The Traveler: Nina Hale of Minneapolis.
The scene: Outstretched wings — revealing blue undersides — guide a parrot as it lands, joining others on a feeding perch at Laguna del Lagarto Lodge in northern Costa Rica. Hale traveled to the lodge (lagarto-lodge-costa-rica.com), in a rain forest, during a 12-day birding photography trip to the Central American country.
The trip: "The lodge, like many in Costa Rica, specializes in birding so has beautiful perches where they place fruit," Hale wrote in an e-mail. Birds flocked to the feeding stations, which are placed near the lodge's viewing and dining balconies. "The setting and the profusion of tropical birds is fantastic. The lodge itself is rustic, and the rooms are spartan, uncomfortable and hot. However, out of five lodges, it's the place I keep thinking the most about," Hale wrote. "Seeing tropical birds in the wild is a truly magical experience." She saw more than 250 bird species during the trip.
The equipment: Hale used a Canon EOS Rebel camera on a tripod with a Tamron 150-600mm lens. "Most of the trip, the birds were so close that I didn't need the full zoom," Hale wrote. "This trip taught me the importance of a tripod."
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