Mantled Howler Monkey: Caño Negro Wetlands Reserve, Costa Rica, December 2024 — We cannot leave Caño Negro without visiting our tree brothers, the Mantled Howlers that move along the edges of the waterways, often looking out over the water, apparently contemplating life in the rainforest. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Green Iguana: Caño Negro Wetlands Reserve, Costa Rica, December 2024 — The Green Iguana is only green when it is young. As adults they are various shades of bronzy brown and dull orange. This is, I think, a big adult male, lounging in the foliage along one of the many channels in the Caño Negro wetlands. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 246 and 600mm equivalents. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator. Assembled in FrameMagic.
Grey-cowled Wood Rail: Caño Negro Wetlands Reserve, Costa Rica, December 2024 — in one of the moments of sun between rain showers while we were on the boat on Caño Negro, we came up on a small group of birds hanging out on the flooded boardwalk near the HQ building, among them this Grey-cowled Wood Rail in an unusual off the ground view. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Boat-billed Heron: Caño Negro Wetlands Reserve, Costa Rica, December 2024 — We saw several Boat-billed Herons from our boat on Caño Negro…all but this one facing the wrong way for a photo. And this one was buried in foliage. I had only long enough for a burst of 5 shots before we drifted past the window. I was amazed and gratified to find that the subject detecting, eye-tracking auto focus manage to nail it even through the thicket. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. (ISO 8000) Processed in Photomator.
Black-headed Trogon: Caño Negro Wetlands Reserve, Costa Rica, December 2023 — I saw more different species of Trogons on this trip than I have ever seen in Costa Rica on any other trip…which is particularly special because I saw no lowland Trogons on my December 23 trip at all. This is two different birds…I think, or at least two different bird encounters along the same stretch of water at Caño Negro as we motored along. Front and back view. I have to admire the subtle shades and tones of the back view. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Green Kingfisher: Male and female, Caño Negro Wetlands Reserve, Costa Rica, December 2024 — Continuing on the theme of American Kingfishers, here we have the Green. I have seen the Green along the border in Texas and Arizona, where they are fairly common…and I often see them on river and wetland trips in Costa Rica. Smaller than the Amazons who share the habitat. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Amazon Kingfisher: Caño Negro Wetlands Reserve, Costa Rica, December 2024 — Kingfishers are among my favorite birds, and the Amazon sits kind of right in the middle of the pack…not too big and not too small. It was also the most common Kingfishers we saw at Caño Negro on our rainy day boat tour. This is a female. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Grove-billed Ani: Caño Negro Wetlands Reserve, Costa Rica, December 2024 — From the boat on the Caño Negro in the rain, this Grove-billed Ani looks like just what it is, wet and bedraggled. We had sun and rain off and on the whole trip, but saw a lot of good birds. 🙂 Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm (from the moving boat). Program with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Common Pauraque: Caño Negro Wetlands Nature Reserve, Costa Rica, December 2024 — The last bird we encountered on our Owl Prowl was a Common Pauraque hunting over the road. We tried to find it perched on a fence post, but the best we could do was this shot in the road. The next morning on or boat tour of Caño Negro, we found the second Pauraque on a roost deep in the tangle of the bank. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. (Night shot by the light of a handheld torch/flashlight.) Processed in Photomator.
Pacific Screech Owl: Caño Negro, Costa Rica, December 2024 — As we continued our Owl Prowl around Caño Negro, we stopped at little pull off near flooded fields and played the call of the Pacific Screech Owl…and at least 3 individuals answer and continued to call around us as we searched. We found two of them. Again photos are by the light of a hand-held torch/flashlight. Sony a6700. Tamron 50-400 @ 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. ISO 25600. Processed (including noise reduction) in Photomator.