Monthly Archives: March 2023
Resplendent!
Resplendent Quetzal: San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2022 — As I mentioned, you arrive just at first light to wherever you hope to see the Quetzals in the valley around San Geraldo de Dota, and the first birds come when it is still very dark for photos. The longer you wait, the brighter it gets, but the sun never seldom reaches the shelves where the Quetzals are before they finish feeding for the morning. These are two “early” shots, when I was still shooting using multi-frame noise reduction to get any kind of shot at all. Still the colors of the Quetzal can no be surprised! (or surpassed). Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Equivalent ISO 6400 @ f4 @ 1/400th.
Female Resplendent Quetzal
Female Resplendent Quetzal: San Geraldo de Dota: Costa Rica, December 2022 — In any other company, the female Resplendent Quetzal would be a brilliant bird…as it is, the male is over-the-top brilliant and puts her a bit in the shade. These shots are from the “more secret” of the Quetzal locations in the valley in December…a bit harder to get to, and a bit more exclusive (and you have to pay)…but generally an excellent Quetzal show. When we visited both the male and female were showing well. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. You have to get to the spot at first light, so it is never bright enough. Equivalent ISO 6400 @ f4 @ 1/200th and 1/400th.
Flowerpiercer piercing
Slaty Flowerpiercer: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2022 — And here is where the Flowerpiercer gets it’s name. 🙂 This is the male by the way. The female is lighter in color. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 125 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Slaty Flowerpiercer
Slaty Flowerpiercer: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2022 — We had a close encounter with a Slaty Flowerpiercer who was working the plants along Miriam’s back deck in the noon-day mountain sun. The flowerpiercer is so named because it uses its sharp hooked beak to make a small hole at the base of showy flowers to sip the nectar. I have actually seem Mountain Gem Hummingbirds feeding from the holes it leaves behind. It is a plain little bird…slaty…but in good light you can see the abundance of fine feather detail. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 125 and 250 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Return to the Emerald Toucanet
Emerald Toucanet: Miriam’s Quetzals, San Geraldo de Dota, Costa Rica, December 2022 — We return to images from my trip to Costa Rica last December and to the Emerald Toucanet…one of the highlights of our lunch stop at Miriam’s Quetzals up the mountain from our lodge. With birds like this off the back deck…who needs food! Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 320 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Good by Zebra, good by Africa!
Plains Zebra: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — We have finally come to that moment…the last photo I took in Africa in 2022. This Zebra colt is saying good-by…good by to Uganda for another year. Just as well. I leave for India in a few days now, and I still have lots of photos from Costa Rica in December to share. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 100mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Good-by Africa!
Bluebird on a wet snow day…
Eastern Bluebird: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, March 2023 — One last shot from the snowy Saturday. You can see how wet this Bluebird is. They were still busy around the feeders…coming for mealworms every few moments. 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: Jigsaw
Plains Zebra: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The Zebra is abundant in East Africa, but is only found in two widely separated parks in Uganda: Lake Mburo in the south, and Kidepo in the north east. This is your classic jigsaw puzzle shot of three standing together. Sony Rx10iv at 150mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 160 @ f4 @ 1/320th. Plus .3EV (probably left over from a previous shot 🙂
Spring is coming, despite the snow!
American Goldfinch: Kennebunk, Maine, USA, March 2023 — Despite the snowfall, this American Goldfinch is definitely showing some real yellow under its chin! That means spring can not be far off. Taken at our back deck feeding station on March 4th. 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.
Uganda Edition: Three heads…
Nubian Giraffes: Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — coming up fast on my very last shots from our August trip to Uganda. These three youngsters were not terribly concerned that we were among them. Such handsome creatures. Sony Rx10iv at 517mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 640 @ f4 @ 1/500th.