The Holy Grail

We left Serapiqui very early this morning for the 3 1/2 hour ride south to Paraiso Quetzal.  After a delicious lunch, some hummingbird shots on the deck, and settling into our rooms, we went to shoot Quetzals.  There is a pair nearby that still has a youngster in the nest that they are feeding.  The lighting wasn't great, so we were left with very high ISO's, but we had several opportunities to watch the male (seen here) and the female coming into nearby perches and then coming to the nest to feed the young one. They didn't come frequently as it seems they are trying to encourage the chick to fledge.  

We feel so lucky that the nestling didn't fledge before we got here. I feel so fortunate to have captured this in flight with their magnificent tail. 

The elevation here is about 8100 ft above see level so when we were hiking (uphill) to the Quetzal nest, we felt a bit oxygen-deprived. 

I will be up at 5:30 am to see if I can get another shot.