A secretary bird displays its wings as it prepares to take off. Secretary birds are one of the taller flying birds encountered on east African safaris. They spend lots of time on the ground, but also enjoy perching on top of acacia trees. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/800th of a second.
Here’s another one from the Rocky Mountain region, a bighorn ram. Winter tends to be the best time to see the rams as they leave their bachelor herds and come down from higher elevations to vie for females. They also come down seeking easier grass to uncover beneath the heavy snow. This headshot was taken in Yellowstone National Park. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.
Although pikas look like furry little rodents, they are actually lagomorphs, which include rabbits and hares. They live in high, rocky settings. This one was photographed up in the alpine tundra of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/250th of a second.
The pygmy falcon is the smallest bird of prey in Africa. It’s only about seven and a half inches long and preys upon insects and small reptiles and mammals. Photographed in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second.
I photographed these three sugar gliders at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in Tasmania. Bonorong rescues injured and orphaned animals and rehabilitates them before releasing back into the wild. Like much of the wildlife in Tasmania, sugar gliders are marsupials. They are also nocturnal possums. Their name comes from the fact that they prefer sugary foods like sap and nectar and they are able to glide through the air from tree to tree. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 3200, f/4.5 at 1/100th of a second.
Still going through all my shots from the Africa trip back in January and came across this one of a golden monkey that I missed on the first pass through the files. I always like when I can use a shaft of light to illuminate just the face — or in this case, the front of the body. Photographed in the bamboo forests of Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
Throughout spring and early summer, mountain goats shed the thick coat that they develop in the winter. This image was actually taken later in the summer, but the mountain goat was still holding onto that last bit of winter fur. Photographed up on Mount Evans in Colorado. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.
There are two species of roadrunner in the world, the greater and the lesser roadrunner. This is the former. I photographed this guy in Anza-Borrego State Park in southern California. True to his name, he was running across the desert floor, presumably looking for something to eat. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.
An elephant takes a morning stroll in front of an escarpment in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 110mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.
This very small frog is called the spot-flanked poison dart frog. I came across him while hiking in Madidi National Park in the Bolivian Amazon. The blue vocal sac was pretty impressive, disappearing beneath the frog’s chin from time to time before bursting forth again. The rest of the coloration was also impressive. Without any flash, I used a very long shutter speed of four seconds to capture the frog when he was completely still.Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm with Canon 500D close up filter) ISO 200, f/16 at 4 seconds.