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Misadventure on the Rio Nosara
The electric boat moved almost noiselessly along the Rio Nosara. The birds on the banks seemed largely unaware of our presence. The sounds of the forest were all around us. But suddenly there was a thud somewhere beneath our feet and the boat slowed, then stopped.
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The oddities of sloths
Is there a mammal more intriguing, cute and downright odd than a sloth? They spend so much time hanging around in trees that they start to look like them. That makes them quite hard to spot, and even harder to photograph! To give ourselves the best chance of seeing them we booked a tour in the Arenal area called ‘Sloths and Toucans’ which promised a good look at these most iconic of Costa Rican species.
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Barking up the right tree in Costa Rica
In the cloud forest low-hanging clouds hover around the upper canopy before condensing onto the leaves of trees and dripping onto the plants below. Looking up you can barely see the sky; such is the denseness of the vegetation and the constant dripping of water. With less sunlight comes a slower rate of evaporation; the plants below thrive in the abundance of life-giving moisture.
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Will we see whales?
Sorry, we were told, when we planned our stay on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula; February is a bit early in the season to see humpback whales in Drake Bay and there are no tours running. Slightly disappointed, we settled for a day visiting Caño Island. We were promised great snorkelling and a landing on a beautiful island. But not whales.
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Corcovado: a walk in a rainforest
Early on our first morning on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, in the far south west of the country, we boarded the small boat that was to take us and seven other guests of the Aguila de Osa lodge to the nearby national park, Corcovado. This is primary rainforest, never touched and preserved intact.
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Spotting wildlife in the Galápagos Islands
For many years I wanted to visit the Galápagos: to walk on these remote islands where unique species thrive, where Darwin first developed the ideas that would change our understanding of nature, and where animals have never learned to fear humankind. In 2012 I realised my dream; and fortunately, it more than lived up to my expectations!
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Gallery: when three is better than two
It's said that two is company, three a crowd. But when taking wildlife photos I’m always happy to have a third animal join the shot! Designers have long recognised that an odd number of items is more effective at capturing your gaze. Odd numbers force your eyes to move around the group and that forced movement is the heart of visual interest.
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Gallery: favourite nature and landscape photos of 2021
One of the many things I find difficult about photography is self-appraisal. Choosing my BEST images is often a challenge; but ask me to choose my favourites and the task becomes a little easier … but only a little!
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Gallery: seeing animals in black and white
You can’t get much more black and white than a zebra! But actually many animals look good in monochrome. I’ve had a go at editing some of my favourite wildlife shots – mammals, reptiles and birds – with my favourite software. Let me know which versions you prefer, colour or black and white?
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Gallery: nature by design
Alexander McQueen is not the first person to suggest that nature is the best designer. Indeed, as far back as the Ancient Greeks similar things were being said.
