A female puma stands among mixed scrub brush and rocks in Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. She had three cubs who were hiding in the bushes waiting for her to awake from her nap before they all moved on. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
We only saw one Galápagos flamingo on our trip to the Islands, but considering there are only 500 of them on the archepelago, those aren’t bad odds. And he/she had the decency to wallow in a dark area while the sun illuminated his/her body. I was okay with that. Photographed on Santa Cruz island. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/2500th of a second.
While in Tasmania I photographed two different species of quoll, the eastern and the spotted. The eastern I was able to track down in the wild. This guy, the spotted, was at a breeding center for Tasmanian devils just outside of Cradle Mountain National Park. Spotted quolls are the largest carnivorous marsupials on mainland Australia, and second to the Tasmanian Devil in Tasmania. They are considered a near threatened species due mainly to habitat destruction. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 3600, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
While watering the lawn today, Karen spotted three tiny — I mean really tiny — little cottontail rabbits. They were about the size of a baseball and looked more like mice than rabbits. This one seemed to be enjoying the wet grass and cool breeze right in front of our house. Karen, of course, wouldn’t leave until she knew all three were safe from the ever-present red-tailed hawks. For now, mission accomplished as they eventually scrambled back into the bushes from whence they came. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.
Four helmeted guineafowl get a better look out across the savanna from atop a fallen tree. Photographed in Laikipia, Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second.
Back in January, I posted a shot of this leopard resting while preparing for a hunt. The yawn gave me a different look and excuse for a repost. Soon after letting it all out, she stalked off through the tall grasses to get a better look at whatever it was she was looking at. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.
In lieu of any significant action at my camera trap, I decided to use a little trickery and combine two exposures to pose with the fawn who has been one of my only customers thus far. I did get the left arm and butt cheek of a black bear two nights ago, but little else to speak of. But I am determined so stay tuned. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 28mm) ISO 640, f/8 at 1/60th of a second, Cognisys Cam-Box, Trail Monitor and flash units.
I’ve posted a few images in the past from this glorious morning. Here’s another frame from my favorite minus-27-degree-wind-chill day of shooting ever. In this take, the sun was still somewhat obscured by the clouds keeping the blues of the ice a softer shade of gray and the overall scene less contrasty than those previous posts. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.
I’ve been enjoying the wildlife in my own back yard as of late, but longing for a return to more exotic locales, like Ankarafantsika National Park in western Madagascar. It was there in the dry forests that I met this Milne Edwards’ sportive lemur. Usually nocturnal, this one was hiding in the cavity of a tree along a trail I was hiking and woke up to see what was passing by. I took a couple of quick shots before moving on. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/4th of a second.
It’s been a few weeks but the excitement returned today as a mother black bear and her two cubs spent some time in our front yard. The cubs must have been lost and waiting for the mom to find them as they hid in a tree. I actually saw the mom first as she came through the woods in the backyard and eventually down the hill to reunite with the cubs (which I didn’t see until they went running to the mom). Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/200th of a second (top shot) and 1/1000th of a second (bottom shot).