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Bird’s eye view: Drone photos of the Amazon rainforest (insider)

  • Mongabay founder Rhett A. Butler shares some images and footage from a recent trip to the Amazon rainforest.
  • The images were captured by drone just prior to COVID-19 becoming a global pandemic.
  • This post is insider content, which is available to paying subscribers.

In March 2020, just prior to COVID-19 being a pandemic, I spent a few days in the tri-border region of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. There I used a drone to capture some images of the Amazon rainforest, including the flooded igapo forest, oxbow lakes, and terra firm forest.

Below is a collection of some of my favorite shots as well as a few short video clips. Some of these images will be appearing in future Mongabay stories.

Drone view of flooded forest in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Drone view of flooded forest in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Sunset reflected in a blackwater lake in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Sunset reflected in a blackwater lake in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Sunset over the Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Sunset over the Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
The Javari River where it forms the border between Peru and Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
The Javari River where it forms the border between Peru and Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
The Javari River where it forms the border between Peru and Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
The Javari River where it forms the border between Peru and Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
The Javari River where it forms the border between Peru and Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
The Javari River where it forms the border between Peru and Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Zacambu River in Peru. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Zacambu River in Peru. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
The Javari River where it forms the border between Peru and Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
The Javari River where it forms the border between Peru and Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Drone view of flooded forest in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Drone view of flooded forest in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Blackwater lake in the Peruvian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Blackwater lake in the Peruvian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
The Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
The Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Rainforest in the Brazilian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Rainforest in the Brazilian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Drone capturing a raptor in flight over the Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Drone capturing a raptor in flight over the Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Canoe in the Zacambu river, Peru. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Canoe in the Zacambu river, Peru. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Mist rising from the Amazon rainforest at dawn. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Mist rising from the Amazon rainforest at dawn. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Blackwater lake in the Peruvian Amazon at daybreak. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Blackwater lake in the Peruvian Amazon at daybreak. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Flowering rainforest tree in the Colombian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Flowering rainforest tree in the Colombian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Creek winding through in the rainforest in the Colombian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Creek winding through in the rainforest in the Colombian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Rainforest creek in the Colombian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Rainforest creek in the Colombian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Rain storm the Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Rain storm the Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Rainforest creek in the Colombian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Rainforest creek in the Colombian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Overhead view of the Amazon rainforest canopy. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Overhead view of the Amazon rainforest canopy. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Aerial view of the Amazon rainforest canopy. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Aerial view of the Amazon rainforest canopy. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Blackwater lake in the Peruvian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Blackwater lake in the Peruvian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Blackwater lake, rainforest, and the whitewater Zacambu River in the Peruvian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Blackwater lake, rainforest, and the whitewater Zacambu River in the Peruvian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Drone view of flooded forest in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Drone view of flooded forest in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Mist rising from the Amazon rainforest at dawn. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Mist rising from the Amazon rainforest at dawn. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Mist rising from the Amazon rainforest at dawn. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Mist rising from the Amazon rainforest at dawn. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.

Sunrise over the rainforest in the Peruvian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Sunrise over the rainforest in the Peruvian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Sunset reflected in a blackwater lake in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Sunset reflected in a blackwater lake in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Sunset reflected in a blackwater lake in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Sunset reflected in a blackwater lake in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Blackwater creek during the flood season in the Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Blackwater creek during the flood season in the Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Aerial view of the Amazon rainforest canopy. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Aerial view of the Amazon rainforest canopy. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Amazon rainforest canopy in Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Amazon rainforest canopy in Brazil. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Flowering rainforest tree in the Colombian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Flowering rainforest tree in the Colombian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Blackwater creek during the flood season in the Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Blackwater creek during the flood season in the Amazon rainforest. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
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