I’ve obviously been on a bit of a marsupial kick lately. Here’s one more. A Bennett’s wallaby hanging out in the rain. These guys are all over Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania — an incredibly beautiful place and highly recommended if you’re ever in the area.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/100th of a second
This image was a bit of a mistake. I was photographing critically endangered black-crested macaques on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. When I saw this macaque sitting in the middle of a charred field — the result of an illegal slash and burn fire — he seemed as if he was crying out at the short-sighted practice of his fellow primates. I quickly grabbed my second camera with wide angle lens attached and took the shot without realizing that I had left a filter holder screwed in, causing extreme vignetting at 17mm. But the result seemed to work, as if the macaque was at the wrong end of a gun, with little hope for survival if local villagers continue to encroach upon his rapidly dwindling habitat.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/3.5 at 1/400th of a second
Here’s another marsupial from Tasmania. This time a wild Tasmanian devil imp — the name for young devils — from a healthy population that was introduced to Maria Island a few years ago. Maria Island has become a bit of a safe breeding ground for the devils, away from the facial tumor disease that is decimating the population on mainland Tasmania. Many of the devils on Maria Island, however, are then captured and brought back to the mainland in an effort to repopulate the critically endangered species. Researchers are finding that wild devils, like the ones on Maria Island, have a better chance of survival than those bred in one of the many captive programs.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
The golden brushtail possum is a rare color varient of the common brushtail possum. I photographed this one at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in Tasmania. The sanctuary rescues injured animals in the hopes of rehabilitating them for future release back into the wild.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 3200, f/4.5 at 1/800th of a second
No matter how many red fox I come across in my travels, I always get excited when I see one. Such elegant creatures. This one was spotted at Silver Salmon Creek in Lake Clark National Park in Alaska.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second
This was one of the four bull moose that I saw vying for a single female last fall in Alaska during the yearly rut. Chugach State Park, just outside of Anchorage.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 290mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
Ringtail lemurs love to bask in the early morning warmth of the sun. This little guy was doing what they do best — sitting in an almost meditative way, waiting for the sun to rise. Shot in southern Madagascar at Berenty Reserve.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 185mm) ISO 100, f/2.8 at 1/1000th of a second
Marmots can often be spotted at high altitude chowing down alpine wildflowers. This species is the hoary marmot, photographed at Mount Rainer National Park amidst the wild blue lupine.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second
Earlier in the week I posted a wide shot of a coastal brown bear hunting silver salmon at Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. Here’s a close up.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second
These two snow monkeys were clearly not buying what I was putting down. Photographed at the Jigokudani Hot Spring near Nagano, Japan.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 125mm) ISO 200, f/4.5 at 1/1000th of a second