This one goes out to my frog-loving sister Mo on her birthday today. An American bullfrog photographed years ago in Baxter State Park in Maine. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.
A family of southern sea lions head toward the water on Carcass Island in the Falkland Islands. These guys are also called the South American sea lion and the Patagonian sea lion. On the west coast of South America, they range from Peru in the north to the southern tip of Chile and the Falkland Islands and then on the east coast on up into southern Brazil. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/1000th of a second.
The northern tamandua is a medium-sized anteater that ranges from southern Mexico down through northern South America. They exist almost entirely on ants and termites. I saw this one in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. Always fun to see these guys as they are solitary animals and generally nocturnal, but also sometimes active during the day. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.
The Betsileo is just one of the great tree frogs that I was able to photograph while in Madagascar. I usually like to get down a little lower, but I liked this image showing the detail on the frog’s back and all those interesting flecks. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm with Canon 500D close up filter) ISO 200, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.
Bettongs are often called rat kangaroos in their native Australia. There are four different species, this being the Eastern Bettong, found in Tasmania. They are small marsupials and all are threatened due to predation by introduced predators like cats and foxes, as well as the general management of land since the British settlement of Australia. Difficult to spot in the wild due to their scarcity and nocturnal habits, I was able to photograph this one at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, a rehabilitation center in southern Tasmania. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.
For the next few weeks, these posts may become a bit sporadic as Karen, our three pets and I are living out of hotels due to a bat infestation at the house we were renting. I’m posting images I can find on the hard drive of my laptop or iPad that I haven’t posted before. This is a gentoo penguin I thought looked like an umpire calling a runner safe. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/500th of a second.
Tanagers come in every color imaginable across an estimated 240 species. They exist mainly in the tropics of the western hemisphere. I photographed this moss-backed tanager high in the cloud forest of Ecuador. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 250mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.
Here’s another one from my favorite elephant seal spot on the central California coast. This is a young one — too old to be with his mother but too young to be out mixing it up with the big bulls. At this age, they tend to hang back in the dunes away from the action. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 24mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/320th of a second.
This is the fanaloka. Native to Madagascar. I only saw one. They are strictly nocturnal like their civet cousins in other parts of the world. This one was spotted in Ranomafana National Park in the central part of the country, on a night hike. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 92mm) ISO 200, f/5 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.
Another scene from the shores of the Pantanal in Brazil. This is a chestnut-eared aracari enjoying a bit of a floral snack. Aracaris have toucan-like beaks and are always a great sighting when visiting Central and South America. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2500th of a second.