Not a wonderful shot, but our only sighting of a King Vulture on this year’s Point and Shoot Nature Photography Adventure to Costa Rica, and an immature bird at that. We were on our way from Selva Verde Lodge to Savegre Mountain Hotel, still in lowlands near the Sucio River and the junction of routes 4 and 32. That is a Black Vulture next to it. This is an extreme shot for the Sony Rx10iv. It was taken at 1200mm using 2x Clear Image Zoom, in relatively dim light, and then heavily cropped to get the bird this large in the frame. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

On our way from Selva Verde Lodge in Costa Rica back to San Jose and then south to the Talamancas, we always stop where the road crosses the Sucio River in Limon to see if we might see a Sun Bittern. We never have yet, but there are generally Fasciated Tiger-Herons and Kingfishers along this stretch of river as compensation. This Tiger-Heron posed nicely for us. Fasciated Tiger-Herons frequent the rocky streams of the foothills and mid-elevations. Sony Rx10iv at 1200mm equivalent (2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

This Fasciated Antshrike played hard to get along the entrance road at La Selva Biological Research Station in the Sarapiqui valley of Costa Rica. I have lots of photos of it partially obscured by foliage…more obscured even than this photo. 🙂 This one captures enough of the bird to be mildly satisfying, including the reddish tint to the eye. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

While some of the Point and Shoot Nature Photography group enjoyed the Chocolate Tour near Selva Verde Lodge in Costa Rica, a few of us went back to the entrance road to La Selva Biological Research Station to see what the afternoon would bring. Our first visit had been early morning in the rain, and the half mile or so of road through second growth rainforest can be one of the best and most productive birding sites in the world. Our guide, Edwin was convinced we had only scratched the surface. And the birding was indeed good. This Slaty-tailed Trogon greeted us only moments after we got out of the van, and we had 6 different woodcreepers, two woodpeckers, a jacamar, and an antshrike before we got back in the van to pick up our compatriots from the Chocolate Tour. Though it was afternoon, the light under the canopy is always difficult. Sony Rx10iv at 1200mm equivalent (2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.

We watched this little drama unfold as we floated, engine idling to keep us in place, along the shore of the Sarapiqui river in Costa Rica. Our Point and Shoot Nature Photography Adventure in Costa Rica always includes a morning on a tour boat out of Puerto Viejo. When the river is high enough we go upstream and then up the Puerto Viejo river at least as far as the cable bridge at La Selva Biological Research Station…looking for birds and wildlife along the shores. This is a female and fledgling Green Kingfisher. When we first saw them they were locked together, beak to beak, and seemed to be having difficulty separating. They struggled for a good 10 minutes as we watched, but then suddenly pulled apart. I could not figure out exactly what was going on. It is possible their beaks were indeed somehow locked…and it is possible the greedy youngster just would not let go. At any rate, all’s well that ends well, and both birds seemed fine in the end. The male, by the way, sat a few yards away and watched the whole thing. Sony Rx10iv at 1200mm equivalent (2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos and assembled in Framemagic.

The Great Green Macaw is emerging as a conservation success story in Costa Rica. Over the past years its numbers have steadily increased. It is still listed as endangered, but the bird is no longer an uncommon sight in the Sarapiqui valley and the lowlands of the Caribbean slope. There is even a reliable roost, near Puerto Viejo, where it is possible to see them fly in most evenings. There is never enough light by the time they do, but it is still the spot to go to see Great Green Macaws. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.