ARCHIVE OF PREVIOUS FEATURED PHOTOS July-August 2010 Yellow-crowned Parrot, Mealy Parrot, Blue-headed Parrot, and Dusky-headed Parakeet Amazona ochrocephala nattereri, Amazona farinosa farinosa, Pionus menstruus menstruus, and Aratinga weddellii. Yasuní National Park, Orellana province, Ecuador. These four species come nearly every day (they don't like extremely wet days) to this clay lick near the Napo River. The minerals in the clay allow them to digest unripe fruit. Digiscoped with a Swarovski AT-HD65 scope and a Samsung Digimax V70 digital camera on 23 August 2007. May-June 2010 Tropical Screech-Owl Megascops choliba luctisomus El Paujil reserve, Santander department, Colombia. It's the most common screech-owl in South America, but it posed beautifully with dinner. I'm no expert on insects; if you know what that it is, it would be great if you could email me. Photographed with a Canon 50D camera and a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-f5.6 IS lens on 26 February 2010. I used the internal flash of the 50D. March-April 2010 Crimson-collared Tanager Ramphocelus sanguinolentus apricus Arenal Observatory Lodge, Alajuela province, Costa Rica. A gorgeous tanager of Middle America that always reminds me of Black-and-red Broadbill. Photographed with a Canon 50D camera and a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-f5.6 IS lens on 8 February 2010. No flash. January-February 2010 White-throated Cacholote Pseudoseisura gutturalis Quilmes, Tucumán province, Argentina. This distinctive cacholote is endemic to the deserts of Argentina. Here it is perched on its huge, thorny stick nest. Photographed on 2 November 2009 with a Canon 50D camera and a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-f5.6 IS lens on 12 October 2009. No flash. November-December 2009 Blue Finch Porphyrospiza caerulescens Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Photographed with a Canon 50D camera and a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-f5.6 IS lens on 12 October 2009. No flash. September-October 2009 Streamer-tailed Tyrant Gubernetes yetapa São José do Barreiro, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Photographed with a Canon 50D camera and a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-f5.6 IS lens on 11 August 2009. July-August 2009 Belted Flycatcher Xenotriccus callizonus El Sumidero National Park, Chiapas state, Mexico. Photographed with a Canon 50D camera and a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-f5.6 IS lens on 16-March-2009. May-June 2009 Pink-headed Warbler Ergaticus versicolor Tacaná Volcano, Chiapas state, Mexico, only a few meters from the border with Guatemala. Photographed with a Canon 50D camera and a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-f5.6 IS lens on 12-March-2009. April 2009 Vermilion Tanager Calochaetes coccineus Old Loja-Zamora Highway, Zamora-Chinchipe province, Ecuador Photographed with a Canon 50D camera and a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-f5.6 IS lens on 24-12-2008. A beautiful and infrequently seen tanager of middle elevation cloud forest on the east slope of the Andes from southern Colombia to central Peru. Since it wasn't immediately consuming the fruit, I suspect it was gathering food for young. March 2009 Bay Wren Thryothorus nigricapillus nigricapillus Buenaventura reserve, El Oro province, Ecuador Photographed with a Canon 50D camera and a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-f5.6 IS lens. In my opinion one of the most beautiful of all the wrens; usually they are very shy and skulking, but I was lucky to have this one come right out into the open in response to playback. January - February 2009 Tumbes Tyrant Tumbezia salvini Zapotillo, Loja province, Ecuador. Photographed with a Canon 50D camera and a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-f5.6 IS lens. This was a new species for Ecuador. I saw it with Alan Davies and Ruth Miller during the final days of their "Biggest Twitch". I've put more detailed info on the sighting here. December 2008 Rufous-legged Owl Strix rufipes La Campana National Park, Region V, Chile. Photographed with a Canon 50D and a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-f5.6 IS lens, with flash. It's always a thrill to track down a beautiful like this at night, and even more so to actually photograph it. November 2008 Many-colored Rush-Tyrant Tachuris rubrigastra Lampa, Metropolitan Region, Chile. Photographed with a Canon 50D and a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-f5.6 IS lens. The most outrageously colored tyrant flycatcher... September-October 2008 Ferruginous-backed Antbird Myrmeciza ferruginea c.60km north of Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil. Digiscoped with a Swarovski AT-HD65 scope and a Samsung Digimax V70 digital camera. August 2008 Striolated Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura striolata Aparados da Serra National Park, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Digiscoped with a Swarovski AT-HD80 scope and a Samsung Digimax V70 digital camera. July 2008 Yellow-striped Brush-Finch Atlapetes citrinellus Rio Sosa, Tucuman province, Argentina. Digiscoped with a Swarovski AT-HD65 scope and a Samsung Digimax V70 digital camera. June 2008 Crimson-hooded Manakin Pipra aureola aureola Caño Colorado, Monagas state, Venezuela. Digiscoped with a Swarovski AT-HD65 scope and a Samsung Digimax V70 digital camera. May 2008 Hyacinth Macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus Caiman Lodge, Mato Grosso de Sul state, Brazil. They were perched together in a small tree near the staff quarters, showing beautifully in the very early morning sunlight. Digiscoped with a Swarovski AT-HD65 scope and a Samsung Digimax V70 digital camera. April 2008 Crescent-chested Puffbird Malacoptila striata Guapi Assu Bird Lodge, Río de Janiero state, Brazil. Just behind the lodge next to the pool! Digiscoped with a Swarovski AT-HD65 scope and a Canon E995 digital camera. March 2008 Black-billed Mountain-Toucan Andigena nigrirostris occidentalis RNA Loro Orejiamarillo, above Jardín, Antioquia department, Colombia. Digiscoped with a Swarovski AT-HD65 scope and a Samsung Digimax V70 digital camera. February 2008 Mountain Grackle Macroagelaius subalaris January 2008 White-capped Tanager Sericossypha albocristata December 2007 Chestnut-backed Antshrike Thamnophilus palliatus vestitus November 2007 Swallow-tailed Cotinga Phibalura flavirostris flavirostris October 2007 Hooded Visorbearer Augastes lumachella September 2007 Green-headed Tanager Tangara seledon August 2007 Guira Cuckoo Guira guira July 2007 Bogota Rail Rallus semiplumbeus June 2007 Red-legged Honeycreeper Cyanerpes cyaneus pacificus May 2007 Rufous-crowned Tody-Tyrant Poecilotriccus ruficeps rufigenis Website design and all photos copyright Nick Athanas For questions, comments, or photograph licensing info, please email