Daily Archives: January 12, 2023
Uganda Edition: Regal Sunbird
Regal Sunbird: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — What turned out to be about half way back to the lodge from the Gorilla Trek trailhead, we found the bird we had been looking for all morning. Gordon had not guaranteed us this bird, but, considering our slither down the steep mountain side, and the lack of birds along the trail, he was visibly and vocally relieved to find us a Regal Sunbird. The Regal is perhaps the poster bird for Albertine endemics…found only at high altitudes on the slopes of the volcanos of far western Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania. And such a stunning bird. During this encounter the bird was up the slope from us in a heavy tangle of vines and against the sun, so not the best photos, but such a bird! And a bird that I had missed in 2019, on my first trip to Uganda. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 1250 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus .3EV for the backlight.
Two-fingered Sloth
Two-toed Sloth: Danta Corcovado Lodge, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, December 2022 — As we were coming back from the observation tower at Danta Corcovado, I looked up into the canopy (as birders are apt to do) and saw this looking back at me. I know it is called the Two Toed Sloth, but honestly, all sloths have three toes. One species has three “fingers” and the other, this one, has two. So it really ought to be the Two-fingered Sloth. Anyway. This one was doing what sloths do most of the time. If you don’t know the whole Sloth story…the moss in the fur, the moths in the moss, the whole up in the trees for days at a time, but not all the time, story…then you should look it up. Sloths are fascinating animals. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus 1 EV for the backlight.