Scarlet Macaw Continuing Its Approach to a Carara Palm

The arriving macaw continues upward toward the fruiting palm with one wing raised while its companion remains perched above at Cerro Lodge and the Carara area in Costa Rica. Scarlet Macaws form long-term pair bonds; their red bodies, yellow-and-blue wings and long graduated tails make them unmistakable over Costa Rica's Central Pacific forest. The exposure of 1/1600 sec, f/5.6 and ISO 8000 holds the flight posture and major feather groups sharply while leaving restrained motion in the quickest wing tips; the photograph was made in natural light without flash.