It would appear as if by magic, not making a sound or flash. It would grab its prey (sizable at that) and poof, be gone! The Golden-bellied Flycatcher of the Andean Highlands of Ecuador was a delight to watch. In the world of green, you could pick it out as it made its way in. It would perch and watch and then, when ready, strike with great speed, capturing its prey. I watched and marveled at this gorgeous bird all week, and would always be on the lookout for it to get more time watching. I was smitten by golden.

Just how big, or small, is a bird in a photograph? This is really hard to determine unless you know birds to start with. Even if you know birds, you still can be left wondering, like with this Glissening-green Tanager, an inhabitant of the Andean Highlands of Ecuador. You might know the Summer or Western Tanager and assume the Glissening-green is about the same size. You might be surprised when you scroll down the page to see just how tiny they are! Yeah, the size of about a couple of grapes. They’re pretty small, but what they lack in size they more than make up for in color. When that kiss of flash touches them, you can see why they are called Glissening-green. And with the grapes, you know the answer to how big is a Glissening-green Tanager?

Yes, it is a “hummingbird bird and no, it’s not part of its name, but after that, it’s still all hummer! The Booted Racket-Tail is another of those rare hummers living in a small niche in the Andean Highlands of Ecuador. It’s why I went down there, to see, watch, and if possible, photograph this little dynamo. From the tip of its elaborate tail to the tip of the bill, we’re talking five inches. They be small! But when it comes to either moving off another male or trying to attract a female, they show their mettle. In the lower photo (a challenge to get), they curve their body, flare their “boots,” and fly right in the face of the other hummer. I did not come back with the photos I wanted from what I witnessed, only hints of it. That means I’ll be going back as I want more of that five inches of attitude!

Unlike most birds of the rainforest, you can see the Golden Tanagers coming long before they arrive. That helps! These tiny little birds are no bigger than a couple of grapes. Their energy level, though, is off the charts. They are rather gregerious which is fun to watch and a challenge to photograph. It’s dark, ISO 3200 dark, and even with that, you’re still working at 1/125. The Profoto A10 pop of light is for color (not exposure), making that crazy “gold” color come to life against the green. When I was there, I thought I had captured plenty of photos of these little jewels, but now that I’m back in the office, I find that is not the case. I have come to treasure this gold in the rain.

They bend with the wind! That’s the main way this 34″ tall marsh inhabitant hides. It stands vertically amongst the reeds, and when it feels like it might be threatened, it stands as tall as it can and slowly sways with the reeds. It’s so effective that this relatively common bird is not regularly seen. We were on an airboat at Kissimmee Lake when we spotted it. We were able to float in close, engine shut off, and the closer we got, the better the background got. When we finally finished drifting in, not only was the background vastly improved, but we were at point-blank range! I’d never been so close to one before, it was grand! It normally doesn’t work this way, it doesn’t come easily.

As long as I can remember, Sharon has marked the start of spring with the return of one of her favorite birds, the Evening Grosbeak. The first male appeared just a couple of days ago, and now we have numerous pairs in the various feeders. We are so glad to see them, as their numbers overall have crashed, according to many researchers. We know that last year, our numbers were down over 50%, which was truly alarming. Their constant calling in the trees at times made it hard to have a conversation. Last year, that wasn’t the case. We’re looking forward to seeing more pile into the clean and sterilized feeders, 100lbs of seed is awaiting them. Hot dogs, they’re back!!!