A Wood Stork is one of those birds that you won't see very often in Kabalebo. And when they show up, it is always a solitary bird that isn't even mingling with other birds. Usually they stay for a couple of days before departing again. This young Wood Stork was seen several days on the airstrip before moving closer to the river. Afterwards it left our area.
What do you do when you see a ripe soursop in plain view? You just go and grab what your small hands can handle and eat as much as possible. That is what this Golden-handed Tamarin had in mind. He was in a small group enjoying from this fruit but when I saw them, he was the only one who was still holding onto this fruit. Like he didn't want to let go. All I did was grab my camera and shoot this whole ordeal.
Here I spotted Brutus, the tapir, relaxing with some of his Giant Cowbird friends. They were taking care of the tics at hard-to-reach-places, which is everywhere for Brutus. From time to time he was rolling from one side to the other just so his friends won't miss a spot. Extraordinary friendship.
During one of our night hikes we came across this slender looking tree snake; known as Imantodes cenchoa cenchoa or Common Blunt-headed Tree Snake. Light venomous but perfectly harmless.
Most of the time they are lying motionless on top of a branch or leaf, seldom do they move quickly unless disturbed. Here we noticed that it was already moving to the next level by extending its body to reach the next branch. The White-bearded Manakin has been active quite frequently at the airstrip edge. Either during the mornings or late in the afternoon. They are either recognized by their sounds they make with their wings or their appearance.
Especially the male has a beautiful plumage display. Black and white in perfect harmony. Whenever I see a Lesser Anteater, they are always on the move. Either in trees or on the ground. So it is always crucial to take advantage of the minutes or seconds they give you. Most of the time they don't always stand or walk in a position that is great to photograph. So imagine how surprised I was when we saw this anteater in a total rest mode high up in a tree. It was so relaxed that after I took several shots of this rest mode, it still didn't move at all. In the end I even wished I could relax like him.
This Gray-lined Hawk is also a resident of the area. One you can see on a daily basis and one that I never get bored of taking pictures. Today it looked a bit grumpy but since the sunlight was shining perfectly on him I couldn't resist to shoot him.... with my camera.
In the second week of December 2021 I saw this Puma near the lodge resting in the dense bushes. Afterwards I saw him a couple of times passing right in front of the river or near the swimming pool. He is always passing by when you the least expect it. Either right before lunch time or late in the afternoon, especially when it is too hot to go on a hike.
I automatically look at the river side before doing something else or leave and that is when I saw something brown standing there. First I thought it was a deer, but this one was a bit bigger so yes... second thought was the Puma. Excited as I was, I started heading towards the pier while taking pictures. I called the others at the lodge too. Some came looking and others were afraid to go to the pier again alone. This whole experience lasted at least one minute before he disappeared into the bushes but what an encounter. Quite a surprise to see the White-faced Saki group again. Usually they leave the area the moment they see me. This group was busy eating Inga fruits and this male had won the lottery. He wasn't very happy at all to see me. And while I was photographing him, I "accidentally" shot a younger male too.
I saw a group of Brown Capuchin Monkeys passing by right in front of me. It isn't always easy to capture one of them while on the move between the bushes, leaves and vine tangles but you just keep on trying. This one looked right at me and I shot this little monkey. I do like the facial expression.
They may be common but still I take pictures of them. Here is another trail cam photo of a Jaguar. Same trail but on its way back, facing the camera. Impressive animal for sure.
During one of the night hikes we stumbled upon this venomous Fer-de-Lance (Bothrops Atrox). I usually see them on the ground either passing by or coiled up. So to my surprise we saw this snake at eye level moving higher and higher from the ground. It wasn't aggressive at all towards us. Just trying to find its way out of the dense vegetation. Every time I learn something new about wildlife.
On one of the trails where I am also doing birdwatching I had set up a trapcam to check what I sometimes miss when I am not around. This is a perfect example of that. During broad daylight a jaguar couple was seen wandering around. On the same trail where I am walking too.
This is a lifer for me, the Black-throated Trogon. First we saw the female but she was so shy that she left the area before I could even raise my camera. Luckily the male wasn't that shy but he was so difficult to stay still on one spot. I had to walk around the area just to find the right spot where the sunlight was shining through. This was so far the best shot of him.
This is the Black-tailed Trogon. One that I don't see very often but is a resident from Kabalebo. You just got to get lucky to see him out in the open. I was on my way to the River Cabins when this Trogon landed on this branch in full view. I won't get a better shot.
The Guianan Trogon used to be known as the Amazonian Violaceous Trogon, so sometimes I am still using the old name. Unlike the Green-backed Trogon, the Guianan Trogon has yellow eye rings and 'barred' stripes on his tail. Also a common bird seen in Kabalebo.
It was my lucky day when this Green-backed Trogon landed on that branch. The sunlight and the open space between the avocado leaves was perfect. Trogons usually like to sit in the shades and with some lights in the back. A common Trogon seen often in Kabalebo.
He wasn't that little as his name suggested. This Little Blue Heron was seen on the airstrip of Kabalebo and it wasn't easy to photograph him as he kept flying away whenever I tried to get closer. In the end he mingled with some Cattle Egrets. However he didn't stay that long, 'cause after a couple of days he left the scenery just like any other migrant bird I've seen.
A common bird of prey; the Harpy Eagle. But still I can't get enough of this magnificent bird. I went to check on some forest birds to photograph but out of nowhere this fellow appeared and landed on that vine. I started to photograph this large predator from different angles and it didn't mind at all. In the end it 'sank' into this position making it even more interesting for me. The funny thing is that it was also pretty quiet in the area. After a while it started to get dark and I was the first to leave the scenery. Still have to say that this was one of my most fond memorable moments with the Harpy Eagle.
I spotted this single bird near the river with other sandpipers and egrets. It wasn't shy at all and I was able to approach it very closely. A migrant bird that likes to visit Kabalebo from time to time. This one had its breeding plumage on.
I spotted a group of Painted Parakeets near the lodge, but not all were sitting in the same tree. Most of them were hiding but luckily there was a group that wanted to be seen. This was the closest I could get and they weren't even bothered by my presence. Just love it when they help me out too.
When I saw some movements in this tree, I first saw tanagers, Pigeons and the Dusky Purpletufts. But what also caught my eye was a small light brown bird that kept moving from one place to the other. It was the Ochre-bellied Flycatcher who wasn't intimidated by other birds their size. It just kept eating the small seeds.
First thing that I noticed were the white eyebrows on this small flycatcher. I've seen it foraging on different kind of branches near the lodge. Doesn't quite sit still so you as photographer have to adapt to its lifestyle.
The Guira Tanager is a common tanager seen in the area of Kabalebo. Most of the time they are seen with canopy mixed flocks. Active birds that seldom sit still. When this male was hanging for seconds on this branch on the right spot, I took my chance.
This small flycatcher was spotted on the Beechcraft trail. It wasn't joining a mixed flock but moved solitary through the vine tangles. It stopped for a brief moment before moving again and that was my moment to photograph this small bird. After several unfortunate attempts I finally got a decent photo of this tiny bird where its pretty eyes stood out.
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