Fantastic photos. And I also like your description of "Again, no baited birds. They where all just doing there thing in the wild."!! After 3 visits to Costa Rica most of our photos have this type of the background (but not your subjects IQ). Not at all close to what I have seen on this forum recently. In the wake of the next visit, your photos gave me back some confidence. I too like them "in the wild" You've got my vote too.
xelas wrote:
Fantastic photos. And I also like your description of "Again, no baited birds. They where all just doing there thing in the wild."!! After 3 visits to Costa Rica most of our photos have this type of the background (but not your subjects IQ). Not at all close to what I have seen on this forum recently. In the wake of the next visit, your photos gave me back some confidence. I too like them "in the wild" You've got my vote too.
Thanks for the comment and the vote
Mar 14, 2018 at 06:21 PM
Herb Houghton Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
Herb Houghton wrote:
Killer set Rob. I love the tiger herons but my favs are the macaws IF.
Thanks Herb
The Macaws are amazing to see in the wild. One of my goals was to get one with a nice blurred background, it happened on the last morning we where on the Osa. I was cutting it close
The trick in many areas of Costa Rica is to get a local guide as they know the locations of the food sources for the bird. Find the wild avocado or guava tree and the birds will come to feed. This does not work with hummingbirds unless you have months to spend in the country.
The broad billed heron is a bird that is illusive. Every time I have spotted one they are deep under the canopy and blocked by leaves and branches. Yours is a better picture than many will appreciate.
For CR my combo has been the 600mm f/4 along with the 80-400mm f/5.6 lens. The lightweight zoom works well when out on a river in a small boat. There are times where the 600mm is actually too much lens even without a teleconverter. A 500mm f/4 with teleconverters would be better but in the USA the 600mm is better and that is where I do most of my shooting.
elkhornsun wrote:
The trick in many areas of Costa Rica is to get a local guide as they know the locations of the food sources for the bird. Find the wild avocado or guava tree and the birds will come to feed. This does not work with hummingbirds unless you have months to spend in the country.
The broad billed heron is a bird that is illusive. Every time I have spotted one they are deep under the canopy and blocked by leaves and branches. Yours is a better picture than many will appreciate.
For CR my combo has been the 600mm f/4 along with the 80-400mm f/5.6 lens. The lightweight zoom works well when out on a river in a small boat. There are times where the 600mm is actually too much lens even without a teleconverter. A 500mm f/4 with teleconverters would be better but in the USA the 600mm is better and that is where I do most of my shooting....Show more →
Thanks for the comment. I agree on the boat billed heron, I did see one on our first trip from a boat but it was thick into the trees, could barely make it out. This year I spotted it but I was on land so I could walk to a better spot, not easy getting to it but well worth it. There where gators around so had to keep an eye out in the thick grasses. One on looker told my wife that I was crazy and much braver then he to go out there.
The local guides are great there, super helpful. I really wanted to get to photograph of a Long tailed Silky Flycatcher this year and asked a guide on the resort if any where around and he told me where there was one he seen about 10 minutes earlier where it was feeding and my wife and I hiked to the area and it showed up after a bit of waiting. Just a great place.
Your reasoning for the 600mm is why I have the 800mm, around where I live it is tough to get close to things.
You've got my vote too.