Resplendent Rainforests of Costa Rica

[chris dees]

One is even more beautiful than the other.

[Mikes]

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.

[bobfriedman]

how lucky you are to get those shots Ann!... I need to get out of Massachusetts...

[Ann]

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/

[Ann]

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.

[Anthony]

Those bat photos are magical.  I had no idea that such small bats exist.

[Akira]

Simply breathtaking...

[Frank Fremerey]

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!!!!

[armando_m]

it's fun hunting for bats isn't it ?

Great results

[Ann]

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.






White-necked Jacobin feeding from a Furry Heliconia (H. vellerigera)


Scaley-breasted Hummingbird


Scaley-breasted Hummingbird on Verbena


Costa Rica's smallest Hummingbird: Volcano Hummingbird (measures less than 70mm beak-to-tail)


Volcano Hummingbird feeding from Agapanthus


Violet-eared Green Hummingbirds


Violet-eared Green Hummingbird






White-necked Jacobin


Volcano Hummingbird in the rain


Violet Sabre-wing: Costa Rica's largest Hummingbird.

[Ann]

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.



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







Another Three-toed Sloth enduring the drenching rain:





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.





Three-toed Sloth using the utility wires to cross the road in a small Pacific coastal town:



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.

[Hugh_3170]

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!  )

[Ann]

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?

[Seapy]

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.

[Anthony]

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?