Birds in Nature - images of wild birds by Richard Ditch

Subject: Eared Quetzal (Euptilotis neoxenus)
Place: Christopher Creek, AZ, USA
Date: November 1995
Equipment: Nikon 8008, Nikkor EDIF 400/5.6, hand held
Film: Fujichrome Sensia 400
Exposure: Aperture priority center-weighted meter, natural light, no flash fill
Scan: Minolta Dimage, full frame

Eared Quetzal (recently renamed from Eared Trogon) is an extremely rare bird in the US, with only a handful of records from southern AZ. This bird was even farther north at a location along the Mogollon Rim northeast of Payson. A non birder reported a possible trogon out of range and out of season, so it was a real treat to actually find that the report was valid. The photo was taken in the middle of a wooded area when the bird unexpected landed about 15 feet overhead. This image was used on the cover of an issue of the Western Birds journal.