Blue-headed Parrot on the Rio Roosevelt

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
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parrotblueheaded0725brazil225.jpg
parrotblueheaded0725brazil225.jpg732×1024 291 KB

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Description

I typically unveil my “best of the year” (my favorite photos and moments) in early January, but I’ll be on the road when they’re published this time, so I figured I’d share one of my 2025 faves here in advance.

In July I led a private trip to Brazil, which ended up being my longest trip in a decade: three weeks bouncing between a few locations in the Pantanal and the Amazon. I was particularly excited about the Amazon portion, since it included a visit to a location my long-time guide had been gushing about for ages: the Rio Roosevelt… a.k.a., the “River of Doubt.”

The location is incredibly remote and beautiful, and for the first four days we were the only tourists in the region, probably for a couple hundred miles. Outside of the lodge staff, the only people in the area are uncontacted indigenous tribes (whom we did not see). As for the wildlife, it can be surprisingly challenging to find subjects to photograph there, in part because the animals aren’t used to people.

The big attraction (IMO) is the morning action at the Santa Rita rapids—the same waterfall that took out some of Teddy Roosevelt’s canoes during his expedition here over a century ago. Each morning, hundreds of parrots come down to the edge of the waterfall to feed on the vegetation covering the riverside boulders. It’s a treacherous environment for them, as the rapids can sweep away careless birds, and the sound of the water helps mask the approach of predators or accompanying alarm calls.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience, but also challenging trying to find ways to photograph the flock (primarily made up of Blue-headed Parrots) along the edge of the water. I particularly enjoyed trying to isolate the birds in flight against the churn.

Technical Details

Canon R5
Canon 600mm
ISO 800
1/4000th
f/10

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I do love the water background for this image, Max. It’s a bit of a counterintuitive location for the bird, but I can see it as an “I’m out of here” look.

Question: Given your introduction, did you mean this to go into the “end-of-year” stuff?

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Dennis, I’m glad you got that vibe. I like “I’m outta here” looks sometimes. In this case, it almost gives the sense that the bird is escaping the maelstrom. :slightly_smiling_face:

And no, I specifically wanted to post it here. I’ve posted some other stuff in the Weekly Challenge already. Thanks for asking!

4

I can really sense the rushing torrent and the bird, small in the frame, heightens this feeling of power in the river. And there’s the sense the bird is working hard to avoid being drawn into the chaos below. Well presented, Max.

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The water makes this a very dramatic scene. I think the location of the parrot in the frame suggests that it does not want to take a very perilous swim. Well done…Jim

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Nicely done Max. I like the composition with the water at bottom and the bird in sharp focus. Gives us a sense of depth of the torrent. I too also like the bird near the frame edge in escape position.

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Very nice image! The contrast between the colorful parrot and the white water turmoil is splendid. As many other said, the location of the parrot is very approriate, as it gives a sense of escape… Excellent!

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Perfect depth the field. It’s just enough texture in the water.
The parrot looks great against the textured water.
Outstanding image

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Very interesting and different – I would expect a sea gull there. The water is fascinating and the image conveys high drama. Congratulations on the EP!

10

Wow! I love your intro story as well as the image. Certainly, for me, an odd place to find a parrot. The contrast between subject and background is so unusual.

I like the feeling of tension (of postion) for the bird in frame.