Lulu

Lulu, a three-toed sloth, lives on the tropical island of Costa Rica. She cooperated and let me take photographs of her—I even got to hold her! Her hair was coarse, and she weighed less than my eleven-pound dog. I now have a fetish for sloths! Three-toed sloths are aboral which means they spend most of their time in trees. They mainly eat leaves but also eat fruit and flowers. Location: Costa Rica

Beach Baby

The Cahuita National Park in the Limón Province of Costa Rica boasts a variety of wildlife along its beachy shores. We hired a private guide to help us search the national park for wildlife. Our favorite wildlife was the capuchin monkeys. They hopped from branch to branch parallel to the beach, which was a stones throw away. One monkey used a rock to crack open twigs and branches to extract the yummy insects inside. For the whole day, we hired Oscar Brown (Oscar Brown Tours) to help us find wildlife. He is the one who lead us to Lulu the sloth that I got to hold. We had a great experience, and I highly recommend him.

In Search Of

The highlight of my cruise to the Caribbean was going to the island of Jamaica to photograph hummingbirds. Actually, I chose the cruise because it went to Jamaica where there are three hummingbirds endemic to the island. I was able to photograph, video and hand feed two of the species. This is the Jamaican Mango (a.k.a. Black Mango Hummingbird), which appears to be black but has beautiful coloring when the right light strikes its feathers. This was his favorite perch! Location: Rocklands Bird Sanctuary, Anchovy, Jamaica

The Essence

A lady enjoys the clear ocean water on the Grand Cayman Island.

Visual Brilliance

There are over 330 identified species of hummingbirds making them the second largest bird family in the world. The problem with so many unique species is trying to identify them. I went to the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve near the Panama Canal in hopes of finding hummingbirds. I heard a familiar but unfamiliar sound—a hummingbird singing a different song. They were definitely chatty making their own particular sounds as they buzzed around the flowers of the Calliandra shrub. I bought a hummingbird book that contains every species, so I could try and identify them. This little guy is a rufous-tailed hummingbird. Location: Gamboa Rainforest Reserve near the Panama Canal

On the Shore

On the shore of the Cayman Island, I photographed a beautiful shell. The shell was an imposter though. I bought the shell at a store in the United States and carried it to the beach to photograph it. It was the perfect way to guarantee I'd photograph a shell on the beach. Smart thinking!

Double-striped Thick-knee

What a great way to celebrate World Photography Day by bring the world to others through a photograph. Photography allows people to see something they may never have seen before. This Double-striped Thick-knee sure can’t be found in North America. I photographed this little fellow while I was in Cartagena, Columbia. They breed in Venezuela, northern Brazil, Columbia, southern Mexico and South and Central America.

Blazing Beauty

Whenever I am in a foreign country, photographing birds is first on my list. My option to photograph black bears is put on hold unless I’m in North America, Canada or Mexico. When I was in Columbia, my eyes were peeled to find them. At first, I went to the Aviario Nacional de Colombia where I found all kinds of amazing birds. Later in the day, I found hummingbirds in their natural environment. This rufous-tailed hummingbird is quite beautiful! Location: Cartagena, Columbia

Inquisitive

While I was in Columbia at the Aviario Nacional de Colombia, this toucan (collared aracari) was inquisitive and kept an eye on us. Our guide figured I wasn’t ready to leave and let us go at our own pace. After the group left, and we had the birds all to ourselves. He did not mind me photographing him. I kind of wonder what this little guy is thinking.

Chillin' in Cozumel

While photographing a palm tree on the coast of Cozumel, Mexico, a child lay in the hammock making for the perfect photograph.

On Jamaica’s Shore

I was on the beach in Jamaica photographing a purple starfish, when a local man walked by and ask, “Did that come from the ocean?” I explained to him that I bought it in a store and brought it with me.

Prince of the Mountain

“Prince of the Mountain” This summer, an immature red-billed streamertail hummingbird thought he was king of the mountain in Jamaica, but he is only a prince. Once he is full grown, maybe he can be king. This stunning black and green little gem can only be found in Jamaica and is their national bird. His tail is short and has not fully grown to the adult’s length of 6-7 inches, and he is missing quite a few iridescent feathers on his chest because he is molting. They have the longest tail feathers of any hummingbird. The locals call them the “Doctor Bird” because their long tail and black crest resemble the doctors of ole. If you would like to here their beautiful song that I recorded three years ago, you can find it on my YouTube page—Judy Royal Glenn. Location: Ochos Rios, Jamaica

Jamaican Mango

This little mango hummingbird is a beauty, especially when his colors pop in the proper light. His nickname is the black hummingbird because, without proper lighting, he appears black. He is indigenous to Jamaica, so if you want to see him, you have to take a trip there! I look forward to seeing them again when I go back!! Location: Rocklands Bird Sanctuary, Anchovy, Jamaica

Seeing Double

While I was birding on Grand Cayman Island, our guide took us to a pond where we found a female West Indian Whistling Duck and her three ducklings. These ducks are nocturnal and feed mostly in the evenings, yet the Lord had them out feeding the morning I was there! The Bahamas National Trust website says, “The West Indian Whistling Duck is the largest and rarest of the 8 species of unique whistling ducks found throughout the worlds tropical regions.” They are also one of the two rarest ducks in the Western Hemisphere. I am glad I had the opportunity to see them. Don’t you just love their white feathers with brown polka dots?

Haiti's Shores

The rocky coast of Haiti's shoreline was​ beautifully captured as the clear water splashed on the rocks.

West Indian Whistling Duck

I had the privilege of birding on Cayman Island recently. Geddes Hislop is the curator of terrestrial and education at the Cayman Turtle Centre. He showed us the birds of his beautiful country. One of my favorites is the West Indian Whistling Duck! Location: Garand Cayman

Finger Starfish in Haiti

This starfish originated in the Philippines, then was exported to the United States to be sold. I bought it and took it to Haiti so I could photograph it on the white sandy beach. I loved the crystal blue ocean!

Once Again

Jamaica is a beautiful country. I visited Ochos Rios last year. I photographed the hummingbirds there and other wildlife as well. For each country I visit, I like to go to the beach and photograph a shell on the shore. Knowing that shells may not be abundant, I bring my own. This white armoured starfish once again gets to return where it started—in the ocean.

Scampering Along

An immature Sally Lightfoot Crab in Labadee, Haiti.

Cozumel’s Iron Shore

Cozumel, Mexico is one of the beautiful islands we visited while on our Royal Caribbean Cruise. I brought a shell with me and placed it on the rocky “iron shore” limestone beach. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Location: Cozumel, Mexico

Love Birds

I visited the Aviario Nacional de Colombia. I was amazed at all the beautiful birds in Columbia. I could have spent the whole day there, but I only had two hours. Our guide was super nice and let me go at our own pace. These chestnut-fronted macaws spent most of the time preening each other. Before I left, one macaw put his wing around the other, and they enjoyed snuggling. I love how he raised his feathers on his head and you could see the content in her eyes