Today is my wife’s birthday. It’s a milestone year so I figure I better post something she likes. I know she loves cape buffalo. Their anthropomorphic expressions of disinterest and disdain always made her laugh. This guy was doing his “get off my yard” best as we drove past in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 290mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.
The ratel is more commonly known as the honey badger. My guide knew of a spot where a few of them were visiting every afternoon. So we built a makeshift blind out of old boxes and I crawled inside and waited. About an hour later (after photographing all sorts of birds that stopped by) the honey badger finally arrived. I was able to get quite a few nice low angle shots before he/she moved on. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.
For many safari goers, the African wild dog is at the top of the wish list. I got lucky with them on my first trip to Botswana. At the end of the day when the sun was low on the horizon and saturating the dry grass of the savanna, we came across a pack of about thirteen dogs. They were resting in the grass, playing and winding down after a day of hunting. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second.
This masked palm civet (also known as a gem-faced civet) was lurking around my campsite one night in Kaeng Krachan National Park in Thailand. I had seen porcupines the night before and missed the shot. This time I was ready with a remote flash on a tripod to my left. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 400, f/18 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units.
They are our most common mammals in most parts of the country, but when they strike the right pose, I still like to grab the shot. This eastern gray squirrel seemed to be contemplating his future outside my home office window the other day. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second.
The serow is a goat-antelope and national symbol of Japan. In fact, in the mid 50s it was hunted to near extinction before the Japanese government declared it a “special national monument” to protect it from poachers. Today, the population is thriving. I saw this one while visiting the snow monkeys at Jigokudani Spring in Nagano. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 90mm) ISO 400, f/3.5 at 1/80th of a second.
A coati emerges from an opening between a few fallen trees in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. I spent a good deal of time with a large group of these guys and was able to observe their behavior. Lighting and visibility in the forest was a challenge but I was able to get several good looks before they moved deeper into the park. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 160mm) ISO 1600, f/3.2 at 1/1000th of a second.
A young male lion lets out a big yawn before getting up from his afternoon nap. Photographed earlier this year in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
Here’s another look at the toad-eating snake that lives in my backyard. I was using my macro lens to get this very narrow depth of field just after the aforementioned toad was en route to the snake’s belly. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/3.2 at 1/2500th of a second.
I liked this guy’s face. Almost as if a darker colored black bear was growing out of the body of a lighter colored black bear. Quite a nice nose on him too. Photographed in northern Minnesota. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.