Cordillera II

Sigma 50/1.4 A @f9, Nikon D600 contre-jour, Western Cordillera equatorial Andes

Bat Falcon II

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 320; Nikon D750 minute trim, petoensis ssp.; The female bat falcon in the same tree as the male shot previously (on a lower branch). Cloud forest

Paramo Deer II

Sigma 100-400 OS C @400mm, f6.3, ISO 220; Nikon D600 early morning; seconds later, against brighter background equatorial Andes

Paramo Deer

Sigma 100-400 OS C @400mm, f6.3, ISO 640; D600 above 4000 m, ecuadorian paramo deer (Odocoileus ustus) In some ways, the paramo landscape reminded us of the Scotland’s raw beauty.

In the Sky

Sigma 50/1.4 A @f6.3, ISO 100 (2/3 EV underexposed), Nikon D600 early morning, Western Cordillera equatorial Andes wilderness

Masked Flowerpiercer

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, high ISO image (5600); Nikon D750 cloud forest

Russet-Backed Oropendola

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 1250; Nikon D750 A male performing bowing display at the nest. Just as https://tinyurl.com/theCacique they are colonial (monogamous) birds. We’ve seen them raiding nests in the cacique colony. They like nesting in the safety of cacique empty nests (using one of them for nesting). Amazon

Aracari II

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 900; Nikon D750 pale-mandibled aracari, choco/cloud forest foothills

Blue-and-Yellow Macaw

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 125; Nikon D750 evening light, minute crop (< APS-H) From time to time Macaw's sharp call resounds through the jungle before they are seen briefly flying by. That was a signal for boosting the exposure (our cameras can’t expose for highlights), AISO shutter speed, change the focus point pattern and start persuading our setup to focus on the birds that will any second come into view from somewhere or have already come. Usually, from the opposite side you are just facing:) Here I managed the focus points and was lucky for the exposure (strong highlights). Amazon

Forest IV

Sigma 100-400 0S C @100mm, f8; Nikon D600 About every five miles or so, we came across a waft of a delightful floral scent. It was tempting to ascribe the surreally pleasant scent to the pink flowering tree like this, but we couldn’t verify this. Last time when smell like this overcame us was on a warm day at a shore of the Lake St Clair resembling a scent of pink (coincidentally) dwarf carnations that you can find in some rock gardens (close to their natural form). The scent was sweeter in comparison, almost heavy with sweetness, spicier with a strong note of clove. This one, while similarly striking, felt heavenly-floral and more delicate. It made you want to stop the canoe. The sense of smell may not be the most acute of our senses, but experience tells us that its record is stored deep in the brain for a very long time and more accurately than information of any other sensory system. Amazon

Crossing

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 720; Nikon D750 almost noon, Zabalo River (NP); two howlers separated from the group (spooked by our canoe) rejoin the others on the other side of the river by hasty crossing - a few quick jumps Amazon

Roots

Milvus 35/1.4 @f6.3, speedlight; Nikon D600 Amazon

Cloud Forest V

Sigma 100-400 OS C @230mm, f7.1; Nikon D600

Spotted Woodcreeper

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, high ISO image (7200); Nikon D750 crop (APS-H), noon light, cloud forest

Lucifer Titi II

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @500mm, f8, ISO 800; Nikon D750 A minute trim (< APS-H) @500mm; task for a zoom: a fast moving monkey or bird with a long tail can spoil the framing for it’s all too easy to clip the tail in a wrong way (not to mention being on a moving boat at the same time). Amazon

Tree Orchid

Milvus 35/1.4 @f9, speelight/wide-angle diffuser; Nikon D600 tiny epiphytic orchid, cloud forest F11/Full Screen W/A

Forest IV

Sigma 100-400 OS C @400 mm, f8; Nikon D600 This is not a masking camouflage but a result of an unfortunate spider, now dead, coming across infectious spores of Cordyceps fungi. In another case, we encountered a moth being affected (also photographed) Amazon

Golden Silk Orb-weaver

Milvus 35/1.4 @f10, morning; Nikon D600 (a fly sitting on its head) Amazon

Bat Falcon

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 360; Nikon D750 crop APS-H, morning light, cloud forest Although the Europe’s adored religion of Greed (today, an overkill adaptation of the Europe's past migrants) has mostly spread across the globe with success, there are still places where insect can live and so can these falcons. The male (here) feeds almost exclusively on large insects (occasionally bats) whereas the larger female’s diet includes birds. This will come counterintuitive but the falcons are more closely related to parrots, song birds and seriemas than they are to the other birds of prey. Their evolution is a result of convergence rather than evolutional relation to (the other) birds of prey.

Fluvial Forest VIII

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 2200; Nikon D750 Amazon river dolphin

Clubmoss

Milvus 35/1.4 @f11, cloud forest; Nikon D600 A group of primitive plants with links to ferns. The runners of the terrestrial clubmoss are spreading across the flats of newly available space in a volcanic caldera. Frequent fallouts of fresh ash don’t agree with all plants while to some it's a welcome nourishment.

White-throated Toucan

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 450; Nikon D750 backlit, Amazon

River Turtle

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 180; Nikon D750 giant Amazon river turtle (very skittish), morning, Zabalo River

Cordillera II

Sigma 100-400 OS C @100 mm, f7.1; Nikon D600 Not the best part of the year for distant views but had the weather on our side elsewhere like in the Amazon basin; the regional weather patterns vary markedly. Five mornings we were getting up 3.30 am to try our luck to see through the clouds. http://tinyurl.com/400mmView