuel Antonio in the evening and the next photograph shows one of these little Titi monkeys (as they are known locally) on the utility wires in the middle of the town on its way to it sleeping perch in the neighbouring forest.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220318064014-452993.jpeg)
The following morning we set off to explore roads less travelled and had the extraordinary good fortune to spot a large troop of these very small monkeys (only about 25 cms between nose and base of tail but with a very long non-prehensile tail) moving through the forest canopy in search of breakfast. They are omnivorous so will eat fruits and small animals.
We leapt out of the car and noticed that the Squirrel Monkeys were moving through the forest parallel with the road but crossing the road in a certain place. I anchored myself under that spot and was able to get a number of photographs although the high contrast of the bright sky, the sun shining through the leaves in patches and the deep shade of the forest made exposure rather tricky.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220318064017-4542161.jpeg)
Locking focus on them as they leapt from branch to branch was also quite a challenge.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220318064018-455130.jpeg)
Their long fluffy tails cannot grip onto anything but do provide a useful balance and rudder as they leap though the canopy at speed.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220318064020-4561019.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220318064021-4572320.jpeg)
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(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220318064023-4591036.jpeg)
A baby who was trying to keep up!
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220318064025-460844.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220318064026-4612345.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220318064029-462129.jpeg)
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Fine Feathers
Some more examples of just a few of the more unusual and exotically coloured and feathered birds in Costa Rica. Each of the Lodges where we stayed has recorded nearly 800 different species in their own grounds.
The first set shows some Great Curassows.
These once quite commonly seen birds, with exotic hair-dos, have become extremely scarce and are now seen only in protected forests because, unfortunately for them, they are apparently very good to eat!
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418004211-469687.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418004210-4631937.jpeg)
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(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418004219-472437.jpeg)
The next ones are the very elegant Longtailed Silky Flycatchers:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418004223-4732459.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418004229-475222.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418004226-4741269.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418004232-47640.jpeg)
Then there are the Crested Guans. (This is the male, the female is brown and less dramatic.)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418004235-4781528.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418004233-4772050.jpeg)
The striking Montezuma Oropendola:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418004235-4781169.jpeg)
The next two are a pair of Red-headed Barbets.
These striking birds are rarely seen but we found these two at feeding station in the garden of a small Lodge up in the Talamanca Cordillera.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418004238-4801569.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418004238-48030.jpeg)
In deep, heavy shade on a very wet afternoon we saw this nesting pair of Boat-billed Herons on the far side of a large pond.
The lighting was terrible (ISO 25,600!) and there was no way to get closer to them so this is a clipped section but with their large broad bills and plumed-crests they are such an unusual kind of heron that I have included their photograph in this collection:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418222227-483845.jpeg)
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wow again. I wish I will be as vigorous as you are once I reach your age. what colors, what details, what biodiversity, what a pleasure to enjoy your work!
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Frank:
Thank you. The biodiversity in Costa Rica; and the frequency of remarkable sightings too; was absolutely astonishing but it certainly helped that I was being taken to truly exceptional places by someone who knows where the most rewarding places are.
Some months ago you asked if we were going to Guanacaste.
We didn't visit that Province itself during this trip but stayed for several days besides the Arenal Volcano which is very close to the eastern boundary of Guanacaste.
The Observatory Lodge there is one of the places which has recorded nearly 800 different species of birds in their own grounds and it is where I photographed those Crested Guams. We also found three-toed Sloths in that area and lots of Hummingbirds too.
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I'm looking at these birds with nothing but awe. The nature is indeed a talented artist. Thank you for these fantastic additions!
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More Exotic Feathers
The Motmots are part of the Bee-eater family and like them, excavate tunnels in muddy banks and cliffs in which to build their nests. Six of the nine species of Motmots live in Costa Rica and I found three of them. They all have these exotic tails with a bare wirey-section which finishes in a paddle-shaped racquet.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234735-484128.jpeg)
Blue-headed Motmot.
I found him in the same garden where I saw the Barbets. We were literally in the Cloud Forests and were photographing in a wet swirling fog which did provide perfect diffused lighting.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234736-485777.jpeg)
Broad-billed Motmots photographed in the northeastern lowland forest on the Nicaraguan border.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234737-4861044.jpeg)
Turquoise-browed Motmot in the Oak forests of the Central Valley.
In addition to the Macaws, Costa Rica also has several varieties of small green Parots:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234739-487221.jpeg)
Orange-chinned Parakeet
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234740-48843.jpeg)
Brown-hooded Parrot
Among the Flycatchers are these:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234742-489454.jpeg)
Boat-billed Flycatcher
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234743-490628.jpeg)
Great Kiskadee
Why stick your head inside a flower and get pollen all over your face when you can literally nip it in the bud to get the nectar?
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234745-491209.jpeg)
Slaty Flowerpiercer
Some Woodpeckers:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234746-4922455.jpeg)
Cinnamon Woodpecker
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234748-493783.jpeg)
Acorn Woodpecker
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234748-4941658.jpeg)
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234751-4962223.jpeg)
Grey-cowled Wood Rail
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-020418234751-4951292.jpeg)
Crested Caracara: A raptor in the Falcon family
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800 bird species on premesis? wow!
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Ann , I second Mongo's comment way up the thread. Like taking an Exotic trip without leaving home. Many thanks,
Tom
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Tom and Frank:
Thank you for commenting.
Costa Rica really was an amazing adventure and it is hard to realise that I saw and was able to photograph so many different creatures in only a couple of weeks
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Foraging White-nosed Coati
The White-nosed Coatis are members of the Raccoon family; have a hearty appetite for ripe fruit; and seem to be totally unworried by human presence.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-080418074007-4971751.jpeg)
I was photographing some Flycatchers one evening when I suddenly noticed activity across the valley: two White-nosed Coatis were coming down the hillside obviously bent on a mission. It soon became apparent that they were foraging for supper and the Papyas (which were ripening in the orchard in the valley were in their sights.
Coatis are very agile climbers and quickly scaled the stems of the Papaya plants:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-080418074007-4972375.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-080418074010-5002157.jpeg)
These fruits looked promising:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-080418074013-5015.jpeg)
But an experienced sniff indicates that this bunch needed a bit more ripening . . .
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-080418074013-5011001.jpeg)
. . . so better leave them for tomorrow . . .
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-080418074015-503260.jpeg)
These look better
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Hmmm . . . this one is nice and golden and it smells delicious
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Harvest it and head for home!
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-080418074019-5061715.jpeg)
I later found a whole family, including this youngster, foraging for breakfast under some banana trees:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-080418074021-507737.jpeg)
Another baby Coati:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-080418074021-5071105.jpeg)
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heels over head. totally love this!!!
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Giant Guinea Pigs and some pretty Squirrels
We had just arrived at a private nature preserve in the forest when I saw a very pretty bright chestnut-coloured creature which looked like a giant Guinea Pig. I immediately shot a few quick frames which was very fortunate because no-one else had noticed the creature in the shadows and someone talked which sent my "Guinea Pig" running.
Unfortunately, I hadn't even taken time to check my camera settings in my haste to grab some preliminary images as a record.
The camera had last been used in very bright light and I was now under heavily-leafed trees in dense shade on a dismally rainy afternoon. When I checked the rear LCD, the images were totally black — under-exposed by more than four stops. Thoroughly disappointed, I went off into the bushes to search for my "Guinea Pigs" (no-one else having seen them, I still had no idea what species they might be) but they had vanished.
I later learned that they were probably Agoutis (Dasyprocta punctata) which are large 26-inch long tail-less rodents that are indeed very closely related to Guinea Pigs.
Fortunately, I did not delete my solidly-black images and, to my amazement, I was later able to recover these photographs of these extremely shy animals — albeit with some distinctly noisy shadows.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-130418043628-5242014.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-130418043626-522683.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-130418043627-52331.jpeg)
Later in my trip, we came across some more Agoutis foraging besides a muddy brook outside the town of Manuel Antonio on the Pacific Coast. These were more brindled in colouring than the ones I had seen earlier and were a bit far away from me too. The animals eat a diet of fruits and seeds but, unfortunately for them, may themselves appear on the dinner-plates of humans.
Perhaps that explains why they are so shy and wary?
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-130418043629-525675.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-130418024853-5141012.jpeg)
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(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-130418024851-512673.jpeg)
This rear-view shot shows the lack of tail
I also came across two different species of Squirrels both of which were new to me.
The first two photographs show a little Red Tailed Squirrel (Sciurus granatensis) — a creature of the Cloud Forests.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-130418024856-5161863.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-130418024858-5181798.jpeg)
And the next pictures show the very elegant and much larger Variegated Squirrel (Sciurus variegatoides)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-130418024900-5191020.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-130418024901-5201047.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-130418073927-5262388.jpeg)
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Painted Frogs
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032237-527274.jpeg)
The brightly-coloured Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas) is iconic to Costa Rica and seems to appears on every advertisement, book-cover and poster for Costa Rica.
Juan caught one of these very small (they are only about 2-inches long) tree frogs for us to photograph under controlled conditions and these are a few of my results. Juan usually likes to catch several frogs if he can (because you don't want to stress them out so its necessary to give them frequent rest-breaks in some damp moss). We only had one frog to work with that morning so we took it slowly and gave the frog plenty of time to rest.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032243-5291341.jpeg)
Handsome with orange hands and feet, blue legs, striped flanks and brilliant scarlet-red eyes.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032244-5302326.jpeg)
Long-legs enable an instant leap from danger:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032239-5282158.jpeg)
We released her back into the wild beside a stream where she climbed this reed before leaping back into the forest:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032252-5331667.jpeg)
Juan and I later went on a night-time prowl in a coastal forest where we found several different frogs including this sleeping Red-eyed Tree Frog:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032257-5352180.jpeg)
These frogs have a nictitating third eye-lid with a golden see-through mesh which is thought to provide them with enough vision to see advancing predators even while they are sleeping.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032255-534997.jpeg)
While we were staying at Laguna del Lagarto, we had the opportunity to photograph another brightly-coloured frog: the minute (they are only one-inch long!) Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Oophaga pumilio).
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032259-5361553.jpeg)
The skin of this variety is mildly toxic but the Golden Poison Dart Frog (Phylobates terribilis) from Brazil is a very different matter.
An interesting fact is that newly hatched Strawberry Darts are not toxic: the toxicity only develops as they feast on mites and ants.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032309-5382308.jpeg)
The Poison Dart Frogs got their name from the fact that a concentration made from their skin-oil was used to poison the tips of the blow-pipe darts which were used by the indigenous hunters. The poison was deadly!
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032304-5371665.jpeg)
During our night-time frog hunt we also found this handsome Masked Tree Frog (Smilisca baudinii):
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032309-5381297.jpeg)
and two more species whose identities I have not yet been able to discover:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032315-5402210.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032319-5412164.jpeg)
and this one which, because of his dry warty skin, I believe to be Toad:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418060403-542471.jpeg)
Red-eye Tree Frog perched in a Heliconia:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-160418032248-5311184.jpeg)
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The artistry of the mother nature often (mostly?) transcends that of human beings, which is marvelously reassured by your frog images.
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Akira:
I am so pleased that you enjoyed the gorgeous colours of these enchanting little tree frogs.
I had seen many photographs of tropical frogs before I went to Costa Rica but had never realised how extremely tiny they actually are in real life.
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Owls
One of Juan's friends works on a magnificent mango-growing estate near Orotina west of San Jose. Juan calls his friend "the Owl Whisperer" because he nearly always knows exactly where all the Owls on the estate are to be found.
These first photographs show a very small owl which is appropriately named the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl. She was hiding in a thicket when we first saw here but was persuaded to fly up into this orchid-encrusted tree.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220418065046-5432428.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220418065048-5451656.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220418065046-5431569.jpeg)
Just along the trail from the Pygmy Owl, we spotted another night-hunter: the Common Nighthawk. It was dozing in the shade lying flat on a thick branch just over our heads where she was perfectly camouflaged.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220418065051-547162.jpeg)
We found this Striped Owl in an open field. He was out in the open but standing close to a tree-trunk with which he blended so well as to be almost invisible — until he was pointed out to me.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220418065051-5471416.jpeg)
This splendid Barn Owl was sleeping high-up under the rafters inside a large and dark barn. I took some photographs of her and then The Owl Whisperer asked her to fly; which she did; but out of the wrong side of the barn (and not to her usual roosting tree either) but far away across the valley instead. I therefore have no photographs of that Barn Owl in flight.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220418065049-5462245.jpeg)
We walked through a beautiful woodland of immense deciduous trees in search of a Spectacled Owl. A pair of them were located well hidden under some heavily-leafed branches but our Owl Whisperer was then able to persuade one of them to fly onto a more exposed branch.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220418065054-549241.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-220418065055-5501379.jpeg)
A Black and White Owl should have also have been on the premises but that WOL had very disobediently gone AWOL that morning.
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Browsing through these "environmental" portraits of the wild owls is a treat.
I wonder if the (rather loud) shutter sound of D5 would surprise them?
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The shutter sound might actually have helped to capture open eyes in the case of these sleeping (or trying to sleep?) Owls.
Interestingly I have seldom, if ever, had any problems with the sound of my shutter scaring any creature away; but any sudden movement by the photographer, or the sound of a human voice, will immediately scare many wild birds and animals away.
The secret seems to be to approach them slowly, and in stages, when you are on foot; while shooting a few frames (insurance shots!) at each stage.
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Thank you for sharing your unique experience with regard to the affect of the shutter sound. That is a little unexpected, but it is well understandable that the human movements and voices scare the animals away.
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Ann, the owls are really beautiful.
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Tim and Akira:
Thank you so much for your kind comments about the Owls.
It was great to spend a morning on that beautiful estate and to see so many owls as well as several other species of birds and even a white-lipped mud turtle too.
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Resplendent Quetzals
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064119-5622206.jpeg)
When I flew off to Costa Rica, I was really hoping (but in reality not expecting) to catch a glimpse of the rare, and almost mythical, Resplendent Quetzal. Not only did I get a glimpse of one but Juan actually got me close enough to photograph them.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064108-55554.jpeg)
Resplendent Quetzals may never have existed in large numbers but their numbers are declining due to logging of the special forests in which they live; and killing them for their magnificent emerald-green feathers in earlier years; which have put them on the Endangered List.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064111-5561372.jpeg)
Adult male Quetzals have gorgeous blue and green feathers on their backs, turquoise tail feathers which are nearly a meter long and brilliant crimson breasts; the females also have bright green backs but lack the crimson breast and the long tail feathers.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064111-55779.jpeg)
They are only to be found in Cloud Forests at high altitudes of between about 4,000 and 10,000 feet where they live on a diet of wild avocados, figs and small lizards.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064114-558626.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064115-559904.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064117-5602263.jpeg)
They make their nests in holes in trees but, because their beaks are not built for excavation, they need old trees with soft slightly rotten wood or pre-existing holes. The females lay only two eggs (which is another reason for the low population).
The next three photographs show the female who is very pretty but not quite as striking as the male.
This one refused to turn round and show me her front but they have crimson near the base of their tails and very attractive markings on the underside of their tails.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064120-563940.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064121-5641136.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064123-5652338.jpeg)
The Costa Rican Resplendent Quetzals (Pharomachrus mocinno costaricensis) are a subspecies of the Mexican ones and are only found in a very few areas. We found these ones high in the Talamanca Mountains above San Gerardo de Dota at altitudes between 9,000 and 10,000 feet.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064118-56112.jpeg)
Having been released from the Intensive Care Unit only four weeks previously, I did question my sanity when I found myself slightly breathless after hill- (and even cliff-) climbing at those altitudes and was exceedingly grateful for the help that I received from Juan and Olman to pull both myself and my equipment up there. It was wonderful to be rewarded for the effort by the sight of these truly resplendent birds.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064124-566464.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-300418064126-5671169.jpeg)
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These Quetzals are so beautiful, I have not seen them before. Thank you for posting, and also for your efforts to reach the birds.
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Ann, Outstanding mages of the Quetzals, thank so much for sharing them , these sure were worth all the efforts you had to go through
I'm amazed by the amount of species you were able to capture and also by your very methodical organization,
you certainly make a great explorer
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Ann your Owls and Quetzals are splendid. Just reward for effort! Thank you so much for sharing.
P.S. What were the typical focal lengths used - the Quetzals look quite small and I am guessing that the Owls may have been further away from you.
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Hugh:
You are absolutely correct: Quetzals are really quite small and only measure about 15 inches from head to the base of their tails; but the tails of the males are double their body-length.
The other problem is that they mostly perch deep in the forest, often among thick foliage, so seeing them at all (let alone getting a clear shot of the complete bird, including the full extent of their tails) does take a large slice of luck.
Couple that with the low light-levels in the forest and that their long wispy tails blow around in the breeze means that one needs long lenses, fast shutter speeds and will inevitably be using high ISO speeds.
I was using a rented copy of the magnificent new 500mm f/4E AF-S NIKKOR FL ED VR for the male Quetzals.
Unfortunately that lens proved to be a bit too heavy for me to shoot hand-held so when I was shooting the females and the final shot of the male in a very distant tree (and was needing to scramble up and down a steep, slippery and muddy bank in the rain to do it) I used a 300 mm PF with a TC 1.4 (for a total of 420mm). You can see the rain against the dark backgrounds in those shots.
The male in the last Quetzal shot was perched in a wild avocado tree far away across the valley but the branches were widely spaced and my big hope was that he would fly and I could get a clear in-flight shot but by that time it was very cold (and very wet!) and the light was fading so he obviously decided that he had no wish to fly anywhere.
The Owls were all shot with the 500mm plus the TC 1.4 (so 700 mm).
The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) is incredibly small — less than six inches tall — so even with 700mm of focal length, these photographs are from heavily cropped frames.
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Anthony and Armando:
I am so glad that you enjoyed the Resplendent Quetzals.
They are so incredibly beautiful and I can't tell you how thrilling it was to see them — and at such close-range too.
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Ann - many thanks for your explanations of the lenses and TCs used. Appreciated - I learn a lot on this site. :)
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Checking through my files again, I found that I did have a front view of a female Quetzal after all which shows the patterning of the underside of her tail feathers.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-240518212130-568654.jpeg)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-240518212131-5691586.jpeg)
This is the wild avocado which provides their favourite food:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-240518212133-5701389.jpeg)
I have no idea if the fruits ever grow any larger than this because they get eaten before they have the chance.
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Lay of the Land:
I went to Costa Rica primarily to photograph its remarkable wildlife so mostly enjoyed its dramatic landscapes as we hurtled past them in the car. We were planning to shoot in several different areas which are many hours apart so we really couldn't stop at every bend in the road to photograph the landscape.
Here are just a few Landscapes to give you some idea of the countryside:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-250518161142-5771879.jpeg)
Approaching San Jose from the southwest.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-250518161140-5761166.jpeg)
Waterfall near Cinchona on the northeast side of Volcano Poas.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-250518161137-573535.jpeg)
Early morning at the Arenal Lake below Volcano Arenal.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-250518161139-5752168.jpeg)
Evening after the rain at Arenal.
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-250518161134-5711836.jpeg)
Stormy sky over the Naranjo River. (Photographed inland from Quepos from a dirt road which runs through virgin forests but is only passable in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with a very skillful driver!)
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-250518161134-571730.jpeg)
A very long suspension bridge which crosses a deep gorge and the Savegre River at Los Campesinos.
(This is further along the same dirt road. It had been buried in a landslide at one point and we had to wait while a bulldozer cleared a way for us to pass through
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-250518161137-573561.jpeg)
and, to finish this story:
A panorama of a sunset shot as the sun burst through after a rainstorm in the Talamanca Mountains although there is still wet mist in the air:
(http://nikongear.net/revival/gallery/0/1358-250518202959-579468.jpeg)
This pano was merged from a set of 12 images which I shot with my 300 mm + 1.4 TC handheld as I swung though about 180°.
Stitching software is amazing!
Unfortunately I can't show you a taller rendition because the internet software limits us to 1800 px horizontally.
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Thanks for posting the general views. They help capture a sense of the place.
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Amazing landscapes, Ann!
The unapproachable landscape should have been a great contribution for preserving rare animals, critters and plants.
The last sunset pano is priceless!
Did you use a fisheye for the second image (and perhaps the first one as well) ?
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You are extremely observant Akira!
Yes, the first two were both shot with my 16mm Fisheye.
My gambit for getting all of my gear onto a flight is to pack my secondary camera body and most of my lenses into my "Carry-on" camera bag; and to keep my best camera and a very small lens (the 16mm) in my computer bag (my "personal item") under the seat in front of me so that is what I had readily available on the flight and also during the five and a half hour taxi ride to join up with my friends after my late arrival in Costa Rica. The shot of the waterfall was taken in the pouring rain during a very brief stop during that long drive.
Interestingly, a study of Google Earth seems to show that the terrain shown in the aerial shot is, by happy co-incidence, the very same area where we later explored the dirt road along the Naranjo River and up to that string bridge across the gorge of the Savegre River. The mountains in the distance are where we found the Quetzals and from where I shot the Pano.
The Pano was shot when the sun suddenly re-emerged after we had all got extremely cold trying to photograph the Quetzals in pouring rain at an altitude of 10,000 feet. Just 9° north of the equator but I was freezing!
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The images in this thread would make a wonderful photography exposition, and I can picture the sunset pano adorning the entrance corridor
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Thank you, Ann, for the disclosure.
I re-realized that a fisheye is a very handy lens rather than "just" one for the special effects of excessive distortion. You used the lens so that the distortion is not obvious.
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The conversion software which I use lets me adjust the geometry of the lens profile (either automatically or manually) so that Mr. Fish can render either as a Fisheye or as a rectilinear wide-angle. That makes the very compact little 16 mm a very versatile lens which I always have with me.
I used to use a plug-in called Fisheye-Hemi for 'de-fishing" but I haven't updated it in years because my regular editing software now handles those functions itself.
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Armando: An Exposition is such a lovely idea: it would be wonderful if I can find a way to do something like that.