Great Blue Heron
A great blue heron bearing a gift — a stick to reinforce the nest. Photographed in Venice, Florida. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 210mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/2500th of a second.
Happy Easter
As I post this, there’s still twenty or so minutes left of Easter Sunday. So naturally, here’s the annual rabbit post. This time a desert cottontail from the Badlands of South Dakota. Hope everyone had a great day. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.
Golden Mantella
The golden mantella is a critically endangered species endemic to Madagascar. It’s bright coloration is actually the complete opposite of camouflage, used as a warning sign to let would-be predators know to stay away due to high toxicity. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 155 with Canon 500D close up filter attached) ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.
Prairie Dog Love
It is said that prairie dogs get their name from the habitat they live in and the fact that they sound like dogs when alerting others of danger. I get the habitat part, but not the dog part. Their call is certainly more of a high pitched yip than a bark. Regardless, they are fun animals to watch and photograph. These two youngsters were showing each other a bit of affection outside of their burrow in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/4000th of a second.
Crab-Eating Fox
During the wet season, the crab-eating fox searches for crabs out on the muddy floodplains of central South America. Thus the name. This crab-eating fox, however, was looking for something a bit different — no doubt attracted to the smells coming from the lodge I was staying at in the Pantanal of Brazil. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 105mm) ISO 200, f/10 at 1/60th of a second. Two Nikon SB-800 flash units.
Cape Barren Goose Headshot
Cape barren geese only exist in the extreme south of Australia (with a small, introduced population also in New Zealand). I photographed this one on Maria Island in Tasmania. They were quite common on Maria Island and, as with most geese, allowed a close approach. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.
Snowy Owl
I took a trip to Boundary Bay, just south of Vancouver, a few years back in search of snowy owls. I had just enough light left when this one took flight above the marsh, in search of an evening snack. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm), ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.
Lesser Mouse Lemur
The lesser mouse lemur, also known as the gray mouse lemur, is one of the smallest primates in the world. They can be very quick in the trees, and also nocturnal, making them a challenge to photograph. I encountered this one on a late-night hike in central Madagascar. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 320, f/8 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.
Return of the Bearded Pig
Behold the beauty of the bearded pig. I’ve posted a few bearded piglets in the past. Here’s what those cute little youngsters grow up to be. These guys were fairly common around troops of orangutans. They follow them around and forage for the scraps that they leave behind. Photographed at Tanjung Puting National Park in Indonesian Borneo. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 170mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/160th of a second.
Gerenuk Couple
The gerenuk is sometimes called the giraffe gazelle. You can see why with that elongated neck. And as if the neck isn’t enough, the gerenuk regularly stands on its hind legs to reach even higher for food — usually the leaves of acacia trees. I photographed this male and female pair in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (with 1.4 teleconverter for 550mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/800th of a second.