Costa Rica! Macaw feathers
Scarlet Macaw: Macaw Ranch, Sarapique Valley, Costa Rica, December 2023 — There is a free flying flock of close to 100 Macaws, mostly Scarlet and hybrid (there is one big male Great Green Macaw in the flock who seems to have been very active!) at a remote ranch in the Sarapique Valley, down a long dirt road to the end. The Macaws are used to humans and are easy to get close to. Ideal for photography, but I do have my reservations about the number of hybrid birds. I am not sure that is good for either species in the long-run. Still, it made for some stunning photo ops. This is a close-up of a preening Scarlet Macaw from just a few moments after we arrived. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. I actually still had the camera in my birds in flight and action mode (Program with modifications) so this is at ISO 3200 at 1/1600th. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Great Blue flyby
Great Blue Heron: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville Florida, USA, January 2024 — Photographing Pelicans and Spoonbills in the distance, I looked up just in time to see this Great Blue Heron on approach. I got the camera into Birds in Flight mode with a switch of the control dial, panned with the bird, and shot off a burst as it passed me. Such a beautiful bird in flight. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator and assembled in FrameMagic.
Florida! More Pelicans in flight
American White Pelican: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville Florida, USA, December 2023 — More Pelicans in flight from a close flyover out on Blackpoint drive. Pelicans are the ultimate soaring bird, riding thermals high and low, especially over water. Even in low glides between feeding spots they can go many minutes between wing flaps…and when using the high thermals for long distance travel they can glide for hours. These are big birds…among the heaviest flying birds in North America with a wingspread and depth to match. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight and action modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Costa Rica! Crested Quan
Crested Quan: Selva Verde Lodge and Reserve, Sarapique Valley, Costa Rica, December 2024 — Another find from our morning photo walk at Selva Verde Lodge: the Crested Guan. Bigger than a chicken, slightly smaller than a turkey, this is a large bird of humid forests all through tropical Central America and the lowlands of northern South America. They forage both on the ground and on tree branches, generally in small groups and pairs. This shot was from quite a distance. OM Systems OM-1 with the ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Costa Rica! Writing or zig-zag spider
Spiny-backed Orb-weaver Spider: Selva Verde Lodge and Reserve, Sarapique Valley, Costa Rica, December 2023 — We found several of these “writing” or “zig-zag” spiders as the locals call them (because of the patterns in the web), under one of the cabins at Selva Verde on a morning photo walk. I put the macro capabilities of the 100-400 IS zoom to work. This is a member of one of two genus of spiders collectively called spiny-backed because they share the pointy spins. Both are in the Orb-weaver family. OM-Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 454mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. -1.0EV to keep detail in the spider against the dark background. This shot was at ISO 25600 by the way. 🙂 Processed in Photomator.
Florida! a stack of pelicans
American White Pelican: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — There is a fair sized flock of White Pelicans hanging around Blackpoint Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island this year. The first days I was there I only saw them in flight, but it was certainly a sight to see. This is a five bird stack from a lock of at least 30 that went over. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Costa Rica! The other Poison Dart Frog
Poison Dart Frog: Selva Verde Lodge and Reserve, Sarapique Valley, Costa Rica, December 2023 — The other Poison Dart Frog, a completely different species, from Selva Verde. This is the Strawberry or Blue-jeans Frog, a member of the Oophaga genus. There are many different color variations in the genus, from this bright red, through various oranges and yellows, spotted and patterned. The Blue-jeans is by far the most common. Again these shots at take in poor light at the full 800mm equivalent of the 100-400mm IS zoom with 2x digital tele-converter. OM Systems OM-1 in Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator and Pixelmator Pro.
Florida! Rosy in flight
Roseate Spoonbill: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — Another hoped for image from any trip to the Space Coast of Florida: a Roseate Spoonbill in flight. There is noting like that pink wingspread. To my eye, it outdoes even the flamingo. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 436mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Costa Rica! Green and Black
Green and Black Poison Dart Frog: Selva Verde Lodge and Reserve, Sarapique Valley, Costa Rica, December 2023 — By the time we got to the frogs, we were, to be honest, already loosing the light, but you do what you must. It put a strain on the cameras…shooting at much higher ISO than any of us would have liked. Most people were working close with macro lenses…I was standing back and shooting at the long end of my zoom, 800mm equivalent, with the digital 2x extender engaged for 1600mm equivalent and a 1 to 1 image magnification…so a true telephoto macro. This is Dendrobates auratus, one of two poison dart frogs common on the grounds of Selva Verde Lodge. They are actually quite different species and only associated by their common name and the fact that both can be used to make the poison that was used on darts and arrows for hunting in the American tropics. This is the larger of the two species by quite a bit, and it is still less than 2 inches long. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm x 2 digital for a 1600mm field of view. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Florida! Skimmer
Black Skimmer: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA, January 2024 — Another of my “most wanted” birds and shots for my Florida trip this year: the Black Skimmer skimming. The hardest part is keeping the skimmer in an 800mm equivalent frame as it is moving so fast over the water, especially when it passes close. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds in flight modifications. Processed in Photomator.