Saturday, March 10, 2012

Monkey business in the Amazon Jungle, Ecuador


During my recent trip to Ecuador, I spent a few days at the beautiful Sacha Lodge, which is located in lowland tropical rainforest (Amazon jungle). I'd done my homework and knew that Sacha was a good place for monkeys, but I had no idea just how good! During my short time there, I saw 5 species and had extraordinary opportunities to photograph 3 species: Squirrel Monkey, Black-mantled Tamarin and Pygmy Marmoset (the world's smallest monkey). Even the guides who'd worked at the lodge for years were raving about how unusually obliging the monkeys were. That's exactly the kind of luck that a nature photographer dreams about!

My guides must have thought I was crazy... although the divesity of life in the area is staggeringly huge (it's a famous spot for birding), I simply could not drag myself away from the monkeys. Here are a few early favorites that I've managed to process from the thousands of images. These were taken with a Canon 1Dmk IV and 500/4IS lens, sometimes with teleconvertors.

A trip into Ecuador's Amazon basin is something I highly recommend on your nature photography bucket list!

Squirrel Monkey baby on mother, primary Amazon rainforest, Ecuador, South America

Black-mantled Tamarin monkey, primary Amazon rainforest, Ecuador, South America

Pygmy Marmoset, primary Amazon rainforest, Ecuador, South America