Flight of the Hummingbird

Kaleel — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 18:00:28 +0000

July 2014 cover – my green-breasted mango hummer!

Did you know that hummingbirds can fly sideways, backwards and even upside down? And that they effectively go into hibernation every night to save energy?

Hummingbirds are among the most colourful species in the wild kingdom, yet far from easy to photograph. Kaleel Zibe travelled to Costa Rica to capture a bird that flies faster than autofocus…

I wouldn’t be surprised if J.K. Rowling had hummingbirds in mind when she invented Harry Potter’s quidditch snitch, such is their dizzyingly fast speed and ability to change direction at break-neck speed. These incredible creatures are a dream to watch, but a nightmare to photograph. In this article I explore some of the techniques that helped me capture images of these tiny birds in Costa Rica.

Well now, I got quite a surprise when I went to download my copy of Wild Planet Photo magazine on Sunday. I was looking forward to seeing how the article was laid out when I discovered that my photo was on the front cover! That’s my first front cover ever! Very chuffed indeed.

For the full 10 page article, please see the July 2014 edition of Wild Planet Photo magazine. Screen-shots are below.

I have various other blog posts about Costa Rica on the blog page.

The post Flight of the Hummingbird first appeared on Kaleel Zibe.

Costa Rica 2014 Part 1

Kaleel — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 14:16:52 +0000

[Here are parts 2 and 3]

In January I went to Costa Rica to take photos of the incredible wildlife. What an amazing place. I went to three different areas to see what I could find. There’s so much more to explore there and the more I’ve photographed, the more I’ve realised how I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’ll definitely have to go back.

Now then, this trip wouldn’t be complete without a toucan!

Keel-billed toucan, Ramphastos sulfuratus, northern Costa Rica

Or indeed a humming bird:

Rufous-tailed hummingbird, Amazilia tzacati, northern Costa Rica

Or a tree frog. This one’s sleepy during the day. How cute?!

Canal zone tree frog, Hypsiboas rufitelus, northern Costa Rica

I didn’t expect to see the following rare and endangered bird, but here it is: resplendent quetzal!

Resplendent quetzal, Pharomachrus moccino costaricensis, Monteverde, Costa Rica

And a random selection of other fantastic wildlife:

White-faced capuchin, Cebus capucinus, Corcovado, Costa Rica

Passerini’s tanager male, Ramphocelus passerinii, northern Costa Rica

Baird’s Tapir, Tapirus bairdii, Corcovado, Costa Rica

Slaty-tailed trogon male, Trogon massena, Corcovado, Costa-Rica

Humpback whale mother and calf, Megaptera novaeangliae, Corcovado, Costa Rica

You would’t mess with this guy: American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, Corcovado, Costa Rica

Spiderman! The endangered Geoffroy’s spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi, Corcovado, Costa Rica

Angry bird! Rufous-tailed jacamar male, Galbula ruficauda, Corcovado, Costa Rica

False killer whale (actually a type of dolphin), Pseudorca crassidens, Corcovado, Costa Rica

Brown-hooded parrots, Pyrilia haematotis, northern Costa Rica

Collared araçari, Pteroglossus torquatus, northern Costa Rica

White-nosed coati, Nasua narica, northern Costa Rica

Many more images to come! …

The post Costa Rica 2014 Part 1 first appeared on Kaleel Zibe.

Monteverde - Kaleel Zibe

Flight of the Hummingbird

Costa Rica 2014 Part 1