Here’s another one from the Venice Rookery in Florida. In addition to great egrets, blue herons, black-crowned night herons and ibis, it’s also a great place to photograph anhingas in flight. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (with 1.4 teleconverter for 500mm) ISO 1600, f/10 at 1/800th of a second.
A pair of river otters enjoy a moment atop a frozen pond in Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in Indiana. The great thing about photographing river otters in the winter is that you always know where they’re going to pop up. They create a hole in the ice and then maintain it so that they can easily hunt for fish before dining on the surface. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens and 1.4 teleconverter (for 550mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.
There are four different species of echidna in the world. This is the short-beaked echidna. They are interesting little mammals in the monotreme order. Monotremes are the only mammals that lay eggs. Their namesake “beak” allows short-beaked echidnas to suck up ants and other insects from the ground at an impressive speed. I spotted this one along the side of a road in Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania, Australia. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second.
This one goes out to all the mothers out there, especially ML. Hope you all had a great day. This mother mountain goat was having a great day with her kid high atop Mount Evans in Colorado. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/6.3 at 1/800th of a second.
Just a simple portrait of a brown bear, but I liked the layers of muted colors in this one — typical of Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park in autumn. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second.
Elephants will occasionally charge a safari vehicle. Should it be a concern? Of course. They are incredibly powerful beasts. That said, the vast majority of charges are mock and a good guide will know the difference between when an elephant is genuinely agitated and means business and when it’s just trying to give you a pseudo-friendly warning. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/125th of a second.
This one goes out to the Green Heron Cottage in Collinsville, CT where I had a great meal last night courtesy of its gracious proprietor. Green herons are smart little birds — one of the few species that effectively uses tools. They will often drop bread crusts, insects or whatever else they can find on the surface of the water to lure fish for an easy catch. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.
When you’re the main food source for the top predators of a region, you tend to be a bit cautious. These capybaras we’re taking their time about entering the murky waters of the Yucama River in Bolivia. No telling if a caiman was just below the surface waiting for breakfast. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/125th of a second.
The black-backed jackals of Africa look a lot like our coyotes. They are known as opportunistic omnivores. They hunt smaller mammals, but more often than not, they scavenge the kills of lions and other cats. I photographed this guy as the sun was setting on the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second.
This is an Atlantic ghost crab doing what Atlantic ghost crabs do — excavating a new home in the sand. These guys were quite common on the beach in Barbados. Their constant activity gave me something to do rather than just lying in the sun all day. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/1250th of a second.