Finding – let alone retaining – focus on the feathered target is just one of many challenges faced by those who attempt to take “good” photos of birds.
Even “bird snappers” who are much more skilled than I am generally delete/should delete most of their attempts.
This is most especially true in Colombia; the world’s wettest country has a phenomenal array of birds, but most of them are very wary/reclusive, and constantly on the move.
Their movements are usually rapid, and highly “unpredictable”.
They spend much of their time in very dense, dimly-lit forest, where birds are often barely-visible.
Sometimes, however, a photographic “failure” is worth keeping, even sharing.
My failed attempt to obtain a clear, sharply focused view of the pictured bird occurred on 12 March 2026, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
As this teaser series’ next/penultimate chapter will illustrate, on that day I also enjoyed some photographic “success”.
If you are new to bird photography, click here for some useful free advice from a notable Australian photographer.
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