Monthly Archives: August 2022
Northern Carmine Bee-eater
Northern Carmine Bee-eater: Murchinson Falls National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Along with sunbirds and kingfishers, Bee-eaters are among my favorite African birds. This is the Northern Carmine Bee-eater, certainly a spectacular bird by any measure. We saw many of them at Murchinson Falls National Park early in our trip. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/1000th.
Shoebill Stork (adult)
Shoebill Stork: Mabamba Swamp, Entebbe, Uganda, August 2022 — As wonderful as seeing the chick of the Shoebill was, it was almost as satisfying seeing a couple of adults. According to our local guide this is a female. It is difficult to image just how large these birds are! They always take me by surprise. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 125 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Brown-throated Wattle-eye
Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Bigodi Wetland Walk, Kibale, Uganda — Male and Female. The name comes from the female. One of my favorite small African birds, after Sunbirds, Beeeaters, and Kingfishers! 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 125 and 500 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Blue-breasted Kingfisher
Pic for today: Blue-breasted Kingfisher
Blue-breasted Kingfisher: The Royal Mile, Uganda, August 2022 — I added the Royal Mile south of Murchinson Falls National Park to this year’s Uganda trip specifically for the Chocolate Backed Kingfisher, which we heard calling but did not see. Gives me something to come back for. I did get 3 life Kingfishers on the Mile though, including this Ble- breasted Kingfisher. Good enough! Sony RX10IV at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom bird and wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. Nominal exposure: ISO 6400 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus .3ev.
Olive-bellied Sunbird!
Olive-bellied Sunbird: Chimpanzee Forest Lodge, Kabale, Uganda, August 2022 — Sunbirds are the hummingbirds of Africa…bright, quick, with long bills for sipping nectar and catching tiny bugs from the flowers. The Olive-bellied Sunbird is among the most colorful, even with its dull name. 🙂 The garden at our lodge is full of them…and full of sunbirds…with at least a half dozen species. Sony Rx10iv at 509mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 1000 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Shoebill Stork chick
Shoebill Stork: Mabamba Swamp, Entebbe, Uganda, August 2022 — This is a very rare bird. Shoebill Storks are rare and endangered through their whole range, there are only small concentrations around Lake Victoria, and in a few of the National Parks…they only nest every 5 years…they only lay two eggs…and they only raise one chick. So to see a chick is pretty special. We were within 30 feet of this one. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. ISO 160 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Monkey business…
Geoffroy’s Tamarind: Canopy Tower, Panama, July 2022 — I have posted a couple of photos of the families of Tamarinds that visit Canopy Tower daily for the banana treats. This one is to celebrate my 75th birthday today. 🙂 Monkey business indeed. I am actually in Amsterdam, at Schiphol Airport, to catch a flight to Uganda in a few hours. Birthday monkey business. Sony Rx10iv at 320mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus .7EV exposure compensation.
Scarlet-rumped Cacique
Scarlet-rumped Cacique: Canopy Tower, Panama, July 2022 — The Scarlet-rumped Caciques visited the Tower every day…though catching a look at the scarlet rump was not easy. Caciques are members of the same family as orioles and oropendolas. I was told in the Amazon that the name means “Indian Chief” or “king”, and a brief search on Google this morning confirms that. Sony Rx10iv at 500mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 800, 1000, and 1250. f4 @ 1/500th.
Slaty-tailed Trogon
Slaty-tailed Trogon: Gamboa, Panama, July 2022 — On our walk near the Gamboa Sloth Santuary, Igua and I found a pair of Slaty-tailed Trogons along the road. We saw the female (without the eye-ring) on the way in and the way out, and the male on the way out. Panama has 10 species of Trogons, including the Resplendent Quetzal. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Male ISO 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Female ISO 1000 @ f4 @ 1/500th, plus 1EV exposure compensation.
Antbirds
White-bellied Antbird, Chestnut-backed Antbird: Gamboa, Panama, July 2022 — There are 11 species of Antbirds in Panama. We saw two of them, the White-bellied Antbird and the Chestnut-backed Antbird, working the shrubs at the edge of the same brushy field near the Gamboa Rainforest Resort. Two in our group were visiting the the Gamboa Sloth Sanctuary, while Igua, our guide for several days at the Canopy Tower, and I walked some trails near the Sanctuary looking for whatever we could find. 🙂 The light was not great, and these are more or less for-the-record shots, but interesting birds none-the-less. Sony Rx10iv at 600 and 580mm. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. Nominal exposures: White-bellied at ISO 2000 and 2500 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Chestnut-backed at ISO 6400 @ f4 @ 1/60th.