Photographing the Agami Heron: A Rare Encounter in a Drying Amazon

We tend to think of the Amazon rainforest as the moist, fresh-green lungs of our planet. An endless ecosystem constantly nourished by life-giving rain, threaded with thousands of rivers, oxbow lakes, and lagoons. This image of the Amazon as a place with a more or less stable, humid climate held true for millions of years. Unfortunately, extreme weather swings are becoming increasingly common in this cradle of biodiversity beneath the world’s longest mountain range.