Recently received photos - September 2018

We soar into this month's Recent Photos Gallery with a majestic African Fish-Eagle by participant Joshua Horner on our Wild Kenya: A Tented Camp Safari tour. Others we highlight this month are Borneo, Papua New Guinea, Galapagos, Cloudforests of Ecuador, Amazonian Ecuador, Rainforests of theTambopata in Peru, Jaguar Spotting in Brazil, Arizona's Second Spring, Newfoundland & Nova Scotia, two departures to Iceland, and we also include highlights from our annual Field Guides staff business meeting in Arizona. Enjoy!

If there were such a thing as royalty in the bird world, surely Gray Crowned-Crane would be among the nobility. Photo by guide Terry Stevenson.

Like fingerprints on a human, the pattern of the pelage of a Giraffe breaks up in a way that is unique to that individual. Photo by guide Terry Stevenson.

Red-and-yellow Barbet, photographed here by participant Joshua Horner, is on the cover of the Birds of East Africa field guide, which just so happens to be co-authored by our Field Guide: Terry Stevenson!

White Rhinos got their name from a misinterpretation of the Dutch word "wijd," which means wide -- a reference to their broad mouth. Photo by guide Terry Stevenson.

Standing five feet tall with a seven foot wingspan, the Goliath Heron truly is a giant wading bird. Photo by guide Terry Stevenson.

The global population of Cheetahs has shrunk by more than 90 percent, so we felt fortunate to come upon this family. Photo by guide Terry Stevenson.

This Tacazze Sunbird and its allies occupy a similar niche in the Old World to hummingbirds in New World. Photo by participant Joshua Horner.

From East Africa now to Borneo, where our summer group caught up to this Blue-eared Barbet at its nest cavity. Photo by participant Merrill Lester.

Given that there are 21 recognized subspecies of Crested Serpent-Eagle, it seems ripe for a few splits across its large tropical Asia range! Photo by participant Merrill Lester.

The aptly named Buff-necked Woodpecker allowed us a good look. Photo by participant Merrill Lester.

A colorful Black-and-red Broadbill gathers nesting material. Photo by participant Merrill Lester.

Whiskered Treeswift: elegant, awkward, and a thrill to see — all in one. Photo by participant Merrill Lester.

This adventuresome group is our Papua New Guinea tour heading into some lush habitat and the start of a new series of pictures. Photo by participant Randy Beaton.

Even with blue in the plumage and a white eyebrow, the subtle but lovely Crested Berrypecker can blend right into the foliage. Photo by guide Doug Gochfeld.

A trio of bold Belford's Melidectes, one of numerous specialty honeyeaters found in New Guinea. Photo by participant Randy Beaton.

A spectacular male Raggiana Bird-of-paradise feeling his oats. Photo by participant Randy Beaton.

Some birds prove particularly challenging for taxonomists to classify, and so it is with Rufous-naped Bellbird, formerly a whistler and now in the tiny family Oreoicidae. Photo by guide Doug Gochfeld.

Growling Riflebird live up to their name. They make some truly astonishing sounds. Photo by participant Sid England.

If we allow ourselves to anthropomorphize a bit, this Barking Owl looks more than a little irritated. Photo by participant Sid England.

One of our nocturnal forays produced a great look at Marbled Frogmouth. Photo by participant Sid England.

Let's do a great big island hop and check out some images from a recent Galapagos tour. The intensity of color on the feet of this Red-footed Booby is a signal of reproductive vigor to its mate. Photo by participant Judith Harackiewicz.

Prehistoric-looking Marine Iguana have evolved a very specialized aquatic lifestyle: diving to graze on algae. Photo by participant Judith Harackiewicz.

Guide Willy Perez (r.) kept a sharp eye out for wildlife while we relaxed on the comfortable upper deck of our chartered catamaran. Photo by participant John Keith.

Lava Gull has the smallest range, and consequentially the smallest population, of any gull species. Photo by participant John Keith.

Most people think of the finches, but there are many other endemic species on the islands, like this beautiful Galapagos Dove. Photo by participant Judith Harackiewicz.

We enjoyed a dramatic reminder of the origin of the Galapagos Islands from a safe distance. Photo by participant Judith Harackiewicz.

Our group shot was "photo-bombed" by a longtime resident of Santa Cruz Island. Galapagos Tortoises can live for more than 100 years! Photo by guide Willy Perez.

The presentation and quality of the food that comes out of the galley on our chartered boat is simply amazing. Photo by participant John Keith.

Let's head to mainland Ecuador for the next set of photos. One of the unforgettable moments of our Cloudforests of Ecuador tour was an intimate experience with the elusive Spectacled Bear. Photo by participant Justin Khalifa.

This gorgeous male Violet-tailed Sylph was one of many hummingbird species we encountered. Photo by guide Willy Perez.

Golden-naped Tanagers can be found from northern Colombia to southern Bolivia but only in a narrow elevational band in the Andes. Photo by participant Amin Khalifa.

Participant Justin Khalifa turned in this marvelous study of green and gold, also known as a female Red-headed Barbet.

Often easier to hear than see, this Striped Cuckoo proved quite cooperative for us. Photo by participant Justin Khalifa.

This Choco Toucan could easily be confused with the sympatric Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, until you hear it call. They have conspicuously different calls. Photo by participant Justin Khalifa.

There are many beautiful woodpeckers, but Crimson-mantled Woodpecker has to be on the short list. Photo by participant Amin Khalifa.

Watching male Andean Cocks-of-the-rock displaying at a lek should be on every birder's bucket list. Photo by participant Duane Morse.

This tropical scene signals our next set of photos. This lush habitat and inviting structure are from our Amazonian Ecuador: Sacha Lodge tour. Photo by participant Bruce Cressman.

A parrot lick on the Napo River was just part of the fun getting to our home base for the Amazonia adventure. Photo by participant Bruce Cressman.

The birding was so good...of course we were all smiles, with guide Mitch Lysinger crouching in front. Photo by participant Bruce Cressman.

Burrowing Owls are widespread and easy to detect, but to capture a photo of one with a watery background is decidedly uncommon for this species. Photo by participant Bruce Cressman.

The impressive canopy towers and walkways at Sacha got us eye level with species for which we normally only see belly views. Photo by participant Bruce Cressman.

An adult King Vulture overhead is about as distinctive as it gets for soaring birds in the Neotropics. Photo by participant Bruce Cressman.

The tufts on a Crested Owl may serve to help the bird be as inconspicuous as possible. Photo by participant Bruce Cressman.

When you are birding in Amazonia, the nightly checklist session requires lots of checkmarks. Photo by participant Bruce Cressman.

The early boater gets the bird. Let's move south into Peru and share some images from our Peruvian Rainforests of the Tambopata tour. Photo by guide Jesse Fagan.

The subtitle for this itinerary is "Macaw Lick Extraordinaire," and this departure certainly lived up to the billing. The gorgeous lighting made these spectacular Scarlet Macaws unforgettable. Photo by guide Jesse Fagan.