The Art of Flight
The art of flight. The Mealy Parrot.
I sat high atop the canopy at over 120 feet at sunrise watching the sun crest the horizon and the noises of the jungle come to life. It was one of those all too special visceral mornings that stir your soul. Many echoing screeches of the parrots zipped by in every direction. The tower I was on is safe but wobbles and is quite tiny. You have to be very careful as you don't want to drop your gear or trip as you manuever around. I waited for 2 hours trying to get a shot of these parrots. 100s of failed attemps to get one close and in focus. Finally one flew right by the tower and I locked on with my 600 mm lens handheld trying to keep it in frame as it fled by. I manually focused as fast as possible and underexposed it and set my white balance to flourescent in camera to show off the contrasts as the morning sun highlighted its beautiful colors against the forest canopy. I had an image in mind that would look like a painting. Somehow it all came together and it left me with this image. It's probably the most technically difficult image I have ever taken. I am pretty proud of this one. A stunning bird and a poignant reminder of the raw beauty of naturemealy parrotparrotflightbirdanimalwildlifeamazonjunglerainforestperunature
Scarlet Pair
The art of flight. Is there anything more beautiful than nature’s colorful canvas?
Scarlet Macaws loudly sing as they soar across the skies deep within Tambopata.
Freezing these fleeting moments let’s me revel in the true beauty of our world. The colors, details, lines and anatomical art.
Fun fact: These animals can live up to 90 years in captivity, but in the wild usually 40-50 years.
Blue and Yellow Pair
The art of flight. Is there anything more beautiful than nature’s colorful canvas?
Blue and Yellow Macaws loudly sing as they soar across the skies deep within Tambopata.
Freezing these fleeting moments let’s me revel in the true beauty of our world. The colors, details, lines and anatomical art.
Fun fact: These animals can live up to 90 years in captivity, but in the wild usually 40-50 years.YellowBelliedPairmacawsperutambopatabirdsflightwildlifeamazonrainforest
Tamandua
In all my years working in the rainforest, never have I had such a close encounter with this special animal, the tamandua. Probably because they are mostly nocturnal and rarely seen during the day. I was relaxing in between activities around lunchtime and my local guide and good friend Gilbert came and got me. He quietly took me into the forest where he had spotted this beautiful animal. We watched it for 45 minutes being mindful of its space and watching it eat the termites and ants. They are in the anteater family, have no teeth, and are fantastic climbers. They have very limited vision and rely on their hearing and sense of smell. They utilize their sharp claws and powerful forearms to rip open the nest of termites and use their long tongues (which can reach up to 16 inches and is coated with sticky saliva) to extract the insects. Remarkable animal.
Swallow Tanager
A Swallow Tanager perched and alert along the Madre Dios River in the Peruvian Rainforest. The males shiny turquoise coat seems like it would attract the females when breeding but actually it's the other way around. The female approaches the male with a fine curtsey and bobbing motion. In return, the male will also curtsey. The female then quickly flies off, and if the male follows, then they will breed and become a pair.
Gilded Barbet
A baby gilded barbet on the banks of the Madre Dios in the Peruvian rainforest
Steering
Carlos helps our boat navigate the shallow waters of the Tambopata by checking the depths and for rocks. During the dry season, the river actually gets quite low and it's easy to get stuck.
Colorful Clay Lick
A dawn departure to board our small boat for an hour and a half up river to this incredible spot. The vibrant splendid and screeching symphony of macaws and parakeets at a clay lick along the Tambopata River. It’s one of those experiences that sticks with you indelibly. I was so glad to share this moment with @lindsaychristen as no photo or video would ever do it the true justice. It’s a reminder of those special shared moments and how ridiculously incredible our natural world is.
It’s believed that the birds come here every single day from as far as 60 miles away to eat the clay on these walls. The reasoning….they eat many seeds and plant material that is tough to digest…and the minerals in this clay alleviates some of the digestive pains and enables their gut to have an easier offload.
It’s also amazing that the parakeets or loris come right after sunrise and the macaws gather in the trees above. After about an hour, the parakeets with their bellies satiated leave and the macaws dip down for their turn for another hour or so…like clockwork everyday.ClayLickMacawsbirdstambopataclay lickwildlifenatureamazonrainforestperu
Tambopata River Mornings
A cacophonous melody of birds in all directions, the calming flow of the Tambopata river, a light breeze rippling through the top of the canopy. The sun crests the horizon as many animals head to bed and others wake up for the day. Mornings in the rainforest are absolutely magical. No amount of poetic prose will aptly describe the feeling of just being one with the stunning environment that surrounds you. The lungs of the world.
Huatzin
A Huatzin otherwise known as the chicken of the rainforest. It's also referred to as the stinkbird and is never consumed by locals because of how bad it smells. The reason being is the fermentation process of digestion which leads to an awful smell.
Floating
Floating in a canoe on the lookout for wildlife near Lake Sandoval in Madre Dios, Peru. These waterways serve as the highways for folks that live in this area. They are the arteries that connect people and places.
Morning Glow
The soft glow as the sun rises and the fog dissipates from high above the canopy in Tambopata.
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Spectacled Caiman
Madre De Dios Sunrise
Up early with the sun along the Madre de Dios river, which is the main interstate in the region.
Foggy Canopy Sunrise
Golden Boats
Setting off at Sunrise on the Madre Dios to go look for wildlife.
Sandoval Reflections
Visitors paddle around in canoes on the beautiful Lake Sandoval in Madre Dios, Peru
Bird of Paradise
The wonderfully beautiful Bird of Paradise flower deep in Manu along the Hospital River. Nature is so incredible when we stop and pay attention.
Hitching a Ride
A family of howler monkey works their way up the canopy
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Penetrating Sun
The morning sun penetrates the thick rainforest in Madre Dios, Peru
Orchid Bloom
Incredibly, Peru is home to 3,000 species of orchid.
During the Inca period, orchids were reserved for the delight of the nobility and cultivated in royal gardens. While orchids have been valued for their beauty since ancient times by cultures throughout the world, indigenous peoples have also found uses for these flowers in the treatment of a range of ailments.
Catching Some Sun
A Capuchin monkey catching a bit of sun.
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Shine
Isolating a fallen leaf in the Peruvian Andes. It is amazing the beauty of the simple things when you stop and just pay attention.
Eerie Glow
Eerie glow. Peruvian Amazon.
Morning Atop The Rainforest
120 feet above the forest floor. A cacophonous melody of birds in all directions, the calming flow of the Tambopata river beneath the canopy, a light breeze rippling through the air. The sun crests the horizon as many animals head to bed and others wake up for the day. Mornings in the rainforest are absolutely magical. No amount of poetic prose will aptly describe the feeling of just being one with the stunning environment that surrounds you. The lungs of the world. A place we should fight like hell to protect.
Capped Heron
A capped heron catching the last bit of light of the day.
Howling!
Howlers
Howler monkeys watch across the canopy as an invading troop of howlers tries to mark their territory. Hours of battle cries ensued.
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Clearing Waterfalls
We spent hours hiking through the deep rainforest in Manu researching places to bring a group of Biologists who would be visiting the areas. It was a wild day out there full of hacking away with machetes for hours and slipping through endless mud on steep slopes. We came to this waterfall that was covered by flora absconding the views, so our buddies ended up spending 45 minutes slashing away to open it up so future visitors might be able to enjoy the sights.
Dawn Launch
Heading out on the boat at dawn to make our way to the Clay Lick on the Tambopata River
A Simple Reminder
Simplicity and the imagination of a child. Coke bottle, plastic spoon and some sand. Fill it up. Shake it around. Make some music. Laugh. And repeat. We can all learn something from this kiddo here in the Peruvian Amazon just being resourceful and content with what he has.
Canopy Sunrise
120 feet atop the tower at Posadas overlooking the rainforest beneath at sunrise.
