
Brazil!
I tried for a good long while to photograph this Sapphire-spangled Emerald in flight with its pinkish/reddish lower mandible showing - best I could get is this glimpse at the Sitio Macuquinho near Salesópolis, Brazil.
We found this wind-blown Rufous-fronted Thornbird (Phacellodomus rufifrons) near Brazil’s Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. It would have been nice to find its nest. The nests are built as long cylinders, often with thorny branches, and may be up to 6 feet long containing several “chambers”.
This male Violet-capped Woodnymph (Thalurania glaucopis) was photographed at Hotel Donati, located in the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, located between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The first project off the plane after 48 hours of travel and delays was (trying) to photograph Southern Yellowthroats (Geothlypis velata). Long considered a subspecies of the Masked Yellowthroat, now its own species, the Southern Yellowthroat hops and flits around very quickly close to the ground among grasses, cattails, and weeds. Its perches are seldom clean for photography. A nice challenge to start our trip to southeast Brazil!
Tanagers are distinguished by their vibrant, sexually dimorphic plumage, their fruit and insect diet, and their living in the forest canopy. The male Brazilian Tanager (Ramphocelus bresilius) is further distinguished by its vivid, rich red plumage. This one and its mate were visiting the Sitio Macuquinho Lodge in southeast Brazil.
The national bird of Brazil, the Rufous-bellied Thrush (Turdus rufiventris) is known for its beautiful song. It's memorialized in Antônio Gonçalves Dias' poem Canção do Exílio (Song in Exile), written while he was studying in Portugal: "My land has palm trees where the thrush sings. The birds that sing here do not sing as they do there. Our skies have more stars, our valleys have more flowers. Our forests have more life. Our lives have more love." The last two lines here are included in the Brazilian national anthem. This photo was taken one chilly morning at the beautiful Sitio Macuquinho Lodge.
This Cinnamon Tanager was photographed along the road through Brazil's Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Brazil's first national park.
Streamer-tailed Tyrant, near Itatiaia
Toco Toucan, along the road to Pousada Salve Floresta
Slaty Bristlefront, Hotel Donati, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia
Black-goggled Tanager, with insect, Trilha dos Tucanos Lodge
White-spotted Woodpecker, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia
Black-goggled Tanager, reflection, Sitio Macaquinho Lodge
Saffron Toucanet, Trilha dos Tucanos Lodge
Saffron Toucanet, Trilha dos Tucanos Lodge
White-shouldered Fire-eye, Trilha dos Tucanos Lodge
Maroon-bellied Parakeet, Trilha dos Tucanos Lodge
Chestnut-bellied Euphonia, Trilha dos Tucanos Lodge
Magpie Tanager, Trilha dos Tucanos
Lesser Kisdadee, Pousada Salve Floresta Lodge
Cliff Flycatcher, Trilha dos Tucanos Lodge
Burrowing Owls, Ubatuba Bay
Blue Dacnis, male, Ninho da Cambacica Lodge
Blue Dacnis, female, Ninho da Cambacica Lodge
Hooded Berryeater, on the road to Ninho da Cambacica Lodge
Green Kingfisher, male, Sitio Macuquingo Lodge
Processing photos is sometimes art, sometimes science, and sometimes accident. This is the rare accident that I liked - a Streamer-tailed Tyrant near Itatiaia, Brazil.