Bird photography on the local river
While in the Amazon, we pretty much kept to the same schedule every day. Breakfast was at 5 AM so we could leave the lodge by canoe at 5.30. Two mornings we went to a canopy in the jungle to photograph the birds. One morning we headed back to the Napo River area to photograph some birds in that region. We would have a break after lunch until the late afternoon. Around 4 PM we would head out on a canoe ride on the local river to see what birds we could find in the trees. It was so relaxing being on the canoes in the quiet waters with just the sounds of the birds and water. Ok- sometimes it wasn't all that relaxing because trying to find and photograph the birds was quite challenging for me. Still it was always fun! Here are my favourite photos of the birds taken from the canoes.
The Yellow-billed Tern is a fairly common bird along the river and in the lakes east of the Andes. This was my first challenge of the trip. If I could not get a shot of this bird I was really in trouble because unlike pretty much every other bird, this one just sat on the post. It was a great bird to practice on. I found bird photography very different and even more challenging in this part of the world. For one thing, the birds were usually high up so it could be difficult to see them, they were often far away and the canoe was pretty much always moving even when it was stopped. Jess, Glen and the guides were extremely helpful in pointing out where the birds were and giving suggestions for exposure settings.
One more picture of the Yellow-billed Tern. This bird is fairly common along the major river systems and in lakes east of the Andes. We saw it pretty much every time leaving and coming back to the lodge.
This interesting looking bird is a Hoatzin. These guys are fairly noisy which probably made it easier for our guides to locate them.
Sometimes we saw two together before one flew off.
The Rufescent Tiger-Heron. Their longish, pointed bills are used for catching fish. They hunt by standing still and waiting for prey fish to come close enough to be grabbed by their large bills. Like many birds they are most active at dawn and dusk.
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Kingfishers are often seen perched on a branch or rock close to water before plunging in head first after their fish prey. Sometimes they would just take off and we would watch them to see where they landed and follow them. These are both Amazon female Kingfishers. |
A pair of Black-capped Donacobius. These birds mate for life. Adult offspring will remain with their parents and help raise siblings.
A pair of Greater Ani. These birds belong to the cuckoo family and are sometimes referred to as the black cuckoo. They are a very gregarious species found in noisy groups.
A Masked Crimson Tanager.
A Social Flycatcher.
An elusive American Pygmy Kingfisher. This tiny Kingfisher was very well hidden in the dense forest but either the guides and or Glenn heard/spotted him. It was difficult for me to get a good shot as the bird was far away, the light was terrible and the canoe was moving. Ok- enough excuses for a not very detailed shot. I decided to post the shot anyhow just because the bird is so pretty. We were very lucky to see him so no complaints.
I just wanted to include this photo to show what the conditions were like for the last shot. This is the river that we were on when the bird was spotted in the trees. The bird was much higher up though but the lighting was similar. Like most of the bird shots taken in the Amazon, the photos were heavily cropped since most of the time the bird was very small in the photo.
A right-winged swallow.
Often we would have to photograph the birds against the sky so exposure could be challenging. This shot is highly cropped (like most of the shots) since the bird was so far away.
I included a photo of photographing from the canoe on the river. There were normally 5 or 6 people in the canoe, including three photographers, Jess or Glenn and one or two guides. The lens were all on tripods. Next up more birds!