Chestnut-crowned Antpitta

Bajadreamer

Some time ago I posted another Antpitta picture taken at Refugio Paz de las Aves in Ecuador that was literally called up to a clearing in the rainforest. This is another species. This species is a little more common and not quite as secretive but still spends most of its time deep in the undergrowth of the forest. If it were not coaxed out into the open, most tourists would never get to see one. You can hear them frequently calling at sunrise, but seeing, let alone photographing one, is an entirely different problem. Again, it is dark when these pictures are taken; high ISOs, slow shutter speeds, tripod mounted (very low-I am laying on my belly). I end up culling 95% of my shots. Note the “football on stilts” appearance. made for walking, not flying. They can fly, but only rarely do.