Uganda Edition: African Finfoot
African Finfoot: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Another highlight of the boat tour on Lake Mburo. The African Finfoot has two distinct ranges in East Africa, one along the western borders of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania and one along the south/north borders of western Kenya and Tanzania, with a lot of Finfootless territory in between. Sony Rx10iv at 580mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Velvety Manakin
Velvety Manakin: Los Cosingos Sanctuary, Costa Rica, December 2022 — A very difficult bird to photograph…deep in the tangle of the rainforest understory…but the only male Velvety we saw on our trip. There was a nice green female showing at the Wilson Botanical Gardens. This is a confusing bird to me. There was once a Blue-Crowned Manakin that had a range in both Central America and South America. There is now a Velvety Manakin with a range primarily in Central America, Columbia, and northern Ecuador and a Blue-capped Manakin with a range in the rest of Amazonian South America. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. Equivalent ISO 2500 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Striated Heron
Striated Heron: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — we saw this small heron, very like the Green Heron, along the shore of Lake Mburo from our tour boat. The Striated Heron’s range spans the tropics…Central and South America, across Africa, through all of Asia, and on the larger pacific islands and the Galapagos. I have seen it on the Galapagos and along the Amazon in Peru, as well as in Panama…and now, Africa! (I will keep an eye out for it in India in March 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 320 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Blue-winged Helicopter Damselfly
Blue-winged Helicopter Damselfly: Los Cosingos Santuary, Costa Rica, December 2022 — We were surprised to find this huge damselfly, the largest in the world, with a wingspan often over seven inches, flying through a clearing at Los Cosingos, just beyond the Alexander Skutch home. They are more common around wetlands and in the mangrove forests of Costa Rica and Central America than in the foothills…but there it was. The photo does not do it justice. You have to see one in flight with those four huge wings helicoptering above the body as it levitates along the forest edge. I tried for flight shots, but the group was more interested in moving on to the next bird and my time was limited. So you will just have to take my word for it…those wings are over three and half inches long! Sony Rx10iv at 447mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Ruppell’s Starling
Ruppell’s Starling: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — This shot was taken from the last tour boat on Lake Mburo for the day. They held the boat for us or we would not have made it. Too may photo-stops on the way through the park. Ruppell’s Starling is a long-tailed starling, common everywhere in Uganda in savannahs and lawns. Though it looks black in some light, it is actually quite colorful with it’s green and purple iridescence. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 250 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, February 2023 — There are two Red-breasted Nuthatches visiting our back deck feeding station most days this winter. We can go months without seeing one in the summer, when the living is easy, but at least this winter, they seem to frequent the feeders more. Caught this one in the strong afternoon sun on a cold February day. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 160 @ 4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Eland!
Common Eland: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — No the best photo, but our only sighting of the somewhat shy Elands of Lake Mburo National Park. The two Eland species, Common and Giant, are the largest antelope in the world. Lake Mburo has the Common, which is just slightly smaller on average than the Giant. Still, impressive animals. Sony Rx10iv at 526mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
White-faced Capuchin
White-faced Capuchin Monkey: Los Consingos Sanctuary, Costa Rica, December 2022 — There was a medium sized troop of White-faced Capuchins in the clearing around the Alexander Skutch homestead…working their way tree to tree and roof-top to roof-top. As anyone who has lived with Capuchins knows they are not good neighbors. Noisy, messy, and intrusive! Still, from a distance they are cute. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 400 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Olive Baboon
Olive Baboon: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The Olive Baboon is the only baboon species in Uganda, and this is, of course, the classic shot of the youngster catching a ride. Still taken our first day in the park wile we were still on our way to lake for our afternoon boat safari. Sony Rx10iv at 517mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 320 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Black-capped Chickadee in the winter sun
Black-capped Chickadee: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, February 2023 — The most common of our common backyard birds here in southern Maine…the Black-capped Chickadees are with us every day, all year long. This one was coming in for mealworms and suet the after the Polar Vortex blew on out to sea. The light was great and I could not resist a portrait. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 320 @ f4 @ 1/500th.