Aruna Rathnayaka

25/06/2024

You know it’s going to be a good day when you find yourself in Yosemite National Park!

25/06/2024

As a wildlife photographer, as an artist, I find it fascinating what people come to view as beautiful and how differing cultures react to that beauty. The resplendent quetzal is a good example of this. An uncommon bird of the cloud forests across parts of Central America, the quetzal has been called the most beautiful in the world.

For Europeans, this beauty became a thing of high demand in high society. Collectors risked their lives to sail across the ocean, bushwacking their way high into the mountains to shoot and kill and bring home crates of these birds and their feathers. Some would be bound for museums or private displays of curios. Others were bound for hats and fashion, fueling the millinery industry that drove countless species of birds around the world to the brink of extinction or beyond at the time. All in all, it’s the typical story. We find something beautiful, and we demand to possess it no matter the costs.

For the people who lived amongst the quetzals, their experience was somewhat different. The word quetzal is derived from an Aztec word that can be roughly translated to “sacred” or “sacred feathers.” As such, to kill a quetzal was a crime punishable by death for both the Aztecs and the Mayans. But to possess the long feathers of the male quetzal, which can reach a meter in length, was also a thing of great importance due to the major role the species played in these different cultures’ religions. Thus, to obtain the feathers, a quetzal was captured, the tail feathers carefully removed, and the bird released back into the forest.

Want to read about what it took to create this photograph?

From the search to the process of building blinds in the forest, this photograph is the culmination of three weeks worth of work.

https://www.photowildmagazine.com/go-further/the-most-beautiful-bird-in-the-world

25/06/2024

18/06/2024

18/06/2024

Kingfisher Workshop
Friday 14th June
Unusually I have places available, every month is always full …. Don’t miss this chance, I’m told that the youngsters from the first brood are visiting, plus the adults are now mating again in front of the hide , prime Kingfisher photo time !!!
Full details in the comments below

18/06/2024

The Hug.
The best place on Earth, where mom’s cuddles smell of warm milk.

If you want to do a one to one workshop with me, write to me at: [email protected]
Hurry up before they grow up!

With the best team:
Canon R3+ 600mm f4+1.4x
1/800 f8 ISO 1250

14/06/2024

14/06/2024

06/06/2024

06/06/2024

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06/06/2024

A new one from my favorite "woodland" in Indonesia🌴