A three toed sloth sits in a cecropia tree in Soberania National Park in Panama. I photographed this guy from the rooftop of the lodge I was staying at only about an hour from Panama City. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/80th of a second

Also known as the Feischmann’s glass frog, these guys are known for their translucent skin across the torso area. Their natural defense when threatened is to freeze, making them accommodating subjects — if you can find one. I found this one while walking the grounds of my bungalow after dark in the Panamanian town of El Valle. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 250, f/16 at 1/250th of a second, two Nikkor SB-900 flash units.

This one goes out to Lily Quinn who turned 10 this weekend. Hope you like it Lily — a three-toed sloth getting what appears to be a very satisfying nap in a cecropia tree. Photographed on a misty day in Soberania National Park in Panama. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, 1/80th of a second at f/2.8.

This bird was a great find on my last trip to Panama. There are over 200 species of antbirds. As the name would suggest, they eat a lot of ants. They are rainforest birds that spend most of their time on or near the ground. This is the ocellated antbird, characterized by the large, bare blue patch around the eye. Both males and females look the same, with the females being only slightly smaller. Conditions were dark in the thick forest, but the bird stayed still just long enough for me to get a sharp(ish) shot at 1/50th of a second.Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/50th of a second.

Panama has a reputation for being one of the best birding destinations in the world. In the two times I’ve been there, I got a glimpse of just why. This image is from the highlands of El Valle — an orange-bellied trogon. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.

The blue dacnis is also known as the turquoise honeycreeper, although it’s not really a honeycreeper. It’s a tanager found throughout much of Central America and the northern half of South America. This is the female. The male is more uniformly blue, or turquoise as the alternate name suggests. I photographed this one in Soberania National Park in Panama. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/8000th of a second.

This is the spectacled owl. There are six subspecies that range from southern Mexico down through much of South America. I photographed this one in the highlands of central Panama. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.

Motmots are always a good find when birding in Central and South America. In Panama, there are four different species. The tody motmot is the smallest of the four and the only one without the distinctive long tail. This tody motmot was enjoying a breakfast of frog up in the mountains of central Panama. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/80th of a second.

Looking out my window at the snow and rain has me thinking of more tropical climes. Nothing says neotropical goodness like a keel-billed toucan. I photographed this one in Soberania National Park in Panama a few years back. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/100th of a second.

It was early in the morning when I spotted this coati through some pretty dense foliage in Soberania National Park in Panama. Always a treat to see even though they are pretty widespread and common throughout their range in Central and South America. They even make appearances in the southern United States. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/80th of a second.