I was with some friends reminiscing about Japan this weekend, so thought I’d take a look back at my snow monkey pics from my trip to Nagano’s Jigokudani Monkey Park back in 2007. Here’s a simple portrait of one of the monkeys, or Japanese macaques, enjoying the natural springs of the area. Snow monkeys are the most northerly-living primates other than humans.Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 116mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second.
These two female lions had just finished a meal of Cape buffalo and were playing in the late afternoon just before the sun went down. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1100, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.
Galápagos sea lions are easy to find. You just have to go to the Galápagos Islands. We not only encountered them on land on each of the islands we visited, we also had the opportunity to swim with them every afternoon. This little guy was just learning how to use those flippers to move across the volcanic rock of Santiago Island. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm), ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/640th of a second.
I sat quietly in the bushes and waited while this giant anteater slowly moved in my direction. They have a good sense of smell but are practically blind so with the wind blowing in my direction, I was able to get extremely close without the anteater knowing I was even there. I snapped a few quick headshots before it continued on its way. This gives a good look at that long snout that it uses to lap up all those ants. Photographed in Guyana earlier this year.Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.
Manakins are colorful little birds. There are about 55 different species of all colors that range throughout the tropics of Central and South America. The name manakin is Dutch for “little man.” This is the wire-tailed manakin and he was doing a dance in an attempt to attract a mate. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 3200, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second, Godox V860iii flash.
Usually when a bobcat walks past one of my camera traps, the camera captures one or two images as it passes by. Last week we had a bobcat that was a little more curious. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/250th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and three remote flash units.
I had previously posted another shot from this sequence of a drongo (the small black bird) attacking a tawny eagle. The eagle was raiding the nests of all the smaller birds, and this brave little guy finally took action and drove the eagle out. This action happened just outside of our tent in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy of Kenya back in April while we were heading to lunch. Never a dull moment on an African safari. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 720, f/5.6 at 1/3200th of a second.
I kind of liked the graphic nature of this Doris longwing butterfly that I captured in the Peruvian Amazon a few years ago. These guys were all over the place and I had fun capturing images behind the jungle lodge that I was staying at. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Godox 860iii flash.
And… one more from the camera trap (at least until the next batch of creatures shows up). I get these flying squirrels from time to time when they drift down and land on the fallen tree. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Camtraptions camera housing and triggers, two Nikon SB-900 flash units.
Here’s the second of my visitors last week. The camera caught the bobcat a bit early, but I had two flashes set up and the one tucked behind the tree gave off just enough light. As the bobcat continued down the tree, the camera took one more shot with the cat in the perfect position but its head was turned away. I’ll take what the trap gives me — and actually, ended up really liking this full crop with the bobcat emerging from the darkness. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Camtraptions housing and triggers, two Nikon SB-900 flash units.