So the landscapes were really the clear winners on this trip for me. However we did get some nice images of a bird I had never seen or even heard of. When I think of a caracara, the Moe bird is what comes to mind. However the more common cararcara is the Chimugoro caracara which looks totally different. I had never even heard of it let alone seen or photographed one but there were 4 or five around. I do not think I have ever had encounters with wild raptors like this. I could have taken full frame iPhone photos they were so trusting. I have a few more that I will post in a separate post. These were taken at a bird sanctuary near where we stayed in El Carafate. It is a little gem that few seem to know about. There were 15-20 people there and the bird life was amazing. In about an 1 1/2 I must have taken photos of 10 different species but spent half the time with these guys. I was very frustrated by the in flight shots so I may post them in another post but am not real happy with the results.
But I will also post one more shot of the glacier.
So 4 days before we arrived the glacier had a major event which left this large separation between the main part and the smaller area on the left. People wait for years to watch this unfold and this particular event occurred at 4am in the pouring rain with no one around. It was witnessed by the park rangers on a video feed....too bad this happens just every so often. It is unpredictable and may not occur for 2-10 years! You can see the residue of the ice on the surface. Occasionally, small bergs would pop up as we watched.
Eric
p.1 #11 · Ice is nice but...lifer raptor encounter
Nice sharp detail Eric, cool bird and series.
Mike
Mar 19, 2012 at 10:11 AM
Charlie Shugart Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #12 · Ice is nice but...lifer raptor encounter
Eric- Getting that close to any raptor- especially such an exotic species- has got to be a thrill. Even on the Galapagos Islands, the hawks gave people a wide berth.
And you have some terrific images of these caracaras.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Charlie
p.1 #16 · Ice is nice but...lifer raptor encounter
Super duper shots of the Chimugoro Eric, 5 is my pick of them. You did get some really nice backgrounds there What a cool looking bird. Too bad you missed the big ice event, that would have been something to witness! Well if it happened in the daytime and without the rain
p.1 #18 · Ice is nice but...lifer raptor encounter
Great detail and backgrounds Eric, Thanks.
Mark
Mar 19, 2012 at 05:28 PM
Thomas Sanders Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #19 · Ice is nice but...lifer raptor encounter
A thrill to see this species Eric and wonderfully photographed
Last frame had an odd affect on me......................I found myself wandering into the kitchen to fetch my bottle of single malt Hmmmm.....strange
Hmmmm.....strange