Here is the first of many photos to come from Ecuador. This photograph is for my wife. She loves owls and so do I. Pygmy Owls in particular are a special bird to us so I worked really hard to get this photograph for her since she did not join me on this adventure.  There was a very bushy tree or two in front of me but I found a small opening so that I could capture this photo.

Our friend Dennis from Costa Rica, who is a nature/wildlife/birding guide and amazing photographer himself (@geoexpeditionscr_), invited us to join his first group birding tour in Ecuador after deciding to expand his business to another country. Since this trip is focused on photography my wife decided to stay home with our dog Maple while I came to Ecuador to capture exotic Nature Content for you. I’m still currently here as of this post. It has been really great but very long hours so finding time to sort and develop my photographs has been challenging.

Our local guide Dario (@dario_hipo_wild_photography) found this Andean Pygmy Owl for us. He has also been an amazing guide and I hope to work with him again in the future.

A lot more to come from Ecuador!

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Another foggy Mule Deer shot from Montague, California.

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Another shot of a Douglas’ Squirrel at Lassen Volcanic National Park in California.

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A beautiful shot of a couple Nutria siblings.

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A couple of California Towhee hanging out on a damp Winter morning.

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Fresh rain always brings out the Mushrooms.

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I love the coloring on this photograph and the light brown branches hanging down in front of the Squirrel. Some photographers may say those are a distraction, but I say that they add interest.

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This is a female White Crowned Sparrow which can be distinguished from a male as it doesn’t actually have a white crown.

This is called sexual dimorphism: where the different sexes of the same species look a little different. To give a counter example: Bald Eagles are not sexually dimorphic by coloring. You may not be able to tell if a Bald Eagle is male or female because they look very similar, only their size is different. But many birds are sexually dimorphic and the females and males are distinct in coloring and/or patterns.

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