The great thing about Panama’s Canopy Tower where I stayed for four nights, is that you are literally up in the treetops. This is where toucans, sloths and other creatures spend the majority of their time. I could photograph them from eye level, rather than looking straight up, usually with a bright, white sky in the background. Another treat of being up in the canopy, is the view that presented itself every morning, with mist and clouds nestled into the hills. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 200, f/20 at 1/125th of a second
There are four different species of motmot that live in Panama, the smallest and most rare being the tody motmot. I was hoping to simply catch a glimpse of this bird and was doubly rewarded when it showed up with a frog in its beak. The tody motmot is also unique among the motmots in that it lacks the distinctively long tail of the others that usually ends in a racket-like tip. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/125th of a second
I photographed an Azara’s night monkey years ago in Bolivia. These two guys are believed to be either a subspecies or a different species all together, depending on who you talk to. All night monkeys are of the genus Aotus, but there are several different subspecies split across two groups, the red-necked and the gray-necked. The Panamanian night monkeys fall under the gray-necked group. As the name would suggest, they are strictly nocturnal. I took this shot just before sunset, and the monkeys seemed to be about ready to leave their daytime resting spot and head out for the night. One interesting fact about night monkeys is that they are one of the few mammals affected by the malaria virus and are therefore useful in malaria research. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/9 at 1/15th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
My sister Mo put in a request for a frog. Here’s a beauty from last weekend in Panama. My guide was calling it a red-webbed treefrog, but a bit of research led me to the conclusion that the red-webbed treefrog is actually a southeast Asian species, and this guy is more likely the Canal Zone treefrog. Perhaps locally it goes by both common names (Hipsiboas rufitelus being the Latin name). If any of you herpetologists out there think otherwise, please let me know. In either case, it sure was a great looking frog. Very similar in size and shape (and even some of the coloring) to the more famous red-eyed tree frog, also native to the El Valle region of Panama where I took this shot. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 200, f/25 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
This three-toed sloth was the first creature that greeted me when I arrived in Panama. There are four species of three-toed sloth, the most common being the brown three-toed sloth that is found throughout much of Central and South America. Like the toucan that I posted yesterday, the sloth prefers to hang out in, and eat the leaves of, the cecropia tree. This guy was doing what sloths spend most of their day doing — taking a nap while giving itself a good scratch. And they always seem to have a smile on their faces, even while sleeping. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 250mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/100th of a second
I just got back from my short trip to Panama late last night. It was a good one, although marred by lots of rain and very poor timing on tamarin monkeys and two-toed sloths — two of my target species. That being said, I can’t wait to go back because it was quite evident that it is very rich in wildlife diversity. The monkeys and sloths were there alright, but they kept showing up in places that I had just been and departing other places just before I arrived — or they had a knack for showing me their backsides and hiding behind lush vegetation. Thus is the nature of nature. But that being said, the three-toed sloths, howler monkeys, night monkeys, opossums, frogs, lizards, iguanas, bats, agoutis, butterflies, birds, and especially toucans, were quite cooperative. I’ve seen and photographed keel-billed toucans before, but never at such close range and in such numbers. They would visit every morning to eat the flowering fruits and seeds of the cecropia trees surrounding the Canopy Tower accommodation where I was staying for the first four nights — less than an hour’s drive from Panama City. I would have done this trip just to photograph these toucans, which are at the very top of my favorite-birds-in-the-world list. With their spectacularly colorful beaks, they are amazing to see flying from tree top to tree top in the forest canopy. Nothing quite says the Central American tropics like the iconic keel-billed toucan. Much more on these guys in upcoming posts. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
This will be me last post for about a week as I head to Panama early tomorrow morning for six nights. Hopefully I’ll be back next week with some great new shots, including some nocturnal creatures like this brushtail possum from Tasmania. One of the nice things about a lot of the animals in Tasmania is that they were very accepting of my presence and didn’t spook very easily. This gave me time to really get my lighting just the way I wanted. I usually use two flashes, but in this case, and for most of my night shots in Tasmania, I used one flash on a tripod which I was able to set down in one spot, and then take my camera to another spot to get the photo. In this case, I was probably twenty feet from the flash, and twenty feet from the possum — me the possum and the flash forming a bit of a triangle. I use remote controlled units on camera and flash to be able to separate the two without using cables. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/6.3 at 1/160th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash
Wildcats occur on several continents, but it’s the African wildcat that our domestic cats are believed to have descended from. We spotted this wildcat on a night drive in Botswana — I don’t think anyone would argue that it resembles the little fur balls that all of us cat owners live with. This one goes out to my wife’s grandfather Jack Latino who loved all his pets of both the feline and canine variety (with names ranging from Gus and Lady, to Dingaling). Sleep well Grandpa. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/60th of a second
This is a brown mouse lemur that I photographed on a night hike on the island of Nosy Mangabe, off the northeast coast of Madagascar. I’m not sure what that particular fruit is, but the lemur seemed determined to make a meal out of it.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units
The L’Hoest’s monkey lives in the upper eastern Congo Basin of Africa in the same forested mountain regions that mountain gorillas are found. I photographed this one in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Their conservation status is currently listed as vulnerable. They live in small groups dominated by females, with only a single male. They are a notoriously skittish species and will usually flee when spotted. This one appeared in front of me for only about three seconds before bounding off into the forest. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/60th of a second
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