I’m starting to pull together a trip to Guyana for late January. In my research, I see I’ll have another shot at white-throated toucans. I’ve photographed them recently in Peru, and also on my first trip to Bolivia where this image was taken in Madidi National Park. Toucan tongues are a lot like a woodpecker’s tongue. It almost looks like a feather. The bristles along the edges help the toucan taste and catch food before eating it.Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.

Just a simple shot of a capybara — world’s largest rodent — enjoying the breeze along the Yacuma River in the Pampas region of Bolivia. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.

A month from today, I’ll finally be back to my international wildlife travels for the first time since before Covid. It’ll just be for a week, but I’ve chosen the Peruvian Amazon. I’ve always loved the Amazon for all it’s varied life both night and day, including the nocturnal tree frogs. This image was taken years ago in the Bolivian Amazon. It’s a polka-dot tree frog. Interesting note about these guys. In 2017, scientists discovered — quite by accident — that their skin is naturally fluorescent. They were studying a frog for other reasons and put it under ultraviolet light. That was only five years ago, but biologists now know that quite a few species of frogs exhibit a natural, bright green fluorescent glow when exposed to UV light. It’s thought that the fluorescence plays a role in communication, camouflage and mating. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.

A capybara seems a bit too comfortable along the Yacuma River in the Pampas region of Bolivia. In reality, there’s not a lot of time to relax for capybaras as they are the favorite prey of larger animals in the area like jaguars and caiman. Capybaras are quite robust themselves, and noteworthy for being the largest rodents in the world. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/800th of a second.

Hoatzin’s are pretty unique birds. They are pheasant-sized and live in much of northern South America, throughout the Amazon region. They are sometimes called the skunk bird or stinkbird because of the foul oder that comes from the fermentation of food in their digestive system. Another interesting fact is that chicks have claws on two of their wing digits. I photographed this hoatzin from a canoe while in the Bolivian Amazon. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second.

Identifying the various species and sub-species of squirrel monkeys can get confusing. This is the Bolivian squirrel monkey, but also goes by the yellow squirrel monkey. Photographed from a boat in Madidi National Park in the Bolivian Amazon. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.

This is one of the better looking snakes I’ve had the pleasure of photographing — the green parrot snake. They are classified as “slightly venomous.” As such, they pose very little threat to humans. If bit, you might experience some localized swelling and a stinging sensation which subsides in a few hours. Luckily, I didn’t get the opportunity to test out the experience. This guy posed for a few shots before slithering off into the forest of Madidi National Park in the Bolivian Amazon. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/40th of a second.

Capybaras are the world’s largest rodent. I have a particular fondness for them and think they’re quite personable. Unfortunately for them, they serve as a main food source for larger (and sometimes smaller) predators like jaguar and caiman. I’ve seen them in several location in South America in both Brazil and Bolivia. This mother was nursing her pups along the Yacuma River in the Pampas region of Bolivia. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 130mm) ISO 1250, f/5 at 1/100th of a second.

This very small frog is called the spot-flanked poison dart frog. I came across him while hiking in Madidi National Park in the Bolivian Amazon. The blue vocal sac was pretty impressive, disappearing beneath the frog’s chin from time to time before bursting forth again. The rest of the coloration was also impressive. Without any flash, I used a very long shutter speed of four seconds to capture the frog when he was completely still.Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm with Canon 500D close up filter) ISO 200, f/16 at 4 seconds.

This is the brown capuchin monkey, also commonly known as the tufted capuchin. It used to be believed to be one of the most widespread monkeys in the Neotropics but has since been divided into several different species, including the black-striped, black and golden-bellied capuchins. The brown/tufted lives only in the Amazon basin and surrounding areas. I photographed this one in the Bolivian Amazon at a great national park called Madidi. I was in a canoe on one of the park’s lakes when a few of these guys appeared above the shoreline. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/100th of a second.