I was hoping for a photo or two of a hummingbird before going to Costa Rica. Just because the photos look effortlessly good. However I got so many that I now know they take no effort at all.
Night time jungle walks are the best when it comes to seeing species. However they aren't as good for photographs. Sometimes though a cricket will stay still long enough.
The capuchin monkeys of Costa Rica are easy to find. Not so easy to capture with a camera. They move quickly and don't stay still for long. Getting this guy eating was lucky as he stayed a bit longer to allow me to get the image.
In Manuel Antonio National Park I met a group of capuchin monkeys and this watchful mother. Even though it is one of the busiest parks with tons of people this band were willing to feed near to the pathways and so gave me plenty of photo opportunities.
Bird life in the jungles of Costa Rica is amazing. I am a photographer not a twitcher but I was still in thrall of the huge number of species I managed to see.
Costa Rica is a bird watcher's paradise. There are so many species and many of them are endemic. I just like to photograph the pretty ones.
The canopy of the Costa Rican Jungle is full of life. Spider Monkeys are everywhere but it is hard to find them, when they aren't hiding behind leaves.
This spider monkey in Corcovado National Park was kind enough to come down to my level. Mostly they feed up in the canopy but this one was a bit closer at hand.
Spending time with spider monkeys in the jungle is a joy. They are just such curious creatures and if you aren't threatening will just watch you while you eat.
The forests of Costa Rica are full of hummingbirds. These beautiful feathered creatures are somewhat treasured by the local population and often have sugar water feeders put out for them the way we put out seeds and nuts in Europe.
The cloud forest of San Gerardo de Dota just South of San Jose is better known for the symbol of Central American birds, the Quetzal. However these are less easy to photograph and I didn't manage print worth images. However there were many hummingbirds to make up for it.
Hummingbirds are every photographers dream bird to photograph. The scaly feathers stand out so well in a photo and getting one in flight is actually easier than you might imagine as they hover quite a lot instead of flying.
There are so many birds in Costa Rica that photographing them is just a joy. Find a perch and focus on it, a bird will land in no time. In this case it was a flame coloured tanager.
Getting hummingbirds feeding is relatively easy as they hover nicely. There speed is phenomenal as they intake a lot of sugar but while feeding they do slow down long enough to grab a shot, though not often in places it is easy to focus on them.
What better reason to go to a cloud forest than to try and get a photo of a hummingbird. This guy was more tricky than most as he didn't hover very long.
What better reason to go to a cloud forest than to try and get a photo of a hummingbird. This guy was more tricky than most as he didn't hover very long.
While lizards like to relax and sun themselves it makes them easy targets for photographers but one false movement and they disappear in a millesecond. I guess the reaction time needs to be good when you have to go out in the open to get some energy.
