I (Steve Gettle) just returned from a great trip to Peru where I visited
the Tambopata National Reserve, a reserve the size of Belgum with 600 species
of birds, 1300 different butterflies and 300 species of mammals. Not only was
this trip productive photographically but it was also an epic adventure. After
the flight into Lima it was just a short flight to Puerto Muldonado where I
boarded a bus for the ride to the Tambopata River, where the real journey
begins.
Once on the river I traveled by motorized canoe deep into the
amazon jungle. The destination is a
series of three lodges which are located along the river, these lodges served
as my base while I explored the area.
The last lodge deep in the jungle is actually a research center and
arguably the most remote lodge in all of South America!
The main attraction here are the macaws. The Tambopta
contains 10% of the world’s macaw population. And the world’s largest clay
lick. Macaws gather at clay licks to ingest the clay where they get minerals
that are not available in their jungle diet. While I was there I was able to
not only photograph them at the clay lick but also to photograph them as they
flew back and forth. Since they usually fly together as mated pairs, this is
exponentially harder than shooting a single bird in flight. Now not only do I have the shadows from the
other bird to deal with, but I also have two sets of wing positions to worry
about getting right.
In addition to the macaws there were tons of other birds as
well as lots of amazing insects and amphibians that I shot on our nightly
jungle walks. You can see a gallery
showcasing some more of my favorite images from the trip here.
I will be leading a photo tour to the Peruvian Amazon in the fall of 2013. In addition to duplicating this amazing adventure there will be
an optional 4 day extension to Machu Picchu as well. More information will be
coming in an upcoming newsletter.
A special note of thanks to Jeff Cremer of Rainforest
Expeditions who served as my host and guide on this trip. we had a great time
and an epic adventure.
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