Female Golden-browed Chlorophonia Taking Off from a Fruit Feeder at Batsu Gardens

A female chlorophonia flies upward from the fruit-covered stump with both wings spread and feet trailing, showing the pale blue crown and narrow violet-blue collar against saturated green plumage at Batsu Gardens in Costa Rica. This Costa Rica-Panama mountain endemic shows rich green plumage; females carry a pale blue crown and a narrow blue-violet collar. The exposure of 1/4000 sec, f/5.6 and ISO 8000 freezes the decisive body position and separates the principal wing and tail feathers while retaining only fine traces of motion at the fastest edges; the photograph was made in natural light without flash.