After spending 3 days waiting in a hide deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, I was rewarded with the breathtaking sight of hundreds of Cobalt-winged Parakeets descending to the forest floor. The parakeets were gathering to drink and eat nutrient-rich water and clay, which they need to neutralize the toxins in acidic fruits that they eat. Being vulnerable on the ground, even the slightest sound or hint of a potential predator would scare the entire flock away, and it could take them hours or even days for them to build up the courage to return. I used a slow shutter speed to capture the motion and colour in the wings of the birds as they flew down to the growing flock of parakeets on the ground.