Banded Ground-Cuckoo (Ecuador)

[Glenn Bartley]

Greetings everyone!


I am sorry for my lack of images lately. I have been down in Ecuador leading tours for the past 5 weeks. I will have some goodies to post from the time I spent in that amazing country in the next few weeks. I just had to start wit this one though...


To give some context for this photo you have to understand that this bird is one of the hardest to see in South America. You have to get INCREDIBLY lucky if you are going to see one in a natural setting.


When these birds are seen it is usually at army ant swarms. Like many species of Antbirds these Cuckoos will follow the army ants as they raid out through the forest and hope to capture an easy arthropod meal as insects flee the advancing swarm of furious and relentless ants.


Late last year in Ecuador a woman at a research station noticed that a Banded Ground-Cuckoo was regularly attending a swarm on the property. She began trying to feed it grasshoppers so that it would stick around. To everyone's astonishment it actually worked and this site is now the only place that is reasonably reliable for this fascinating bird. In addition to being a joy for birders and photographers this has also provided an opportunity to learn a lot more about the biology of this species.


In between my two workshops I decided to travel to the station and give it a go. Lets just say I was all smiles that morning :-)


All the best!


Glenn






Camera Model: Canon EOS 7D
Shutter speed: 1/30 sec

Aperture: 4
Exposure compensation: -1/3

ISO: 800

Lens: EF500mm f/4L IS USM

[Photo-John]

Glenn - amazing, as usual. I don't even get good pictures of the small birds in my yard. That kind of patience isn't something I'm good at. Your bird photos are a level above everything else I usually see here. Not only do you get them sharp, but the color and composition are also always excellent. Of course, you get to shoot some spectacular birds that most of us will only see in your photos. Regardless, I'm really pleased that you share your photos here. They are beautiful and they make me think about making an extra effort with the random birds that show up in my yard